8/3/16:
"2 MXD2 Qtrs. part of 21 at C.G., Chazz-Ralph in Verona!":
"Hollywood" Frank Samara announced he would be hosting GTA Wednesday Night Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts (his second straight night at that location) earlier in the day. Like the previous day/night, the weather was quite beautiful and ideal for tennis.
And it turns out that it was not the only session of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis as "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon and "Big Returns" Ralph Bernard got together for their Grove Cup Men's Singles Tournament Round of 16 Match at The Verona Park Courts. Since that match ended up happening quite late in the evening, we will have that result close out this report.
Now let's recap how things unfolded up at Cedar Grove.
Samara pulled into the parking lot at C.G. at 5:20. He was happy to see all four courts vacant, but he also knew that The Verona Crew would likely be taking two of them as early as 6pm. So Frank made sure to get right out onto Court One to hold it for his MXD2 Mixed Doubles Quarterfinal Match scheduled to begin at 6pm.
"Instant" Moka Pathan was the next to arrive at 5:30. He spent some time talking to Frank, but Samara then suggested that Moka get changed into his tennis gear as soon as possible as court space may soon be at a premium. Frank also advised that The Verona Crew would likely take Courts Three and Four, as they usually do. Pathan said he prefers those other two courts (Three and Four) over the ones that would likely be available (One and Two).
Well, when you snooze...you lose! At 5:45, while Moka was on a phone call, a woman took Court Two. This gave Pathan no choice but to take Court Three.
At 5:55, "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan soon joined her Mixed Doubles partner, Pathan, on Court Three. They started a hitting session as they prepared for their MXD2 Quarterfinal. At this time, a second lady made her way onto Court Two.
While Samara was waiting for his partner, "The Olympian" Marie Salamon, and their opponents, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay, on Court One, Pathan/Capan were waiting for their adversaries, "T-Rez" Tommy Reszkowski and "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker, on Court Three.
By 6pm, the twosome of ladies on Court Two became a foursome. Ten minutes later, Marijus and Sally arrived together and soon got onto Court One and started hitting against Frank (who, by this time, already knew his partner, Marie, was running late and he informed Kuzavas/Pillay of such),
Marie made it to the courts by 6:20...just as GTA alum Tula Savickas and another woman were heading out onto Court Four. Marie and Tula are long-time tennis friends. Savickas is part of The Verona Crew (who would soon show up in full force), but was happy to learn that the GTA is now holding sessions at The Cedar Grove Courts as well. She and her husband Horst may come back to play with us soon.
But as more of The Verona Crew arrived, one of their leaders made it clear to Moka and Gen that they would have to leave as they had the rights to the courts from 6pm to 10pm.
So Pathan and Capan had to head down the road to the two older courts down the street. Reszkowski and Toker were made aware of the change of plans via text while they were still on their way.
"J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues and "Big George" Jorge Solano (who both briefly arrived at the main courts at 6:35) also had to do the same thing and take their show down the road.
6:35 was when the first of the two MXD2 Quarterfinals (Kuzavas/Pillay vs. Samara/Salamon) got underway. Five minutes later, "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli arrived for what was initially intended to be just an extended cameo appearance. He took the bench alongside Court One to watch the action that had gotten underway just minutes earlier.
At 6:55, Martinelli was joined on the bench by both Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan and "The Hitman" Tom La. Ten minutes later, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro arrived and his timing was perfect as the four ladies were just stepping off of Court Two.
That foursome, including Spin, headed out onto Court Two as Martinelli was willing to play if he could team up with the speedy Chiaro. They are a frequent tandem anyway as is Cabanatan and La. After some hitting, they got a Doubles One-Setter underway at 7:15.
Backing up just a bit, the 1st Set of Kuzavas/Pillay-Samara/Salamon ended at 7:10 just as "Rowdy" Rob Gawley and Laura "The Aura" Gawley arrived and took the bench most recently occupied by Spin and Company to watch the match.
Just as both the MXD2 Quarterfinal and the first Doubles One-Setter all came to an end around 7:40, "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia arrived. And five minutes later, "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan came across the street to survey the scene.
At 7:50, "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo arrived to take part in his Verona Crew action (he would take the courts around 8pm). When he informed Kris that this Verona Crew situation may last all the way into October, Mr. Srinivasan had a look of both shock and disgust. He also thinks maybe we should give Mr. Lorenzo a new moniker: "The Double Agent." Or maybe we reverse "Mr. 500" to "005"...much like "007"...LOL!
