8/26/16:
"Samara hosts 16 at C.G.!:
"Hollywood" Frank Samara announced he most likely would be hosting GTA Friday Night Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts (with some assistance from the usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan). He had also said he should get there around 7pm.
As promised, Samara pulled into the parking lot at 7pm just as Kris and his son Sairaj were crossing the street and making their way toward the courts. Frank linked up with The Srinivasans to assess the court situation as all four were already occupied.
On Court One, they saw the usual sparring partners "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner and Miroslav "Mirav" Glavic having a hitting session.
On Court Two, "Big George" Jorge Solano and "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto were having a hitting session with one another as well, but both prefer Doubles and were happy to see others arrive.
On Court Three were two outsiders and these guys would be there until 7:55. After that, we had all four courts and we needed them.
And on Court Four, "Double R" Rob Ryan and "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff had just begun a Singles One-Setter against one another.
Samara suggested that The Srinivasans should head toward Court Two to enable some Doubles action with Solano and De Benedetto. Meanwhile, Frank was quite content to hang out on the bench outside the fence of Court One as he had only had about four hours sleep the night before. At times, he almost fell asleep. Thankfully, everyone there knew him...or else they may mistake him for some homeless hobo bumming the bench for the night.
Actually, it never really got that bad as there were a steady stream of competitors making their arrivals. At 7:05, "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar took a seat next to Samara on the bench. Five minutes later, "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales did the same...but just briefly. He was restless and wanted to see what was going on over on the other courts.
At 7:25, the Ryan-Bachvaroff One-Setter ended and this offered both Jose and Senthil the opportunity to get some Doubles going with Rob and Jordan. Frank was thankful for some continued resting time.
When Jay "The Rising" Phoenix took a seat on the bench next to Samara at 7:30, he couldn't sit too long as the Doubles One-Setter on Court Two had just ended. Sairaj was heading home and this enabled Jay the chance to take his place.
We then entered into a logjam situation (which proved to only last for 15 minutes) as four players all arrived at 7:40 - GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda.
Five minutes later, "The West Wing" Rick Pienciak also joined the group. And another ten minutes after that, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan did the same.
Sachiko was dismayed to see all the courts full and no other ladies in attendance, so she left at 7:55. That was unfortunate as those two outsiders on Court Three left right after she did.
Chris, Nate, Marijus and Rick made a beeline for Court Three. And then at 8pm, Herb and Mirav also made their exits. This forced Samara to finally step onto Court One for a hitting session with Cabanatan. Both were hoping to play some Doubles, but especially the still sleepy Samara.
When the second Doubles One-Setter finished on Court Two at 8:15, Jay and then Vin left soon after. This led to Kris and Jorge coming over to Court One for Doubles with Frank and Dennis as Srinivasan would team with Samara while Solano did the same with Cabanatan. They officially got that action underway at exactly 8:17.
Arriving at 8:20, "2 Tall" Dave Zhu was just a few minutes late to be involved in that One-Setter mentioned above. But he ended up waiting less than ten minutes before he could get onto Court Four to start hitting and it was just another five minutes or so before he became our sixteenth (and final) official competitor for the evening.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Rob Ryan over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2! Rob: 2 Aces. This one took place on Court Four from 6:55 to 7:25. Rob said that the unorthodox serving style of Jordan through him for a couple of games, but once he was able to figure it out...it was fairly smooth sailing after that...though he was impressed with Bachvaroff's game overall.
Kris Srinivasan/Vinnie De Benedetto over Sairaj Srinivasan/Jorge Solano, 6-2! No Aces. Court Two hosted this one from 7:07 to 7:29. Kris and Vin jumped out to a 5-0 lead. It was cut to 5-2 before they were able to close it out.
Rob Ryan/Senthil Kumar over Jose Gonzales/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-3! Jose: 1 Ace on Rob (a corner one)! This was contested on Court Four from 7:34 to 8:04.
