ITF Master’s World Team Championships - Bol, Croatia
World Women’s & Men’s 75-80-85s Team Championships: Survivor, Croatia Edition
Reporting from Bol, on the island of Brač — where the journey itself deserved a medal. Getting to this “out-of-season paradise” was its own endurance event. The lone daily catamaran ferry ran only once a day at 4:30 PM; fierce winds canceled crossings, and one unlucky plane carrying players detoured to Zagreb—then Vienna. Practice sessions took place in gale-force gusts that blew the red clay off the courts along with our service tosses.
Then came the wave of illness. Our team group chat quickly turned into a telemedicine hotline:
USTA rep Kathy Settles: “Does anyone have Zicam they can share?”
Kathy (two minutes later): “I’m headed to the pharmacy—anyone need anything?”
Cue the flood: “Emergency or Airborne.” “Mucinex, please.” “Cough drops!” “Something like this [photo of nasal inhaler] for Judy—and maybe a cough suppressant pill.”
And from Wilbur Jones: “My wife needs large square bandages, white tape, and Neosporin.”
To which Carolyn Nichols (playing in France, mind you) chimed in, perfectly deadpan: “Isn’t there a doctor or a physio on site?”
Through it all, Kathy Settles logged more than 17,000 steps a day, trekking over hilly terrain with satchels of electrolytes, power bars, medical supplies, and sunscreen. By Day 4, the only medical request was for Imodium—a clear sign of progress.
The Championships
W 75s – Queen’s Cup: Judy Dixon, Gwenda Ward, Toni Novack, Liane Bryson
The 75s battled through injuries and illness to reach the medal rounds. After edging Germany 2–1 on Day 3—with No. 1 Judy Dixon sidelined by illness and No. 3 Toni Novack injured—doubles player Liane Bryson stepped in and notched a straight-sets singles win over Australia, with Gwenda Ward sealing the tie soon after. The next day, with Judy still recovering and Toni out, Ward and Bryson secured both singles points for the USA against Finland, and Dixon/Bryson took the doubles to clinch the Queen’s Cup for the United States.
W 80s – Doris Hart Cup: Sue Kimball, Betty Wachob, Carolann Castell, Andi Polisky
The 80s swept past Argentina and Finland, then used their day off to scout Great Britain. That prep paid off—but not without some difficulties. Betty Wachob and Sue Kimball each eked out nail-biting singles wins in super-tiebreaks to clinch the tie and then teamed up to win the doubles in straight sets for good measure. In the finals, they finished with silver medals, falling to France in both singles before Andi Polisky and Carolann Castell captured the doubles point.
W 85s – Angela Mortimer Cup: Dorothy Wasser, Donna Fales, Roz King, Susanne Clark
After defeating Argentina and Australia on the first two days, the 85s steam-rolled Germany 3–0 on Day 3 behind wins from Susanne Clark, Donna Fales, and the doubles team of Fales/King. Following a well-deserved day off, they downed Great Britain on Thursday to capture the Angela Mortimer Cup for the USA—dropping only one set the entire week.
Congratulations to all! From canceled ferries to flying clay, cough drops to championship cups, Team USA didn’t just survive Croatia—they conquered it. Tribal council adjourned. Everyone gets a medal…and maybe an Imodium.