Five minutes later, "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan also made her way across the street and "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah came dressed in street clothes to solely make an extended cameo.
And the players just kept on coming as it was "Coach" Dino Celis at 8pm to be followed five minutes later by "Eddie O" Edwin Ortega.
Despite only having two of the four courts, we were actually doing a good job of getting everyone some court time.
And then another curveball was thrown our way as Pathan/Capan and Reszkowski/Toker came back at 8:35 from the courts down the road with a 3rd Set still to be played as the first two sets of their match were split. Those courts do not have lights like the main four do.
Around that same time, Rodrigues and Solano also returned from those courts as Joe reported the score of a Singles One-Setter they had with one another.
The fact that the 3rd Set of that second MXD2 Quarterfinal still had to be played was a blessing in disguise as we were able to give them Court One and they got it underway at 8:25.
With about a dozen or so GTA faithful on or near the bench outside of Court One, the match got the Main Event treatment from the vocal crowd. It also now had the benefit of Samara keeping score and noting every point (this proved to be helpful on more than one occasion as the competitors were so swept up in the action that memories were starting to get fuzzy).
Half an hour later, the battle was over. But Courts One and Two kept buzzing with GTA action for the balance of the night as we ended up with a total of 21 official competitors. And Levy came back over to our side around 9:30 to watch what we were doing...and we would take it right to the limit (time-wise).
The Cedar Grove Results:
MXD2 Quarterfinal:
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Frank Samara/Marie Salamon, 6-3, 6-1, to successfully defend their # 2 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division while also advancing to The Semifinals of The MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament! In the process, Samara/Salamon entered the division as the New # 24 Ranked Team! Marijus: 1 Ace on Frank in the 2nd Set.
1st Set: Marijus held serve (Marijus hit a winner for 15-Love, then it was 15-All only to have Marijus hit back-to-back winners on the way to Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold), Frank was broken (Love-15, an un-returned serve for 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Break Point as Marijus hit a winner along the way and then Sally hit the winner for the break) and Sally held (Marijus hit a monster Overhead Smash for 15-Love, then it was 15-All where back-to-back un-returned serves set up Double Game Point and then came the hold) as her team jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Marie held to get her team on the scoreboard (Marijus hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15, but then an un-returned serve and a winning lob from Marie blazed a path to Double Game Point, it was then Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), but Kuzavas held again (an un-returned serve and a winner from Marijus led the way to Triple Game Point where Frank hit a winning return for Double Game Point only to have Marijus answer with a winner of his own for the hold) to go up 4-1. Samara held (15-Love then point for point to Game Point as two un-returned serves along the way sandwiched a winning volley from Sally and then an un-returned serve secured the hold) and then Pillay was broken (Marijus blew an overhead for Love-15, it shifted to 30-15 with an un-returned serve along the way, then it was 30-All and a Double Fault for Break Point and then came the break) to have her team's lead cut to 4-3. Then came the pivotal game of the set (and perhaps the match) with Salamon on serve. This one lasted so long, that I could no longer commit to memory who hit what winners and where. It started off at 15-Love, then 15-All and then it went right to Double Game Point, cut down to Deuce and then all Game Points all the way to 4th Deuce, the first Break Point, 5th Deuce, another Game Point, 6th Deuce, Break Point and the break to fall to 3-5...so painful as there were so many opportunities to level the set at 4-4! Super Mario showed why he is super with his third straight hold and this one was at Love as he had two un-returned serves and then a net-cord winner to set up Triple Game/Set Point and then the hold came next as this set ended exactly at 7:10 (it had gotten started at 6:35). There was a three minute break between sets where Samara and Salamon decided to switch their return of service sides as Frank would now take the less familiar (for him) Deuce court side. That may have been a mistake.
2nd Set: Frank was broken (15-Love, 15-All and an un-returned serve for 30-15, Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break), Marijus held (Double Fault for Love-30, but then it was two un-returned serves on the way to Game Point, another Double Fault for Deuce, Game Point again where Marijus hit a winner to lock down the hold) and Marie was broken (30-Love shifted to Break Point as Marijus hit a winner along the way and then he hit a roller over the net to get the break) as her team once again got off to a 0-3 start. Sally was then broken (Double Fault for Love-15 where Marijus blew a volley for Love-30, but then an un-returned serve made it 15-30 and then there was another Double Fault to set up Double Break point and then came an exciting rally where Frank made several gets that took him all over the court and it led to his team getting the break) to allow the opposition onto the board in this set. It seemed like the momentum shift was once again about to take place, but then Samara was broken again (Sally hit an amazing return winner for Love-15, it was then Love-30 where an un-returned serve made it 15-30 and then Marijus hit a passing shot winner to set up Double Break Point and then came the break), Kuzavas held yet again (Frank made a great get/passing shot winner combo for Love-15 and it was then Love-30 where Marijus scored a corner Ace on Frank which was followed by another killer Overhead Smash and then that was followed by another winner from Marijus on the way to Game Point where he got the hold with yet another winning Overhead Smash) and then Salamon was broken at Love when Marijus hit...what else...a winning Overhead Smash on Triple Break/Match Point to earn an impressive victory! This one finished on Court One at exactly 7:37.
