10/23/16:
"W-Dub and M-Dub Final part of 16 at C.G.!":
This year, for the first time ever, we held a W-Dub Women's Doubles Tournament with a format similar to both the Monk Memorial Men's Doubles Tournament and the M-Dub Mixed Doubles Tournament whereby the teams would be selected via lottery-style with the higher-ranked women drawing the names of the lower-ranked women out of a hat (a bag, actually).
This tourney came hot on the heels of last week's M-Dub as that event was postponed one week by rain the previous Sunday. So this session's scenario ended up being that the M-Dub Final would end up following the W-Dub Tournament...and we were hopeful to have the entire W-Dub played all in the same day.
Mother Nature had her say as well. After a rainy Saturday that saw temps drop 30 degrees from earlier in the week and wind gusts soar to 50mph in some areas, the conditions relented somewhat of Sunday...though not by much! It was a beautiful day in terms of sunshine, but the peak temperature struggled to get past the mid-50 degree range and it felt like all of fall was taking place in one day as the leaves fell from the tress and then on and off wind gusts swirled them around tornado-style from court to court!
The situation was such that sometimes a court would be relatively leaf-free only to have the winds shift and return them to that same court once again.
For the second straight week, GTA Sunday Tennis got started before 10am at The Cedar Grove Courts. As already alluded to, the featured event of the day was the W-Dub Women's Doubles Tournament. As originally hoped for, it would have ended up being an 8-Player/4-Team Event in a single elimination format. And there would have been two rounds of action - The Semifinals and The Finals all played in the same day (hopefully).
Those rounds would have featured full matches except that if the first two sets were split in the Semis, those matches would be decided by a 10-Point Super Tiebreak. The Finals would have to be a full 2 out of 3 Sets...and it had been announced earlier in the week that the option of the Final being continued another day if the session was running too long would also be on the table if one or more of the participants had to leave at a certain time. This scenario would still trump the option of a 10-Point STB as a Tournament Final must go a full three sets if the first two are split.
Before we get to whether or not all of that came to fruition, let's first examine the timing of the entrances. When Samara made his arrival early at 9:30, he saw all four courts empty as he was the first one to arrive. He also replied to a text message that had come to him at 9:15 from "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan that she would be unable to participate in the tourney. He replied OK and actually thought it best as that left eight eligible women still in the draw.
Looking out to the courts, Frank found that Courts Three and Four were in the best condition, though there was a minor puddle (with leaves in it) near the corner of Court Four closest to the side entrance.
Courts One and Two were less desirable with Court Two being an absolute leaf-fest (even worse than the prior Sunday)!
As Samara was prepping his notes in his car, Natalia "Nitro" Sout was the next to arrive at 9:35. The two of them soon headed out onto Court Four together for what would have been a hitting session, but then "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales was the next to show up at 9:40...so he took Samara's place.
"Bravo" Brenda Jordan also arrived around that time, so she headed toward Court Three to hit with Samara instead. Brenda also brought bad news - "Dominant" Dawn Peterson was also backing out of the event. Now we were down to just seven women...not a good thing! An odd amount of entrants would cause a situation where one of them would have to sit out as an even amount was needed to form all the teams (even though the amount of teams could be odd).
"Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon was the next to arrive at 9:45 and she headed over to Court Three to hit with Jordan against Samara. Omar "Stealth" Santos got to the courts around that same time and Samara invited him over to Court Three to hit with Kathy and Brenda as it would allow him to get back to organizing the tournament.
At 10am, "The Natural" Natalie Guzman arrived while "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan came across the street with a broom in hand to wipe the water and leaves off the courts. It was at this time when Samara sent a text message to "C.A.T." Christine Toth to see if she was still on her way.
At 10:10, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan made his way over to the courts and he soon called for his son Sairaj to do the same. Toth then arrived five minutes later and now we had a situation where six of the women were present.
Samara informed the league the day before that "Spicy" Sally Pillay would be running 15 minutes late for the tourney. Well, now it was that time and there was still no Sally in sight. Just as he was about to send a text message to her to ascertain her whereabouts, she sent one to him stating she was on her way but running later than expected. When Frank's reply to Sally was that they already had six entrants without her and she would just complicate matters by coming in as the seventh player, she was more than willing to stay out of it. Samara thanked her for simplifying things on his end.
The lottery drawing than took place soon after at 10:25, right after Samara wrote the names of the lower-ranked participating women onto ticket stubs as it would be the higher-ranked ladies drawing them from a bag. It would begin with the highest-ranked woman picking first (Doinks) and then working our way down the ranks from there. The lowest-ranked lady (Brenda) would then get whichever gal's ticket remained in the bag.
With GTA Women's Champion: Laura "The Aura" Gawley, Pillay and "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker all not participating in this event, the highest ranked woman in this event had become Doinks Srinivasan. So she was first to choose and she pulled the "Natalia" ticket out of the bag...which meant she'd be teaming with Natalia Sout.
Kathy Sheldon was the next lady to approach the bag and she produced the "Christine" ticket from the bag meaning she got Christine Toth. This must have been a satisfying situation for her as the two of them together are former GTA Women's Doubles Champions. So this reunion was promising as they have had past experience teaming with each other.
Brenda Jordan was next up and she would get the ticket left in the bag, the one that read "Natalie", as in Natalie Guzman.
Samara then asked that those ladies return the tickets to him as there would be one more drawing to complete the process for a 6-Woman/3-Team Tournament. In this format, we would have two teams first face off in a One-Set Qualifier to see who would first advance to the Finals (which would have to be a full 2 out of 3 Sets Match...no 10-Point Super Tiebreak option).
The third team would have to sit out and wait for this first One-Setter to finish. From there, the winners would then sit out as the losers would stay out on the court and face the team that sat out first. This would be another One-Set Qualifier as the winning team would join the first winning team in the Finals.
Frank called Jose over to the bag to make the draw so as to ensure he had nothing to do with the process in terms of any form of favoritism toward any one team (who even know if it would be an advantage to sit out first in this format). Gonzales reached into the bag and pulled out the "Christine" ticket.
That meant that Sheldon/Toth would sit out first while Srinivasan/Sout versus Jordan/Guzman would be our First Round One-Set Qualifier match-up. Kathy and Christine decided to go run an errand together during this First Round.
Meanwhile, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan had arrived at 10:30...but he was not dressed to play. Having recently noticed the presence of the GTA on Facebook, he showed up in street clothes to play the role of the official "photog" for this event. I was not able to note exactly when he left, but I do know he stayed quite a while taking many shots (not the tennis kind) along the way. He also said he would later return dressed to play.
