Tournament Recap: USTA National Womens Indoor Championships

DATES: May 17-22, 2024
LOCATION: Lexington, KY
DIVISIONS: Level 1 - 30,35,45,55,65,75,85

BY LOIS HARRIS

The second iteration of the Indoors at the Lexington Tennis Club promises good things for the future. With 15 indoor courts that are spacious, well-lit, and not too fast, play proceeded smoothly. The only glitch was that air travel for some was affected by weather in other parts of the country.

In the meantime, the weather in Lexington was beautiful. Some players flew directly into Lexington, others flew into Cincinnati which is a short 30-minute drive away. Many in the Midwest were able to drive there. With the world's most concentrated collection of horse farms, there were also unique and accessible activities for participants. Several took the Bluegrass Country Driving Tour which introduced the major attractions via a self-driven tour. Many of the 450 horse farms are available for booked tours. Wellington Park features a labyrinth for those who want to walk for exercise! There are also more than a dozen bourbon distilleries within the region as well as numerous historic, entertainment, dining, and outdoor sites and activities.

Lunch was provided for the first two days and an evening banquet was held on Saturday at the club and supported by NWTO. The tournament also gave a donation to the Julie Ditty Qualls Memorial Scholarship Fund; her father spoke at the banquet about her program of free organized tennis clinics for youth. Other pluses were free practice courts as available starting on Thursday with tournament balls provided and a good “goodie” bag and long-sleeve shirt. Viewing areas were available for virtually every court, and friendly staff and a positive attitude from tournament host Michael Cunningham also contributed to the event. Tournament hotels were provided that ranged in price and distance. A tournament sponsor, the Recovery Room offered cold plunge, IV therapy, compression service, or Cryo services at an off-site location.

Quick Results: In many cases, the tournament seeds held up and included many of the top players in the country with a few hard-fought upsets. Main draw matches were three sets and either round robin (RR) or regular draw depending on the size of the field. Complete results can be found here.

The 35s and 45s finished on Sunday:

35S RR: Barbara Delmondes de Oliveira swept the field with Tabatha Butler and Diana Lesher earning silver and bronze, respectively.
35D RR: Kelly Buckley and Erika Takeuchi won over Tabatha Butler and Barbara Delmondes de Oliveira. Finishing 3rd was the team of Jessica Cunningham and Kristen Oakley.
45S: Julie Thu dominated the field with Yulia Bolotova earning the silver and Kimberly Allen finishing 3rd.
45D RR: Julie Thu and Yulia Bolotova over Sue Kaleel and Kristen Charlton in 2nd with Mariko Shimad and Kaya Congleton garnering 3rd.

The 55s, 65s & 75s finished on Monday:

55S: With a 9-player draw, #2 seed Angela Wilson prevailed over unseeded Michelle Williams in 2nd and #4 seed Terri Thyssen finished 3rd.
55D: A 7-team draw saw #1 seeds Michelle Williams and Susan Love defeat Anna Zimmerman and Angela Wilson in the final. Sue Kallel and Kristen Charleton won the 3-4 playoff over Carolyn Land and Cheryl Hicks.
65S: A 12-player draw saw #1 seed Susan Wright win the final over #3 seed Shannon Gordon-Carney. #4 Seed Patricia Purcell defeated Ann Young in a third-set tiebreaker in the 3-4 round.
75S: #2 Seed Judy Dixon prevailed in the final over #1 seed Toni Novack. Liane Bryson defeated Gwenda Ward in the 3-4 playoff.
75D: The top-seeded team of Liane Bryson and Judy Dixon defeated all comers as well as #2 seed Gwenda Ward and Susan Kimball in the final. Janet Rice and Kristin Padberg won the 3-4 battle over Ann Bradley and Chris Grant.

The 85s started on Sunday with 6 singles players and 3 doubles teams:

85S: Top seed Roz King defeated #2 seed Dorothy Wasser in the final and Ingrid Rehwinkel defeated Lola O’Sullivan to take third.
85D RR: The top seeds Roz King and Dorothy Wasser defeated Ingrid Rehwinkel and Lola O’Sullivan in the final. Mary Hays and Mary Ann Winder got bronze.

SUMMARY: This tournament needs more entries particularly in the younger ages and is an opportunity to encourage players new to tournament play. With a central location, plenty of courts, and a lot to do outside of tennis, consider putting this on your calendar for next year! Thanks to Gwenda Ward and Julie Thu for pictures and to those who volunteered to help Elizabeth Barnhill staff the NWTO table.