"Mole-Santos at AP, M2 Semi and Kuzavas-Celis part of 14 at C.G.!":
GTA Tuesday Night Tennis took place at two locations: Albion Park in Clifton (featuring a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match between "Holy Moly" Mike Mole and "Stealth" Omar Santos, as reported by Mike) and The Cedar Grove Courts with "Hollywood" Frank Samara acting as host with assistance from the usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan and featuring the M2 Semifinal as GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro and "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah faced off against "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and "Instant" Moka Pathan. Plus, there was a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match between "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Coach" Dino Celis.
We will first get the result from Mike at Albion and then we'll run the full recap of events at Cedar Grove.
The Albion Park Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Mike Mole over Omar Santos, 6-3, 6-2, to successfully defend both the # 23 Rank in the Advanced Division and the # 6 Rank in the Intermediate Division! No Aces. We played this from 4pm to 5:20.
Mike Mole tied with Omar Santos, 3-3 (Incomplete)! No Aces. We didn't have time to finish this one due to darkness.
Samara's Notes: I thank Mike for his very timely reporting of those scores. We now will detail all the comings and goings at Cedar Grove.
When Samara pulled into the parking lot at Cedar Grove, he saw that Courts One and Two were both vacant. On Court Three, "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle and "The Rainmaker" Richard Reicht were having a hitting session with one another.
And on Court Four, the two teams in the M2 Semifinal – Chiaro/Shah and Fernandes/Pathan were already hitting against one another in preparation for their match. In fact, the match officially got underway just three minutes later.
At 7:10, Kuzavas arrived for his upcoming match against Celis, but he took a seat next to Samara on the bench alongside Court Four as Frank was already taking notes about the M2 Semi.
Five minutes later, Natalia "Nitro" Sout arrived and also found a seat on that bench while Kris and Doinks Srinivasan (aka "The Marathon Woman") soon crossed the street as well. Soon after, Natalia and Doinks went out onto Court Three for some Mixed Doubles with Kevin and Richard.
Kris, meanwhile, took a seat next to Frank and Marijus to observe the M2 Semi. Despite the rapidly dropping temperatures (at 7pm, it was around 50 degrees…but the temps dropped precipitously…even more so once the winds returned), it was a very entertaining match to watch. It captivated the attention of many along the way.
Celis arrived at 7:25 and then Kuzavas followed him out to Court One. They had a hitting session just shy of ten minutes long as they got their match underway at 7:35.
In between those two times, "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak had arrived at 7:30 and found himself to be the odd man out as Samara and Srinivasan continued to be in spectator mode for the M2 Semi. So he took a seat next to them as well until an opportunity to play would open up for him.
At 7:50, the usual Asian couple (aka The Resistance…as they have resisted the invitation from Kris to come join us…LOL!) took over Court Four for a hitting session with one another. The good thing for us is that they took the time to clear all the leaves off of that court.
But now we had a situation where all four courts were occupied.
"The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar arrived at 8:05 and he had to spend some time on the bench before finally getting involved in some Doubles action at 8:30.
The last arrival of the evening was "Rowdy" Rob Gawley at 8:20. He was only able to find some crowded time on the bench alongside Natalia, Doinks and Frank as the four of them watched the still ongoing M2 Semi. He decided to call it a night at 8:35 and head home.
Also, Kevin ended up leaving earlier at 8:20. Doyle, ever the gentleman, gave up his spot in the ongoing Doubles situation on Court Three to make room for Ryan. I just wanted to thank Kevlar Kevin for always being such a good guy.
We ended up with a fairly impressive total of fourteen players…given how downright cold it became later in the evening. Not too shabby!
The Cedar Grove Results:
M2 Semifinal:
Chris Chiaro/Raj Shah over Nathan Fernandes/Moka Pathan, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), to advance to the M2 Finals while also successfully defending their # 8 Rank in the Doubles Division! No Aces.
1st Set: Chris held serve (Break Point where a winning Overhead Smash from Chris made it Deuce and then he hit an amazing passing shot winner to set up Game Point where his hold was then secured) and Nathan was broken (Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break) to start off down 0-2. Raj held (Break Point where Raj hit a monster Overhead Smash for Deuce and then came a truly un-returnable serve to set up Game Point which was followed by yet another un-returnable serve to lock down the hold) to go up 3-0, but then Moka also held at Game Point to get his team onto the scoreboard at 1-3. Chiaro was broken at Love to have his team's lead cut to 3-2, but Fernandes was broken again (Raj hit another killer Overhead Smash to set up Double Break Point where Chris then hit an equally awesome winner for the break) to fall to 2-4. Shah held again (Raj hit another blast of an Overhead Smash to set up Double Game Point, but then Chris blew an overhead to have that lead cut to Game Point, but then came the hold) to put his team up 5-2, but Pathan also held again (an excellent rally led to Double Game Point where Moka then hit a blazing winner to secure his own hold) to pull to 3-5. King Crush was broken a second straight time (on Double Break Point), but then Nate the Great was broken a third straight time (Chris blew what should have been an easy overhead to make it 30-All, it was then Break/Set Point where Raj hit a winning Overhead Smash for the break) to drop the set which started on Court Four at 7:08 and finished exactly at 7:44. The next set began in the very next minute as Nate and Moka decided to switch up their return of service sides.
