Shah-Spin, Dean-Nate part of 22 at C.G.!":
GTA Tuesday Night Tennis only took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara with some assistance from usual host, "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan).
The session featured two Grove Cup Tournament matches: "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah versus "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli in The Round of 32; and "Lean" Dean Delgado vs. "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes in The Round of 16.
On the way to Cedar Grove, Samara did a drive-by past the Holster Park Courts in Clifton at 5:45 and all three were vacant. He then arrived at Cedar Grove at 5:55.
At that time, Shah was already there but waiting in his car. On Court One, one lone non-GTA players seemed to be waiting for someone else (that someone arrived at 6:05).
Courts Two and Three were empty, so Samara decided to take Court Two to hold that one for the Shah-Martinelli match as Three was next to Court Four where a lesson involving a young child was occupying it and balls were often rolling over to Court Three.
At 6:15, Shah joined Samara on Court Two. Around that same time, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived but chose to stay near Court Four.
Martinelli arrived at 6:20 and immediately headed over to Court Two for his match against Shah. Spin and Frank both hit against Raj until the match officially got underway at 6:27.
Right around that same time, Celis took Court Three along with "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle and "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff.
At 6:30, "ME" Michel Encarnacion, Delgado and Fernandes all arrived. Michel headed over toward Court Three while Dean and Nate headed over to Court Two to talk to Frank about where they would be able to play their match. Samara suggested the two courts down the road and luckily that scenario worked out well for them.
"Luckily" is the operative word as the entire area was loaded with people heading down the street toward a festival in the park (Kris said there would be free food and music). As a result, the parking lot that wraps around the courts soon became full.
At 6:35, "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas and "Magic" Matt Meillon both arrived. Kaz took the bench outside Court One, but Matt stepped onto Court Two to watch the match in progress.
Five minutes later, "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues made his arrival. And we thought we saw "Super Trooper" Sue Koziol pull into the parking lot…only to soon leave once she could not find a parking space.
At 6:45, the lesson on Court Four became a lesson for Dino (rather than the young girl who went before him). This soon led to a logjam situation as we were starting to have players sitting on the outside waiting for courts.
"Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas arrived at 7:10 and sat on the bench next to his buddy, Kazlauskas. Ten minutes later, the two of them were able to take Court One as those two other guys decided to leave at that time. Marijus and Mike then entered into a lengthy hitting session with one another.
Natalia "Nitro" Sout arrived at 7:25. She stood near the bench outside Court Four for a short while, but when it seemed she would not get any court time…she decided to leave. When Dino saw this, he ended the lesson and was able to track her down before she completely backed out of the parking space.
She came back and got onto Court Four a little after 7:30 just as Jay "The Rising" Phoenix made his arrival. The two of them had a hitting session with one another. Jay ended up leaving at 7:55 without ever getting involved in any official action.
During that time, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan had arrived at 7:35 and sat on the bench with Dino and Spin (who was already done with his match by this time).
At 7:55, "Rowdy" Rob Gawley and GTA Women's Champion: Laura "The Aura" Gawley arrived together. They were able to get right onto Court Four and then get involved in some Mixed Doubles action with Cabanatan and Sout.
"The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar arrived at 8pm. Delgado and Fernandes returned to the main courts at 8:20 whereupon Dean reported the scores to Frank before leaving to get dinner. Nate, however, flush with the rush of an impressive victory decided to seek further action (though he may have taken a snack break somewhere along the way).
"2 Tall" Dave Zhu was the final official competitor to arrive at 8:30. We ended up with a grand total of 22 official competitors (not counting Phoenix) which was very impressive considering the fact that the area was so crowded and we only had two of the four courts for a while there.
Chronologically speaking, the two Grove Cup matches got things underway. So we will report them first and then list all the other results.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Grove Cup Round of 32 Match:
Raj Shah over Dan Martinelli, 6-1, 6-2, to successfully defend his # 11 Rank in the Advanced Division while advancing to The Round of 16 of The Grove Cup Tournament! Spin: 2 Aces in the 2nd Set; and Raj: 1 Ace in the 2nd Set.
1st Set: Spin held serve (Love-15, 15-All where an un-returned serve made it 30-15 which was where Raj hit a winner for 30-All, then Game Point and the hold), Raj held at Love after an un-returned serve got things started for him, but Martinelli was the first to be broken (Raj hit back-to-back winners to make it Love-30, but then he blew an overhead for 15-30, then it went to Double Break Point and the break) for 1-2. Shah held again (15-Love, 15-All then right to Double Break Point where Raj hit a winning Backhand Volley for Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and a truly un-returnable serve for the hold) and The Doc was broken again (Spin hit a winner for 15-Love, then it was 30-Love where Raj hit a winner for 30-15 and then Raj hit a drop shot winner for 30-All only to follow that with a winning Overhead Smash to set up Break Point where he then hit yet another winner for the break) to fall to 1-4. The Sultan of Swing held yet again (Spin made a great get/drop shot winner combo for Love-15, then Raj hit a winner of his own for 15-All which was followed by an un-returned serve for 30-15 and then Spin hit a winner for 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) and Spin was broken once more (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break/Set Point, Deuce, Game Point where Raj hit a drop shot that was not a winner but forced the error from Spin for 2nd Deuce where Raj then made a nice get/winner combo to set up the 2nd Break/Set Point and then came the break) as Raj took the opening set at 6:54 (this match got underway on Court Two at exactly 6:27). They wasted no time in switching sides and getting into the next set.