The Skinny: That eighth game in the 1st Set was pivotal. Had Marie held her serve, it would have been 4-4 and the momentum shift of Samara/Salamon would have continued. Perhaps it would have taken them as far as locking down the 1st Set in their favor. But full credit goes to Marijus and Sally as they regrouped just in time not to let that happen. No disrespect to Pillay (who definitely had her moments), but Kuzavas was the star of the show with his blistering forehands, towering Overhead Smashes and dominant services (he was never broken). This is a tough team to deal with in this tourney!
Joe Rodrigues over Jorge Solano, 6-4! No Aces. This one took place down the road...as did the first two thirds of the next match.
MXD2 Quarterfinal:
Moka Pathan/Genalin Capan over Tommy Reszkowski/Fernanda Toker, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, to successfully defend their # 1 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division while advancing to The Semifinals of The MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament! No Aces. The first two sets were played at the courts down the road, but the third was played on Court One from 8:25 to 8:54.
The 3rd Set: Moka held at Love, Tommy was broken at Love as Gen hit a winning volley to get things started, then Moka hit a winning Overhead Smash and then he also hit a passing shot winner to set up Triple Break Point where Tommy blew a volley for the break to get off to a 0-2 start. Genalin was broken (Moka hit a winning volley for 15-Love and then there was an un-returned serve for 30-Love, but then Tommy hit back-to-back winners to bring it to 30-All, then came Break Point where Tommy hit a winning Overhead Smash for the break), but Fernanda was also broken (Love-15, 15-All where Tommy blew a volley to make it 15-30, then came Double Break Point and the break) for a 1-3 score. Pathan held again (Moka hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-Love, then it was 15-All where an excellent rally led to 30-15 and then came Double Game Point and the hold) and Reskzowski was broken again (Moka hit a blistering passing shot winner for Love-15 and then Moka made a winning drop shot return for Love-30 where an un-returned serve made it 15-30, but then Gen hit a winning volley to set up Double Break Point where a winning Overhead Smash by Moka earned the break) to fall to 1-5! Capan was also broken again (Moka blew a volley for Love-15, then it went to Love-30, 15-30 where Tommy hit a winning volley to make it Double Break Point where Moka hit a winner to cut the lead to Break Point, but then Tommy hit a winner of his own for the break), but Toker held this time around (Moka hit a passing shot winner for Love-15, then it was 15-All where Moka hit a drop shot winner for 15-30, 30-All where Gen hit an amzaing passing shot winner to set up Break/Match Point, then it went to Deuce where Tommy blew a volley to set up the 2nd Break/Match Point, but then Moka blew an overhead to bring it to 2nd Deuce where an un-returned serve set up Game Point where Moka then blew another overhead to allow the hold) to pull to 3-5! But then it was Instant Moka holding a third straight time in this set as he hit an un-returned serve for 15-Love, then it was 30-Love where Gen hit a winner to set up Triple Game/Match Point, but then Moka blew a gift of an overhead to cut the lead to Double Game/Match Point where the rally of the set ended with a winner from Moka to seal the deal! This last set was played on Court One from 8:25 to 8:54.
The Skinny: This was a match of momentum shifts. In the 2nd Set, Tommy and Fernanda jumped out to a 4-2 lead only to have the opposition win four straight games to take the set. Then the change of location may have been all that was needed to end the run of Reszkowski and Toker. Pathan and Capan won the first ten points of the 3rd Set. Then, Reszkowski and Toker fought back with some winners of their own. Tommy, particularly, raised the level of his game and was quite impressive in many moments. He and his partner fought with all their heart as get-making was their specialty...but it ended up being too little, too late. Still, the lengthy and fast-paced rallies wowed the crowd. Congrats to Moka and Gen, but also hearty kudos go to Tommy and Fernanda as well.
