2/24/17:
"46 players (9 new, 7 returning) compete at GTA Bubblepalooza 4!":
There was a very special session of GTA Friday Night Tennis to honor the kickoff of the 2017 GTA Season. The "Bubblepalooza" moniker was coined by "Hollywood" Frank Samara two seasons ago when two of these events were held at The Wayne Bubble that inaugural year of the idea. But the concept and execution of this event, once again, was the result of the efforts of "The Riz" John Rizzo.
While Rizzo's focus was primarily the invitations and then the accommodations (food, beverages, etc.), Samara's role was making sure that all those that attended had their fair share of court time at The Bubble.
Last year's event set a new record in terms of the number of official competitors in a singular session with 37 players. This year, Rizzo and Samara set a goal of at least 40 competitors. They cleared that hurdle quite easily when they ended up with 46 actual players plus one extended cameo appearance made by Minnie Cabanatan (wife of Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan). She plans on playing with us in the near future, but was feeling a bit under the weather on this particular night.
And we could have hit an even more amazing total of 50 competitors in one session had it not been for last-minute no-shows...the most infamous of which was made by "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli (who had some unforeseen intestinal issues). His absence was the most heinous when considering the fact he took the opportunity to chastise others on the invitation list that had yet to confirm their pending participation at that particular time.
Nonetheless, the event was a tremendous success. It was record-breaking in a few ways as not only did we have 46 competitors, but we had nine making their official GTA Debut (a new record for a singular session), seven others were making their official return to the league (another record) and one of them was making their first appearance on GTA courts in twenty years (yet another record)!
Unlike the three previous Bubblepalooza events where through the course of his work managing The Night Owl Sessions up at The Wayne Bubble, Rizzo had earned some free court time for himself along the way...and then instead of keeping that time for his own purposes, he decided to be quite generous with it...this time around he had to pay for the court time. So for the first time, there was a $10 admission fee.
I doubt that covered his expenses (even though the rate of attendance was strong) as he also purchased eight pizza pies, a 3 foot long sub sandwich, a platter of mozzarella sticks and a custom-made two-tiered cake.
Two years ago, his idea was to create a special session soon after the 2015 Season officially got underway that would include some of his friends from those RTA Night Owl Indoor Sessions along with many more of his friends from the GTA. This would also enable some of those RTA players to then make their official GTA Debut.
Given the fact that there are four courts at The Bubble, Rizzo thought it best to invite a certain amount of players that he had already established relationships with rather than open it up to the entire league as that could have led to a situation that would grow out of hand. Furthermore, he relied on RSVPs in order to plan on how much food he should have in advance.
Before I go further with the details of how the session unfolded, I just want to once again thank The Riz for offering up his time, services and funds to host this event for the benefit of the GTA. And I acted as the host of the session in the traditional sense of how we use the term "hosting", i.e. I collected the scores of all the action along the way.
Usually in my results write-ups, I detail the order of entry and/or appearance as the session progresses...but not this time around! There were just too many people to note...and they came in waves! All I will say is that it became our most epic session to date. It also served as an introduction (or reintroduction) for many players. It was an amazing way to kick off the 2017 Season. And the goal for next year's Bubblepalooza 5 will be 50 competitors (at the very least)!
Let's get to the action!
The Wayne Bubble Results:
Jeff Angello/Jeff Angello Jr. over Tom La/Jonathan La, 6-1! No Aces. It was the official GTA Returns of Jeff Angello, Jeff Angello Jr. and Jonathan La! After a hitting session that began a little bit after 8pm, this one got underway on Court One and lasted until 8:35. It was father and son versus father and son. I believe that Jeff Junior represents PCTI (Passaic County Technical Institute) while Jonathan represents NHS (Nutley High School). Both bring big game for 15 year old players and can more than hold their own against the adults.
Mike Mole/Bo Folchi over Dennis Cabanatan/Ryan Sherry, 6-1! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Bo Folchi. Much like the above One-Setter, hitting began a bit after 8pm and this one (contested on Court Three, aka "Show Court" as it is in front of the lobby/seating area and naturally draws an audience) also finished at 8:35. Folchi is a Former 7-Time GTA Champion who has opted to play most of his tennis at The Nutley Tennis Club in recent years as the red clay courts there are far more forgiving on the knees.
