10/4/17:
"Monk Final part of 31 at C.G.!":
There was just one session of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis and it was an epic one! It was at The Cedar Grove Courts with the Main Event being the Monk Memorial Men's Doubles Tournament Final featuring "Hollywood" Frank Samara and "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto taking on "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan and Frank "Hydro" Hohorst.
With Samara in attendance, he also acted as the host of a session where the growing throng of players set a new attendance record of 31 competitors at Cedar Grove (previous record was 29)! When Frank told his buddy "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli that the night was like Baskin Robbins with 31 flavors, Spin replied: "I like that. Put that in the write-up."
Besides great action, it was a night of much hi-jinx and hilarity. Let's bounce back to the beginning.
Samara arrived earlier than expected at 6:15, but he was far from being the early bird there as his partner Vin was already out on Court Four hitting with "EA Sports" Erdem Alpay. Vin was somewhat half-hearted in his effort as he was also talking to "Bravo" Brenda Jordan who was in the area between Courts Three and Four.
Out on Court One were "The Wednesday Ladies" (four of them) who usually occupy one of the courts most Wednesdays from 6 to 7pm. Court Two was still vacant.
So Frank strolled out onto the courts and offered to hit with Brenda in order to hold two courts rather than just one. Brenda said that Kathy "Pickler" Sheldon was on the way and was bringing a new player. Sure enough, Kat pulled into the lot right at that time.
Samara then bounced back toward Court Four when "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff arrived at 6:20. As Jordan is already friends with Erdem, Frank suggested the two of them take Court Two so that we could spread out on the three courts that were available.
It was a good thing as the flood gates opened early on this evening. Four players arrived at 6:25: Kris, "Instant" Moka Pathan, "Dominant" Dawn Peterson and Michele Panzitta (she would be "the new player" that Brenda had referenced, but she already and recently made her official GTA Debut).
While our four ladies soon got a full 2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match underway on Court Three, Kris and Frank got into a hitting session with Moka and Vin while waiting for "the other Frank", Mr. Hohorst, to arrive. And he did just that at 6:35. Pathan then shifted over to Court Two at this time.
The two teams then took their proper sides in a hitting session and then the match got underway somewhere around 6:50. This was just minutes after both "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan and "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan entered the parking lot area outside the courts.
Turns out they had planned a full Non-Title Match against the reigning GTA Women's Doubles Champions: Laura "The Aura" Gawley and "The Smackdown" Sally Pillay. Obviously, that action would now have to wait for a court to clear. In the interim, Gen became the fourth player on Court Two while Doinks roamed the outer sideline area of the courts like a tigress ready to pounce.
Like clockwork, The Wednesday Ladies curtailed their action on Court One precisely at 7pm. Just one game into their Monk Memorial Final, Kris opted to switch courts because he and his partner were displeased with the dim lighting over Court Four (the lights came on stronger later in the evening). This change of venue may have been somewhat strategic as the momentum definitely swayed heavily soon after the move…LOL!
"The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia arrived at 7:05 and soon joined Doinks out on Court Four for a hitting session. Five minutes later, Sally arrived with hubby "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and Spin also pulled into the lot around this same time. Five minutes more saw "King Crush" Chris Chiaro make his appearance as well.
Soon after that, Laura was on the scene as well. Now Doinks was eyeing up Court Two just waiting for Gen to finish her One-Setter so that they could get their full match going over on Court Four. And sure enough, that ending was timely as the match finished at 7:20 and Ms. Capan was soon on her way to joining the other three ladies.
Court Two then hosted a One-Setter featuring Chiaro/Pathan versus Kuzavas/La Forgia…definitely some heavy-hitting action on that one.
And the players kept coming - GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernades and "The Hit Man" Tom La at 7:30, both of whom took a seat next to Spin on the bench alongside Court Four to view the increasingly lopsided Monk Memorial Final.
At 7:40, it was "The Art Font" Arthur Fontanilla, "Del Brotro" Mike Mole and "The Adonis" Don Moya along with "J-Wow" Janice Wang.
There was a little breather for a bit before the next round of players resumed making their arrivals: Natalia "Nitro" Sout at 8:05, "The Titan" Tito Castolo at 8:15, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan and Edgar "Valentino" Valencia at 8:25 and then "Rowdy" Rob Gawley at 8:30.
Kris and Frank had to convince the latter three to patient and stick around as the logjam was quite intense at that time. It was a good thing that they did hang in there because they would soon be rewarded with some court time as well.
The final arrival of the evening was made by "The Dragon" Dino Celis at 8:45. When he decided to play rather than just be an observer, he became the record-breaking 31st competitor of the session…oh, what a night!
Let's get those results!