Kris Srinivasan/Vinnie De Benedetto over Jay Phoenix/Jorge Solano, 6-2! No Aces. They played this one on Court Two from 7:38 to 8:15. Once again, the Kris/Vin tandem jumped out to a 5-0 lead before it was cut to 5-2 and then they finished it off.
Marijus Kuzavas/Nathan Fernandes over Chris Chiaro/Rick Pienciak, 6-3! Marijus: 2 Aces on Rick! This was contested on Court Three from 8:03 to 8:33.
Rob Ryan/Senthil Kumar over Jose Gonzales/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0! No Aces. This rematch also took place on Court Four and lasted from 8:07 to 8:25.
The Skinny: Rob was doing his usual thing...frustrating the opposition. But in many ways, Senthil was the standout here as he was so on the money with many of his shots. He was hitting a combination of fast-paced forehands and well-placed volleys. Whenever we have the conversation about possible Nominees for Most Improved Player of The Year this season, Kumar must remain in that debate.
Kris Srinivasan/Frank Samara over Jorge Solano/Dennis Cabanatan, 6-3! No Aces. It went like this: Frank held serve (Frank hit a winner for 15-Love, then it was 15-All when back-to-back un-returned serves made it Double Game Point and that was where Frank hit a drop shot winner for the hold), Jorge held (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point as Dennis hit a winning volley, then there was an un-returned serve which was then followed by another winning volley by Dennis all prior to the D.G.P.), Kris held (started with a near ace that ended up being a body blow on Jorge and then he followed with another un-returned serve in the next point and then Frank hit a winning lob to set up Triple Game Point, but that was where the best rally of the match up to that moment occurred and ended with a winning volley by Jorge for Double Game Point and then Frank blew a volley to make it Game Point and then Jorge hit another winning volley to make it Deuce, but then came Game Point and the hold) and Dennis held (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 after an un-returned serve and then it shifted to Break Point after Jorge blew a volley, but then Jorge hit another winning volley to make it Deuce where another un-returned serve set up Game Point only to have another un-returned serve earn the hold) as we were all on serve at 2-2. Samara was then unceremoniously broken at Love, but then Solano was also broken (Jorge blew an overhead for Love-30, but then he made a great get that led to winning the point for 15-30, then it went to Double Break Point where an un-returned serve cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) for 3-3. And from there, Srinivasan held again (15-Love, then 15-All and then Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash on the way to Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold), Cabanatan was broken (Frank hit one of his most wicked and well-placed Windmill Overhead Smashes ever to make it Love-15, but then an un-returned serve made it 15-All only to have back-to-back Double Faults set up Double Break Point where Kris hit a winning volley for the break) and then Hollywood held (not to be outdone, Kris hit what should be described as a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Sky Hook Overhead Smash for 15-Love, then it was 15-All, 15-30 where an un-returned serve set up 30-All only to have it go to Break Point, but then it went to Deuce and Game/Match Point where Kris hit a scintillating Backhand Volley to lock down his partner's hold) to earn a hard-fought victory! We played this on Court One from exactly 8:17 to 8:49.
The Skinny: Sometimes it pays to be a zombie resting on the bench as Samara rose from the ashes (even though he is not Jay "The Rising" Phoenix) and actually turned in an above average performance while he was ably supported by a fired up Srinivasan. Cabanatan is yet another crafty lefty who brings the pace and the topspin on both his serves and his ground-strokes. Meanwhile, Solano was quite effective whenever he was able to get his footing near the net.
Rob Ryan/Jordan Bachvaroff over Senthil Kumar/Dave Zhu, 6-4! Jordan: 1 Ace on Dave (Jordan admitted it was only an Ace because Dave missed it, but he was happy to take it nonetheless). This was contested on Court Four from 8:34 to 9:18.
