Sports
Woodstock Residents Take Part in USTA National Championship
Carlos Abalos and Mark Billson played on the USTA Southern Section team, which finished 2nd at the USTA League National Championships.
Photo (L-R): Carl Abalos of Woodstock, Evgenia Dockter of Atlanta, Mark Billson of Woodstock, Julia Dimitrov of Atlanta, Victor Ventura of Bogart and Tammy Zawacki of Hilton Head, S.C.
A mixed doubles tennis team from Atlanta, representing the USTA Southern Section, finished second at the USTA League Mixed 18 & Over 10.0 National Championships held at the Hilton El Conquistador Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
The Atlanta team lost to a team from Harrison, N.Y., 2-1 in the Championship match. Earlier in the day, the Atlanta team defeated a team from Kansas City, Kan., 2-1 in the semifinals. They advanced this far by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.
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The team is captained by Jamie Dockter and features Woodstock residents Carl Abalos and Mark Billson, Atlanta residents Evgenia Dockter and Julia Dimitrov, Victor Ventura of Bogart and Tammy Zawacki of Hilton Head, South Carolina.
The top four teams in order of finish are: Eastern, Southern, Missouri Valley and Mid-Atlantic.
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Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 820,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.
USTA League was established to provide adult recreational tennis players throughout the country with the opportunity to compete against players of similar ability levels. Players participate on teams in a league format, which is administered by the USTA through its 17 Sections. The league groups players by using six National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) levels, ranging from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced). USTA League is open to any USTA member 18 years of age or older.
Last year USTA League changed its structure and format. The change offers USTA League participant’s two divisions: Adult (18 & over, 40 & over and 55 & over) and Mixed (18 & over) to better align participants with players their own age.
In 2014 a Mixed 40 & Over division was added. The restructuring guarantees more frequency of play opportunities at more appropriate age groups.
Head Penn Racquet Sports is in its 27th year as official ball of USTA League. For more information about USTA League or the USTA, visit www.usta.com.