Gary Puntasecca/Nihar Panda over Francisco Mantilla/Rana Purupati, 6-1! Nihar: 3 Aces on Rana! It was the official GTA Debuts of Gary Puntasecca, Nihar Panda and Rana Purupati and the official GTA Return of Francisco Mantilla! Similar to the two scores above, hitting began shortly after 8pm...but this one did not get finished on Court Four until 8:45. Panda and Purupati are friends (and now recruits) of "Lucky" Leo Victor. Puntasecca is a recruit of Mantilla, who made his return to the league after 20 years! Francisco was originally brought into the GTA by "Broadway Dre" Andre Sayegh (a City Councilman for the City of Paterson and hopefully that city's next Mayor). Now we just hope it won't be another 20 years until we see Power FM again!
Denise Savino/Marie Salamon over Kathy Sheldon/Laurie Boughton, 7-5! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Marie Salamon and the official GTA Debut of Laurie Boughton. Like the other three results, hitting for this one also got underway shortly after 8pm. But the ladies did not finish this one until 9pm! When initial news reports (via e-mail and Facebook) went out about this session the next day (Saturday morning), it was mistakenly reported that six players had returned to the league. It actually turned out to be seven as Salamon had fallen off the ranks for inactivity just prior to the end of the 2016 Season. Boughton is a new member of the Night Owls group and it was at the suggestion of "Drill Instructor" Don Moya that she become involved with the GTA as well.
Syed Rashid/Mike Sindler over Levy Lorenzo/Dain VanDeventer, 6-1! Mike: 2 Aces on Dain! It was the official GTA Debut of Dain Van Deventer. This match took place on Court Three and lasted from 8:40 to 9:10. VanDeventer (aka DVD) used to be a member of Nutley Tennis Club. We had been trying to bring him into the GTA for quite some time. One of "Sadistic" Syed's signature "swing for the fences" forehands almost connected to the cranium of Dain (who was positioned at the net) and this drew "the death stare" from DVD. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and it was a case of all's well that end's well.
William Bobila/Fred Suba over Raj Boddu/Mark LaSalle, 6-2! Mark: 1 Ace on Fred. It was the official GTA Debuts of William Bobila, Fred Suba and Mark LaSalle! This one was contested on Court One from 8:40 to 9:20. All three new players are friends and recruits of Tom La. It was a very impressive night for the man known as "The Hitman" who was responsible for five of the attendees (including himself).
Pranav Sinha/Brian Barbera over Mike Kazlauskas/Fernanda Toker, 6-4! Mike: 3 Aces (2 on Brian and 1 on Pranav) all in the same game; and Brian: 1 Ace on Fernanda! It was the official GTA Return of Brian Barbera. This foursome faced off on Court Four from 8:50 to 9:30. Pranav and Brian jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Mike and Fernanda fought back to make things interesting. Barbera hopes to be more involved in GTA action this season than he had been in the past couple of years.
Don Moya/Janice Wang over Dino Celis/Natalie Guzman, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of Janice Wang. Court Two hosted this contest from 9:05 to 9:40. Janice is the very good friend (and now recruit) of Don and she proved to be (as Moya promised she would be) a very steady player. Hopefully, she (and Don) will play more GTA Tennis in the coming months and years.
Alfred Chen/Dan Hwang over Kris Srinivasan/Nick Inciong, 6-4! Alfred: 3 Aces (2 on Nick and 1 on Kris)! This took place on Court Three from 9:15 to 9:50.
Senthil Kumar/Ryan Sherry over Jose Gonzales/Gary Puntasecca, 6-2! Jose: 2 Aces on Senthil! Court One hosted this one from 9:25 to 9:55.
Jeff Angello/Jeff Angello Jr. over Nihar Panda/Rana Purupati, 6-0! No Aces. These four faced off on Court Four from 9:35 to 10pm. The father/son combo was even more impressive against the fairly experienced tandem of Panda and Purupati.
Bo Folchi/Denise Savino over Mike Mole/Marie Salamon, 6-4! Mike: 1 Ace on Denise. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Two and lasted from 9:45 to 10:15.
Dennis Cabanatan/Jonathan La over Anish Mehta/Dain VanDeventer, 6-1! No Aces. This was contested on Court Three from 9:55 to 10:25.
Mike Kazlauskas/Mike Sindler over Syed Rashid/Ryan Sherry, 6-3! Mike: 2 Aces (one on each) in the same game; Ryan: 1 Ace on Mike in the very first serve of the match! They got this one done on Court One with it lasting from 10pm to 10:40.
Ryan Pienciak/Janice Wang over Fernanda Toker/Laurie Boughton, 6-1! Ryan: 1 Ace on Fernanda. This one took place on Court Four from 10:05 to 10:30. Ryan was the lone, lucky man with the three ladies, but some said the true story was the ever-steady game possessed by Janice.
