From Nov. 8 to Nov. 10, more than 170 players from 24 states and Canada were in Wellington to play in the USTA National Family Clay Court Tennis Championships. The event was held at the Wellington Tennis Center.
The Clay Court Championships are part of four national events on multiple surfaces — grass, hard, indoor and clay court — held across the United States.
The mid-November event was a USTA Category One Gold Ball Championship event, with players competing for national ranking points, as well as the prestigious gold, silver and bronze ball awards.
Play was hosted in various divisions and age groups with teams of mother/son, father/daughter and mother/daughter competing in various age groups.
Many of the competitors were very talented, including a number who have played tennis at an extremely high level — past and current NCAA Division I college players, past pro tour players, Davis Cup players and current International Tennis Federation (ITF) competitors.
“This was the fourth year we have hosted the USTA Family Clay Court Championships, and the level of tennis this year was better than ever,” said Chuck Gill, the tournament director and Wellington’s director of tennis. “Many matches were decided by the super tiebreaker, and upsets were seen each day. The tournament continues to showcase everything that is good about the sport of tennis. We had players of all ages competing with family members at a great venue. We look forward to bigger and better tennis in 2025.”
This year, there were noteworthy winners, as the team of David and Karlyn Martin from Chicago, whose repeat win in the super senior 70-over division, gave them yet another gold ball for their collection. The team of Ned and Samantha Caswell won the father/daughter senior/dad 60-and-over division. Ned Caswell was a repeat winner from 2023.
The Florida team of Franco and Te’Anna Mata overcame some tough opponents to capture their first gold ball in father/daughter competition. Kathy and Christian Settles from Claremont, California, added to their collection of gold balls by winning the title in mother/son.
Former tour professional and current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour coach Rhyne Williams teamed up with his mother Michelle to capture the senior mother/son. Rebecca and Madison Diianni of Marietta, Georgia, swept through the field without losing a set to win the mother/daughter open division. The Canadian duo of Erin Boynton and Hannah Atkinson won the mother/daughter senior division/mother over 60.
For this tournament, Welch Tennis Courts was the title sponsor, the Village of Wellington was the tournament sponsor and the Palm Beach County Sports Commission was a key sponsor.