Chris Chiaro/Dan Martinelli over Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La, 6-1! No Aces. This was played on Court Two from 7:15 to 7:39.
Chris Chiaro/Marijus Kuzavas over Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La, 6-2! Dennis: 1 Ace on Marijus; and Marijus: 1 Ace on Dennis! This one was also played on Court Two and it started at 7:43 and finished at 8:04.
Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Lou La Forgia/Marie Salamon, 6-3! Rob: 2 Aces on Marie. Court One hosted this one from 7:50 to 8:20.
Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Dino Celis/Edwin Ortega, 6-1! Kris: 1 Ace on Edwin. This one took place on Court Two from 8:10 to 8:34.
Kris Srinivasan/Lou La Forgia over Dino Celis/Edwin Ortega, 7-5! No Aces. Court Two also hosted this one which lasted from 8:37 to 9:15.
Chris Chiaro/Doinks Srinivasan over Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley, 6-1! No Aces. This one got done on Court One. It started at 9pm and ended at 9:25.
Kris Srinivasan/Lou La Forgia over Dino Celis/Edwin Ortega, 6-3! Edwin: 1 Ace on Kris. Another one that was played on Court Two and it lasted from 9:17 to 9:45. Afterward, Kris and Edwin had a hitting session with one another that almost lasted until lights out at 10pm.
Chris Chiaro/Doinks Srinivasan over Frank Samara/Rob Gawley, 6-3! No Aces. It went like this: Chris held serve (15-Love where Frank hit a winner for 15-All, but then it was right to Double Game Point as Doinks hit a passing shot winner along the way, but then it shifted to Deuce right after Frank hit a killer winner that hit Doinks on the hip, but then it was Game Point where Chris hit a scorching winner of his own for the hold), Frank held (it started with Chris hitting a laser-like winner down the Doubles Alley, but then it went straight to Double Game Point and the hold), Doinks held (15-Love, 15-All and then straight to Double Break Point, shifted to Deuce, Game Point and the hold...I pretty much stopped noting winners at this point in the interest of saving time) and Rob held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point where a truly un-returnable serve secured the hold) for 2-2. Chiaro held again (Triple Game Point where an excellent and extended rally ended with a winner from Frank for Double Game Point, then came Game Point and the hold), but so did Samara (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, 30-All, Game Point and the hold) for 3-3. Srinivasan also held again (Triple Game Point, the hold came on Double Game Point), but then Gawley was the first to be broken and it was at Love as Frank blew a gift of an overhead to get things started and then Chris had a drop shot winner and another winner along the way! King Crush held yet again (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game/Match Point after Chris hit a roller over the net followed by another winner) to earn the win! We played on Court One from 9:27 to 9:58.
The Skinny: Chris and Doinks both seemed eager to see this one through to completion (before the lights would go on) and they actually picked up both the pace and the level of their quality of their play in order to get this one done on time. It was an excellent way to end the session.
Now let's go to Verona for the report from Chazz and an additional comment from Ralph.
The Verona Park Results:
Grove Cup Round of 16 Match:
Chazz Weldon over Ralph Bernard, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), to successfully defend his # 3 Rank in the Advanced Division while also advancing to The Quarterfinals of The Grove Cup Tournament! Ralph: 2 Aces.
All That Jazz from Chazz: The match took place at Verona Park from 7:45pm - 9:32pm. The match was intense with long points at times. In the 1st Set, Ralph hit some nice winners and Chazz served out the 1st Set and won it with forehand winner. In the 2nd Set, Chazz was up 5-2, serving for the match but was broken to give Ralph 3-5. Ralph then held serve for 4-5. Chazz served again for the match and was broken, making the score 5-5. Ralph was getting into a groove and held serve for 6-5. Chazz finally held serve to make it 6-6. Ralph started the Tiebreak serving and went up 1-0, then 2-0. Chazz came back and got it to 2-2, then Ralph was up 3-2 and Chazz made it 3-3. Ralph went up 4-3, then Chazz made it 4-4. From this point forward, Chazz won the remaining points to win the tiebreak 7-4. Credit to Ralph as he is a very good player who I can see doing some damage in GTA. Hopefully, the GTA will get to see more of him. I cannot speak for Ralph, but at the end of this match, I was drenched in sweat and exhausted!
The Ralph Rebuttal: Well said! Chazz is a human wall! I'll get you next time, buddy.
Samara's Notes: I thank both Chazz and Ralph for sending in those scores and commentary in a very timely manner.