2nd Set: Raj held (started with a Double Fault, but then it went straight to Double Game Point after he hit a winner to set that up and then he hit an un-returned serve for the hold), Spin was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30 where an un-returned serve made it 30-All, but then Raj hit a winning Overhead Smash for Break Point where Raj then scorched a winning return for the break) and Shah held again (Spin hit a winning return for Love-15, but then an un-returned serve made it 15-All where an excellent extended rally led to 30-15 and then another un-returned serve set up Double Game Point where a truly un-returnable serve secured the hold) to go up 3-0. Martinelli held (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, then it was 30-All where Spin scored an Ace up the T to set up Game Point and then came the hold) to make sure to also get on the scoreboard in this set, but The Sultan held yet again and it was another Love hold that got started with an awesome winner and had an un-returned serve set up Triple Game Point. The Doc surprised with a second straight hold (two un-returned serves for 30-Love and then Spin made yet another amazing get/drop shot winner combo to set up Triple Game Point where Raj answered with a drop shot winner for Double Game Point which was where Spin hit a hybrid shot which was somewhat of a passing shot winner, but also kind of a lob) to pull to 2-4! Raj held once more, as he was never broken, and it was his third Love hold as he started with an un-returned serve and an Ace up the T set up Triple Game Point on his way to a 5-2 lead! Spin was then broken (he hit a roller over the net to go up 15-Love and then he hit a sideline Ace for a 30-Love lead, but then it was 30-15 where Raj hit a winner to make it 30-All and then came Break/Match Point and an anti-climactic error from The Doc to end the point, the game, the set and the match) to take a tough loss at 7:17!
The Skinny: Shah had a very impressive victory which becomes even more noteworthy by the fact that he was so dominant on serve (again, never was broken). That was the biggest difference in the match. But much credit has to be given to the 61 year old Martinelli who was running all over the court with the enthusiasm of someone one third his age. He was also swinging at the ball quite aggressively, yet smartly. It was the most structured offense that we have seen from The Doc in quite some time. So we offer congratulations to Raj, but also hearty kudos to the man known as Spin.
Grove Cup Round of 16 Match:
Nathan Fernandes over Dean Delgado, 6-0, 6-0, to become the New # 7 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division while advancing to The Quarterfinals of The Grove Cup Tournament! No Aces.
The Skinny: Dean said that no matter what shots he hit, he could not get them past Nate. They then decided to play a One-Setter…which went no differently!
Nathan Fernandes over Dean Delgado, 6-0! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: To post an 18-0 score in three consecutive sets over Delgado (always a formidable player) is quite the feat! Nate has made a statement with this victory…when talking about potential winners of this year's Grove Cup tournament, his name belongs in that conversation.
Michel Encarnacion/Kevin Doyle over Jordan Bachvaroff/Joe Rodrigues, 6-3! No Aces. They got this one underway on Court Three at 6:45. Not sure when it ended as it went right into this next one.
Jordan Bachvaroff/Joe Rodrigues over Michel Encarnacion/Kevin Doyle, 7-6 (7-5)! Michel: 2 Aces; Jordan: 1 Ace; and Joe: 1 Ace. This one got done at 8:20.
Kris Srinivasan/Frank Samara over Raj Shah/Matt Meillon, 6-4! Frank: 1 Ace on Matt. It was the official GTA Return of Matt Meillon. It went like this: Matt held at Love with two un-returned serves on the way to Triple Game Point and then a third to earn the hold, Frank held (started with a corner Ace on Matt, then 30-Love shifted to Break Point as Matt hit a winner along the way, Deuce where Kris hit a winning volley for Game Point and then came the hold), Raj held (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point with two un-returned serves along the way and then another un-returned serve secured the hold) and Kris held (15-Love where Frank blew a volley for 15-All, but then it went right to Double Game Point and the hold) as we all were on serve at 2-2. Meillon was the first to be broken (Frank scored with a very nice get/passing shot winner combo for Love-30, then it shifted to 30-All, but then came Break Point where Raj blew a volley for the break), but Samara held again (Love-15 shifted straight to Double Game Point where Matt hit a winning return for Game Point, but then Frank hit a winner for the hold) to go up 4-2. Shah held again as well (Raj hit a winner for 15-Love and then Frank hit a guided missile-like winner that somewhat wrapped its way around Matt to make it 15-All, but then it went right to Double Game Point, Game Point, Deuce where an un-returned serve set up Game Point only to have a truly un-returnable serve secure the hold) and Srinivasan was broken (Love-15 where Raj blew a drop shot to make it 15-All, but then Raj scored with back-to-back drop shot winners on the way to Double Break Point and then came the break) to knot the score once more at 4-4! Magic Matt was broken again (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, Double Fault for Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break), but Hollywood held a third straight time (Love-30 shifted to Game/Match Point, Deuce, 2nd Game/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, 3rd Game/Match Point, 3rd Deuce, 4th Game/Match Point, 4th Deuce, 5th Game/Match Point and finally the hold!) to get the win as we played this one on Court Two from 7:28 to 8:11.