Marijus Kuzavas/Nathan Fernandes over Chris Chiaro/Rick Pienciak, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. The rematch, which was also conducted on Court Three and lasted from 8:35 to 9:20, was much closer than their first go-round. After this, both Chris and Rick left. This led to a lengthy hitting session between Marijus and Nate. Along the way, Fernandes described it as the best hitting session in which he had ever been involved as the two of them were slugging away at one another. I think Nate suggested a Singles One-Setter somewhere during it early on, but Kuzavas was already getting exhausted.
Jorge Solano/Dennis Cabanatan over Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales, 7-5! No Aces. Here's some loose notes that get more comprehensive as the contest became more compelling: It was 2-2 and then Kris and Jose jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Dennis was then on serve and it became an amazing battle of a game as it got to Break/Match Point, then it went to Deuce where Jorge hit a winning volley for Game Point, but then Jose hit a passing shot winner for 2nd Deuce which was where Jose hit a winning volley that found Jorge as its target and this set up the 2nd Break/Match Point, but then an un-returned serve made it 3rd Deuce and then Jose blew a volley to make it Game Point only to have Dennis also blow a volley to bring it to 4th Deuce and then it was the 3rd Break/Match Point where an un-returned serve made it 5th Deuce and then Jorge hit a winning Overhead Smash to set up Game Point where another un-returned finally secured the hold to make it 3-5! Jose was then broken (Love-30 where Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-30, it was then Double Break Point where Jorge hit a winning lob to get the break) and Jorge held (30-Love, then 30-15, 30-All, Game Point and a winning lob from Dennis for the hold) to level the set at 5-5! Kris was broken (Love-15 where Jose hit a winning volley for 15-All, but then Dennis hit a winning volley for 15-30 and then it went to 30-All where Kris blew a volley for Break Point and then Jorge hit a winning Overhead Smash for the break) and then Cabanatan held again (Kris hit a wicked winner for Love-15, then it went to 15-All where Jorge hit a winning volley for 30-15, but then Jose hit a winning lob for 30-All and then Jose hit another winner to set up Break Point where an un-returned serve made it Deuce only to have Jose hit an even more impressive winning volley for Break Point, but then a truly un-returnable serve brought it to 2nd Deuce where Jorge hit one heck of a volley for Game/Match Point, but then there was a Double Fault for 3rd Deuce where Jorge hit another winning volley to set up the 2nd Game/Match Point...which was the 5th M.P. overall...and that was where yet another truly un-returnable serve was able to lock down the hold) to cap an incredible comeback! This one was contested on Court One from 8:53 to 9:36.
The Skinny: While it will likely get trumped by others with more impressive Tiebreak scores, this comeback One-Setter may still have an outside chance at being a Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.
Senthil Kumar/Dave Zhu over Rob Ryan/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-3! Senthil: 1 Ace on Jordan (a slice serve that Senthil tried and has tried often, but admits he rarely finds success with)! Rob and Jordan jumped out to a 3-1 lead only to drop four straight games to put the opposition up 5-3! Bachvaroff was then on serve (Double Fault to set up Double Break/Match Point, then an un-returned serve for Break/Match Point, but then came the break) to take the loss. They just got this one in on Court Four as it started at 9:20 and got finished at 9:56.
Marijus Kuzavas/Nathan Fernandes leading Kris Srinivasan/Dennis Cabanatan, 4-3 (Incomplete when they agreed to stop it at 9:58 after the seventh game had been completed)! No Aces. Kris stormed Court Three after action had finished on Court One to try to get one more Doubles One-Setter done for the night. It officially got underway at 9:41 and there were no changeovers every two games, but still that did not help. Marijus and Nate jumped out to a 3-0 lead. They were up 4-2 and then 4-3 after the last completed game was done.
As we were all walking off the courts, the lights went out at 10pm just as "Coach" Dino Celis drove into the parking lot to make a late cameo appearance.
It was yet another exciting session of GTA Tennis at Cedar Grove.
