Unseeded Teams Claim Top Honors in Men's 45+ & 55+ Nationals

March 2-3, 2019
Greenville, DE

APTA Men’s 45+/55+/65+ Nationals

Men’s 45+ Nationals
For the past three years, Scott Estes, Jr. and Mike Stulac have won the Men’s 45+ National Championship, beating Anthony Cosimano and Jeff Hipkins each time. That final round match-up was not to be this year, as Estes, Jr. and Stulac lost in the semifinals to Peter Berka and Ben McKnight. Cosimano/Hipkins were able to claim their place in the finals by beating Michael Atkinson and Mike Cochrane, but they had to settle for second place for the fourth straight year, as Berka/McKnight won their first Masters Championship.

Men’s 45+ Nationals Results:
Main Draw: Peter Berka/Ben McKnight def. Anthony Cosimano/Jeff Hipkins
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Tim McAvoy/Vlatko Najdek def. Greg Eger/Simon Peppiatt
Final Consolation: Mark Holtschneider/Frank Holtschneider def. Anthony Parisi/Paul Ridder
Round of 16 Consolation: Adam Soule/Andrew Soule def. Robert Morse/Felix Yamasato
Round of 32 Consolation: Chris Avayou/Doug Raihall def. Brian Aguilar/Joe Ferry
Last Chance: Orville Flores/Bob Zegal def. Robert Guldi/Ed Murray

Men’s 55+ Nationals
Last year’s champions, Michael Atkinson and John Shehadi, and finalists, Mark Holtschneider and Rusty Wright, were the two top seeded teams as this year’s tournament got underway. Neither were able to come away with the win, however, as Hall-of-Famer Flip Goodspeed and Eric Miller beat Atkinson and Shehadi in the finals.

Holtschneider/Wright won their first round match but were unable to proceed any further, losing to Andrew Hocker/Jeffrey Lyon in the quarterfinals. Hocker/Lyon then gave Goodspeed/Miller all they could handle in the semis before falling, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. The other semifinal also featured an extremely close match, with Atkinson/Shehadi eking out a win against Robert Conklin/Michael Gillespie, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. The four finalists recovered from their tough semifinal encounters to play another match that went the distance, as Goodspeed/Miller were able to pull off the upset and win, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. This is Miller’s first Masters Championship, and Goodspeed’s fourth. He won the 45+ title from 2007-2009.

Men’s 55+ Nationals Results:
Main Draw: Flip Goodspeed/Eric Miller def. Michael Atkinson/John Shehadi, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Mark Holtschneider/Rusty Wright def. Eric Fromm/John Sadik-Khan, 6-0, 6-1
Consolation: Kirk Baldwin/Bob Curtis def. Richard Razzetti/Kevin Rotty, 7-6, 6-2
Consolation Reprieve: Tim Farrell/Paul Nofer def. Peter App/Don Seavey, 6-1, 7-5

Men’s 65+ Nationals
A round robin format was used for the Men’s 65+ Nationals, with Tim Brooke and Ivan Harlow winning the title for the third year in a row. They beat Bruce Humphreys/Rick Sahlman, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6,  in a nail-biter of a final. Scott Estes, Sr. and Kenneth Persson beat Tim Mangan and John McMillan for third place. In addition to their three 65+ National titles, Harlow/Brooke won a 60+ National title together. Harlow also won two 60+ National titles with Persson.

Thank you to Simon Peppiatt for running the tournaments this weekend.