The Skinny: This was a very entertaining One-Setter. First, let me say it is really great to have Meillon back in the mix. Matt is a good guy and a solid player…always fun to have around. Despite much time away from the GTA, he was not all that rusty. Raj was his usual solid self as he still had yet to be broken on serve for the entire evening. Kris was a balance of dramatic highlights and some unfortunate misses. We were fortunate that somehow I was on the money the entire time (I had not even planned on playing) as I was also never broken and I was able to pull the tricks out of my bag that often confounded the man that we call "Magic!" The last two games were both so long and so pivotal, that I could not remember who hit what winners and where.
Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Dennis Cabanatan/Natalia Sout, 6-3! No Aces (apparently). They got this underway on Court Four at 8pm. Not sure when it ended as it went into two other One-Setters (with the teams switched) which we will get to later on in this report.
Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas over Kris Srinivasan/Senthil Kumar, 6-1! No Aces. This one took place on Court One from 8:13 to 8:38. The Lanky Lithuanians (aka M&M) wanted to challenge the winners (Srinivasan/Samara) of the previous battle on Court Two, but Frank pulled "a Costanza" as he went out on a high note and was done for the night. The timing was perfect as Senthil had arrived only a short time earlier and was eager to get into the action.
Raj Shah/Matt Meillon over Dino Celis/Dan Martinelli, 6-2! Raj: 2 Aces on Dino in the same game! The opening game had Raj on serve as he started with a sideline Ace on Dino on the way to Triple Game Point and then on Double Game Point he hit an Ace up the T against Dino to get the hold.
From there forward, I was too distracted grabbing scores from the other courts as the GTA had all four courts under its control at this time. It should also be noted that Raj and Matt had started a Singles One-Setter against one another…but when Dino and Spin walked over four minutes into it…they graciously scrapped it to play Doubles instead.
Nathan Fernandes/Doinks Srinivasan over Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Sindler, 6-0! No Aces. They played this one on Court Three from 8:30 to 8:58. Coupling Singles action with Doubles action, Nate was now on a 24-0 roll…highly impressive!
Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas over Kris Srinivasan/Senthil Kumar, 6-4! No Aces. This one took place on Court One from 8:39 to 9:15.
Dennis Cabanatan/Laura Gawley over Rob Gawley/Natalia Sout, 6-1! No Aces (apparently). This was played on Court Four (do not know the start and stop times).
Raj Shah/Matt Meillon over Dino Celis/Dan Martinelli, 6-4! Dino: 1 Ace on Raj. It was 2-2 and 3-3 before Raj and Matt jumped out to a 5-3 lead. Raj was on serve and it went to Game/Match Point, Deuce where Dino hit a winning Backhand Volley for Break Point, but then Matt hit a winner for the 2nd Deuce, then Break point again where Spin hit a hellacious passing shot winner to pull to 4-5! Dino was then on serve as he got off to a Love-30 start, then 15-30, Double Break/Match Point, Break/Match Point, Deuce where Dino hit a passing shot winner for Game Point, then 2nd Deuce and Break/Match Point which is where this one ended on the 4th M.P. overall! They played this on Court Two from 8:40 to 9:29.
Dennis Cabanatan/Laura Gawley over Rob Gawley/Natalia Sout, 6-3! No Aces (apparently). Not sure when this one began on Court Four, but it was finished at 9:25.
Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Sindler over Dave Zhu/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! No Aces. Court Three hosted this one from 9:03 to 9:43.
Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas over Kris Srinivasan/Senthil Kumar, 6-3! Marijus: 1 Ace on Senthil; and Mike: 1 Ace on Senthil! This was the third and last of their series which took place on Court One from 9:17 to 9:52.
Nathan Fernandes/Dennis Cabanatan over Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley, 6-4! No Aces (apparently). Court Four featured this foursome from 9:30 to 9:58.
Dave Zhu/Doinks Srinivasan leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Sindler, 3-2 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)! No Aces (apparently).
All in all, it was an action-packed session of GTA Tennis which was further electrified by the atmosphere of so many other people coming and going to the festivities in the park.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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