All the best,
Frank Samara
"2 MXD2 Qtrs. part of 21 at C.G., Chazz-Ralph in Verona!":
"Hollywood" Frank Samara announced he would be hosting GTA Wednesday Night Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts (his second straight night at that location) earlier in the day. Like the previous day/night, the weather was quite beautiful and ideal for tennis.
And it turns out that it was not the only session of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis as "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon and "Big Returns" Ralph Bernard got together for their Grove Cup Men's Singles Tournament Round of 16 Match at The Verona Park Courts. Since that match ended up happening quite late in the evening, we will have that result close out this report.
Now let's recap how things unfolded up at Cedar Grove.
Samara pulled into the parking lot at C.G. at 5:20. He was happy to see all four courts vacant, but he also knew that The Verona Crew would likely be taking two of them as early as 6pm. So Frank made sure to get right out onto Court One to hold it for his MXD2 Mixed Doubles Quarterfinal Match scheduled to begin at 6pm.
"Instant" Moka Pathan was the next to arrive at 5:30. He spent some time talking to Frank, but Samara then suggested that Moka get changed into his tennis gear as soon as possible as court space may soon be at a premium. Frank also advised that The Verona Crew would likely take Courts Three and Four, as they usually do. Pathan said he prefers those other two courts (Three and Four) over the ones that would likely be available (One and Two).
Well, when you snooze...you lose! At 5:45, while Moka was on a phone call, a woman took Court Two. This gave Pathan no choice but to take Court Three.
At 5:55, "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan soon joined her Mixed Doubles partner, Pathan, on Court Three. They started a hitting session as they prepared for their MXD2 Quarterfinal. At this time, a second lady made her way onto Court Two.
While Samara was waiting for his partner, "The Olympian" Marie Salamon, and their opponents, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay, on Court One, Pathan/Capan were waiting for their adversaries, "T-Rez" Tommy Reszkowski and "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker, on Court Three.
By 6pm, the twosome of ladies on Court Two became a foursome. Ten minutes later, Marijus and Sally arrived together and soon got onto Court One and started hitting against Frank (who, by this time, already knew his partner, Marie, was running late and he informed Kuzavas/Pillay of such),
Marie made it to the courts by 6:20...just as GTA alum Tula Savickas and another woman were heading out onto Court Four. Marie and Tula are long-time tennis friends. Savickas is part of The Verona Crew (who would soon show up in full force), but was happy to learn that the GTA is now holding sessions at The Cedar Grove Courts as well. She and her husband Horst may come back to play with us soon.
But as more of The Verona Crew arrived, one of their leaders made it clear to Moka and Gen that they would have to leave as they had the rights to the courts from 6pm to 10pm.
So Pathan and Capan had to head down the road to the two older courts down the street. Reszkowski and Toker were made aware of the change of plans via text while they were still on their way.
"J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues and "Big George" Jorge Solano (who both briefly arrived at the main courts at 6:35) also had to do the same thing and take their show down the road.
6:35 was when the first of the two MXD2 Quarterfinals (Kuzavas/Pillay vs. Samara/Salamon) got underway. Five minutes later, "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli arrived for what was initially intended to be just an extended cameo appearance. He took the bench alongside Court One to watch the action that had gotten underway just minutes earlier.
At 6:55, Martinelli was joined on the bench by both Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan and "The Hitman" Tom La. Ten minutes later, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro arrived and his timing was perfect as the four ladies were just stepping off of Court Two.
That foursome, including Spin, headed out onto Court Two as Martinelli was willing to play if he could team up with the speedy Chiaro. They are a frequent tandem anyway as is Cabanatan and La. After some hitting, they got a Doubles One-Setter underway at 7:15.
Backing up just a bit, the 1st Set of Kuzavas/Pillay-Samara/Salamon ended at 7:10 just as "Rowdy" Rob Gawley and Laura "The Aura" Gawley arrived and took the bench most recently occupied by Spin and Company to watch the match.
Just as both the MXD2 Quarterfinal and the first Doubles One-Setter all came to an end around 7:40, "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia arrived. And five minutes later, "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan came across the street to survey the scene.
At 7:50, "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo arrived to take part in his Verona Crew action (he would take the courts around 8pm). When he informed Kris that this Verona Crew situation may last all the way into October, Mr. Srinivasan had a look of both shock and disgust. He also thinks maybe we should give Mr. Lorenzo a new moniker: "The Double Agent." Or maybe we reverse "Mr. 500" to "005"...much like "007"...LOL!