The First-Round One-Setter officially got underway on Court Four (the best of the bunch) at exactly 10:33. Samara had wanted to take notes of it, but he was called to duty on Court Three as Kris and Sairaj along with Omar were looking for a fourth for Doubles as Jose opted to just watch the ladies play instead.
That Men's Doubles One-Setter soon got going on Court Three at 10:35. Both of these One-Setters ended simultaneously at 11:13!
Having lost the First Round One-Setter, Brenda and Natalie stayed out on Court Four to face their next opponents - Kathy and Christine (who had already returned by this time). This Second Round One-Setter (also on Court Four) got going at 11:25.
Five minutes later, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived and took a spot aside Samara while Frank took casual notes. And while the official action was already underway on Court Four, Jose hosted a serving practice session on Court Three while he gave pointers to both Doinks and Natalia.
That Second Round One-Setter finished at 12:05 as Sheldon/Toth edged Jordan/Guzman in a close one. Brenda and Natalie may have gone 0-2 on the day, but they both showed a lot of gumption (as well as improvement) along the way. In fact, the feisty nature of Jordan (especially when she questioned a few line calls from her opponents) had Frank pondering changing her moniker from "Bravo" to "Bravado"...LOL!
The other good thing about the way the format worked out is that they got to play two full sets and did not suffer a "one and done" scenario.
So now we had our two teams for the Final: Srinivasan/Sout versus Sheldon/Toth (Former Champs). It would be a full 2 out of 3 Sets Match and it seemed like an interesting match-up (on paper, at the very least). As it turns out, it would play out that way on court as well.
It kicked off officially on Court Four at exactly 12:12. The 1st Set concluded at 12:53. At this time, "The Rainmaker" Richard Reicht had arrived and he would soon end up in a hitting session with Kris on Court Three while Dino would leave to eat lunch before eventually coming back for his M-Dub Final (which was scheduled to start at 2:30).
Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda arrived at 1:30. Had she shown up much earlier in the day (in time for the lottery-style drawing), we could have had her as the eighth entrant (along with Pillay, as we would have had her show up instead). Oh well!
The 2nd Set ended exactly at 1:34. At this time, Sachiko stepped onto Court Four with a camera of her own. She suggested getting the four ladies together for a photo and Natalia added that Frank should also be in it (with the host in the middle of the four females).
As Tokuda decided to drop to one knee for a better angle for the shot, her knee gave out on her and she ended up tumbling to the court and rolling over onto her back! We all were very concerned, but thankfully she had only lost her balance and was OK! We then suggested that she remain on her feet and she took the photo that way.
The ladies, having split the first two sets, then launched into the 3rd Set at exactly 1:39. Around 1:55, Sachiko took the place of Kris in the hitting session against Richard on Court Three. She was fine throughout it, which was a good sign that she truly was OK after all.
It was at this same time that Celis returned from his lunch break. He returned to hang with Samara to watch the balance of the action on Court Four as The K Man was now doing the same at this time.
At 2:05, Cabanatan returned to the scene (he would later get a shot of the victorious team). He would soon be followed to the court area by "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon (arriving for the soon-to-start M-Dub Final where he would be teaming with Toker to take on Celis and Gawley).
Five minutes later, Gawley showed up as well. Another five minutes after that, so did Toker along with her man "T-Rez" Tommy Reszkowski. By 2:25, all four parties involved in the M-Dub Final were hitting against one another on Court Three in prep for the coming Final (though it soon became obvious they would wait for the W-Dub Final to end so that they could then take Court Four to play their match there, too).
That W-Dub Final did not end until 2:43 as it entered a 3rd Set Tiebreak at 2:31! It ended up becoming a possible Nominee for Women's Doubles Match of the Year at season's end.
Samara had to leave at 2:50...just as the M-Dub Final was getting officially underway on Court Four. For the balance of the session, Kris would act as host.
The Cedar Grove Results:
W-Dub First Round One-Setter:
Doinks Srinivasan/Natalia Sout over Brenda Jordan/Natalie Guzman, 6-1! No Aces. Srinivasan/Sout advanced to the Finals! The two teams faced off on Court Four from 10:33 to 11:13. Despite the somewhat lopsided score, there were many multiple Deuce games...which is why this lasted forty minutes!
Non-W-Dub Men's Doubles One-Setter:
Frank Samara/Omar Santos over Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-3! No Aces. It went like this: Sairaj was broken (Sairaj hit a winning lob for 15-Love, then a Double Fault for 15-All, an un-returned serve for 30-15, another Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point, another Double Fault to make it Deuce, then Break Point and the break), Frank was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point as Frank hit a winner, Kris blew an overhead and Omar blew a volley along the way and then came the break), but Kris was the first to hold serve and it was at Love as the game was book-ended by a drop shot winner from Sairaj and a passing shot winner by Kris to go up 2-1! Omar also held (Triple Game Point where Kris hit a winning volley to cut that lead to Double Game Point, but then Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley to secure his partner's hold) to make it 2-2. Then came an epic game with the young Srinivasan on serve once again as he started off with a near-ace against Omar for 15-Love, a Double Fault for 15-All, 30-15 and then another Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point and then another Double Fault for Deuce followed by yet another Double Fault for Break Point but then an un-returned serve for 2nd Deuce and it would be all Game Points until 6th Deuce...and obviously I forgot who hit what winners when and where during all that...but after that 6th Deuce it was another Double Fault that set up Break Point and then came the break as his team lost the lead at 2-3! But Samara was broken again and this time it was at Love as it was lethal returns from first Kris and then Sairaj that found their target...Omar playing up at net and then Sairaj hit a winner to set up Triple Break Point where he then hit a scorching winner for the break and to level things once again, this time at 3-3! Papa Srinivasan was then broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All, but then back-to-back un-returned serves set up Double Game Point only to have it shift straight through Break Point right to the break) and then Santos held again (an un-returned serve and a blown volley by Kris made it 30-Love which was where Kris made a great get that led to a blown volley by Frank for 30-15 only to have that answered by a great get by Omar that led to a blown volley by Kris to set up Double Game Point, the hold came on Game Point) and then The Secret Weapon was broken again (30-Love shifted to 30-All where a Double Fault set up Break/Match Point and then came the break) to take a tough loss! We played this one on Court Three from 10:35 to 11:13.
W-Dub Second Round One-Setter:
Kathy Sheldon/Christine Toth over Brenda Jordan/Natalie Guzman, 7-5! No Aces. Sheldon/Toth advanced to the Finals! Here's the basic recap: Jordan/Guzman had leads (or ties) at 1-0, 1-1 to 3-1 to 3-3 and then Natalie had an impressive Love hold to go up 4-3! Kathy held to level it once more at 4-4. Brenda was broken, but so was Christine for 5-5! Guzman was broken and then Sheldon held on Double Game/Match Point for a hard-fought victory! They played this on Court Four from 11:25 to 12:05.
W-Dub Final:
Kathy Sheldon/Christine Toth over Doinks Srinivasan/Natalia Sout, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), to win the 2016 W-Dub Tournament and become the New # 2 Ranked Team (aka the next Top Contenders) in the Women's Doubles Division while Srinivasan/Sout entered the division as the New # 15 Ranked Team! No Aces.
1st Set: Doinks was broken at Love after starting off with a Double Fault and Christine was broken (Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce where the best rally of the match at that time ended with an awesome passing shot winner by Natalia for Break Point where Doinks hit a net-cord aided drop shot winner for the break) for 1-1. And then came an epic game with Natalia on serve as Doinks hit a winner to set up Game Point, but then Kathy hit a winner for Deuce where Christine hit a winning volley to set up Break Point, but then it went to 2nd Deuce where Kathy hit a drop shot winner to once again set up Break Point, but then Christine blew a volley to make it 3rd Deuce, it went to Break Point again where Christine blew another volley for 4th Deuce and that was where Doinks and Natalia rushed to the same ball and swung their racquets at the same time as we could not tell which one of them had hit the winning volley to set up Game Point, but then it went to 5th Deuce, Break Point where Natalia hit a winner to go to 6th Deuce where Christine blew another volley to set up Game Point where the hold finally came for 2-1! Kathy responded with a Love hold and then Srinivasan was broken again (on Double Break Point this time) for 2-3. Toth held on Double Game Point and then Sout was broken (Double Game Point where Kathy hit a winner to cut that lead to Game Point and then Christine hit an excellent volley winner for Deuce, it then went to Break Point and the break) to fall to 2-5! Sheldon was then broken (Double Game/Set Point, Game/Set Point where Doinks hit a winning Overhead Smash for Deuce and then Christine blew an overhead to set up Brek Point where Natalia then hit a net-cord aided winning return for the break) to have her team's lead reduced to 5-3, but The Marathon Woman was broken a third straight time and it occurred on the first Break/Set Point of the game which was the 3rd S.P. overall! This set took place on Court Four from 12:12 to 12:53. There was a four minute break before the next set began.
2nd Set: Christine was broken in a battle (Game Point where Natalia hit a passing shot winner for Deuce and then Natalia hit a winning lob to make it Break Point, then came 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce where Christine hit a winning volley to set up Game Point, but then came the 5th Deuce, Break Point and the break) and Natalia held on Game Point to go up 2-0. Kathy held at Love and then Doinks was broken (Triple Break Point, Double Break Point and then the break) to level the set at 2-2. Toth held at Double Game Point, but Sout held again (once again on Game Point) to tie it up again, this time at 3-3. Sheldon was broken (Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break), but Srinivasan finally held (it came on Double Game Point when an exciting and extended rally ended with Natalia hitting a winner) to go up 5-3! C.A.T. was then broken on Double Break/Set Point to drop the set and level the match at 1:34. The two teams agreed to play the full 3rd Set (earlier there was talk of playing the 3rd Set at a later date if the first two sets were split and Christine was concerned with being able to leave the session by 3pm) and then took a five minute coffee break before launching into the deciding set.
3rd Set: Natalia was broken (Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break), Christine was broken (Game Point, Deuce, Break Point where Christine blew a volley to break herself), but Doinks was the first to hold serve in this set (Break Point where another marathon rally ended with Doinks hitting the winner to secure her own hold) to go up 2-1. Kathy was broken (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All where yet another extended rally led to 15-30, it then went to Double Break Point, Break Point where Doinks hit an amazing winner for the break) to fall to 1-3, but Sout was broken again (Break Point, Deuce where Kathy hit a winner to bring it back to Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point yet again and then the break) to have her team's lead cut to 3-2. Toth was also broken again (on Break Point) for 2-4, but then Srinivasan was broken (15-All, Double Fault for 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) to have her team's lead cut to 4-3. Sheldon was also broken again (on Double Break Point) to fall to 3-5, but Nitro was broken a third straight time (also on Double Break Point) to have her team's lead cut to 5-4. C.A.T. finally held in this set (Love-30 shifted straight though Game Point with another extended rally leading to the hold) to level the set and match at 5-5! The Marathon Woman held and it was on Double Game Point to go up 6-5! But then it was Killer Kat holding at Love to force the Tiebreak. The time was 2:31 as they headed into it.
Tiebreak: Natalia held her lone serve and it was un-returned and then Christine was broken on both of her serves for 0-3! Doinks held the first of her two serves after hitting a winner for 4-0, but then Christine hit a winner on the second serve to pull to 1-4. Kathy held the first of her two serves for 2-4 at the changeover and then she held again after another lengthy rally was ended by a winner from Kathy to then pull to 3-4! Sout was broken on the first of her two serves to knot the score at 4-4 and then another extended rally on her second serve ended with her team losing their lead at 4-5! Toth held the first of her two serves to go up 6-4 and have the first Match Point in their favor. She was then broken on her second serve, but it was still 6-5 and the 2nd Match Point with her team still on top. Srinivasan was then broken after yet another enduring rally as this one ended as a 7-5 TB on the 2nd M.P. at exactly 2:43 (the 3rd Set alone was one hour and four minutes and the entire match was 2 hours and 31 minutes in length)!
The Skinny: Congratulations to Sheldon/Toth who, as Former Champs, used their edge in experience to edge the competition! Sout was particularly impressive in this one as she often displayed tenacity in the rallies which enabled her team to win the points. Natalia is a definite contender for Most Improved Women's Player of The Year at season's end. This match got closer once Srinivasan steadied her nerves and then Doinks was able to hold some of her serves. This will likely be a Nominee for Women's Doubles Match of The Year as well.
The Consequences: Sheldon/Toth will be the next team to challenge Gawley/Pillay for their GTA Women's Doubles Championship. It would be nice to see that match happen before the 2016 Season expires.
The Say from The K (on the W-Dub and especially the Final): It was a great Sunday session despite the howling winds and the courts full of debris (mostly leaves and seeds). But it did not deter the W-Dub Women's Doubles Tournament nor the M-Dub Mixed Doubles Tournament Final from taking place.
The sun was glorious and the setting was beautiful. It would only end up being six participants for the Women's Doubles but the way Frank organized it was perfect as it engaged all the players in intense play all the way to the Finals Match which saw an incredible finish.