2nd Set: Raj held yet again (Raj hit another lethal Overhead Smash to set up Game Point, but then Moka answered with an equally impressive Overhead Smash to make it Deuce, it went to Game Point again where Nate hit a winning volley for 2nd Deuce, it then went to Break Point where Raj hit another winning Overhead Smash to make it 3rd Deuce and then he came thru with an even bigger Overhead Smash to set up Game Point again and then came the hold), Moka held once more as well (it was Game Point where he hit a truly un-returnable hold to secure his own serve), Chris held (Triple Game Point where Chris blew a volley to cut the lead to Double Game Point and then Raj blew a volley to make it Game Point, but then came the hold) and Nathan finally held serve (Chris hit a precise drop shot winner to set up Break Point, but then Raj blew a volley to make it Deuce and then an un-returned serve set up Game Point and then came the hold) as they were on serve at 2-2. Shah held yet another time (Chris hit the winner to set up Game Point, it went to Deuce where Raj hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Game Point again and that was where Raj and Moka exchanged drop shots with the last one forcing the error from Raj to set up 2nd Deuce and then it went to Break Point where Nate blew a volley to make it 3rd Deuce where Moka then blew a volley which set up Game Point and then came the hold), but Pathan also held yet again (Moka hit an impressive winner for Double Game Point which soon got cut down to Deuce, but then it went to Game Point again where Chris blew a volley to allow the hold) as the set was leveled again at 3-3! Chiaro also held (Triple Game Point where Raj blew an overhead to cut that lead down to Double Game Point and then a Double Fault made it Game Point which was where Moka hit an excellent passing shot winner for Deuce, it went to Game Point again where Moka made an amazing get which led to it going to 2nd Deuce where Raj hit a big-time winner to make it Game Point, then it went to 3rd Deuce which was where Chris hit a winning Overhead Smash to set up Game Point yet again and then an un-returned serve secured the hold), but Fernandes was broken at Break Point to fall to 3-5! Then, The Sultan of Swing was broken for the first time (Raj blew an easy overhead to make it 30-All and then Chris blew a drop shot to set up Break Point, but then he hit a winner to make it Deuce only to have it go back to Break Point and then the break), but not Instant Moka who held yet again (Chris blew an overhead to set up Double Game Point, it was then Game Point where Raj hit a drop shot winner to make it Deuce, it went to Game Point again, then to 2nd Deuce where Moka hit a winning lob for Game Point and then Nate hit a winning Overhead Smash to secure his partner's hold) to tie things up once again, this time at 5-5! King Crush was broken (Game Point where Moka hit a sizzling passing shot winner for Deuce only to have Chris respond with a similarly successful passing shot winner to bring it back to Game Point, then 2nd Deuce and Break Point where Nate hit a winning lob that just clipped the very back of the baseline for the break) to lose the lead at 5-6, but Nate the Great was broken yet again (Break Point where Nate hit a Samara-like Windmill Overhead Smash to make it Deuce, it was Break Point again where Raj blew what should have been a certain overhead to make it 2nd Deuce, but then it went to Break Point again where what may have been the best rally of the match at that point was ended with an even better Overhead Smash from Chris for the break) as they were heading into the Tiebreak at 8:50 which they went right into in the very next minute!
The Tiebreak: Raj held his lone serve, then Moka was broken on the first of his two serves but then held his second after Nate hit what may have been his most punishing Overhead Smash to make it 1-2. Chris held his first serve and then followed that with an un-returned one for a 4-1 lead. Nate held the first of his two serves for 2-4 at the changeover, but was then broken on his second to fall to 2-5. Shah blew an overhead on the first of his two serves to have his team's lead cut to 5-3, but then he held his second serve to go up 6-3 and set up Match Point. Pathan held the first of his two serves to get to 4-6 and the 2nd Match Point, but after his second serve came what may have been the best rally of the entire match as it led to Raj hitting an emphatic volley winner to end this grueling battle in dramatic fashion at 8:59!
