10/1/17:
"Monk Semi part of 13 at AP, 2 play at NTC, Pienciak-Shah at C.G.!":
There were three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: the usual morning one at Albion Park in Clifton hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara, an early evening one at Nutley Tennis Club hosted by "The Riz" John Rizzo and one later in the evening that featured the second Grove Cup XX Semifinal Match of the tourney - this one between "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak and "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah (with both reporting). We will detail the sessions in chronological order.
GTA Sunday Tennis officially got underway at 10:40am in Albion Park (though the host, Frank Samara arrived at 10:25 while the other three competitors involved in the Monk Memorial Men's Doubles Tournament Semifinal/Albion Final...his partner "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto and the opposing team of "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and "The Hit Man" Tom La...were already there before he arrived...along with "The Icon" Nick Inciong).
This Semifinal had originally been scheduled to be part of the first day of Monk Memorial action last Sunday, but when one Quarterfinal went twice as long as the other...and you couple that fact with the situation where both La and De Benedetto needed to leave closer to 1pm rather than the as-scheduled 2pm...well, it created a situation where the Semi got bounced to the following week (i.e. this Sunday).
As the four guys involved got out onto the North Court to warm up for the match, Nick would not be "the fifth wheel" for long as Natalia "Nitro" Sout made her way to the courts at 10:30. Soon, the two of them would start hitting with one another on Center Court.
The Semi got underway at 10:40. Five minutes later, the two interlopers that we have referred to in the past as "The Bald Brothers" took the South Court. I must say that this was the first time where they truly interacted with us as around 11:40 they gave us a heads-up that they would be finishing in five minutes (as they did). They then hung around until noon to watch us play and then said "goodbye" as they left. Perhaps they will be recruited in the near future.
But I have gotten ahead of myself (a common occurrence) as we now bounce back a bit to detail the remaining arrivals. "Sue B. Newbie" Suzanne Bujara joined Inciong and Sout on Center Court at 10:50 and then Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao made it a foursome for some Mixed Doubles just five minutes later. He would only require five minutes of hitting as they began their One-Setter at 11am.
At 11:05, GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes strolled onto the courts and took a seat on the bench alongside the North Court to watch the Monk Semi. Ten minutes later, "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues arrived and he did the same as Nate. In between these two arrivals, the 1st Set had ended exactly at 11:08 and the 2nd Set got underway at 11:10.
When the One-Setter on Center Court ended at 11:20, Nick and Natalia were nice enough to step off (as they had been the convincing winners) to allow Nate and Joe to take their place. This time around, Tony would team with Joe while Nate paired with Suzanne.
Just minutes after they got that one underway, "The Dragon" Dino Celis arrived at 11:25. Five minutes later, Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda also made her way down that hill to the courts. And then "Hurricane" Jose Gonzales was the thirteenth official (and final) competitor to arrive at 11:45.
Let's get to the scores!
The AP Results:
Albion Final/Monk Memorial Semifinal:
Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto over Dan Martinelli/Tom La, 6-2, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 3 Rank in the Doubles Division while also advancing to the Monk Memorial Final! No Aces.
