SUPER SENIORS WIN GOLD IN TURKEY

The ITF Super Senior World Team and Individual Championships were held at Club Ali Bey near Antalya, Turkey in October. With more than 60 courts this resort can accommodate all the events in a first class setting and the beautiful red clay obviously suits the players from Ontario.

In team competition, the Canadian Over 80 women’s team of Muffie Grieve, Rosemary Asch (Montreal), Joyce Cutts and Joan Bradich won the Doris Hart Cup for the fourth consecutive year, showing that our players, like wine, get better with age.

In the individual competition, Inge Weber (see photo) won the gold medal in Over -75 singles, with a win in the final over Roz King of the USA, 6-1, 3-4 ret. Muffie Grieve came home with two world championship titles in over 80 doubles . She won ladies doubles with Jackie Zylstra of South Africa and mixed doubles with Max Byrne of Australia. Muffie Grieve looked as though she might be on her way to a third world singles title too but was stopped in the Semi-finals in a very tight match against Ann Fotheringham of Australia. After losing the first set 5-7, Muffie came back to win the second set 6-1 and then lost 10-7 in the super tiebreaker.

In men’s Over 60 doubles, Keith Porter (formerly of Toronto) and Jim Cameron of Ottawa were able to successfully defend their world championship title, but without the satisfaction of actually playing the championship match. Torrential rain hit the site on both the Friday and Saturday of individual competition. Even when you have that many courts, it’s no help when they are under water and you have a few rounds to play. They won the final in a walkover against Thomas Emmrich and Dan Nemes of Germany, who had reached the final with a walkover against the number 1 seeds Buchenrode and Hellmonseder of Austria.

For more details on these events please go to www.itftennis.com/seniors