All the best,
Frank Samara
"Samara hosts 16 at C.G.!:
"Hollywood" Frank Samara announced he most likely would be hosting GTA Friday Night Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts (with some assistance from the usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan). He had also said he should get there around 7pm.
As promised, Samara pulled into the parking lot at 7pm just as Kris and his son Sairaj were crossing the street and making their way toward the courts. Frank linked up with The Srinivasans to assess the court situation as all four were already occupied.
On Court One, they saw the usual sparring partners "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner and Miroslav "Mirav" Glavic having a hitting session.
On Court Two, "Big George" Jorge Solano and "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto were having a hitting session with one another as well, but both prefer Doubles and were happy to see others arrive.
On Court Three were two outsiders and these guys would be there until 7:55. After that, we had all four courts and we needed them.
And on Court Four, "Double R" Rob Ryan and "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff had just begun a Singles One-Setter against one another.
Samara suggested that The Srinivasans should head toward Court Two to enable some Doubles action with Solano and De Benedetto. Meanwhile, Frank was quite content to hang out on the bench outside the fence of Court One as he had only had about four hours sleep the night before. At times, he almost fell asleep. Thankfully, everyone there knew him...or else they may mistake him for some homeless hobo bumming the bench for the night.
Actually, it never really got that bad as there were a steady stream of competitors making their arrivals. At 7:05, "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar took a seat next to Samara on the bench. Five minutes later, "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales did the same...but just briefly. He was restless and wanted to see what was going on over on the other courts.
At 7:25, the Ryan-Bachvaroff One-Setter ended and this offered both Jose and Senthil the opportunity to get some Doubles going with Rob and Jordan. Frank was thankful for some continued resting time.
When Jay "The Rising" Phoenix took a seat on the bench next to Samara at 7:30, he couldn't sit too long as the Doubles One-Setter on Court Two had just ended. Sairaj was heading home and this enabled Jay the chance to take his place.
We then entered into a logjam situation (which proved to only last for 15 minutes) as four players all arrived at 7:40 - GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda.
Five minutes later, "The West Wing" Rick Pienciak also joined the group. And another ten minutes after that, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan did the same.
Sachiko was dismayed to see all the courts full and no other ladies in attendance, so she left at 7:55. That was unfortunate as those two outsiders on Court Three left right after she did.
Chris, Nate, Marijus and Rick made a beeline for Court Three. And then at 8pm, Herb and Mirav also made their exits. This forced Samara to finally step onto Court One for a hitting session with Cabanatan. Both were hoping to play some Doubles, but especially the still sleepy Samara.
When the second Doubles One-Setter finished on Court Two at 8:15, Jay and then Vin left soon after. This led to Kris and Jorge coming over to Court One for Doubles with Frank and Dennis as Srinivasan would team with Samara while Solano did the same with Cabanatan. They officially got that action underway at exactly 8:17.
Arriving at 8:20, "2 Tall" Dave Zhu was just a few minutes late to be involved in that One-Setter mentioned above. But he ended up waiting less than ten minutes before he could get onto Court Four to start hitting and it was just another five minutes or so before he became our sixteenth (and final) official competitor for the evening.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Rob Ryan over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2! Rob: 2 Aces. This one took place on Court Four from 6:55 to 7:25. Rob said that the unorthodox serving style of Jordan through him for a couple of games, but once he was able to figure it out...it was fairly smooth sailing after that...though he was impressed with Bachvaroff's game overall.
Kris Srinivasan/Vinnie De Benedetto over Sairaj Srinivasan/Jorge Solano, 6-2! No Aces. Court Two hosted this one from 7:07 to 7:29. Kris and Vin jumped out to a 5-0 lead. It was cut to 5-2 before they were able to close it out.
Rob Ryan/Senthil Kumar over Jose Gonzales/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-3! Jose: 1 Ace on Rob (a corner one)! This was contested on Court Four from 7:34 to 8:04.
