"Shiao-Mehta in The Wayne Bubble!":
Despite the rain, GTA Thursday Night Tennis did take place…it just had to be taken inside. Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao and "Steppin' to the AM" Anish Mehta got together for a would-be full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match. Too bad the clock had other ideas.
Let's go to Tony's report right now.
The Wayne Bubble Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Anish Mehta over Tony Shiao, 1-6, 6-3, 10-7 (STB)! Once they had to opt for a 10-Point Super Tiebreak rather than play a full 3rd Set, Shiao's # 5 Rank in the Advanced Division was no longer on the line! Anish: 2 Aces in the 2nd Set!
The Sure Shot from Shiao: Anish and I were itching to play in this wet weather, so we reserved a court at The Wayne Bubble for 1.5 hours starting at 11am for a Rank Defense Challenge Match. We met at The Bubble at 11am and got the match underway by 11:15.
In the 1st Set, we were both adjusting to the indoors and the lighting. I took this set at 6-1 which ended shortly before noon. I got lucky with Anish's unforced errors on his one-handed topspin forehands and I had the stamina to run down his drop shots.
When we stepped into the PM on the 2nd Set, Anish switched up his game and started hitting two-handed forehands which penetrated the court like a rocket. His serves came alive and hit two Aces along with a few un-returnable second serves that kicked high and wide to my backhand. He took this set at 6-3.
Due to the limited time remaining, we decided to play a 10-Point Super Tiebreaker. We were going back and fourth on the points and it was tied 6-6 when we switched sides for the second time. After that, it was soon over. Anish took it at 10-7.
We both played with high intensity and came in hard-charging. I have to give Anish credit for figuring out my game and making the necessary adjustments in stepping it up from AM to PM! It was a good win and I'm looking forward to playing him again!
Samara's Notes: I thank Tony for his very timely reporting of this result. It is unfortunate that rank was no longer on the line, but rules are rules. It has been long-established that in order to take someone's rank (or Title), you have to beat them in a full 3 Set Match. Hopefully, the next time these two friendly rivals face off, they'll have the time to play a complete match where the rank remains on the line.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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