Tennessee and Arkansas rose to the top of the 2018 USTA Southern Mixed Doubles Sectional Championships, played Oct. 12-14, in metro Little Rock, Ar.
Tennessee was well represented with four champions and two finalists while Arkansas had one champion and six finalists.
In a rarity in sectional championship play, Jay Huffman captained two Knoxville titlists while Joshua Woods headed a champion and a second-place team for Chattanooga, both from Tennessee. In what may be a first-time occurrence in USTA League and Adult team championships in USTA Southern, a team from outside our nine primary states – Texarkana, Texas - was a finalist.Part of the section runs into eastern Texas.
This year’s event drew the top teams from throughout the section’s nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Many of the teams – which represent various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations – have finished at the top of their local leagues or are noted as top teams in their respective states.
The tournament was played at two facilities in Arkansas: Burns Park Tennis Center in North Little Rock (tournament headquarters) and Rebsamen Tennis Center in Little Rock.
There were 71 teams with approximately 630 players who competed in nine levels: 18 & Over – 2.5 (not combined), 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0 Combined and 40 & Over – 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 Combined. The Southern champions will compete in the USTA League National Championships in November.