Kris Srinivasan/Vinnie De Benedetto over Jay Phoenix/Jorge Solano, 6-2! No Aces. They played this one on Court Two from 7:38 to 8:15. Once again, the Kris/Vin tandem jumped out to a 5-0 lead before it was cut to 5-2 and then they finished it off.
Marijus Kuzavas/Nathan Fernandes over Chris Chiaro/Rick Pienciak, 6-3! Marijus: 2 Aces on Rick! This was contested on Court Three from 8:03 to 8:33.
Rob Ryan/Senthil Kumar over Jose Gonzales/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0! No Aces. This rematch also took place on Court Four and lasted from 8:07 to 8:25.
The Skinny: Rob was doing his usual thing...frustrating the opposition. But in many ways, Senthil was the standout here as he was so on the money with many of his shots. He was hitting a combination of fast-paced forehands and well-placed volleys. Whenever we have the conversation about possible Nominees for Most Improved Player of The Year this season, Kumar must remain in that debate.
Kris Srinivasan/Frank Samara over Jorge Solano/Dennis Cabanatan, 6-3! No Aces. It went like this: Frank held serve (Frank hit a winner for 15-Love, then it was 15-All when back-to-back un-returned serves made it Double Game Point and that was where Frank hit a drop shot winner for the hold), Jorge held (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point as Dennis hit a winning volley, then there was an un-returned serve which was then followed by another winning volley by Dennis all prior to the D.G.P.), Kris held (started with a near ace that ended up being a body blow on Jorge and then he followed with another un-returned serve in the next point and then Frank hit a winning lob to set up Triple Game Point, but that was where the best rally of the match up to that moment occurred and ended with a winning volley by Jorge for Double Game Point and then Frank blew a volley to make it Game Point and then Jorge hit another winning volley to make it Deuce, but then came Game Point and the hold) and Dennis held (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 after an un-returned serve and then it shifted to Break Point after Jorge blew a volley, but then Jorge hit another winning volley to make it Deuce where another un-returned serve set up Game Point only to have another un-returned serve earn the hold) as we were all on serve at 2-2. Samara was then unceremoniously broken at Love, but then Solano was also broken (Jorge blew an overhead for Love-30, but then he made a great get that led to winning the point for 15-30, then it went to Double Break Point where an un-returned serve cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) for 3-3. And from there, Srinivasan held again (15-Love, then 15-All and then Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash on the way to Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold), Cabanatan was broken (Frank hit one of his most wicked and well-placed Windmill Overhead Smashes ever to make it Love-15, but then an un-returned serve made it 15-All only to have back-to-back Double Faults set up Double Break Point where Kris hit a winning volley for the break) and then Hollywood held (not to be outdone, Kris hit what should be described as a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Sky Hook Overhead Smash for 15-Love, then it was 15-All, 15-30 where an un-returned serve set up 30-All only to have it go to Break Point, but then it went to Deuce and Game/Match Point where Kris hit a scintillating Backhand Volley to lock down his partner's hold) to earn a hard-fought victory! We played this on Court One from exactly 8:17 to 8:49.
The Skinny: Sometimes it pays to be a zombie resting on the bench as Samara rose from the ashes (even though he is not Jay "The Rising" Phoenix) and actually turned in an above average performance while he was ably supported by a fired up Srinivasan. Cabanatan is yet another crafty lefty who brings the pace and the topspin on both his serves and his ground-strokes. Meanwhile, Solano was quite effective whenever he was able to get his footing near the net.
Rob Ryan/Jordan Bachvaroff over Senthil Kumar/Dave Zhu, 6-4! Jordan: 1 Ace on Dave (Jordan admitted it was only an Ace because Dave missed it, but he was happy to take it nonetheless). This was contested on Court Four from 8:34 to 9:18.
