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Montreal's Rosemarie Asch sweeps three titles at the ITF super-seniors world tennis championships

Stephanie Myles
Canada's senior dream team won the mixed-doubles title in the 85-and-over category at the ITF World Super-Senior championships this week in Croatia. (Photo courtesy of Richard Asch).

When they say that tennis is the sport for a lifetime, it's not just a cliché.

As the Canadian teenagers were making a name for themselves in Madrid, Spain, winning the junior Davis Cup title and taking bronze in the girls' junior Fed Cup, players 70 years their senior were also bringing home the hardware in Umag, Croatia.

Westmount, Que.'s Rosemarie Asch, a member of the Canadian Olympic ski team in Oslo in 1952, swept the titles in the 85-and-over category at the International Tennis Federations's super-senior world championships.

Asch's women's doubles title was one of three titles earned last week in Umag, Croatia, at the site of the annuel ATP Tour event. (photo courtesy of Richard Asch)
Asch's women's doubles title was one of three titles earned last week in Umag, Croatia, at the site of the annuel ATP Tour event. (photo courtesy of Richard Asch)

The 84-year-old (she turns 85 Nov. 15) didn't just win, she dominated. In the women's singles, she didn't lose a game in posting three match wins in the round-robin portion. In the final, she rolled over Monique Giffard of France 6-0, 6-1.

The Canadian barely broke a sweat in rolling through the draw and winning the 85-and-over singles title at the ITF world super-senior championships. (Photo courtesy of Richard Asch)
The Canadian barely broke a sweat in rolling through the draw and winning the 85-and-over singles title at the ITF world super-senior championships. (Photo courtesy of Richard Asch)

In women's doubles, Asch teamed up with Erzsebet Szentirmay of Hungary to drop two more bagels, this time on Marj Niccol of Australia and Marlis Jennis of Germany.

In the mixed doubles, Asche teamed up with legendary Canadian Lorne Main to win their first title together, with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Szentirmay and Angelo Sala of Italy.

You could call them Canada's senior Dream Team; Main, who represented Canada for many years in Davis Cup (1949 through 1955), has more than 25 senior world titles to his credit in the various categories.

There were no 85-and-over events – not yet – in the team championships, which are held the week before the individual championships (Main played "down" with the youngsters in the 80-and-overs).

But Asch has made her mark in the team events in previous years, winning several team titles with the help of such fellow stalwart Canadian players as Muffie Grieve of Toronto and Huguette Fontaine of Montreal.

They should definitely set up a photo op when everyone – juniors and super-seniors alike - gets back to Canada; a glowing advertisement for the game that money can't buy.

(Photos courtesy of Richard Asch)