Five minutes later, "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan also made her way across the street and "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah came dressed in street clothes to solely make an extended cameo.
And the players just kept on coming as it was "Coach" Dino Celis at 8pm to be followed five minutes later by "Eddie O" Edwin Ortega.
Despite only having two of the four courts, we were actually doing a good job of getting everyone some court time.
And then another curveball was thrown our way as Pathan/Capan and Reszkowski/Toker came back at 8:35 from the courts down the road with a 3rd Set still to be played as the first two sets of their match were split. Those courts do not have lights like the main four do.
Around that same time, Rodrigues and Solano also returned from those courts as Joe reported the score of a Singles One-Setter they had with one another.
The fact that the 3rd Set of that second MXD2 Quarterfinal still had to be played was a blessing in disguise as we were able to give them Court One and they got it underway at 8:25.
With about a dozen or so GTA faithful on or near the bench outside of Court One, the match got the Main Event treatment from the vocal crowd. It also now had the benefit of Samara keeping score and noting every point (this proved to be helpful on more than one occasion as the competitors were so swept up in the action that memories were starting to get fuzzy).
Half an hour later, the battle was over. But Courts One and Two kept buzzing with GTA action for the balance of the night as we ended up with a total of 21 official competitors. And Levy came back over to our side around 9:30 to watch what we were doing...and we would take it right to the limit (time-wise).
The Cedar Grove Results:
MXD2 Quarterfinal:
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Frank Samara/Marie Salamon, 6-3, 6-1, to successfully defend their # 2 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division while also advancing to The Semifinals of The MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament! In the process, Samara/Salamon entered the division as the New # 24 Ranked Team! Marijus: 1 Ace on Frank in the 2nd Set.
1st Set: Marijus held serve (Marijus hit a winner for 15-Love, then it was 15-All only to have Marijus hit back-to-back winners on the way to Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold), Frank was broken (Love-15, an un-returned serve for 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Break Point as Marijus hit a winner along the way and then Sally hit the winner for the break) and Sally held (Marijus hit a monster Overhead Smash for 15-Love, then it was 15-All where back-to-back un-returned serves set up Double Game Point and then came the hold) as her team jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Marie held to get her team on the scoreboard (Marijus hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15, but then an un-returned serve and a winning lob from Marie blazed a path to Double Game Point, it was then Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), but Kuzavas held again (an un-returned serve and a winner from Marijus led the way to Triple Game Point where Frank hit a winning return for Double Game Point only to have Marijus answer with a winner of his own for the hold) to go up 4-1. Samara held (15-Love then point for point to Game Point as two un-returned serves along the way sandwiched a winning volley from Sally and then an un-returned serve secured the hold) and then Pillay was broken (Marijus blew an overhead for Love-15, it shifted to 30-15 with an un-returned serve along the way, then it was 30-All and a Double Fault for Break Point and then came the break) to have her team's lead cut to 4-3. Then came the pivotal game of the set (and perhaps the match) with Salamon on serve. This one lasted so long, that I could no longer commit to memory who hit what winners and where. It started off at 15-Love, then 15-All and then it went right to Double Game Point, cut down to Deuce and then all Game Points all the way to 4th Deuce, the first Break Point, 5th Deuce, another Game Point, 6th Deuce, Break Point and the break to fall to 3-5...so painful as there were so many opportunities to level the set at 4-4! Super Mario showed why he is super with his third straight hold and this one was at Love as he had two un-returned serves and then a net-cord winner to set up Triple Game/Set Point and then the hold came next as this set ended exactly at 7:10 (it had gotten started at 6:35). There was a three minute break between sets where Samara and Salamon decided to switch their return of service sides as Frank would now take the less familiar (for him) Deuce court side. That may have been a mistake.
2nd Set: Frank was broken (15-Love, 15-All and an un-returned serve for 30-15, Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break), Marijus held (Double Fault for Love-30, but then it was two un-returned serves on the way to Game Point, another Double Fault for Deuce, Game Point again where Marijus hit a winner to lock down the hold) and Marie was broken (30-Love shifted to Break Point as Marijus hit a winner along the way and then he hit a roller over the net to get the break) as her team once again got off to a 0-3 start. Sally was then broken (Double Fault for Love-15 where Marijus blew a volley for Love-30, but then an un-returned serve made it 15-30 and then there was another Double Fault to set up Double Break point and then came an exciting rally where Frank made several gets that took him all over the court and it led to his team getting the break) to allow the opposition onto the board in this set. It seemed like the momentum shift was once again about to take place, but then Samara was broken again (Sally hit an amazing return winner for Love-15, it was then Love-30 where an un-returned serve made it 15-30 and then Marijus hit a passing shot winner to set up Double Break Point and then came the break), Kuzavas held yet again (Frank made a great get/passing shot winner combo for Love-15 and it was then Love-30 where Marijus scored a corner Ace on Frank which was followed by another killer Overhead Smash and then that was followed by another winner from Marijus on the way to Game Point where he got the hold with yet another winning Overhead Smash) and then Salamon was broken at Love when Marijus hit...what else...a winning Overhead Smash on Triple Break/Match Point to earn an impressive victory! This one finished on Court One at exactly 7:37.