Marijus Kuzavas/Nathan Fernandes over Chris Chiaro/Rick Pienciak, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. The rematch, which was also conducted on Court Three and lasted from 8:35 to 9:20, was much closer than their first go-round. After this, both Chris and Rick left. This led to a lengthy hitting session between Marijus and Nate. Along the way, Fernandes described it as the best hitting session in which he had ever been involved as the two of them were slugging away at one another. I think Nate suggested a Singles One-Setter somewhere during it early on, but Kuzavas was already getting exhausted.
Jorge Solano/Dennis Cabanatan over Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales, 7-5! No Aces. Here's some loose notes that get more comprehensive as the contest became more compelling: It was 2-2 and then Kris and Jose jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Dennis was then on serve and it became an amazing battle of a game as it got to Break/Match Point, then it went to Deuce where Jorge hit a winning volley for Game Point, but then Jose hit a passing shot winner for 2nd Deuce which was where Jose hit a winning volley that found Jorge as its target and this set up the 2nd Break/Match Point, but then an un-returned serve made it 3rd Deuce and then Jose blew a volley to make it Game Point only to have Dennis also blow a volley to bring it to 4th Deuce and then it was the 3rd Break/Match Point where an un-returned serve made it 5th Deuce and then Jorge hit a winning Overhead Smash to set up Game Point where another un-returned finally secured the hold to make it 3-5! Jose was then broken (Love-30 where Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-30, it was then Double Break Point where Jorge hit a winning lob to get the break) and Jorge held (30-Love, then 30-15, 30-All, Game Point and a winning lob from Dennis for the hold) to level the set at 5-5! Kris was broken (Love-15 where Jose hit a winning volley for 15-All, but then Dennis hit a winning volley for 15-30 and then it went to 30-All where Kris blew a volley for Break Point and then Jorge hit a winning Overhead Smash for the break) and then Cabanatan held again (Kris hit a wicked winner for Love-15, then it went to 15-All where Jorge hit a winning volley for 30-15, but then Jose hit a winning lob for 30-All and then Jose hit another winner to set up Break Point where an un-returned serve made it Deuce only to have Jose hit an even more impressive winning volley for Break Point, but then a truly un-returnable serve brought it to 2nd Deuce where Jorge hit one heck of a volley for Game/Match Point, but then there was a Double Fault for 3rd Deuce where Jorge hit another winning volley to set up the 2nd Game/Match Point...which was the 5th M.P. overall...and that was where yet another truly un-returnable serve was able to lock down the hold) to cap an incredible comeback! This one was contested on Court One from 8:53 to 9:36.
The Skinny: While it will likely get trumped by others with more impressive Tiebreak scores, this comeback One-Setter may still have an outside chance at being a Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.
Senthil Kumar/Dave Zhu over Rob Ryan/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-3! Senthil: 1 Ace on Jordan (a slice serve that Senthil tried and has tried often, but admits he rarely finds success with)! Rob and Jordan jumped out to a 3-1 lead only to drop four straight games to put the opposition up 5-3! Bachvaroff was then on serve (Double Fault to set up Double Break/Match Point, then an un-returned serve for Break/Match Point, but then came the break) to take the loss. They just got this one in on Court Four as it started at 9:20 and got finished at 9:56.
Marijus Kuzavas/Nathan Fernandes leading Kris Srinivasan/Dennis Cabanatan, 4-3 (Incomplete when they agreed to stop it at 9:58 after the seventh game had been completed)! No Aces. Kris stormed Court Three after action had finished on Court One to try to get one more Doubles One-Setter done for the night. It officially got underway at 9:41 and there were no changeovers every two games, but still that did not help. Marijus and Nate jumped out to a 3-0 lead. They were up 4-2 and then 4-3 after the last completed game was done.
As we were all walking off the courts, the lights went out at 10pm just as "Coach" Dino Celis drove into the parking lot to make a late cameo appearance.
It was yet another exciting session of GTA Tennis at Cedar Grove.
All the best,
Frank Samara
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