The Final ended up as a classic full 3-setter that ended in an amazing win for Kathy and Christine and a very tough loss for Doinks and Natalia as they were up 5-3 in the 3rd Set and then missed out on closing it. Again, after a 4-Love lead in the TB, they fizzled out in the swirling winds. Congrats to all the players and the winners that nearly finished close to 2:45!
M-Dub Final:
Chazz Weldon/Fernanda Toker over Dino Celis/Laura Gawley, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, to win the 2016 M-Dub Tournament and become the New # 2 Ranked Team (aka the next Top Contenders) in the Mixed Doubles Division! Laura: 1 Ace on Fernanda in the 1st Set.
The Say from the K: We then got to witness another epic battle between Dino and Laura against Chazz and Fernanda. It was indeed a great match that saw the diminutive looking Fernanda and Chazz going up against the aggressive players in Dino and Laura. We knew that it's going to be a tough match and the question was whether the steady play of Fernanda and Chazz would be enough to counter the missiles that would surely be thrown at them.
We got to know just that in the ensuing grueling match which consumed close to three hours! It was a treat to watch the battle engulfing the concentration, the focus, the consternation, the misses, the efforts, the lead, the recovery, the pressure that the players went through, all of them and the spectators as well. So, it turned out to be another blockbuster of the day.
Dino and Laura showed in the 1st Set why they were the compelling favorites for their aggressiveness. They played their game their way and we got to see the familiar overhead crackers and placements from Laura and the great ground rallies from Dino. Fernanda was unfazed and played her usual game which is amazingly consistent. Chazz was slightly nervous in the beginning and we saw some unusual errors as he dumped a few into the net. It was a clinical performance from Laura and Dino as they took the set at 6-3. Laura had a lovely Ace on Fernanda in this set.
The 2nd Set started to unravel for Dino and Laura. The urgency of the situation had heightened the careful attitude of both Fernanda and Laura as they were hardly making any unforced errors, but that was not the case with Dino and Laura. It became a challenge for Dino to hold his service games as a bunch of shots found the net and suddenly it was taking a lethal effect as they were behind staring at 1-5 before an angry Laura started to sparkle and, supported by Dino, stopped the hemorrhage. They fought hard and won the next three games to take it to 4-5. The next game was crucial and they did start well, but then it was 30-All and a Break Point that they couldn't save. They were so close to tying the set, but when they missed that opportunity…what an uplifting feeling it was for Fernanda and Chazz as they breathed a sigh of relief in winning that set and leveling the match.
The momentum was clearly with Fernanda and Chazz as they fully believed that their game would help them stay in the match while it was a different mindset for Dino and Laura. They had to deal with a bunch of things that didn't go their way. Now it was difficult for Laura to smash the overheads as she started playing carefully not to blow them. But that was not winning the points like before. Dino had a poor day with his overheads as well and that was also losing points. Both of them came aggressively to the net, but behind shots that were not deep and penetrating. It was then easy for Fernanda to lob the ball over their heads. Hats off to Laura for running back to retrieve those balls (how many times she had to do it!). She did it all without making any errors, but some just got over the net so that Chazz had a crack at them to put them away. Dino also had to run back and play his shots as well. It was inexplicable that they ran so aggressively to the net on so many balls that they only ended up then running back to play a defensive shot. I am probably not fair to make this point as it indeed sounds rude…especially when we saw 30-plus shot rallies that inevitably were won by Fernanda and Chazz. The efforts of all the players in this match were absolutely incredible.
The 3rd Set looked close and still could have gone either way. It was not easy to put away the shots for Laura and Dino as they had been playing for a while. The situation also demanded extra care. Still, they managed to put away some points…especially Laura. There were some brilliant sneak attacks by Laura. For Dino, it was really unfortunate as even some of his shots that looked to be certain winners were retrieved with great dexterity by Chazz, and many for winners. After being close halfway, a break ensured a 5-3 lead for Fernanda and Chazz. In the penultimate point of the last game, we saw a contested point. Laura played a shot from the Doubles Alley down the line to Fernanda. Both Dino and Laura were certain it landed on the line, but Fernanda felt that it curved out. It was 30-All and indeed was a crucial point. Laura said it would be best to replay the point. Fernanda subsequently said that she was OK with replaying the point. But Chazz reasoned to Fernanda that if she is clear of her call, then there was nothing to dispute. Well, it was Fernanda's call and they went with 40-30 (Game/Match Point). It would have been magnanimous if they had replayed the point. But it's understandable that it was a huge point given how intense Laura and Dino were till the last point was played. So, congratulations again to all the players and the winners. And most certainly to the spectators on the bench seeing the match to its glorious conclusion.
All in all, it was wonderful tennis on a day filled with sunshine but also clobbered by the winds...J. Cheers!
The Consequences: Weldon/Toker will be the next team to challenge Tito "Touch" Castolo and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson for their GTA Mixed Doubles Championship. Much like the situation in the Women's Doubles Division, it would be great to see that match occur before this season ends. It is understood, however, that Tito is dealing with a lingering case of tennis elbow while Dawn stills suffers from some ongoing back issues. Hopefully, something can be worked out.
Samara's Notes: I thank Kris for hosting the balance of the session. I am also grateful to all the ladies who showed up for the W-2 Tourney (as well as Sally for being willing to back out of it to make things easier) and also appreciate both Dennis and Sachiko for taking some photos along the way. Kudos to all!
Kris also indicated that there was Singles action between "A-Tru" Andrew Truong and "T-Rez" Tommy Reszkowki going on as he was leaving the session around 6:20. He was under the impression that it was to be a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match, but it ended up being just a One-Setter. Fernanda Toker provided the details.
Andrew Truong over Tommy Reszkowski, 7-6 (7-3)! No Aces (apparently).
Toker's Take: Tommy was up 5-2, but then Andrew started getting more aggressive and came back to force a Tiebreak.
Samara's Notes: I thank Fernanda for reporting that final result from the Cedar Grove session.
In addition to the mega session (all day and into the night) at Cedar Grove, "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan sent a recap of the hitting session she had with "Holy Moly" Mike Mole in the afternoon at Albion Park in Clifton. We go to Gen now.
Mike Mole and I ended up having a hitting session at Albion Park from 4pm to 5:30. We were not able to play any official sets since my Achilles' tendon was still bothering me.
We hit for 45 to 50 minutes. Afterwards, Mike practiced his serves and I worked on my return of serves. We also got to try out Mike's radar gun gadget to clock how fast we were serving. Mike's first serves were clocking in at an average of 100 miles per hour and his highest was 104 on this day! His second serves were in the 85-88mph range. Then, it was my turn. My serves were in the 50's with a higher speed range of 58-59mph. It was a lot fun.
Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for sending in that recap.