1st Set: Tom was broken (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All which was where Spin hit a winning to go up 30-15, then it went to 30-All and another Double Fault to set up Break Point and then came the break) and Vin held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and he was off and running to Triple Game Point only to blow volleys in back-to-back points to cut his lead down to Game Point, but then Frank scored with an effective drop shot that was not a winner...it just effectively ended the point) for 2-0. Spin held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, a winning Overhead Smash by Vin for 15-All and then two more un-returned serves to set up Double Game Point where Frank badly blew what should have been a sure overhead to allow the hold) and then Frank was broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love which was where Frank blew a volley for 15-All and it was all downhill from there as it went right to Double Break Point and the break) to knot it up at 2-2. But from there, La was broken again (15-Love then point for point to Game Point where Vin hit a winning drop shot volley for Deuce, then Break Point where Vin scored with another winning volley to get the break), De Benedetto held again (Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-Love where Tom answered with a vicious volley winner for 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Game Point where a truly un-returnable serve secured the hold), Martinelli was broken at Love as Frank hit a nice Backhand Volley winner on Triple Break Point and then Samara held in a struggle as he blew a drop shot attempt for Love-15 only to then hit a couple of un-returned serves on the way to Double Game/Set Point where Vin blew a volley to cut the lead to Game/Set Point which was where Spin scored with a winning lob to make it Deuce and then Spin made a great get that was all for naught as the point led to the 3rd Game/Set Point, it then went to 2nd Deuce where Vin hit a victorious volley to set up the 4th Game/Set Point where Vin topped himself with an even more impressive Backhand Volley winner to secure his partner's hold to take the set! We got this one underway at 10:40 and finished the initial set at exactly 11:08. After a two minute break for recording of the details, the two teams went back to the same sides of the court as it was an even-number-ending set and neither team made any adjustments in service or return of service sides going into the next set.
2nd Set: Tom was broken (started off with a Double Fault and then Vin hit an impressive Overhead Smash winner for Love-30 where a truly un-returnable serve made it 15-30, then it was Double Break Point where another un-returned serve cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) and Vin held (30-Love was where Frank made a great get and yelled out in what would have been a victory howl only to have Tom respond with an equally great get to then hit a roller over the net for the point to which the Samara howl soon turned into a scowl as it was now 30-15 and a true momentum shifter as it then went to Break Point, but then came Deuce, Break Point again, 2nd Deuce, Game Point where the rally of the match up until that point then made it 3rd Deuce where Vin hit a winning volley for Game Point and then Frank hit a winner to secure his partner's hold) for 2-0. Spin held (Love-15 soon shifted to Double Game Point as Frank blew an overhead and then a volley along the way and then the lead was cut down to Game Point only to have Vin blow a volley as well to allow the hold) to get his team onto the scoreboard, but Frank also held (a winning volley by Vin and then an un-returned serve made it 30-Love, it then went to 30-15, Double Game Point which was soon reduced to Deuce, Game Point again where Vin hit a victorious volley to lock down his partner's hold) for 3-1. La held (stated with a Double Fault, but that soon shifted to 30-15 right after Tom hit a villainous volley winner, it then went to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) to pull to 2-3. But from there, De Benedetto held again (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All as Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash along the way and then it was Vin hitting a winning volley to set up Game Point and then hitting yet another winning volley to secure his own hold), Martinelli was broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All as Vin hit a winning drop shot volley and Spin hit a winner along the way, but then Frank hit the winner to set up Break Point and then came the break) and Samara held again (Tom hit a winning volley for Love-15 which was where Frank hit a drop shot winner for 15-All and then it was off to the races as it soon became Double Game/Match Point where Spin hit a winner to cut that down to Game/Match Point and then it was Deuce where Vin hit a winning volley to set up the 3rd Game/Match Point which he then put the icing on the cake with an even more impressive volley winner to put the hold and the match in the books) for the win! The match ended at 11:50.
The Skinny: Last week, it was said that Samara/De Benedetto truly earned their moniker - The Gravediggers, as they came back from being down 2-5 in both sets and also fought off numerous Set Points in the 1st Set of that match. Well, this week the nickname should be "The Vin Show" as he was simply on fire for most of the contest. When Nick came to watch the 2nd Set, he kept calling him "Vin The Man" (a variation of his previous moniker, "The Vin Man"). Even De Benedetto had to admit that he was really on the money on this day. Samara did his part as well while La pretty much self-destructed more often than not while his partner, Martinelli, managed to be the steadier hand.
