Weston’s Midtown Athletic Club Earns USTA National Championship Spot – Sun Sentinel

Members of Weston’s Midtown Athletic Club are in a celebratory mood after winning the USTA 8.0 Mixed 40+ Sectional Championship at the USTA National Campus in Orlando with a 2-1 win over Hillsborough County. The victory automatically qualified the team to compete in the upcoming USTA National Championship in Surprise, Arizona from November 11-13.

Lizette Ibarra found success in only her second year as team captain. During her rookie season as captain, she took her 18-plus team to the semi-finals in a respectable performance. Winning the USTA Section title proved to be an exciting experience for all players involved.

Broward County is renowned for its excellent tennis game and to be crowned Broward Champion is a great achievement. This tough local competition prepares Broward teams when the USTA Sectional Tournaments roll out.

“We had a great group of talented players who collectively made great contributions during the season,” Ibarra said. “Our team was very good and engaged in our games. We had a few injuries and some people had personal circumstances that prevented them from competing. Our whole team was mobilized and behaved very well.

Top teams from across the state converged at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. Each team that made it to the sectional championship represented the best team in their local league. The championship match featured Hillsborough County (HCC Tennis Complex) against Broward County (Midtown Athletic Club of Weston). In best of three doubles matches, Midtown Athletic Club won the first two matches to clinch the title.

Midtown’s No. 2 line of Kenny Torrellas and Garbine De La Mora earned a dominating 6-0, 6-2 win over Hillsborough’s Jeffrey Stern and Christina Dausch. The win took just 45 minutes, which turned the playing partners into cheerleaders to root for their teammates. Midtown’s No. 1 line of Lizette Ibarra and Ronald Coletto then beat Thing Duong and Tibbie Fransworth 7-5, 6-2 to clinch the title. With the championship already assured, Midtown third line Antonio Macias and Kerri Paul retired during the game to celebrate with their teammates.

Ibarra has been playing tennis for just seven years and started out at Midtown Athletic Club in Weston. She gradually continued to move up a class as her game continued to improve.

“I’m a late tennis player and always wanted to play tennis as a kid, but never got the chance,” Ibarra said. “That’s what makes it so exciting and fun. We will be training on hard courts for the USTA Nationals. We have scheduled tough training sessions with strong players to prepare for better competition.

Weston’s Midtown Athletic Club roster members are Captain Lizette Ibarra, Co-Captain Pipo Torrellas, Maria Brozzi, Sondra Carpio, Ronald Coletto, Garbine de la Mora, Clarena Furtado, Antonio Macías, Kerri Paul, Paulina Rivero, Maria Suarez, Felipe Soto and Kenny Torrellas.

Midtown Athletic Clubs’ director of tennis is Ismael Rosales. Visit www.midtown.com.