All the best,
Frank Samara
"W-Dub and M-Dub Final part of 16 at C.G.!":
This year, for the first time ever, we held a W-Dub Women's Doubles Tournament with a format similar to both the Monk Memorial Men's Doubles Tournament and the M-Dub Mixed Doubles Tournament whereby the teams would be selected via lottery-style with the higher-ranked women drawing the names of the lower-ranked women out of a hat (a bag, actually).
This tourney came hot on the heels of last week's M-Dub as that event was postponed one week by rain the previous Sunday. So this session's scenario ended up being that the M-Dub Final would end up following the W-Dub Tournament...and we were hopeful to have the entire W-Dub played all in the same day.
Mother Nature had her say as well. After a rainy Saturday that saw temps drop 30 degrees from earlier in the week and wind gusts soar to 50mph in some areas, the conditions relented somewhat of Sunday...though not by much! It was a beautiful day in terms of sunshine, but the peak temperature struggled to get past the mid-50 degree range and it felt like all of fall was taking place in one day as the leaves fell from the tress and then on and off wind gusts swirled them around tornado-style from court to court!
The situation was such that sometimes a court would be relatively leaf-free only to have the winds shift and return them to that same court once again.
For the second straight week, GTA Sunday Tennis got started before 10am at The Cedar Grove Courts. As already alluded to, the featured event of the day was the W-Dub Women's Doubles Tournament. As originally hoped for, it would have ended up being an 8-Player/4-Team Event in a single elimination format. And there would have been two rounds of action - The Semifinals and The Finals all played in the same day (hopefully).
Those rounds would have featured full matches except that if the first two sets were split in the Semis, those matches would be decided by a 10-Point Super Tiebreak. The Finals would have to be a full 2 out of 3 Sets...and it had been announced earlier in the week that the option of the Final being continued another day if the session was running too long would also be on the table if one or more of the participants had to leave at a certain time. This scenario would still trump the option of a 10-Point STB as a Tournament Final must go a full three sets if the first two are split.
Before we get to whether or not all of that came to fruition, let's first examine the timing of the entrances. When Samara made his arrival early at 9:30, he saw all four courts empty as he was the first one to arrive. He also replied to a text message that had come to him at 9:15 from "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan that she would be unable to participate in the tourney. He replied OK and actually thought it best as that left eight eligible women still in the draw.
Looking out to the courts, Frank found that Courts Three and Four were in the best condition, though there was a minor puddle (with leaves in it) near the corner of Court Four closest to the side entrance.
Courts One and Two were less desirable with Court Two being an absolute leaf-fest (even worse than the prior Sunday)!
As Samara was prepping his notes in his car, Natalia "Nitro" Sout was the next to arrive at 9:35. The two of them soon headed out onto Court Four together for what would have been a hitting session, but then "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales was the next to show up at 9:40...so he took Samara's place.
"Bravo" Brenda Jordan also arrived around that time, so she headed toward Court Three to hit with Samara instead. Brenda also brought bad news - "Dominant" Dawn Peterson was also backing out of the event. Now we were down to just seven women...not a good thing! An odd amount of entrants would cause a situation where one of them would have to sit out as an even amount was needed to form all the teams (even though the amount of teams could be odd).
"Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon was the next to arrive at 9:45 and she headed over to Court Three to hit with Jordan against Samara. Omar "Stealth" Santos got to the courts around that same time and Samara invited him over to Court Three to hit with Kathy and Brenda as it would allow him to get back to organizing the tournament.
At 10am, "The Natural" Natalie Guzman arrived while "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan came across the street with a broom in hand to wipe the water and leaves off the courts. It was at this time when Samara sent a text message to "C.A.T." Christine Toth to see if she was still on her way.
At 10:10, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan made his way over to the courts and he soon called for his son Sairaj to do the same. Toth then arrived five minutes later and now we had a situation where six of the women were present.
Samara informed the league the day before that "Spicy" Sally Pillay would be running 15 minutes late for the tourney. Well, now it was that time and there was still no Sally in sight. Just as he was about to send a text message to her to ascertain her whereabouts, she sent one to him stating she was on her way but running later than expected. When Frank's reply to Sally was that they already had six entrants without her and she would just complicate matters by coming in as the seventh player, she was more than willing to stay out of it. Samara thanked her for simplifying things on his end.
The lottery drawing than took place soon after at 10:25, right after Samara wrote the names of the lower-ranked participating women onto ticket stubs as it would be the higher-ranked ladies drawing them from a bag. It would begin with the highest-ranked woman picking first (Doinks) and then working our way down the ranks from there. The lowest-ranked lady (Brenda) would then get whichever gal's ticket remained in the bag.
With GTA Women's Champion: Laura "The Aura" Gawley, Pillay and "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker all not participating in this event, the highest ranked woman in this event had become Doinks Srinivasan. So she was first to choose and she pulled the "Natalia" ticket out of the bag...which meant she'd be teaming with Natalia Sout.
Kathy Sheldon was the next lady to approach the bag and she produced the "Christine" ticket from the bag meaning she got Christine Toth. This must have been a satisfying situation for her as the two of them together are former GTA Women's Doubles Champions. So this reunion was promising as they have had past experience teaming with each other.
Brenda Jordan was next up and she would get the ticket left in the bag, the one that read "Natalie", as in Natalie Guzman.
Samara then asked that those ladies return the tickets to him as there would be one more drawing to complete the process for a 6-Woman/3-Team Tournament. In this format, we would have two teams first face off in a One-Set Qualifier to see who would first advance to the Finals (which would have to be a full 2 out of 3 Sets Match...no 10-Point Super Tiebreak option).
The third team would have to sit out and wait for this first One-Setter to finish. From there, the winners would then sit out as the losers would stay out on the court and face the team that sat out first. This would be another One-Set Qualifier as the winning team would join the first winning team in the Finals.
Frank called Jose over to the bag to make the draw so as to ensure he had nothing to do with the process in terms of any form of favoritism toward any one team (who even know if it would be an advantage to sit out first in this format). Gonzales reached into the bag and pulled out the "Christine" ticket.
That meant that Sheldon/Toth would sit out first while Srinivasan/Sout versus Jordan/Guzman would be our First Round One-Set Qualifier match-up. Kathy and Christine decided to go run an errand together during this First Round.
Meanwhile, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan had arrived at 10:30...but he was not dressed to play. Having recently noticed the presence of the GTA on Facebook, he showed up in street clothes to play the role of the official "photog" for this event. I was not able to note exactly when he left, but I do know he stayed quite a while taking many shots (not the tennis kind) along the way. He also said he would later return dressed to play.