In between sets, Tom told Spin that Frank and Vin would likely be hitting all their shots to The Doc. While the majority of the hits did go his way, it was never nearly that dramatic a difference. Plus, Martinelli was more than up to the task with many great gets and a few smart winners (including a couple of timely lobs). La likely came into this contest as somewhat damaged goods as he had played during the GTA Friday Night Tennis session at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley. He then followed that outing the next day (Saturday) by attending the 2nd Annual Demuro Tennis Reunion where his team made it to the Finals. He had played five sets of Doubles and it was in the sixth (the 2nd Set of the Finals) where he cramped up and had to bow out of the tourney. While his mobility never seemed to be an issue in this Monk Semi, it seemed he may have been trying to overcompensate with heavy shots that were often overcooked...especially on the returns. This was a case of one team being on (especially Vin) with the other team coming in flat (mostly Tom).
The Consequences: Samara/De Benedetto now must face the team of "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan and Frank "Hydro" Hohorst in the Monk Memorial Final. This match will likely take place during a weeknight session up at Cedar Grove. The winning team is not only the 2017 Monk Memorial Champs, but will also become the New # 2 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division. They will then face the 2017 M2 Champs, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas, in a match to determine New GTA Doubles Champions as those Titles are currently vacant.
Nick Inciong/Natalia Sout over Tony Shiao/Suzanne Bujara, 6-0! No Aces. Center Court hosted this one from 11am to 11:20. This was Shiao's first time at the courts of Albion and he was quite impressed with their look and condition.
Tony Shiao/Joe Rodrigues over Nathan Fernandes/Suzanne Bujara, 6-2! Tony: 1 Ace on Nate; and Suzanne: 1 Ace on Joe! This was also played on Center Court and it lasted from 11:22 to 11:40.
Tony Shiao/Nick Inciong over Joe Rodrigues/Dan Martinelli, 6-3! No Aces. This took place on the North Court from 11:57 to 12:30. After this one, everyone involved left except for Martinelli.
Nathan Fernandes/Dino Celis over Jose Gonzales/Natalia Sout, 7-5! Jose: 1 Ace on Dino on his very first serve! This was contested on Center Court from 12:12 to 12:52.
During the above, a hitting session took place on the South Court after the "Bald Brothers" and Suzanne had left. It was Frank hitting against Vin and Sachiko. Sachi suggested Canadian Doubles, so it started off with Samara flying solo on serve. The way we play it is a point is scored if the lone player holds serve of the returning team's members each get a point if they break the server.
After Frank held serve, so did Vin. Then when it was Sachiko's turn to serve, she seemed somewhat shocked as she looked at both of the guys and asked incredulously, "both?" Samara said that the Canadian Doubles was her suggestion and now it was her turn...so yes, both! LOL!
The final score of the unofficial Canadian Doubles was: Frank - 4; Vin -2; Sachiko - 1. It was at this moment where we had the chance to get Tokuda involved in some official action over on the North Court.
Frank Samara/Sachiko Tokuda over Dan Martinelli/Vinnie De Benedetto, 6-4! No Aces. It went like this: Sachiko was broken (15-Love where a great rally ended with an awesome get/winner combo by Spin and then Sachiko blew an overhead in the next point and soon it had become Double Break Point where Vin scored with a winning drop shot return for the break) and Spin held serve (an un-returned serve for 15-Love where Sachiko hit a winning volley for 15-All, but then she blew a volley in the next point for 30-15 and it continued point for point to Game Point as Frank blew a drop shot but also made a winning drop shot along the way, then it went to Deuce where Frank hit a vicious Overhead Smash in Vin's direction only to have his self-preservation instincts kick in as he put up his racquet and then he hit a reflex volley winner to set up Game Point and then came the hold) for 2-0. Frank held at Love as Sachiko started the game with a winning drop shot volley and then Frank book-ended Triple Game Point with un-returned serves and then Vin was broken (Sachiko hit a winner for Love-30, it then went to 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) for 2-2. Tokuda held (started with a Double Fault, then it was Love-30 before it shifted to 30-All, then came Break Point where Frank scored with an awesome passing shot winner for Deuce and then Sachiko hit a winner to set up Game Point and then came the hold), but Martinelli held again and this time it was at Love as Vin started the game with a drop shot winner and ended the game with a wining Overhead Smash to tie it up at 3-3! Samara also held again (Love-30 shifted to Game Point as Sachiko hit a winning volley and then there was an un-returned serve along the way, but then it went to Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold) and De Benedetto was broken in a game where I gave up on trying to remember who hit what winners as it went from a Love-15 start straight to Double Game Point, then that was reduced to Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Break Point and the break to fall to 3-5. Tokuda was also broken (again...did not note who hit what winners...as it went fro Love-15 straight to Double Game/Match Point, then it was Game/Match Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to have her team's lead cut to 5-4. But then The Doc was broken as well (Sachiko hit a winner for Love-15, it shifted to 30-15 as Vin hit a winning volley along the way, but it then shifted again to Break/Match point as Sachiko hit the winner to set up the B/M.P. and then Frank hit the winner to get the break) to get a somewhat surprising "L!" The North Court hosted this one from 12:34 to 1:23.