The Skinny: That eighth game in the 1st Set was pivotal. Had Marie held her serve, it would have been 4-4 and the momentum shift of Samara/Salamon would have continued. Perhaps it would have taken them as far as locking down the 1st Set in their favor. But full credit goes to Marijus and Sally as they regrouped just in time not to let that happen. No disrespect to Pillay (who definitely had her moments), but Kuzavas was the star of the show with his blistering forehands, towering Overhead Smashes and dominant services (he was never broken). This is a tough team to deal with in this tourney!
Joe Rodrigues over Jorge Solano, 6-4! No Aces. This one took place down the road...as did the first two thirds of the next match.
MXD2 Quarterfinal:
Moka Pathan/Genalin Capan over Tommy Reszkowski/Fernanda Toker, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, to successfully defend their # 1 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division while advancing to The Semifinals of The MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament! No Aces. The first two sets were played at the courts down the road, but the third was played on Court One from 8:25 to 8:54.
The 3rd Set: Moka held at Love, Tommy was broken at Love as Gen hit a winning volley to get things started, then Moka hit a winning Overhead Smash and then he also hit a passing shot winner to set up Triple Break Point where Tommy blew a volley for the break to get off to a 0-2 start. Genalin was broken (Moka hit a winning volley for 15-Love and then there was an un-returned serve for 30-Love, but then Tommy hit back-to-back winners to bring it to 30-All, then came Break Point where Tommy hit a winning Overhead Smash for the break), but Fernanda was also broken (Love-15, 15-All where Tommy blew a volley to make it 15-30, then came Double Break Point and the break) for a 1-3 score. Pathan held again (Moka hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-Love, then it was 15-All where an excellent rally led to 30-15 and then came Double Game Point and the hold) and Reskzowski was broken again (Moka hit a blistering passing shot winner for Love-15 and then Moka made a winning drop shot return for Love-30 where an un-returned serve made it 15-30, but then Gen hit a winning volley to set up Double Break Point where a winning Overhead Smash by Moka earned the break) to fall to 1-5! Capan was also broken again (Moka blew a volley for Love-15, then it went to Love-30, 15-30 where Tommy hit a winning volley to make it Double Break Point where Moka hit a winner to cut the lead to Break Point, but then Tommy hit a winner of his own for the break), but Toker held this time around (Moka hit a passing shot winner for Love-15, then it was 15-All where Moka hit a drop shot winner for 15-30, 30-All where Gen hit an amzaing passing shot winner to set up Break/Match Point, then it went to Deuce where Tommy blew a volley to set up the 2nd Break/Match Point, but then Moka blew an overhead to bring it to 2nd Deuce where an un-returned serve set up Game Point where Moka then blew another overhead to allow the hold) to pull to 3-5! But then it was Instant Moka holding a third straight time in this set as he hit an un-returned serve for 15-Love, then it was 30-Love where Gen hit a winner to set up Triple Game/Match Point, but then Moka blew a gift of an overhead to cut the lead to Double Game/Match Point where the rally of the set ended with a winner from Moka to seal the deal! This last set was played on Court One from 8:25 to 8:54.
The Skinny: This was a match of momentum shifts. In the 2nd Set, Tommy and Fernanda jumped out to a 4-2 lead only to have the opposition win four straight games to take the set. Then the change of location may have been all that was needed to end the run of Reszkowski and Toker. Pathan and Capan won the first ten points of the 3rd Set. Then, Reszkowski and Toker fought back with some winners of their own. Tommy, particularly, raised the level of his game and was quite impressive in many moments. He and his partner fought with all their heart as get-making was their specialty...but it ended up being too little, too late. Still, the lengthy and fast-paced rallies wowed the crowd. Congrats to Moka and Gen, but also hearty kudos go to Tommy and Fernanda as well.