The First-Round One-Setter officially got underway on Court Four (the best of the bunch) at exactly 10:33. Samara had wanted to take notes of it, but he was called to duty on Court Three as Kris and Sairaj along with Omar were looking for a fourth for Doubles as Jose opted to just watch the ladies play instead.
That Men's Doubles One-Setter soon got going on Court Three at 10:35. Both of these One-Setters ended simultaneously at 11:13!
Having lost the First Round One-Setter, Brenda and Natalie stayed out on Court Four to face their next opponents - Kathy and Christine (who had already returned by this time). This Second Round One-Setter (also on Court Four) got going at 11:25.
Five minutes later, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived and took a spot aside Samara while Frank took casual notes. And while the official action was already underway on Court Four, Jose hosted a serving practice session on Court Three while he gave pointers to both Doinks and Natalia.
That Second Round One-Setter finished at 12:05 as Sheldon/Toth edged Jordan/Guzman in a close one. Brenda and Natalie may have gone 0-2 on the day, but they both showed a lot of gumption (as well as improvement) along the way. In fact, the feisty nature of Jordan (especially when she questioned a few line calls from her opponents) had Frank pondering changing her moniker from "Bravo" to "Bravado"...LOL!
The other good thing about the way the format worked out is that they got to play two full sets and did not suffer a "one and done" scenario.
So now we had our two teams for the Final: Srinivasan/Sout versus Sheldon/Toth (Former Champs). It would be a full 2 out of 3 Sets Match and it seemed like an interesting match-up (on paper, at the very least). As it turns out, it would play out that way on court as well.
It kicked off officially on Court Four at exactly 12:12. The 1st Set concluded at 12:53. At this time, "The Rainmaker" Richard Reicht had arrived and he would soon end up in a hitting session with Kris on Court Three while Dino would leave to eat lunch before eventually coming back for his M-Dub Final (which was scheduled to start at 2:30).
Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda arrived at 1:30. Had she shown up much earlier in the day (in time for the lottery-style drawing), we could have had her as the eighth entrant (along with Pillay, as we would have had her show up instead). Oh well!
The 2nd Set ended exactly at 1:34. At this time, Sachiko stepped onto Court Four with a camera of her own. She suggested getting the four ladies together for a photo and Natalia added that Frank should also be in it (with the host in the middle of the four females).
As Tokuda decided to drop to one knee for a better angle for the shot, her knee gave out on her and she ended up tumbling to the court and rolling over onto her back! We all were very concerned, but thankfully she had only lost her balance and was OK! We then suggested that she remain on her feet and she took the photo that way.
The ladies, having split the first two sets, then launched into the 3rd Set at exactly 1:39. Around 1:55, Sachiko took the place of Kris in the hitting session against Richard on Court Three. She was fine throughout it, which was a good sign that she truly was OK after all.
It was at this same time that Celis returned from his lunch break. He returned to hang with Samara to watch the balance of the action on Court Four as The K Man was now doing the same at this time.
At 2:05, Cabanatan returned to the scene (he would later get a shot of the victorious team). He would soon be followed to the court area by "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon (arriving for the soon-to-start M-Dub Final where he would be teaming with Toker to take on Celis and Gawley).
Five minutes later, Gawley showed up as well. Another five minutes after that, so did Toker along with her man "T-Rez" Tommy Reszkowski. By 2:25, all four parties involved in the M-Dub Final were hitting against one another on Court Three in prep for the coming Final (though it soon became obvious they would wait for the W-Dub Final to end so that they could then take Court Four to play their match there, too).
That W-Dub Final did not end until 2:43 as it entered a 3rd Set Tiebreak at 2:31! It ended up becoming a possible Nominee for Women's Doubles Match of the Year at season's end.
Samara had to leave at 2:50...just as the M-Dub Final was getting officially underway on Court Four. For the balance of the session, Kris would act as host.
The Cedar Grove Results:
W-Dub First Round One-Setter:
Doinks Srinivasan/Natalia Sout over Brenda Jordan/Natalie Guzman, 6-1! No Aces. Srinivasan/Sout advanced to the Finals! The two teams faced off on Court Four from 10:33 to 11:13. Despite the somewhat lopsided score, there were many multiple Deuce games...which is why this lasted forty minutes!
Non-W-Dub Men's Doubles One-Setter:
Frank Samara/Omar Santos over Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-3! No Aces. It went like this: Sairaj was broken (Sairaj hit a winning lob for 15-Love, then a Double Fault for 15-All, an un-returned serve for 30-15, another Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point, another Double Fault to make it Deuce, then Break Point and the break), Frank was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point as Frank hit a winner, Kris blew an overhead and Omar blew a volley along the way and then came the break), but Kris was the first to hold serve and it was at Love as the game was book-ended by a drop shot winner from Sairaj and a passing shot winner by Kris to go up 2-1! Omar also held (Triple Game Point where Kris hit a winning volley to cut that lead to Double Game Point, but then Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley to secure his partner's hold) to make it 2-2. Then came an epic game with the young Srinivasan on serve once again as he started off with a near-ace against Omar for 15-Love, a Double Fault for 15-All, 30-15 and then another Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point and then another Double Fault for Deuce followed by yet another Double Fault for Break Point but then an un-returned serve for 2nd Deuce and it would be all Game Points until 6th Deuce...and obviously I forgot who hit what winners when and where during all that...but after that 6th Deuce it was another Double Fault that set up Break Point and then came the break as his team lost the lead at 2-3! But Samara was broken again and this time it was at Love as it was lethal returns from first Kris and then Sairaj that found their target...Omar playing up at net and then Sairaj hit a winner to set up Triple Break Point where he then hit a scorching winner for the break and to level things once again, this time at 3-3! Papa Srinivasan was then broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All, but then back-to-back un-returned serves set up Double Game Point only to have it shift straight through Break Point right to the break) and then Santos held again (an un-returned serve and a blown volley by Kris made it 30-Love which was where Kris made a great get that led to a blown volley by Frank for 30-15 only to have that answered by a great get by Omar that led to a blown volley by Kris to set up Double Game Point, the hold came on Game Point) and then The Secret Weapon was broken again (30-Love shifted to 30-All where a Double Fault set up Break/Match Point and then came the break) to take a tough loss! We played this one on Court Three from 10:35 to 11:13.
W-Dub Second Round One-Setter:
Kathy Sheldon/Christine Toth over Brenda Jordan/Natalie Guzman, 7-5! No Aces. Sheldon/Toth advanced to the Finals! Here's the basic recap: Jordan/Guzman had leads (or ties) at 1-0, 1-1 to 3-1 to 3-3 and then Natalie had an impressive Love hold to go up 4-3! Kathy held to level it once more at 4-4. Brenda was broken, but so was Christine for 5-5! Guzman was broken and then Sheldon held on Double Game/Match Point for a hard-fought victory! They played this on Court Four from 11:25 to 12:05.