The Skinny: While the action was good in this one and Sachiko exceeded all expectations, this one was more about having fun. With Nate, Dino and Natalia watching from the sidelines, the extroverted Spin felt the need to put on a good show. There practically was a running commentary for the entire contest. Much fun was had by all as bouts and shouts of laughter rebounded around the park, but solely emanated from our court. The most hilarious moment was during Vin's first service as a lengthy and spirited rally led to Sachiko hitting a deep shot that sailed just past Vin and as he tried to run it down, he exclaimed "this is amazing!" only to badly muff an attempted swing as the ball continued to whiz past him for the winner! This led to both Spin and Frank falling to the ground and rolling around the court in a fit of the giggles for quite a bit afterward.
Sachi and Natalia left soon after and then it was "The Boys Club" as the guys decided to shoot the sh..! Vin then left at 1:35 while Frank, Spin, Dino and Nate continued their little gab fest until 1:50 when all parties decided to head home.
By the way, the weather was beautiful for the entire session as it was sunny, barely hit 70 degrees and there was just the right amount of breeziness throughout the day,
We now go to NTC for The Riz Report.
Since our planned Doubles action fell through, Rich Liu and I decided to play a couple Singles One-Setters instead.
The NTC Results:
John Rizzo over Rich Liu, 7-5! No Aces. I led 3-1, then Rich came back to lead 5-4 before I won the last 3 games.
John Rizzo over Rich Liu, 6-2! No Aces. This set was closer than the 6-2 score indicates as we had many long rallies.
Both sets were fun and I look forward to playing more Singles.
Samara's Notes: I thank John for his timely reporting and it is good to see that he is handling both the hard courts once again as well as Singles action on the clay courts.
We will now get the details of the Grove Cup Semi that took place up at Cedar Grove.
The Cedar Grove Result:
Grove Cup XX Semifinal Match:
Ryan Pienciak over Raj Shah, 6-0, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 4 Rank in the Advanced Division while advancing to the Finals of the 20th Annual Grove Cup Tournament! Ryan: 2 Aces (one ace in each set)!
The Ryan Report: Raj and I played our match at Cedar Grove. It was a brisk night (it actually dropped down to 60 degrees by the time we finished). We started at 6:50 or so and finished a little before 8pm. Raj won the racquet flip, but gave me the serve. I think my usually absent first serve did not like the disrespect, so it decided to show up tonight! Haha! Anyway, Raj was still having knee issues and I'm sure it would have been a much different match if he was 100 percent.
The Sultan Swings: I wanted to congratulate Ryan on his victory. I don't think it would have made a huge difference even if I was a 100% healthy.
The Consequences: Pienciak advances to the Finals where he will face "Daddy O" Paul Daddio. It should be quite the match to cap what has been a truly monumental Grove Cup Tournament…perhaps the best ever!
Samara's Notes: I thank both Ryan and Raj for their timely reporting and I congratulate Ryan on a very impressive victory. Spin must have went up to Cedar Grove later in the evening because he reported not seeing anyone from the GTA there.
