Tasmanian athlete Stephen Dance has led the Australian M70 team to victory at the ITF Tennis Masters Tour World Championships in Florida last week. Captained by Dance, the team were undefeated in the lead up to the final, overcoming Austria, Canada, South Africa, Sweden and Great Britain before meeting first seeds USA.
It came down to the final match of the rubber, with Dance and teammate Wayne Pascoe securing victory in the doubles 6-2, 6-3 and clinching gold for Australia. It is the first time since 2009 that Australia has won the M70 event.
“It’s been a huge week for our team in Florida, managing the hot and humid conditions and pulling off the win against the no.1 seeds and favourites USA. The title coming down to the deciding doubles match. It was a special honour and privilege to captain the side and see some of our team strategies pay dividends in the knockout section of the tournament. A true team effort and very proud moment for us all.” Said Dance.
Dance is no stranger to success, having been part of the winning Australia M65 teams for the past three years, and having also won previous titles in 2016 and 2017 as part of the M60 team. The focus is now on the individual singles competition for Dance, who is the sixth seed.
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