7/21/17:
"Tailor-Liu at PAC, Kris-Ralph part of 21 at C.G. as Samara hosts!":
There were two sessions of GTA Friday Night Tennis: One at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley featuring the Grove Cup XX Round of 41 Match between "Tailor Made" Raj Tailor and "Richie" Rich Liu (as reported by Raj) and the other at The Cedar Grove Courts featuring the Grove Cup XX Round of 32 Match between "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan and "The Headhunter" Ralph Bernard with "Hollywood" Frank Samara hosting the overall session.
We will first go to The Raj Report from Nutley and then detail all the comings and goings up at Cedar Grove.
The PAC Result:
Grove Cup XX Round of 41 Match:
Raj Tailor over Rich Liu, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, to successfully defend his # 7 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the 20th Annual Grove Cup Tournament! Raj: 3 Aces in the 1st Set!
The Raj Report: This one went back and forth and over again...making for a good match. In the 1st Set, I was up 4-1 (and already hit my 3 Aces), but Rich rallied back after switching his racket to go up 5-4. We ended up playing a Tiebreak where I won it, 7-5. The 2nd Set was more of the same. I went up 4-1 and Rich rallied back to tie it up 5-5, but I pulled it off to win it, 7-5.
Rich has good game and he played better as both sets aged...and I once again had many unforced errors. Hopefully, my game gets better in time for my next match.
Samara's Notes: I thank Raj for reporting this result in such a timely manner. I congratulate him on a very hard-fought victory. I also offer hearty kudos to Rich on an excellent effort against a tough player. Next up for Raj in the Round of 16 is Former GTA Champion: "Instant" Moka Pathan!
And now here's how things unfolded up at Cedar Grove.
Samara pulled into the parking lot at 6:55 just as GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes was pulling in behind him. Upon stepping out of his car, Frank rapidly realized it was another hot, humid and sticky evening. Yet, some in attendance later said it was a better night than some of the previous evenings this past week.
Out on Court One was the in-progress Grove Cup XX Round of 32 Match between Kris and Ralph.
On Court Two, "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan and "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan were having a hitting session with one another while "The A-Bomb" Andrew Troung (atop a hoverboard), "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah and his young son Armaan were on that court watching the action. It was strictly a cameo appearance for The Shahs as Papa Raj was in his street clothes and ended up leaving soon after.
On Court Three, "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner and Miroslav "Mirav" Glavic were having their usual hitting session (they ended up leaving at 7:15).
And on Court Four, "Magic" Mike Mole and "The Secret Weapon" Sairaj Srinivasan had a hitting session that soon turned into a Singles One-Setter.
At 7pm, "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff did a quick drive-by through the parking lot. He never came back for the rest of the night.
At 7:05, "Stingray" Ray Spadaro arrived. He and Nate then headed over to Court Two to see if they could join the ladies for some Mixed Doubles action. But when Srinivasan-Bernard finished just four minutes later, Kris wanted to shift some things around to make sure everyone would be competing in fairly balanced matches.
When the Doubles One-Setter featuring Kris and Ray versus Nate and Doinks got underway on Court One, Andrew took the place of Doinks on Court Two in the hitting session against Gen.
At 7:20, "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak arrived. His timing was perfect as Mole had just finished his One-Setter against Sairaj on Court Four. The young Master Srinivasan left the session...so that left Frank and Mike to hit against Ryan while they waited for a fourth to arrive.
And that fourth party would be "The Olympian" Marie Salamon when she arrived at 7:35. Just as she was getting into the hitting session with the three guys on Court Four, both "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and Natalia "Nitro" Sout arrived separately at 7:40.
This gave Samara the idea to step off the court and let Natalia take his place for some Mixed Doubles action while he and The Doc could step into their usual role as The Hecklers at courtside. Mike and Natalia versus Ryan and Marie would end up becoming a full 2 out of 3 Sets Match.
And the hitting session on Court Two between Andrew and Gen would soon lead to two separate Singles One-Setters being played between them.
"Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales arrived at 7:45. He hung around The Hecklers for a while before trying to see where he might be able to fit in next.
It was a little after 8pm when Jose would end up teaming with Kris to take on The Hecklers...err...The Foundation (aka Spin City)...otherwise known as Samara/Martinelli on Court One.
"2 Tall" Dave Zhu was next to arrive at 8:10. He had to wait until almost 8:30 before he could finally see some action as he took the place of Spin in teaming with Frank to face Kris and Jose.
At 8:35, "The Art Font" Arthur Fontanilla was invited over to a vacant Court Two by Samara and he soon started practicing his serve. Within the next five minutes, The Gawleys (Rowdy Rob and Laura the Aura) and "The Levitator" Levy Lorenzo all arrived. After socializing for a while on the bench alongside Court Four, they eventually found their way to Court Two for some Doubles action with Fontanilla.
At 8:50, the final and 21st official competitor of the night arrived. It was Tito "Touch" Castolo. Also arriving at that time to make an extended cameo appearance was "Coach" Dino Celis. He was quite pleased to learn that his latest protege', Kris, was successful earlier in the evening.
Now let's get to the scores!
The Cedar Grove Results:
Grove Cup XX Round of 32 Match:
Kris Srinivasan over Ralph Bernard, 7-5, 6-3, to successfully defend his # 15 Rank in the Advanced Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the 20th Annual Grove Cup Tournament! No Aces. Hitting beforehand started on Court One around 5:30. Kris said the match started exactly at 5:38. It ended at 7:09.
Samara's Notes: According to Kris, he was up 4-2 in the 1st Set only to drop the next three games and find himself down 4-5! He fought back and then took the next three games to take the set. He then jumped out to a 4-0 lead (seven straight games overall) in the 2nd Set and had the point (not sure if it was Game Point or Break Point) to go up 5-0 when he got tight and that opened the door for Ralph to rebound and take a game. Up 5-1, Srinivasan had Match Point only to have Bernard save it and get to 2-5 and then 3-5 before The K Man could finally put it away. Overall, however, Kris said that he felt relatively calm and remained confident throughout the match that he could remain in control. And that is pretty much how it played out in the end. I offer hearty congratulations to Kris as this is a very impressive victory, in my opinion.
Andrew Truong tied with Sairaj Srinivasan, 2-2 (Incomplete when Andrew felt he was getting overheated and decided to quit)! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: Andrew told me (as well as Kris) that he was willing to forfeit the entire set over to Sairaj. It really does not matter much in an impromptu One-Setter. Had this been a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match or Tournament Match, such a scenario may have been considered.
Sairaj Srinivasan over Mike Mole, 6-2! No Aces. Not sure when this one began, but it ended on Court Four at 7:20.
Samara's Notes: Looks like many players should be relieved that young Sairaj decided not to enter the Grove Cup Tournament.
Kris Srinivasan/Ray Spadaro over Nathan Fernandes/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! No Aces. They played this one on Court One from 7:15 to 7:55. Afterward, Ray felt like "one and done" was enough for him due to the extreme heat and humidity.
2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match:
Ryan Pienciak/Marie Salamon over Mike Mole/Natalia Sout, 7-5, 6-2, as both teams entered the Mixed Doubles Division as the New # 42 and # 43 Ranked Teams respectively! Mike: 1 Ace on Ryan in the 1st Set (this was right after Ryan playfully taunted Mike...LOL!). This foursome faced off on Court Four from 7:50 to 9:15.
Andrew Truong over Genalin Capan, 6-0! Andrew: 1 Ace. Not sure when this actually got underway on Court Two because at first it was a lengthy hitting session. I'm also not certain when it ended as it went right into this next one.
Andrew Truong over Genalin Capan, 6-4! Andrew: 1 Ace; and Gen: 1 Ace! This one finished at 8:20.
Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales over Frank Samara/Dan Martinelli, 6-1! No Aces. It went like this: Kris held serve (back-to-back winning Overhead Smashes by Jose made it 30-Love, it shifted to 30-All, then Game Point and the hold), Frank was broken (Jose hit a scorching return winner for Love-15, then Frank hit a winner for 15-All only to then have Kris hit a winning volley for 15-30, it was then Double Break Point where Kris blew an overhead to make it Break Point, but then Jose hit a winning volley for the hold) and Jose held (Jose hit a winner and then followed that with an un-returned serve for 30-Love, it shifted to 30-All as Spin made a great get along the way, but then Kris hit a winning volley to set up Game Point which was where he finished things off with an awesome Backhand Volley winner for the break) for a relatively quick 3-0 lead! Spin held (Love-15 shifted to Double Game Point as there was an un-returned serve, a blown volley by Jose and a winning volley from Frank along the way and then The Doc secured his own hold with an amazing get/winner combo which may have been the play of the match) to get his team onto the scoreboard, but from there Srinivasan held again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and he was off and running to Triple Game Point with yet another un-returned serve along the way, the lead was then cut down to Double Game Point only to have Kris hit a winning lob to secure the hold), Samara was broken again (Jose hit a net-cord-aided return winner for Love-15, it then went to Love-30, 15-30 where Jose hit a winning Overhead Smash to set up Double Break Point, then it was Break Point where Jose hit a winning volley for the break) and then Gonzales held again (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 as Kris hit a winning volley along the way, it was then 30-All and then on Game/Match Point it would be an un-returned serve to seal the deal) to get the win! We played this one on Court One from 8:02 to 8:25.
Samara's Notes: Kris was still flying high from his big win earlier in the evening and pairing him with an on-point Jose was the recipe for success as both played some of their best tennis here. Meanwhile, the team that once rightfully earned the moniker of The Foundation just continues to crumble into a bigger pile of rubble (some might suggest rubbish) as Father Time is starting to slap them around just a bit.
Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales over Frank Samara/Dave Zhu, 6-3! No Aces. Here's how it went down: Frank held (Jose hit a wicked winner for Love-15, but then an un-returned serve and a sizzling winner from Frank reversed the course all the way to Double Game Point and then came the hold), Kris held at Love as he hit a winning volley to set up Triple Game Point and then Dave blew a volley to allow the hold, but Dave rebounded with a hold of his own (Love-15 quickly shifted to Double Game Point as he hit an un-returned serve along the way and then Frank sealed the deal for his partner with a winning Backhand Volley) and then Jose held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, 30-Love, 30-15, then Double Game Point where Jose hit a winning Overhead Smash to secure his own hold) as we were all on serve at 2-2. Samara was the first to be broken (Dave hit a winning volley for 15-Love and then it was point for point to Game Point with an un-returned serve along the way, but then Dave blew a volley to set up Deuce where Dave then blew an overhead attempt to make it Break Point where Jose then scored with a blistering return winner down the Doubles Alley for the break), but Srinivasan was also broken and this was at Love as Dave hit a net-cord-aided winner to get things rolling and then Jose blew a volley on Triple Break Point for the break as were now tied up again, this time at 3-3! Zhu was broken (30-Love shifted to Break Point as Jose hit a winning lob and then he hit winning Overhead Smash and then Kris hit a winning lob and then Kris would hit a winning volley to get the break), but Gonzales held again (back-to-back un-returned serves made it 30-Love which was where Dave hit a big-time return winner for 30-15 only to have Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash to set up Double Game Point and then Kris hit the replay button as he did it again...another Overhead Smash winner...to secure his partner's hold) to take a 5-3 lead. The Wood was broken yet again (Kris blew a volley to make it 15-Love, but then things quickly shifted to Double Break/Match Point as Dave also blew a volley and then Kris hit a Backhand Volley that turned into a net-cord-aided winner along the way and that seemed to be the momentum killer...even though it did go to Break/Match Point before this one finally ended) to take the loss! We also played this one on Court One and it lasted from 8:28 to 9pm.