All the best,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
"Monk Semi part of 13 at AP, 2 play at NTC, Pienciak-Shah at C.G.!":
There were three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: the usual morning one at Albion Park in Clifton hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara, an early evening one at Nutley Tennis Club hosted by "The Riz" John Rizzo and one later in the evening that featured the second Grove Cup XX Semifinal Match of the tourney - this one between "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak and "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah (with both reporting). We will detail the sessions in chronological order.
GTA Sunday Tennis officially got underway at 10:40am in Albion Park (though the host, Frank Samara arrived at 10:25 while the other three competitors involved in the Monk Memorial Men's Doubles Tournament Semifinal/Albion Final...his partner "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto and the opposing team of "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and "The Hit Man" Tom La...were already there before he arrived...along with "The Icon" Nick Inciong).
This Semifinal had originally been scheduled to be part of the first day of Monk Memorial action last Sunday, but when one Quarterfinal went twice as long as the other...and you couple that fact with the situation where both La and De Benedetto needed to leave closer to 1pm rather than the as-scheduled 2pm...well, it created a situation where the Semi got bounced to the following week (i.e. this Sunday).
As the four guys involved got out onto the North Court to warm up for the match, Nick would not be "the fifth wheel" for long as Natalia "Nitro" Sout made her way to the courts at 10:30. Soon, the two of them would start hitting with one another on Center Court.
The Semi got underway at 10:40. Five minutes later, the two interlopers that we have referred to in the past as "The Bald Brothers" took the South Court. I must say that this was the first time where they truly interacted with us as around 11:40 they gave us a heads-up that they would be finishing in five minutes (as they did). They then hung around until noon to watch us play and then said "goodbye" as they left. Perhaps they will be recruited in the near future.
But I have gotten ahead of myself (a common occurrence) as we now bounce back a bit to detail the remaining arrivals. "Sue B. Newbie" Suzanne Bujara joined Inciong and Sout on Center Court at 10:50 and then Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao made it a foursome for some Mixed Doubles just five minutes later. He would only require five minutes of hitting as they began their One-Setter at 11am.
At 11:05, GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes strolled onto the courts and took a seat on the bench alongside the North Court to watch the Monk Semi. Ten minutes later, "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues arrived and he did the same as Nate. In between these two arrivals, the 1st Set had ended exactly at 11:08 and the 2nd Set got underway at 11:10.
When the One-Setter on Center Court ended at 11:20, Nick and Natalia were nice enough to step off (as they had been the convincing winners) to allow Nate and Joe to take their place. This time around, Tony would team with Joe while Nate paired with Suzanne.
Just minutes after they got that one underway, "The Dragon" Dino Celis arrived at 11:25. Five minutes later, Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda also made her way down that hill to the courts. And then "Hurricane" Jose Gonzales was the thirteenth official (and final) competitor to arrive at 11:45.
Let's get to the scores!
The AP Results:
Albion Final/Monk Memorial Semifinal:
Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto over Dan Martinelli/Tom La, 6-2, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 3 Rank in the Doubles Division while also advancing to the Monk Memorial Final! No Aces.
