7/12

Ortega-Mole at HP, 2 at Roseland, Sally-Mindy in Wayne, 8 at C.G.!":

               

On what was (once again) nearly a perfect night weather-wise for some GTA Tuesday Night Tennis, we ended up having sessions at four different locations: Holster Park in Clifton (featuring a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match between "Eddie O" Edwin Ortega and "Holy Moly" Mike Mole), The Roseland Courts (featuring an intense One-Setter between "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon and "The General" MaryFrances Patton), The Wayne Courts (featuring the GTA Women's Championship Semifinal Match between "Spicy" Sally Pillay and "The Amazing" Mindy Zhang) and at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan). 

 

Let's first go to the result sent in by Mike.

 

The HP Result:

 

2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:

Mike Mole over Edwin Ortega, 6-3, 6-1, to become the New # 21 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division while also successfully defending his # 11 Rank in the Intermediate Division!  No Aces.

 

The Mole Memo: We started at 4pm and the match ended exactly at 4:39.  It was a fast one as my serve was on and I only double faulted three times.  On the other side, he simply made too many unforced errors.

 

Samara's Notes: I thank Mike for that result and also for sending it in a very timely fashion.

 

We now go to Roseland for the recap from Chazz.

 

The Roseland Result:

 

Chazz Weldon over MaryFrances Patton, 7-6 (7-3)!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Return of MaryFrances Patton.

 

All That Jazz from Chazz: We played at The Roseland Courts, the ones near the Roseland Police Station.  We got started at 2:45 and did not finish until 4:30!  We stayed on serve until MaryFrances broke me to go up 5-3.  I broke back and then held serve for 5-5.  She then held for 6-5 and then I held again to force the Tiebreak where I won this One-Setter.  It was very hot and the match was quite competitive.

 

On a side note, MaryFrances really enjoys playing at The Roseland Courts…so anyone who wants to play her can reach out to her and she will do likewise.

 

Samara's Notes: First, I thank Chazz for sending in that score.  Second, I welcome MaryFrances back to the league.  And third, Scott Bergenfeld had said he is willing to host weeknight sessions at The Roseland Courts.  If these are the same courts that he was talking about (on Harrison Ave.), he is within walking distance to them.   I know we have at least half a dozen players who live out that way.

 

It is now much easier to send an e-mail to the group as you only have to reply to the e-mail address that issues these reports.  There are no more situations where the mailing list is too big.  It would be nice to see another group of GTA players develop out in that West Essex area.

 

We now go to both Sally and Mindy as they recap their Semi in the GTA Women's Championship Tournament.

 

The Wayne Result:

 

GTA Women's Championship Semifinal Match:

Sally Pillay over Mindy Zhang, 6-2, 6-4, to successfully defend her # 2 Rank in the Women's Division while also advancing to the Finals of the GTA Women's Championship Tournament!  No Aces.

 

Sally says: Despite both of us having muscle strains, we gave it our all. The game scores were tight with a lot of Deuces.  Mindy played really well and fought great in the 2nd Set.  At 4-4 the courts were darker as there were no lights and that's when I secured the break and was able to close out the match. She is a great opponent.  I would like to wait until my back muscle strain heals before playing Laura. 

 

The Mindy Memo: Great match!  Lots of fun, despite the fact we both had some injuries.

 

Samara's Notes: Congratulations to Sally on a hard-fought victory, but also kudos to Mindy for a spirited effort.  Obviously, Sally does not have to jump right into the match with Laura Gawley in the Finals.  But I do hope she heals soon as Laura has already been patiently waiting in that position for a while now.

 

On another note, I believe Mindy usually plays her matches at The Wayne Courts near the high school…and not The Nellis Drive Courts near The Wayne Bubble (when it is up half the year), but I could be wrong.

 

And now we head up to Cedar Grove to let Papa K take it away!

 

It was a deserted scenario at The Cedar Grove Tennis Courts with most active tennis players shying away from the presumed occupation by The Pickle Ballers. It looks like the Pickle Ball evening sessions are over. Only on Wednesdays, are a couple of courts expected to be taken by the Verona folks. If last week was any indication, they did wind down about 7:45pm.

 

Senthil Kumar was looking for a fourth player up in Wayne, but given that all the courts were available here, he trotted to CG with both Tony Shiao and Raj Boddu following him.

 

Upon my entry close to 8:15pm, the GTA was in action on Court One with Mike Kazlauskas and Jane Fan on one side hitting against Rob and Laura Gawley on the other side.  Soon to come were Tito Castolo, Dino Celis, Marijus Kuzavas and Sally Pillay.

 

It was a hitting session initially, but within a few minutes, Laura sounded urgent coming over to our side of the courts and asking if Doinks was home.

 

Jane had fallen down on her side and indeed it looked like a nasty fall.  The first thought was to dash home and get ice. But Jane had fallen on her left wrist and right away, she felt she had broken something.  Laura was swift to call the ambulance as we saw Jane's wrist swelling.  Police came first and offered the ice pack, but Jane didn't want them to touch it. She was writhing in pain, but she was also incredibly calm.  The ambulance came and, after propping her hand, they took her to Mountainside hospital. Laura called Dave Zhu so he could go straight to the hospital.

 

Update: I was in touch with Dave late night and he informed me about Jane having to go through surgery today at 1pm.  It was tough and I pray that Jane recovers quickly.  She is a strong person and we expect her to bounce back quickly.  All our players were by her side till she got the medical help which was comforting.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

Kris Srinivasan/Senthil Kumar over Tony Shiao/Raj Boddu, 7-5!  No Aces.

 

It was a good close match that saw the momentum shifting between the two sides. 

 

Marijus Kuzavas/Tony Shiao leading Sairaj Srinivasan/Tito Castolo, 4-3 (Incomplete when lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces (apparently).

 

I am not aware of the score of the match involving Jane Fan.  And Mike Kazluaskas and Michael Chang played against Rob and Laura Gawley.

 

Samara's Notes: Since none of those parties reported to Kris or sent anything to me, whatever they played will have to remain as unofficial.  And now back to Kris for just a little bit more.

 

Dino Celis/Raj Boddu leading Kris Srinivasan/Senthil Kumar, 4-2 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.

 

Both Dino and Boddu played really well.  We had a small hiccup but were on the cusp of wrapping up a game with a couple of Game Points when the lights went out.

 

Indeed it ended up as an eventful night after a deserted look in the early hours. We are wishing Jane a speedy recovery.  Cheers!

 

Samara's Notes: First off, I second Kris on the well-wishes for Jane.  I hope she can make a full and speedy recovery, indeed.  Second, it seems that the Tuesday night scene up at Cedar Grove is clear for us now.  Guess it will just be Wednesday nights that will be muddled with others for the time being.

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara