Samara hosts 4 at HP, then hosts 14 (incl. M2) at C.G.!":
GTA Wednesday Night Tennis took place at both Holster Park (hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara) and The Cedar Grove Courts (also hosted by Samara with assistance from usual host, "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan). Frank needed to lean on Kris for extra assistance as Samara was involved in his M2 Men's Doubles Tournament Quarterfinal Match where he'd be teaming with "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto against "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia and "Big George" Jorge Solano.
We will first recap how things went down at HP and then detail the big session up at C.G.
When Samara pulled into the parking lot down the hill from Holster Park at 5:50, he looked up the hill at the courts to see that Championship Court was already occupied.
Frank went uphill and held the Entrance Court as he saw Zoltar hitting against two of his buddies. This was the first time seeing them at the Holster Park courts since that initial Sunday we played there.
Samara did not have to wait on the bench long as "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak stepped onto the court at 6pm and said that Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao was also on his way.
Frank and Ryan started hitting against one another. Tony arrived at 6:15 and took Ryan's side in hitting against Frank. Shiao and Pienciak were hoping to get some time teaming together to prepare for their match in the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament.
At the same time Tony arrived, two young guys took Center Court and they would soon be joined by two more. And a little while later, two other young guys started waiting outside the fence.
During the hitting session, Samara thought he had seen "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues pull into the parking lot. But then we did not see anyone else heading toward the courts.
Finally, Joe stepped onto the court at 6:45. He only needed a little while hitting as we got the first of two Doubles One-Setters started at 6:48.
The HP Results:
Tony Shiao/Ryan Pienciak over Frank Samara/Joe Rodrigues, 6-1! Tony: 2 Aces (one on each)! It went like this: Ryan was broken (Love-15 and then point for point until 30-All as he hit an un-returned serve and Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash along the way, but then Ryan hit a roller over the net to set up Game Point, then it was Deuce where Joe unleashed a killer return for Break Point and then came the break), Frank was broken (Love-30 where Frank whipped a big-time volley for 15-30, but then Tony was equal to the task with a whopper of an Overhead Smash to make it Double Break Point and then Ryan hit another roller over the net for the break), but Tony was the first to hold serve (Tony hit a winner and then Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it 30-Love which was where Tony scored a corner Ace on Joe to set up Triple Game Point, but that was where Frank hit a winning drop shot return to cut it to Double Game Point which was where the hold came) to go up 2-1. Joe was broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love, it shifted to 15-30 with an excellent extended rally along the way, then it went to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) and Pienciak held (un-returned serve for 30-Love, 30-15 and then a Double Fault for 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) to go up 4-1. Samara was broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love, but then it went straight to Double Break Point as Ryan hit a net-cord winner along the way and then came the break) and Shiao held again, but this time in a struggle as he started off with a Double Fault and then Joe hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-30, it shifted to 30-All as Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash of his own, but then it was Break Point where Tony nailed Frank with a corner Ace for Deuce and then there was an un-returned serve to set up Game/Match Point, then 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, un-returned serve for 2nd Game/Match Point, 4th Deuce, another un-returned serve to set up the 3rd Game/Match Point and then yet another un-returned serve to secure the hold and get the win! We played this one on the Entrance Court from 6:48 to 7:13.
The Skinny: Tony and Ryan both seem to be in fine form as they head into the M2 Tournament. We decided to play a rematch. In this next one, Tony and Ryan switched their return of service sides. That may have been a mistake.
Frank Samara/Joe Rodrigues tied with Tony Shiao/Ryan Pienciak, 5-5 (Incomplete, when Samara had to leave at 7:54 as he was already running late for his 8pm starting time of the M2 Quarterfinal Match set to be played up at Cedar Grove)! Tony: 1 Ace on Joe. Here's how it was going: Joe was broken (an awesome rally to get things started led to Love-15 where an un-returned serve made it 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Break Point as Frank blew an overhead along the way, but then another un-returned serve cut it to Break Point, but that was where Frank blew a volley to aid in breaking his partner) and Ryan held serve (Ryan hit a winner and a winning Overhead Smash on the way to Triple Game Point, but then that got cut to Game Point which was where Tony blew an overhead to make it Deuce, then it was Game Point again where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to get out to a 2-0 lead. Frank held in a battle where winners could no longer be noted as it went from 15-Love to 15-30, 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Game Point, 5th Deuce, Game Point and finally the hold to get his team on the scoreboard, but Tony also held (started with a T-line Ace on Joe, but then Ryan blew a volley for 15-All, but Ryan followed that with two successful and winning volleys to set up Double Game Point which is where the hold came) for 3-1. Rodrigues held at Love with back-to-back un-returned serves at the end and Pienciak was broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, but then Joe hit a winning lob and the rally of the match ended with a well-placed winner by Frank to make it 15-30, another un-returned serve for 30-All, then it was Break Point where Frank hit an amazing return winner for the break) to level it at 3-3! Samara was broken (Love-15 and then an un-returned serve for 15-All where Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash on the way to Double Break Point where Ryan hit a mammoth Overhead Smash that bounced over the fence for the break), but Shiao was also broken (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 as Tony hit a winner and an un-returned serve, but then Joe hit a blistering winner and Frank hit a winning volley to shift it to Break Point, it was Deuce where Joe hit a laser-like passing shot winner for Break Point where Joe then made an amazing get/winner combo for the break) to knot the score once more at 4-4! J-Rod held (Ryan blew a gift of an overhead opportunity that cracked us up as he smashed himself with his own racquet on the follow-thru and then Joe hit a passing shot winner and Ryan blew another overhead to set up Triple Game Point which was cut to Game Point until an un-returned serve secured the hold) to go up 5-4. At this moment, Frank knew he was already running late to head up to Cedar Grove. So he struck a deal where the next game would be the last no matter what. If Samara/Rodrigues took it, they get the win. If Shiao/Pienciak got it, we end it in a tie. The Lumberjack got to swinging as he scored with an un-returned serve and two winners on the way to Triple Game Point and a Love hold to end this one at 5-5! This one was also played on the Entrance Court and it lasted from 7:16 to 7:54. Samara felt really bad that he could not see this one through to its proper conclusion, but everyone understood and it still was a lot of fun.
Frank then sent a simultaneous text message to both Kris and Vin to inform them he would get to Cedar Grove at 8:05.
As promised, Samara pulled into the parking lot at The Cedar Grove Courts at 8:05. Upon his arrival, he saw "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff and "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes playing Singles with one another on Court One.
On Court Two, it was Kris teaming with his son Sairaj against "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson.
On Court Three, it was Vin hitting against both Lou and Jorge.
And on Court Four were four of the Verona guys in a Doubles Match. Thankfully, that crew only had one of the four courts as we needed a minimum of three to make the night a success…which it was.
Samara immediately got out onto Court Three and did not need a warm-up as he was already beyond warm due to the action he was involved in at Holster Park. The match got underway at 8:10.
Tito "Touch" Castolo, "Coach" Dino Celis and Ryan Pieciak all made their arrivals along the way, but Frank was too busy to note them. We ended up with a total of fourteen competitors.
We will first report the scores that took place prior to the M2 Quarterfinal (thanks to Nate and Kris for providing the details). Then the results that come after that match just mean they were started at a time later then the kickoff of the M2 match.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan over Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson, 6-3! Sairaj: 1 Ace on Kathy.
Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan over Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson, 6-2! Dawn: 1 Ace on Kris.
Nathan Fernandes over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0! Jordan: 1 Ace.
Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson over Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan, 7-5! Sairaj: 1 Ace on Kathy.
Nathan Fernandes over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0! No Aces.
M2 Quarterfinal Match:
Lou La Forgia/Jorge Solano over Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto, 6-3, 5-7, 10-1 (STB), to advance to the Semifinals of The M2 Men's Doubles Tournament! Once they entered into a Super Tiebreak to decide the match, the # 2 Rank in the Doubles Division of Samara/De Benedetto was no longer on the line! La Forgia/Solano entered the division as the New # 39 Ranked Team (but still have the chance to end up as the New # 2 Team if they win the tourney)! Jorge: 2 Aces (1 on Frank in the 1st Set and 1 on Vinnie in the 2nd Set)! This one got started on Court Three at 8:10.
1st Set: Jorge was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30, corner Ace on Frank for 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break), Frank was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30, 30-All, Break Point and the break), but Lou was the first to hold serve (started with a Double Fault, 15-All, it then went to Double Break Point, but then to Deuce, Break Point again, 2nd Deuce where Lou made an incredible get/winner combo…and I wasn't even noting other winners to save time, but this deserved a special mention…to make it Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to go up 2-1. Vinnie was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) to fall to 1-3, but Solano was broken again (30-Love shifted to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point again and then the break), but Samara held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point again and the hold) to tie it up at 3-3. But from there, La Forgia held at Love and De Benedetto was broken again (15-Love shifted to 15-30 and then a shift again to Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) to fall to 3-5. And then Big George had a Love hold as Lou shifted to Australian style to deal with Frank's return of serve and the strategy paid off as this game went straight to Triple Game/Set Point and the hold as this set concluded at 8:49. The next set started a minute later. In the next one, Lou and Jorge switch their service sides.
2nd Set: Frank held serve (15-Love, 15-All, then onto Double Game Point and the hold), Lou held (he made an equally impressive get/winner combo to another extreme drop shot return from Frank as he did the first time around and this set up 30-Love on the way to another Love hold), Vinnie held (Triple Game Point was cut down to Game Point, but then came the hold), but Jorge was the first one to be broken in this set (Love-15 then point for point to 30-All, Double Fault for Break Point and then the break) to go down 1-3. Samara was broken (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 shifted to Break Point and the break) and La Forgia held again (30-Love to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) to level the set at 3-3. De Benedetto held again (Triple Game Point was cut down to Game Point, but then came the hold) and Solano was broken again (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce and then an Ace up the T line against Vinnie for Game Point and it would be all Game Points on the way to 4th Deuce and then another Game Point, Double Fault for 5th Deuce, Game Point again, 6th Deuce, Break Point and finally the break!) to fall to 3-5. Hollywood was broken again (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) and The Lethal Lefty held yet again (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold) to tie things up again, this time at 5-5! The Vin Man held yet again (30-Love shifted to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) and Big George was broken once again (Love-15, 15-All and then straight to Double Break/Set Point and the break) to drop the set and level the match at 9:31! With rapidly diminishing time as the concern (lights out at 10pm!), we all decided it better to play a 10-Point Super Tiebreak rather than a full 3rd Set. Vinnie said that even an STB can take long. Frank then said half-kiddingly that maybe it would be a shutout (and he implied that to be in the other team's favor). Well, it was almost a case of "Samaradamus" once again!
STB: Frank was broken on his lone serve, Lout made his third great get/winner combo off of yet another wicked drop shot return from Frank and then held his second serve as well and then Vinnie was broken on both of his serves to be down quickly at 0-5! Jorge held the first of his two serves for 6-0 at the changeover and then he held his second as well for 7-0! Samara was broken on the first of his two serves to fall to 0-8, but then managed to hold his second to get on the board in the STB at 1-8! But La Forgia was unstoppable as he held his first for 9-1 and the very first Match Point of the contest which was all he would need as he held again on his second service to close this one out at 9:38 (we started the STB at 9:32…it only took six minutes to complete!) for a very impressive outing in a hard-fought victory!
The Skinny: Everyone played well and fought hard despite also having some head-scratching errors every once in a while. Even Lou was not error-free. But he was clearly a notch above the other three as he was never broken on serve and was also a force with his return game as well as he likely scored at least a half dozen winners in that regard alone. Jorge was the one who scored a couple of Aces, but Lou does not need to score an Ace in order to hold serve as his wicked kick topspin serves coming from the angle of a crafty lefty are enough to give just about anyone fits. He is also deceptively quick as one would not expect someone of his muscular frame to move as fast as he can when provoked. The three get/winner combos that I noted were Chiaro-like in their impressiveness. That is about as high a compliment as I can pay. La Forgia and Solano will be a tough team to deal with as they move forward in this tourney. I congratulate them on their victory!
Speaking of Lou, I neglected to mention in the News update that went out earlier in the day (though the brackets had it right…thanks to "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar) that La Forgia is now replacing "Rockaway" Ray Jalil in The Grove Cup Round of 32 Match against "Stormin" Norman Taclob as Jalil ended up booking some travel plans that would come into conflict with his participation in the tourney.
The Taclob-La Forgia match, a battle of the lefties, is likely to be the closest-contested Round of 32 Match of them all. Already, many in the league are looking forward to seeing it.
Now let's get to the results of the matches that started after the M2 Quarterfinal did (though some finished earlier).
Jordan Bachvaroff/Nathan Fernadnes over Dino Celis/Ryan Pienciak, 6-3! Ryan: 1 Ace on Nathan. This was played on Court One (start and stop times are unknown).
Kris Srinivasan/Tito Castolo over Raj Shah/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-2! Raj: 1 Ace on Kris. This was contested on Court Two (do not know the start and finish times).
Jordan Bachvaroff/Nathan Fernandes over Dino Celis/Ryan Pienciak, 6-4! No Aces. This one concluded on Court One at 9:55.
Sairaj Srinivasan/Tito Castolo over Kris Srinivasan/Raj Shah, 6-1! Tito: 1 Ace on Kris. This one got done on Court Two at 9:57.
All in all, it was a very exciting session and we were fortunate to have three of the four courts at our disposal.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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