W-Dub Final:
Kathy Sheldon/Christine Toth over Doinks Srinivasan/Natalia Sout, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), to win the 2016 W-Dub Tournament and become the New # 2 Ranked Team (aka the next Top Contenders) in the Women's Doubles Division while Srinivasan/Sout entered the division as the New # 15 Ranked Team! No Aces.
1st Set: Doinks was broken at Love after starting off with a Double Fault and Christine was broken (Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce where the best rally of the match at that time ended with an awesome passing shot winner by Natalia for Break Point where Doinks hit a net-cord aided drop shot winner for the break) for 1-1. And then came an epic game with Natalia on serve as Doinks hit a winner to set up Game Point, but then Kathy hit a winner for Deuce where Christine hit a winning volley to set up Break Point, but then it went to 2nd Deuce where Kathy hit a drop shot winner to once again set up Break Point, but then Christine blew a volley to make it 3rd Deuce, it went to Break Point again where Christine blew another volley for 4th Deuce and that was where Doinks and Natalia rushed to the same ball and swung their racquets at the same time as we could not tell which one of them had hit the winning volley to set up Game Point, but then it went to 5th Deuce, Break Point where Natalia hit a winner to go to 6th Deuce where Christine blew another volley to set up Game Point where the hold finally came for 2-1! Kathy responded with a Love hold and then Srinivasan was broken again (on Double Break Point this time) for 2-3. Toth held on Double Game Point and then Sout was broken (Double Game Point where Kathy hit a winner to cut that lead to Game Point and then Christine hit an excellent volley winner for Deuce, it then went to Break Point and the break) to fall to 2-5! Sheldon was then broken (Double Game/Set Point, Game/Set Point where Doinks hit a winning Overhead Smash for Deuce and then Christine blew an overhead to set up Brek Point where Natalia then hit a net-cord aided winning return for the break) to have her team's lead reduced to 5-3, but The Marathon Woman was broken a third straight time and it occurred on the first Break/Set Point of the game which was the 3rd S.P. overall! This set took place on Court Four from 12:12 to 12:53. There was a four minute break before the next set began.
2nd Set: Christine was broken in a battle (Game Point where Natalia hit a passing shot winner for Deuce and then Natalia hit a winning lob to make it Break Point, then came 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce where Christine hit a winning volley to set up Game Point, but then came the 5th Deuce, Break Point and the break) and Natalia held on Game Point to go up 2-0. Kathy held at Love and then Doinks was broken (Triple Break Point, Double Break Point and then the break) to level the set at 2-2. Toth held at Double Game Point, but Sout held again (once again on Game Point) to tie it up again, this time at 3-3. Sheldon was broken (Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break), but Srinivasan finally held (it came on Double Game Point when an exciting and extended rally ended with Natalia hitting a winner) to go up 5-3! C.A.T. was then broken on Double Break/Set Point to drop the set and level the match at 1:34. The two teams agreed to play the full 3rd Set (earlier there was talk of playing the 3rd Set at a later date if the first two sets were split and Christine was concerned with being able to leave the session by 3pm) and then took a five minute coffee break before launching into the deciding set.
3rd Set: Natalia was broken (Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break), Christine was broken (Game Point, Deuce, Break Point where Christine blew a volley to break herself), but Doinks was the first to hold serve in this set (Break Point where another marathon rally ended with Doinks hitting the winner to secure her own hold) to go up 2-1. Kathy was broken (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All where yet another extended rally led to 15-30, it then went to Double Break Point, Break Point where Doinks hit an amazing winner for the break) to fall to 1-3, but Sout was broken again (Break Point, Deuce where Kathy hit a winner to bring it back to Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point yet again and then the break) to have her team's lead cut to 3-2. Toth was also broken again (on Break Point) for 2-4, but then Srinivasan was broken (15-All, Double Fault for 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) to have her team's lead cut to 4-3. Sheldon was also broken again (on Double Break Point) to fall to 3-5, but Nitro was broken a third straight time (also on Double Break Point) to have her team's lead cut to 5-4. C.A.T. finally held in this set (Love-30 shifted straight though Game Point with another extended rally leading to the hold) to level the set and match at 5-5! The Marathon Woman held and it was on Double Game Point to go up 6-5! But then it was Killer Kat holding at Love to force the Tiebreak. The time was 2:31 as they headed into it.
Tiebreak: Natalia held her lone serve and it was un-returned and then Christine was broken on both of her serves for 0-3! Doinks held the first of her two serves after hitting a winner for 4-0, but then Christine hit a winner on the second serve to pull to 1-4. Kathy held the first of her two serves for 2-4 at the changeover and then she held again after another lengthy rally was ended by a winner from Kathy to then pull to 3-4! Sout was broken on the first of her two serves to knot the score at 4-4 and then another extended rally on her second serve ended with her team losing their lead at 4-5! Toth held the first of her two serves to go up 6-4 and have the first Match Point in their favor. She was then broken on her second serve, but it was still 6-5 and the 2nd Match Point with her team still on top. Srinivasan was then broken after yet another enduring rally as this one ended as a 7-5 TB on the 2nd M.P. at exactly 2:43 (the 3rd Set alone was one hour and four minutes and the entire match was 2 hours and 31 minutes in length)!
The Skinny: Congratulations to Sheldon/Toth who, as Former Champs, used their edge in experience to edge the competition! Sout was particularly impressive in this one as she often displayed tenacity in the rallies which enabled her team to win the points. Natalia is a definite contender for Most Improved Women's Player of The Year at season's end. This match got closer once Srinivasan steadied her nerves and then Doinks was able to hold some of her serves. This will likely be a Nominee for Women's Doubles Match of The Year as well.
The Consequences: Sheldon/Toth will be the next team to challenge Gawley/Pillay for their GTA Women's Doubles Championship. It would be nice to see that match happen before the 2016 Season expires.
The Say from The K (on the W-Dub and especially the Final): It was a great Sunday session despite the howling winds and the courts full of debris (mostly leaves and seeds). But it did not deter the W-Dub Women's Doubles Tournament nor the M-Dub Mixed Doubles Tournament Final from taking place.
The sun was glorious and the setting was beautiful. It would only end up being six participants for the Women's Doubles but the way Frank organized it was perfect as it engaged all the players in intense play all the way to the Finals Match which saw an incredible finish.