Chris Chiaro/Dan Martinelli over Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La, 6-1! No Aces. This was played on Court Two from 7:15 to 7:39.
Chris Chiaro/Marijus Kuzavas over Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La, 6-2! Dennis: 1 Ace on Marijus; and Marijus: 1 Ace on Dennis! This one was also played on Court Two and it started at 7:43 and finished at 8:04.
Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Lou La Forgia/Marie Salamon, 6-3! Rob: 2 Aces on Marie. Court One hosted this one from 7:50 to 8:20.
Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Dino Celis/Edwin Ortega, 6-1! Kris: 1 Ace on Edwin. This one took place on Court Two from 8:10 to 8:34.
Kris Srinivasan/Lou La Forgia over Dino Celis/Edwin Ortega, 7-5! No Aces. Court Two also hosted this one which lasted from 8:37 to 9:15.
Chris Chiaro/Doinks Srinivasan over Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley, 6-1! No Aces. This one got done on Court One. It started at 9pm and ended at 9:25.
Kris Srinivasan/Lou La Forgia over Dino Celis/Edwin Ortega, 6-3! Edwin: 1 Ace on Kris. Another one that was played on Court Two and it lasted from 9:17 to 9:45. Afterward, Kris and Edwin had a hitting session with one another that almost lasted until lights out at 10pm.
Chris Chiaro/Doinks Srinivasan over Frank Samara/Rob Gawley, 6-3! No Aces. It went like this: Chris held serve (15-Love where Frank hit a winner for 15-All, but then it was right to Double Game Point as Doinks hit a passing shot winner along the way, but then it shifted to Deuce right after Frank hit a killer winner that hit Doinks on the hip, but then it was Game Point where Chris hit a scorching winner of his own for the hold), Frank held (it started with Chris hitting a laser-like winner down the Doubles Alley, but then it went straight to Double Game Point and the hold), Doinks held (15-Love, 15-All and then straight to Double Break Point, shifted to Deuce, Game Point and the hold...I pretty much stopped noting winners at this point in the interest of saving time) and Rob held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point where a truly un-returnable serve secured the hold) for 2-2. Chiaro held again (Triple Game Point where an excellent and extended rally ended with a winner from Frank for Double Game Point, then came Game Point and the hold), but so did Samara (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, 30-All, Game Point and the hold) for 3-3. Srinivasan also held again (Triple Game Point, the hold came on Double Game Point), but then Gawley was the first to be broken and it was at Love as Frank blew a gift of an overhead to get things started and then Chris had a drop shot winner and another winner along the way! King Crush held yet again (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game/Match Point after Chris hit a roller over the net followed by another winner) to earn the win! We played on Court One from 9:27 to 9:58.
The Skinny: Chris and Doinks both seemed eager to see this one through to completion (before the lights would go on) and they actually picked up both the pace and the level of their quality of their play in order to get this one done on time. It was an excellent way to end the session.
Now let's go to Verona for the report from Chazz and an additional comment from Ralph.
The Verona Park Results:
Grove Cup Round of 16 Match:
Chazz Weldon over Ralph Bernard, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), to successfully defend his # 3 Rank in the Advanced Division while also advancing to The Quarterfinals of The Grove Cup Tournament! Ralph: 2 Aces.
All That Jazz from Chazz: The match took place at Verona Park from 7:45pm - 9:32pm. The match was intense with long points at times. In the 1st Set, Ralph hit some nice winners and Chazz served out the 1st Set and won it with forehand winner. In the 2nd Set, Chazz was up 5-2, serving for the match but was broken to give Ralph 3-5. Ralph then held serve for 4-5. Chazz served again for the match and was broken, making the score 5-5. Ralph was getting into a groove and held serve for 6-5. Chazz finally held serve to make it 6-6. Ralph started the Tiebreak serving and went up 1-0, then 2-0. Chazz came back and got it to 2-2, then Ralph was up 3-2 and Chazz made it 3-3. Ralph went up 4-3, then Chazz made it 4-4. From this point forward, Chazz won the remaining points to win the tiebreak 7-4. Credit to Ralph as he is a very good player who I can see doing some damage in GTA. Hopefully, the GTA will get to see more of him. I cannot speak for Ralph, but at the end of this match, I was drenched in sweat and exhausted!
The Ralph Rebuttal: Well said! Chazz is a human wall! I'll get you next time, buddy.
Samara's Notes: I thank both Chazz and Ralph for sending in those scores and commentary in a very timely manner.
All the best,
Frank Samara
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