The Cedar Grove Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Women's Doubles Match:
Brenda Jordan/Dawn Peterson over Kathy Sheldon/Michele Panzitta, 6-2, 6-3, to successfully defend their # 4 Rank in the Women's Doubles Division! In the process, Sheldon/Panzitta entered the division as the New # 11 Ranked Team. No Aces. Court Three hosted this one from 6:40 to 7:50.
Moka Pathan/Genalin Capan over Jordan Bachvaroff/Erdem Alpay, 6-3! No Aces. This one took place on Court Two from 6:50 to 7:20.
Monk Memorial Final Match:
Kris Srinivasan/Frank Hohorst over Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto, 6-2, 6-1, to become the 2017 Monk Memorial Champs and New # 2 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division (the second set of Top Contenders after the # 1 Ranked Team of Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas)! Kris: 1 Ace on Vin in the 1st Set; and Frank H.: 1 Ace on Vin in the 2nd Set!
1st Set: Frank H. was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30, 30-All where Vin hit a winning volley to set up Break Point and then Frank H. blew a volley to break himself) and then we shifted over from Court Four to Court One. Frank S. was also broken (Frank H. hit a winning volley for Love-30, it then went to 15-30 where Kris made an incredible get/winner combo to set up Double Break Point, it then went to Break Point where Kris scored with an excellent winning lob for the break), but Kris was the first to hold serve (started with a T-line Ace against Vin and then hit an un-returned serve for 30-Love, it then was 30-15 where another un-returned serve set p Double Game Point only to have yet another un-returned serve secure the hold) to go up 2-1. Vin was broken (Vin hit a well-placed passing shot winner for 15-Love and then Kris hit a winning volley for 15-All, then there was a Double Fault for 15-30 which was where Kris hit a passing shot winner for Double Break Point and then came the break) and then Hohorst held serve (15-Love, 15-All and then straight thru Double Game Point to the hold) to go up 4-1. Samara held, too, even after getting off to a rough start as Kris and Frank H. both made incredible gets in a rally where the point ended up in their favor at Love-30, it then went to Triple Break Point where Frank H. blew an overhead to make it Double Break Point, then it went to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point where Frank H. blew a volley to allow the hold for the opposition to pull to 2-4. But from there, Srinivasan held again (Love-15 promptly shifted to Double Game Point as Frank H. hit a winning volley followed by back-to-back un-returned serves and then Frank H. hit an emphatic Backhand Volley winner to secure his partner's hold) and then De Benedetto was broken again (first Vin blew a volley and then Frank blew a volley even worse in the next point to make it Love-30, but then an un-returned serve served to shift the momentum to 30-All, but then a Double Fault set up Break/Set Point, it went to Deuce, but then the break came on the 2nd Break/Set Point) to drop the set at 7:25 (it had gotten underway at 6:50). We took a brief break then returned to the same sides as it was an even-score set. The next set began just two minutes later.
2nd Set: Frank H. held at Love as he started with a sideline Ace against Vin and then Kris hit an awesome passing shot winner followed by an un-returned serve to set up Triple Game Point and then yet another un-returned serve to secure the hold, Frank S. was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point, then Break Point which was perhaps the best rally of the match where Frank S. made several great gets only to end the point and break himself with a shot pushed way wide…emblematic of much of his poor performance throughout the contest), Kris held (Frank H. blew a volley for Love-15, it shifted to 30-15, then 30-All, Game Point where Kris scored with another scorching passing shot winner to lock down his own hold), Vin was broken (Triple Break Point, an un-returned serve to cut it to Double Break Point, but then Frank H. hit a winning volley for the break) and then Hohorst held at Love again as Kris started the game off with another passing shot winner, there was an un-returned serve and then Frank H. hit a winning volley to set up Triple Game Point where Kris hit yet another passing shot winner to wrap up his partner's hold for a commanding 5-0 lead! Samara held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All which came right after an un-returned serve and then there was the small shift to Game Point where Frank H. blew a volley to allow the hold) to get his team onto the scoreboard as Vin proudly and jokingly exclaimed: "Nobody feeds us a bagel!" Well, maybe they did not swallow a bagel (or a donut), but they were about to eat a salty breadstick rammed right down their throat when Srinivasan held again (Frank H. blew a volley for Love-15, but then it shifted to 30-15 after Frank H. scored with a winning Overhead Smash, then it was 30-All where yet another Frank H. Overhead Smash set up Game/Match Point and then came the win) to earn a surprisingly easy victory! We finished this one exactly at 7:51.
