Cynthia Dardis and Amy Shay win third consecutive Women’s 50+ National Championship

January 19, 2018
Scarsdale, NY

Thirty-two teams, the largest turnout in years, battled it out for the 2018 APTA Women’s 50+ National Championship, on a day that boasted excellent paddle weather and great matches all day and night (the last match, the reprieve final, ended at 8:45 pm!) For the third year in a row, Cynthia Dardis and Amy Shay earned the title, the eleventh national win for each of them.

For the first time, Dardis/Shay did not face Liz Jaffe and Sue Tarzian in the title match. Jaffe/Tarzian lost a grueling three-set semifinal match to Hall of Famer Bobo Delaney and Tonia Mangan. Delaney/Mangan are no strangers to the 50+ winners’ circle themselves; Delaney is a five-time 50+ Nationals champ, and Mangan has won the tournament twice. On the other side of the draw, Patty McDonald and Mary Yarbrough from Summit, New Jersey, knocked out the fourth seeds, Jen Dempsey and Jill Klaffky, in the quarterfinals only to come up against Dardis/Shay, who quickly dispatched them at 6-1, 6-1.

Thank you to Tournament Director Susan Schwab for running a great tournament, and Fox Meadow Tennis Club for hosting the event. There are always a few people excited to play at the “Birthplace of Paddle.” Westchester Country Club, Metropolis Country Club, Scarsdale Golf Club, Bronxville Field Club, and Siwanoy Country Club were also generous in allowing the use of their courts for the tournament.

Marjorie Hodson and Dina Shepherd were invaluable in helping create a fun and successful day. Many thanks to Fox Meadow members who helped out at the various huts and at Fox Meadow.   

Results:
Main Draw: Cynthia Dardis/Amy Shay def. Bobo Delaney/Tonia Mangan, 6-2, 6-2
Quarter Reprieve: Lucia Drumgould/Darlene McGlone def. Abigail Burke/Shauna Muller, 6-4, 6-4
Reprieve: Keeley Kriskey/Leila Stuhr def. Christine McGrath/Martha Sayre, 6-4, 6-3
Consolation: Julie Hughes/Karen Urban def. Lyerly Tuck/Kate Verni, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Consolation Reprieve: Kim Hyde/Susan Weaver def. Judy Bramhall/Tory Morton, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6