1st Set: Tom was broken (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All which was where Spin hit a winning to go up 30-15, then it went to 30-All and another Double Fault to set up Break Point and then came the break) and Vin held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and he was off and running to Triple Game Point only to blow volleys in back-to-back points to cut his lead down to Game Point, but then Frank scored with an effective drop shot that was not a winner...it just effectively ended the point) for 2-0. Spin held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, a winning Overhead Smash by Vin for 15-All and then two more un-returned serves to set up Double Game Point where Frank badly blew what should have been a sure overhead to allow the hold) and then Frank was broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love which was where Frank blew a volley for 15-All and it was all downhill from there as it went right to Double Break Point and the break) to knot it up at 2-2. But from there, La was broken again (15-Love then point for point to Game Point where Vin hit a winning drop shot volley for Deuce, then Break Point where Vin scored with another winning volley to get the break), De Benedetto held again (Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-Love where Tom answered with a vicious volley winner for 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Game Point where a truly un-returnable serve secured the hold), Martinelli was broken at Love as Frank hit a nice Backhand Volley winner on Triple Break Point and then Samara held in a struggle as he blew a drop shot attempt for Love-15 only to then hit a couple of un-returned serves on the way to Double Game/Set Point where Vin blew a volley to cut the lead to Game/Set Point which was where Spin scored with a winning lob to make it Deuce and then Spin made a great get that was all for naught as the point led to the 3rd Game/Set Point, it then went to 2nd Deuce where Vin hit a victorious volley to set up the 4th Game/Set Point where Vin topped himself with an even more impressive Backhand Volley winner to secure his partner's hold to take the set! We got this one underway at 10:40 and finished the initial set at exactly 11:08. After a two minute break for recording of the details, the two teams went back to the same sides of the court as it was an even-number-ending set and neither team made any adjustments in service or return of service sides going into the next set.
2nd Set: Tom was broken (started off with a Double Fault and then Vin hit an impressive Overhead Smash winner for Love-30 where a truly un-returnable serve made it 15-30, then it was Double Break Point where another un-returned serve cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) and Vin held (30-Love was where Frank made a great get and yelled out in what would have been a victory howl only to have Tom respond with an equally great get to then hit a roller over the net for the point to which the Samara howl soon turned into a scowl as it was now 30-15 and a true momentum shifter as it then went to Break Point, but then came Deuce, Break Point again, 2nd Deuce, Game Point where the rally of the match up until that point then made it 3rd Deuce where Vin hit a winning volley for Game Point and then Frank hit a winner to secure his partner's hold) for 2-0. Spin held (Love-15 soon shifted to Double Game Point as Frank blew an overhead and then a volley along the way and then the lead was cut down to Game Point only to have Vin blow a volley as well to allow the hold) to get his team onto the scoreboard, but Frank also held (a winning volley by Vin and then an un-returned serve made it 30-Love, it then went to 30-15, Double Game Point which was soon reduced to Deuce, Game Point again where Vin hit a victorious volley to lock down his partner's hold) for 3-1. La held (stated with a Double Fault, but that soon shifted to 30-15 right after Tom hit a villainous volley winner, it then went to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) to pull to 2-3. But from there, De Benedetto held again (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All as Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash along the way and then it was Vin hitting a winning volley to set up Game Point and then hitting yet another winning volley to secure his own hold), Martinelli was broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All as Vin hit a winning drop shot volley and Spin hit a winner along the way, but then Frank hit the winner to set up Break Point and then came the break) and Samara held again (Tom hit a winning volley for Love-15 which was where Frank hit a drop shot winner for 15-All and then it was off to the races as it soon became Double Game/Match Point where Spin hit a winner to cut that down to Game/Match Point and then it was Deuce where Vin hit a winning volley to set up the 3rd Game/Match Point which he then put the icing on the cake with an even more impressive volley winner to put the hold and the match in the books) for the win! The match ended at 11:50.
The Skinny: Last week, it was said that Samara/De Benedetto truly earned their moniker - The Gravediggers, as they came back from being down 2-5 in both sets and also fought off numerous Set Points in the 1st Set of that match. Well, this week the nickname should be "The Vin Show" as he was simply on fire for most of the contest. When Nick came to watch the 2nd Set, he kept calling him "Vin The Man" (a variation of his previous moniker, "The Vin Man"). Even De Benedetto had to admit that he was really on the money on this day. Samara did his part as well while La pretty much self-destructed more often than not while his partner, Martinelli, managed to be the steadier hand.