The Skinny: Congratulations to the winners and kudos to all four for going all out in a fierce encounter which felt like a full 3-Set war even though it ended in straight sets. In all likelihood, it will be a Nominee for Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.
The Consequences: The Former Champs (Chiaro/Shah) now advance to face Kuzavas and "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas in the Finals in what should be another epic conflict. We shall soon see!
Richard Reicht/Natalia Sout over Kevin Doyle/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-4! Richard: 1 Ace on Kevin. They played this one on Court Three from 7:24 to 7:57.
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Marijus Kuzavas over Dino Celis, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, to successfully defend his # 3 Rank in the Advanced Division! Marijus: 5 Aces (3 in the 1st Set and 2 in the 3rd Set)! This three-setter took place on Court One from 7:35 to 9:19.
Ryan Pienciak/Doinks Srinivasan over Richard Reicht/Natalia Sout, 6-1! Ryan: 1 Ace on Richard. Court Three hosted this one from 8pm to 8:24.
Ryan Pienciak/Richard Reicht over Senthil Kumar/Kris Srinivasan, 6-3! Ryan: 1 Ace on Senthil; and Richard: 1 Ace on Senthil. Ryan said it took at least 5 Match Points to finish this one off on Court Three which lasted from 8:30 to 9:10.
Frank Samara/Ryan Pienciak leading Senthil Kumar/Kris Srinivasan, 6-5 (Kris on serve at Deuce when the lights went off at 10pm)! No Aces. Here's how it was going: Ryan held (Ryan hit a winner for 15-Love, 15-All and then onto Double Game Point as Kris blew an overhead along the way and then Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash to secure his own hold) and Senthil was broken (Kris hit a winning volley for 15-Love, but then it shifted to 15-30 as Kris blew a volley, but then Frank blew what should have been a nice and sneaky screen shot when he pelted his partner in the back with the ball to make it 30-All, but then Ryan hit a wicked winner to set up Break Point and then came the break) for an 0-2 start. Frank was broken (Ryan hit a fast-reflex Backhand Volley for 15-Love, but then Kris hit a scorching winning return for 15-All and then Ryan blew two overheads on the way to Double Break Point where Frank then blew a volley to break himself) and Kris held (Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-Love, but then Frank hit an excellent drop shot return winner for 15-All, then Senthil hit a winning volley for 30-15 only to have Frank hit another drop shot return winner for 30-All which was then answered with yet another winning volley by Senthil for Game Point and then Kris hit a blistering volley winner to secure his own hold) leveling matters at 2-2! Pienciak held again and it was at Love as Frank hit a winning volley to get things going, then there was an un-returned serve and then Kris blew an overhead and then there was a truly un-returnable serve to lock down the hold, but Kumar also held again (15-Love then point for point to 30-All as Kris blew a volley to set that last score up and then an un-returned serve made it Game Point where Kris blew another volley to make it Deuce, then Break Point where Senthil hit a winning volley for 2nd Deuce and then he hit another one for Game Point and yet another one to clinch the hold) to tie things again, this time at 3-3. Samara held (an un-returned serve followed by another awesome winning Backhand Volley by Ryan made it 30-Love where Senthil hit a winning volley to cut that lead to 30-15 only to have Ryan hit another chopping Backhand Volley winner to set up Double Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), but Srinivasan held again (Love-15 shifted to Double Game Point as there were two un-returned serves and Frank blew an overhead along the way, but then Kris blew a volley to make it Game Point, then came Deuce where Frank blew another overhead to set up another Game Point and then came the hold) to knot the score once more at 4-4! The Lumberjack held a third straight time (there were two un-returned serves on the way to Triple Game Point where Kris hit another one of those laser-like winning returns to cut that lead to Double Game Point, but then Senthil blew what should have been a surefire winning volley to allow the hold) to go up 5-4. At this changeover, Samara decided to forego writing anything down as he knew that the clock was rapidly running toward the 10pm deadline for the lights. So from here on out, only the pivotal winners are remembered. The Webmaster also held a third straight time (15-Love then point for point to Game Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold) to make it 5-5 and then Hollywood had a second straight hold (30-Love shifted to 30-All, but then came Game Point where Ryan hit a monster of an Overhead Smash to secure his partner's hold) and then The K Man was on serve as it started off 15-Love and then it went point for point to Game Point where Ryan hit a winning volley to make it Deuce and then it was lights out at 10pm (we began this one on Court Three at exactly 9:17)!
The Skinny: While it was somewhat disappointing not to see this one to its proper conclusion, it was a fun way to end an epic and exciting session and at least neither team went away as the losers as all four players put forth a fine effort.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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