Samara's Notes: This one felt a lot closer than the previous One-Setter as 2-Tall Zhu came into it with a fresh burst of energy. But Kris and Jose were both still riding high and getting things done properly. In the end, they were just too much for the tandem of Frank and Dave.
Genalin Capan over Doinks Srinivasan, 8-6! No Aces. Gen was up 4-0 and then Doinks took three straight games to make it 4-3 only to have Gen take the next two games to close it out at 9pm on Court Three (they started it at 8:30)!
Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Levy Lorenzo/Arthur Fontanilla, 8-6! Arthur: 3 Aces (2 on Rob and 1 on Laura)! On Court Two, they decided to do this one "old school style" by playing out the games rather than go to the Tiebreak. They began this on at 8:50. Not sure when it ended as they went right into another one which we will get to a little later.
Dan Martinelli/Tito Castolo over Kris Srinivasan/Dave Zhu, 6-4! No Aces. Down 3-5, Kris was on serve and it was a battle as it went from Break/Match Point to Deuce, back to 2nd Break/Match Point, then to 2nd Deuce, back to 3rd Break/Match Point, then to 3rd Deuce, Game Point and the hold as Kris let out a primal scream during his elation in a moment of pure survival, but it was short-lived as Tito then held at Love to finish this one in time as it ended at 9:55! They had begun this one on Court One at exactly 9:08.
Jose Gonzales/Genalin Capan over Frank Samara/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-0! No Aces. The dirty lowdown: Gen held (Frank hit a winning drop shot volley to set up Love-30 only to have Jose hit the same type of shot for 15-30 and then came an un-returned serve on the way to Game Point which is where Jose blew an overhead to make it Deuce, but then it went to Game Point again and then the hold), Frank was broken (15-Love shifted to Double Break Point, it went to Break Point but then came the break), Jose held (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point cut down to Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point, 3rd Deuce and then all Game Points all the way to 6th Deuce, one more Game Point and then the hold...and I could no longer remember who hit what winners where and when in this one), Doinks was broken (Frank hit a winning volley for 15-Love, but then Jose hit an emphatic Overhead Smash winner for 15-All and then it was on the way to Double Break Point where Frank hit another winning volley to make it Break Point, but then came the break), Capan held again (Triple Game Point got cut down to Game Point as Doinks made an amazing winner along the way, but then came the hold before the opposition could bring it to Deuce) and then Samara was broken again (an un-returned serve and then a net-cord-aided winner from Doinks made it 30-Love only to have it go straight to Break/Match Point as Gen hit a winning Overhead Smash along the way and then came the break and crushing loss) as he and his partner were forced to eat a late-night bagel! We played this on Court Three from 9:10 to 9:40.
Samara's Notes: Gen was already exhausted and hoping to go home when she got coaxed into doing one more as we needed a fourth. On paper, it should have been lopsided in favor of Frank and Doinks as they were the fresher pair. But Jose was still on a roll (playing some of his best tennis over the course of the entire evening) and that was enough to motivate Capan to lift her level higher despite no longer having much spring in her step. It really did not matter as she got the job done with her shot-making (as did Gonzales). Meanwhile, Samara and Srinivasan made too many foolish unforced errors as each was desperate for their first win of the night. Sometimes, desperation is a proper motivating factor. Other times, it is just more fuel for the fire as you're already going down in flames...and that was the case here.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Ryan Pienciak/Marie Salamon, 6-3! No Aces. Court Four hosted these four as they played this one from 9:20 to 9:50. Afterward, it led to a hitting session with Nate and Ryan on one side and Jose and Natalia on the other.
Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley leading Levy Lorenzo/Arthur Fontanilla, 4-1 (Incomplete when they decided to stop it exactly at 9:59...just a couple of seconds away from lights out at 10pm)! No Aces.
From there, it turned into a mass social gathering as there were various conversations throughout the area…some were still on the courts (now in darkness) while others were on the benches or in the parking lot itself. It was a very fun session despite the sauna-like atmosphere.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
862-596-3354
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