Mallorca, Spain, 16 October 2023 | tennis.com.au
Australia performed strongly at the 2023 ITF Masters World Teams Championships, held in Spain last week.
The world’s best players aged 65 and above competed at the championships, which were played in Mallorca from 7-13 October and are considered one of the pinnacle events on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour.
The Australian teams won three medals – two gold and a bronze.
“It was a great week of very competitive tennis against the best players in the world and the Australian results were fantastic,” Australia’s team manager Ian Davey said.
“The days were long as the tennis courts had to be shared with morning and afternoon start times. This meant that once the morning single matches were completed, the doubles matches had to wait for courts to become available. This resulted in 9am starts and finish times around 6pm or later, and at times under lights.
“Considering these long days, everyone remained focused and eager to be playing and winning matches.”
| 2023 ITF Masters World Teams Championships Australia’s results |
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| Age group | Category | Team members | Finish |
| 65 | Men | Glenn Busby (Vic), Mike Ford (Qld), Wayne Pascoe (NSW), Stephen Dance (Tas) | 1st (Gold) |
| 65 | Women | Ros Balodis (ACT), Rosemary Everett (Vic), Leanne Scott (Vic), Lynette Robinson (Vic) | 1st (Gold) |
| 70 | Men | Andrew Rae (Vic), Ross Orford (Qld), Tony Dawson (Qld), Ian Thomas (Vic) | 5th |
| 70 | Women | Sally van Rensburg (Vic), Kerry Ballard (NSW), Helen Worland (NSW), Jan Vick (Qld) | 3rd (Bronze) |
| 75 | Men | Roger Davey (SA), Rob Bickmore (SA), Mike Evans (Vic), Rob Haines (Vic) | 14th |
| 80 | Women | Helen Muir (WA), June Simpson (Vic), Bobbie Edwards (WA), Jill Taylor (Qld) | 7th |
Australia takes home the Kitty Godfree Cup (awarded to the women’s 65s champions) and Britannia Cup (awarded to the men’s 65s champions).
The Australian competitors now turn their attention to the ITF Masters World Individual Championships, which are being played in Mallorca this week.
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