In between sets, Tom told Spin that Frank and Vin would likely be hitting all their shots to The Doc. While the majority of the hits did go his way, it was never nearly that dramatic a difference. Plus, Martinelli was more than up to the task with many great gets and a few smart winners (including a couple of timely lobs). La likely came into this contest as somewhat damaged goods as he had played during the GTA Friday Night Tennis session at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley. He then followed that outing the next day (Saturday) by attending the 2nd Annual Demuro Tennis Reunion where his team made it to the Finals. He had played five sets of Doubles and it was in the sixth (the 2nd Set of the Finals) where he cramped up and had to bow out of the tourney. While his mobility never seemed to be an issue in this Monk Semi, it seemed he may have been trying to overcompensate with heavy shots that were often overcooked...especially on the returns. This was a case of one team being on (especially Vin) with the other team coming in flat (mostly Tom).
The Consequences: Samara/De Benedetto now must face the team of "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan and Frank "Hydro" Hohorst in the Monk Memorial Final. This match will likely take place during a weeknight session up at Cedar Grove. The winning team is not only the 2017 Monk Memorial Champs, but will also become the New # 2 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division. They will then face the 2017 M2 Champs, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas, in a match to determine New GTA Doubles Champions as those Titles are currently vacant.
Nick Inciong/Natalia Sout over Tony Shiao/Suzanne Bujara, 6-0! No Aces. Center Court hosted this one from 11am to 11:20. This was Shiao's first time at the courts of Albion and he was quite impressed with their look and condition.
Tony Shiao/Joe Rodrigues over Nathan Fernandes/Suzanne Bujara, 6-2! Tony: 1 Ace on Nate; and Suzanne: 1 Ace on Joe! This was also played on Center Court and it lasted from 11:22 to 11:40.
Tony Shiao/Nick Inciong over Joe Rodrigues/Dan Martinelli, 6-3! No Aces. This took place on the North Court from 11:57 to 12:30. After this one, everyone involved left except for Martinelli.
Nathan Fernandes/Dino Celis over Jose Gonzales/Natalia Sout, 7-5! Jose: 1 Ace on Dino on his very first serve! This was contested on Center Court from 12:12 to 12:52.
During the above, a hitting session took place on the South Court after the "Bald Brothers" and Suzanne had left. It was Frank hitting against Vin and Sachiko. Sachi suggested Canadian Doubles, so it started off with Samara flying solo on serve. The way we play it is a point is scored if the lone player holds serve of the returning team's members each get a point if they break the server.
After Frank held serve, so did Vin. Then when it was Sachiko's turn to serve, she seemed somewhat shocked as she looked at both of the guys and asked incredulously, "both?" Samara said that the Canadian Doubles was her suggestion and now it was her turn...so yes, both! LOL!
The final score of the unofficial Canadian Doubles was: Frank - 4; Vin -2; Sachiko - 1. It was at this moment where we had the chance to get Tokuda involved in some official action over on the North Court.
Frank Samara/Sachiko Tokuda over Dan Martinelli/Vinnie De Benedetto, 6-4! No Aces. It went like this: Sachiko was broken (15-Love where a great rally ended with an awesome get/winner combo by Spin and then Sachiko blew an overhead in the next point and soon it had become Double Break Point where Vin scored with a winning drop shot return for the break) and Spin held serve (an un-returned serve for 15-Love where Sachiko hit a winning volley for 15-All, but then she blew a volley in the next point for 30-15 and it continued point for point to Game Point as Frank blew a drop shot but also made a winning drop shot along the way, then it went to Deuce where Frank hit a vicious Overhead Smash in Vin's direction only to have his self-preservation instincts kick in as he put up his racquet and then he hit a reflex volley winner to set up Game Point and then came the hold) for 2-0. Frank held at Love as Sachiko started the game with a winning drop shot volley and then Frank book-ended Triple Game Point with un-returned serves and then Vin was broken (Sachiko hit a winner for Love-30, it then went to 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) for 2-2. Tokuda held (started with a Double Fault, then it was Love-30 before it shifted to 30-All, then came Break Point where Frank scored with an awesome passing shot winner for Deuce and then Sachiko hit a winner to set up Game Point and then came the hold), but Martinelli held again and this time it was at Love as Vin started the game with a drop shot winner and ended the game with a wining Overhead Smash to tie it up at 3-3! Samara also held again (Love-30 shifted to Game Point as Sachiko hit a winning volley and then there was an un-returned serve along the way, but then it went to Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold) and De Benedetto was broken in a game where I gave up on trying to remember who hit what winners as it went from a Love-15 start straight to Double Game Point, then that was reduced to Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Break Point and the break to fall to 3-5. Tokuda was also broken (again...did not note who hit what winners...as it went fro Love-15 straight to Double Game/Match Point, then it was Game/Match Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to have her team's lead cut to 5-4. But then The Doc was broken as well (Sachiko hit a winner for Love-15, it shifted to 30-15 as Vin hit a winning volley along the way, but it then shifted again to Break/Match point as Sachiko hit the winner to set up the B/M.P. and then Frank hit the winner to get the break) to get a somewhat surprising "L!" The North Court hosted this one from 12:34 to 1:23.