The Final ended up as a classic full 3-setter that ended in an amazing win for Kathy and Christine and a very tough loss for Doinks and Natalia as they were up 5-3 in the 3rd Set and then missed out on closing it. Again, after a 4-Love lead in the TB, they fizzled out in the swirling winds. Congrats to all the players and the winners that nearly finished close to 2:45!
M-Dub Final:
Chazz Weldon/Fernanda Toker over Dino Celis/Laura Gawley, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, to win the 2016 M-Dub Tournament and become the New # 2 Ranked Team (aka the next Top Contenders) in the Mixed Doubles Division! Laura: 1 Ace on Fernanda in the 1st Set.
The Say from the K: We then got to witness another epic battle between Dino and Laura against Chazz and Fernanda. It was indeed a great match that saw the diminutive looking Fernanda and Chazz going up against the aggressive players in Dino and Laura. We knew that it's going to be a tough match and the question was whether the steady play of Fernanda and Chazz would be enough to counter the missiles that would surely be thrown at them.
We got to know just that in the ensuing grueling match which consumed close to three hours! It was a treat to watch the battle engulfing the concentration, the focus, the consternation, the misses, the efforts, the lead, the recovery, the pressure that the players went through, all of them and the spectators as well. So, it turned out to be another blockbuster of the day.
Dino and Laura showed in the 1st Set why they were the compelling favorites for their aggressiveness. They played their game their way and we got to see the familiar overhead crackers and placements from Laura and the great ground rallies from Dino. Fernanda was unfazed and played her usual game which is amazingly consistent. Chazz was slightly nervous in the beginning and we saw some unusual errors as he dumped a few into the net. It was a clinical performance from Laura and Dino as they took the set at 6-3. Laura had a lovely Ace on Fernanda in this set.
The 2nd Set started to unravel for Dino and Laura. The urgency of the situation had heightened the careful attitude of both Fernanda and Laura as they were hardly making any unforced errors, but that was not the case with Dino and Laura. It became a challenge for Dino to hold his service games as a bunch of shots found the net and suddenly it was taking a lethal effect as they were behind staring at 1-5 before an angry Laura started to sparkle and, supported by Dino, stopped the hemorrhage. They fought hard and won the next three games to take it to 4-5. The next game was crucial and they did start well, but then it was 30-All and a Break Point that they couldn't save. They were so close to tying the set, but when they missed that opportunity…what an uplifting feeling it was for Fernanda and Chazz as they breathed a sigh of relief in winning that set and leveling the match.
The momentum was clearly with Fernanda and Chazz as they fully believed that their game would help them stay in the match while it was a different mindset for Dino and Laura. They had to deal with a bunch of things that didn't go their way. Now it was difficult for Laura to smash the overheads as she started playing carefully not to blow them. But that was not winning the points like before. Dino had a poor day with his overheads as well and that was also losing points. Both of them came aggressively to the net, but behind shots that were not deep and penetrating. It was then easy for Fernanda to lob the ball over their heads. Hats off to Laura for running back to retrieve those balls (how many times she had to do it!). She did it all without making any errors, but some just got over the net so that Chazz had a crack at them to put them away. Dino also had to run back and play his shots as well. It was inexplicable that they ran so aggressively to the net on so many balls that they only ended up then running back to play a defensive shot. I am probably not fair to make this point as it indeed sounds rude…especially when we saw 30-plus shot rallies that inevitably were won by Fernanda and Chazz. The efforts of all the players in this match were absolutely incredible.
The 3rd Set looked close and still could have gone either way. It was not easy to put away the shots for Laura and Dino as they had been playing for a while. The situation also demanded extra care. Still, they managed to put away some points…especially Laura. There were some brilliant sneak attacks by Laura. For Dino, it was really unfortunate as even some of his shots that looked to be certain winners were retrieved with great dexterity by Chazz, and many for winners. After being close halfway, a break ensured a 5-3 lead for Fernanda and Chazz. In the penultimate point of the last game, we saw a contested point. Laura played a shot from the Doubles Alley down the line to Fernanda. Both Dino and Laura were certain it landed on the line, but Fernanda felt that it curved out. It was 30-All and indeed was a crucial point. Laura said it would be best to replay the point. Fernanda subsequently said that she was OK with replaying the point. But Chazz reasoned to Fernanda that if she is clear of her call, then there was nothing to dispute. Well, it was Fernanda's call and they went with 40-30 (Game/Match Point). It would have been magnanimous if they had replayed the point. But it's understandable that it was a huge point given how intense Laura and Dino were till the last point was played. So, congratulations again to all the players and the winners. And most certainly to the spectators on the bench seeing the match to its glorious conclusion.
All in all, it was wonderful tennis on a day filled with sunshine but also clobbered by the winds...J. Cheers!
The Consequences: Weldon/Toker will be the next team to challenge Tito "Touch" Castolo and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson for their GTA Mixed Doubles Championship. Much like the situation in the Women's Doubles Division, it would be great to see that match occur before this season ends. It is understood, however, that Tito is dealing with a lingering case of tennis elbow while Dawn stills suffers from some ongoing back issues. Hopefully, something can be worked out.
Samara's Notes: I thank Kris for hosting the balance of the session. I am also grateful to all the ladies who showed up for the W-2 Tourney (as well as Sally for being willing to back out of it to make things easier) and also appreciate both Dennis and Sachiko for taking some photos along the way. Kudos to all!
Kris also indicated that there was Singles action between "A-Tru" Andrew Truong and "T-Rez" Tommy Reszkowki going on as he was leaving the session around 6:20. He was under the impression that it was to be a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match, but it ended up being just a One-Setter. Fernanda Toker provided the details.
Andrew Truong over Tommy Reszkowski, 7-6 (7-3)! No Aces (apparently).
Toker's Take: Tommy was up 5-2, but then Andrew started getting more aggressive and came back to force a Tiebreak.
Samara's Notes: I thank Fernanda for reporting that final result from the Cedar Grove session.
In addition to the mega session (all day and into the night) at Cedar Grove, "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan sent a recap of the hitting session she had with "Holy Moly" Mike Mole in the afternoon at Albion Park in Clifton. We go to Gen now.
Mike Mole and I ended up having a hitting session at Albion Park from 4pm to 5:30. We were not able to play any official sets since my Achilles' tendon was still bothering me.
We hit for 45 to 50 minutes. Afterwards, Mike practiced his serves and I worked on my return of serves. We also got to try out Mike's radar gun gadget to clock how fast we were serving. Mike's first serves were clocking in at an average of 100 miles per hour and his highest was 104 on this day! His second serves were in the 85-88mph range. Then, it was my turn. My serves were in the 50's with a higher speed range of 58-59mph. It was a lot fun.
Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for sending in that recap.
All the best,
Frank Samara
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