intersectionals

Each year, during the second week of November, NWTO sponsors and helps plan the largest women’s tournament of the year, the USTA National Women’s Intersectional Team Championships. All USTA Sections are invited and encouraged to send teams of their best players representing their area in age categories 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 80, and 85s.

This event alternates between clay courts and hard courts, hosting over 300 women each year. Each team plays for four days with singles matches in the morning and doubles in the afternoon. The 55s and 65s play Monday-Thursday, the 75s, 80s, 85s play Tuesday-Friday and the 35s and 45s play Thursday-Sunday. In recent years, the clay court event has been held in Florida and the hard court event in Phoenix.

NWTO members who are interested in playing in the Intersectional event should contact their Section Office to find out how teams are organized in their Section. Registration is done by the team captain or Section Office. Each team has between 4 and 7 players, depending on the numbers of singles and doubles lines to be played in each age group.

Whether on clay or hard courts, whether 35 or 85, what is always on display at Intersectionals is competition at the highest level, team bonding between those representing their sections, and renewal of enduring friendships of players from all areas of the country.

You can learn more about the history of Intersectionals here

2026 USTA National Women's Intersectional Team Event

November 9-15 | Frank Veltri Tennis Center, Plantation FL

Access the tournament information page here

Find information on captaining a team here

USTA teams represented by each Section in 2025 (62 total):

Pacific Northwest 6 teams: 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 80 MidAtlantic 1 team: 65

Southern 6 teams: 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 80 Florida 3 teams: 55, 65, 85

Midwest 6 teams: 45, 55, 65, 75, 80, 85 Southern California 6 teams: 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 80

Texas 7 teams: 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 80, 85 Middle States 3 teams: 45, 65, 75 Eastern 2 teams: 55, 65

New England 7 teams: 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 80, 85 Northern California 5 teams: 45, 55, 65, 75, 80

Intermountain 2 teams: 65, 75 Southwest 5 teams: 35, 45, 55, 65, 75

13 Sections out of 17 participated. The 4 Sections that did not send any team were Northern, Missouri Valley, Hawaii and Caribbean.

2025 USTA National Women's Intersectionals

Phoenix, AZ | November 10-16

Results

The NWTO Intersectionals once again delivered everything we love about this event: fierce competition, cross-country camaraderie, and the annual reminder that tennis players are a uniquely determined species. Founded in 1987 by the legendary Carol Wood, who has attended every single Intersectionals (and even showed up this year as the spirited non-playing captain of the 65s when Mid-Atlantic couldn’t field an 85s team), the tournament continues to shine as the premier age-level women’s team competition in the United States.

Players enjoyed two generous Happy Hours on Tuesday and Friday — a plentiful spread that drew players in like moths to a flame — and the Thursday night banquet was a genuine highlight: the requested buffet, warm awards presentations, a lively raffle, and even a little dancing for those whose joints were feeling optimistic.

INTERSECTIONALS BY THE NUMBERS

37th edition of the tournament
Players across all age divisions: 368
Number of sections competing: 13
Number of sections that sent a team in all seven divisions (35-85): 3 (Midwest, New England, Texas)
$ raised for the Southwest Tennis Foundation through raffle ticket sales: $2,700