The Skinny: While the action was good in this one and Sachiko exceeded all expectations, this one was more about having fun. With Nate, Dino and Natalia watching from the sidelines, the extroverted Spin felt the need to put on a good show. There practically was a running commentary for the entire contest. Much fun was had by all as bouts and shouts of laughter rebounded around the park, but solely emanated from our court. The most hilarious moment was during Vin's first service as a lengthy and spirited rally led to Sachiko hitting a deep shot that sailed just past Vin and as he tried to run it down, he exclaimed "this is amazing!" only to badly muff an attempted swing as the ball continued to whiz past him for the winner! This led to both Spin and Frank falling to the ground and rolling around the court in a fit of the giggles for quite a bit afterward.
Sachi and Natalia left soon after and then it was "The Boys Club" as the guys decided to shoot the sh..! Vin then left at 1:35 while Frank, Spin, Dino and Nate continued their little gab fest until 1:50 when all parties decided to head home.
By the way, the weather was beautiful for the entire session as it was sunny, barely hit 70 degrees and there was just the right amount of breeziness throughout the day,
We now go to NTC for The Riz Report.
Since our planned Doubles action fell through, Rich Liu and I decided to play a couple Singles One-Setters instead.
The NTC Results:
John Rizzo over Rich Liu, 7-5! No Aces. I led 3-1, then Rich came back to lead 5-4 before I won the last 3 games.
John Rizzo over Rich Liu, 6-2! No Aces. This set was closer than the 6-2 score indicates as we had many long rallies.
Both sets were fun and I look forward to playing more Singles.
Samara's Notes: I thank John for his timely reporting and it is good to see that he is handling both the hard courts once again as well as Singles action on the clay courts.
We will now get the details of the Grove Cup Semi that took place up at Cedar Grove.
The Cedar Grove Result:
Grove Cup XX Semifinal Match:
Ryan Pienciak over Raj Shah, 6-0, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 4 Rank in the Advanced Division while advancing to the Finals of the 20th Annual Grove Cup Tournament! Ryan: 2 Aces (one ace in each set)!
The Ryan Report: Raj and I played our match at Cedar Grove. It was a brisk night (it actually dropped down to 60 degrees by the time we finished). We started at 6:50 or so and finished a little before 8pm. Raj won the racquet flip, but gave me the serve. I think my usually absent first serve did not like the disrespect, so it decided to show up tonight! Haha! Anyway, Raj was still having knee issues and I'm sure it would have been a much different match if he was 100 percent.
The Sultan Swings: I wanted to congratulate Ryan on his victory. I don't think it would have made a huge difference even if I was a 100% healthy.
The Consequences: Pienciak advances to the Finals where he will face "Daddy O" Paul Daddio. It should be quite the match to cap what has been a truly monumental Grove Cup Tournament…perhaps the best ever!
Samara's Notes: I thank both Ryan and Raj for their timely reporting and I congratulate Ryan on a very impressive victory. Spin must have went up to Cedar Grove later in the evening because he reported not seeing anyone from the GTA there.
All the best,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
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