The Skinny: Coming into this contest, most had assumed that the two Franks (Samara and Hohorst) would be the steadier hands for their respective teams. The two intangibles were Kris and Vin as both can run with the big dogs (for De Benedetto, we're talking about Doubles at this point) when they are on their game, but also either can admittedly run off the rails when having a bad day. Vintage Vinnie had the magic elixir this past Sunday, but that well ran dry on Wednesday. He had exhibited the best mobility we had seen from him in quite some time during the Monk Semi only to have that vanish in the Final. Meanwhile, it was The K Man who more than rose to the occasion with a lethal combination of consistency and aggression. That was then equaled by the efforts of Hohorst who is a sound Doubles player who makes his presence felt at the net. Meanwhile, Samara may have been an impressive get-maker throughout the match…but more often than not his runaround rallies were wrapped up by an unforced error to kill all built-up momentum. He was more often than not his worst enemy as he may have come into the contest a little too amped up as he tried to honor his late stepfather ("The Monk" Tom Mueller) with yet another tournament victory. This season, it was simply not in the cards. Major kudos and congratulations to Kris and Frank H. on a very well-deserved victory!
The Consequences: Srinivasan/Hohorst will now face Kuzavas/Kazluaskas in a match to determine New GTA Doubles Champions. It shall be a tall task for the New Monk Memorial Champs, but anything is possible and it should at least be a solid and entertaining match.
Chris Chiaro/Moka Pathan over Marijus Kuzavas/Lou La Forgia, 7-6 (7-5)! Marijus: 1 Ace on Chris. This down-to-the-wire one-set war was waged on Court Two from 7:30 to 8:18.
Non-Title Match:
Laura Gawley/Sally Pillay over Doinks Srinivasan/Genalin Capan, 6-0, 6-4! This was not a defense of the GTA Women's Doubles Championship as Srinivasan/Capan had not yet been ranked in the Women's Doubles Division. They now enter the division as the New # 12 Ranked Team. Doinks: 1 Ace on Sally.
Gen's Notes: The 1st Set was all Laura/Sally. Doinks and I were probably nervous at first facing The Champs. There were some nice rallies and the pace of the points was quick. They did a better job of controlling the points and finishing them, especially Laura at the net. It was about 24 minutes in duration (7:33 to 7:57).
In the 2nd Set, we debated about switching sides. Laura suggested we should as they also switched things up. Doinks and I got an early lead at 3-1. Then Laura/Sally tied it up at 3-3. They took the next two games. Then Sally was serving up 5-3. I think we saved a Match Point and then got the break to pull to 4-5. I was serving at 30-40 and we saved a 2nd MP to get to Deuce, then Game Point, another Deuce, Ad Out and then they won it on the 3rd MP! This set lasted 42 minutes (8:01 to 8:43).
Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for that commentary which paints a better picture of a match that many others found to be entertaining from the sidelines. We now run the rest of the results.
Nathan Fernandes/Mike Mole over Jordan Bachvaroff/Arthur Fontanilla, 6-2! Nathan: 1 Ace on Jordan (a cheap one)! Court One hosted this one from 8:07 to 8:41.
Don Moya/Janice Wang over Tom La/Dawn Peterson, 6-2! No Aces. They faced off on Court Three and it lasted from 8:12 to 8:37.
Dan Martinelli/Frank Hohorst over Tito Castolo/Natalia Sout, 6-1! No Aces. This foursome got things done on Court Two from 8:25 to 8:48.
Marijus Kuzavas/Lou La Forgia over Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan, 6-3! No Aces. This was contested on Court One from 8:48 to 9:25.
Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La over Edgar Valencia/Arthur Fontanilla, 6-2! No Aces. They played this one on Court Three from 8:50 to 9:25.
Jordan Bachvaroff/Sally Pillay over Rob Gawley/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-0! No Aces. They faced off on Court Four from 8:51 to 9:11.
Tito Castolo/Natalia Sout over Frank Hohorst/Dino Celis, 6-3! No Aces. Court Two hosted this one from 8:56 to 9:27.
Nathan Fernandes/Dan Martinelli over Jordan Bachvaroff/Rob Gawley, 6-1! Rob: 1 Ace on Spin (a cheap one)! In the last game with Rob on serve down 1-5, it went from Triple Break/Match Point to Double Break/Match Point to Break/Match Point where finally Nate and Spin managed to close the door! This one took place on Court Four from 9:14 to 9:44.
Marijus Kuzavas/Lou La Forgia over Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan, 6-2! No Aces. In this second One-Setter, they decided to forego the changeovers in the hopes of getting it done. And they did just that on Court One as it had gotten underway at 9:26 and finished at 9:57!
Tito Castolo/Natalia Sout over Frank Hohorst/Dino Celis, 6-1! Dino: 1 Ace on Natalia. After the previous One-Setter, Dino requested to "run it back." Even though this one got started on Court Two, they still did the changeovers and they managed to finish it by 9:51.
Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La leading Edgar Valencia/Arthur Fontanilla, 4-3 (Incomplete when they decided to stop the action on Court Three at 9:59…they decided to forego the changeovers when they got it going at 9:26)!
Nathan Fernandes/Dan Martinelli leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Rob Gawley, 2-0 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm…they decided to forego the changeovers when they began this one on Court Four at 9:45)! Jordan: 1 Ace on Spin; and Spin: 1 Ace on Jordan!
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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