Dino Celis/Raj Boddu over William Bobila/Fred Suba, 7-5! Dino: 1 Ace on William. This was conducted on Court Two from 10:20 to 11:05. Dino and Raj got off to a slow start (not sure how far they were down) before they rallied back to overcome the crafty and wily duo that is Bobila/Suba.
Tom La/Mark LaSalle over Dan Hwang/Pranav Sinha, 7-6 (7-5)! No Aces. Despite the Tiebreak score, this one got underway on Court Three at 10:30 and was over by 11:15. The buddy tandem of La/La Salle just got by Hwang/Sinha in what proved to be the closest contest of the entire evening.
Nick Inciong/Levy Lorenzo over Jose Gonzales/Brian Barbera, 6-2! No Aces. Court Four contained this battle from 10:35 to 11:15. While sitting on the sidelines in the lobby area, Nick and Levy expressed their desire to team together as they felt they each belonged in the thus far nonexistent "Senior Division." Soon, someone coined them (perhaps it was Rizzo) as "The Legends of The Court" and then they went out and lived up to that moniker with an impressive win over the tough pairing of Gonzales and Barbera.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Bo Folchi/Marie Salamon, 6-1! No Aces. Court One hosted this Mixed Doubles contest from 10:45 to 11:05. On paper, it seemed like it had the potential to be an even battle...but afterwards, Salamon joked to Samara that he "fed them to the wolves!" Folchi also remarked what a fine tandem that Kuzavas/Pillay were...and he was especially impressed by the talents of "Spicy" Sally.
Senthil Kumar/Ryan Pienciak over Anish Mehta/Alfred Chen, 6-1! Anish: 1 Ace on Senthil. This one took place on Court One from 11:10 to 11:35 and fell short (by one point) of being fully completed. Up 5-1 and with Triple Game Point in favor of Kumar/Pienciak, Chen suffered an injury and it was thought best to just forfeit that point away to allow this one to be recorded as a completed contest.
John Rizzo/Fernanda Toker over Frank Samara/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! John: 3 Aces (2 on Frank and 1 on Laurie)! Here's the basic breakdown: Frank was broken on Double Break Point, John was broken (Triple Break Point then shifted to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, sideline Ace on Frank for 3rd Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point, 4th Deuce and then all Game Points until 7th Deuce, Break Point and the break), Laurie was broken on Break Point, but Fernanda was the first to hold serve and she did it quite impressively at Love for a 3-1 lead. Samara held at Double Game Point to pull to 2-3, but then Rizzo also held (Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, an Ace up the T against Laurie for Game Point and then came the hold) to go up 4-2. Boughton was broken again (Double Break Point, Break Point, then the break) to fall to 2-5, but then Toker was broken (30-15 shifted to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) to have her team's lead cut to 5-3. Hollywood held again (15-30 shifted straight through Game Point to the hold) to pull to 4-5, but The Riz also held again (30-15, another sideline Ace against Frank to go up Double Game/Match Point, the hold came on Game/Match Point) for an impressive win. This Mixed Doubles contest took place on Court Two from 11:15 to 12:10 (likely the longest battle of the night, though the lone Women's Doubles One-Setter earlier in the night came close). Rizzo and Boughton both came into this battle somewhat buzzed (perhaps drunk, even) and it seemed to favor John more than it did Laurie. Still, it was fairly evenly matched and a lot of fun. The most noteworthy improvement for John as of late is his service game as he is starting to rack up quite the Ace count.
Don Moya/Janice Wang over Dennis Cabanatan/Jonathan La, 6-1! No Aces. These four met on Court Four and the contest lasted from 11:20 to 11:45.
Kris Srinivasan/Raj Boddu over Nihar Panda/Rana Purupati, 6-2! Raj: 1 Ace on Nihar; and Nihar: 1 Ace on Kris! They got this one underway on Court Three at 11:20 and it ended just around midnight.
Ryan Sherry/Brian Barbera over Mike Mole/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-2! No Aces. Court One hosted this one from 11:40 to 12:05. Doinks was a late arrival, but quite a welcome one as she enabled us to set the new record of 46 competitors in one evening.
Dino Celis/Levy Lorenzo over Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay, 6-4! No Aces. Court Four featured this foursome from 11:50 to 12:20.
Dennis Cabanatan/Pranav Sinha over Tom La/Jonathan La, 6-3! No Aces. This one had begun on Court One at 12:10 and it ended at 12:40.
Anish Mehta/Ryan Pienciak over Raj Boddu/Brian Barbera, 6-1! No Aces. This was conducted on Court Two from 12:15 to 12:35.
Mike Mole/Janice Wang over Senthil Kumar/Marie Salamon, 6-2! Mike: 1 Ace on Senthil. Court Three was the place to be for this final Mixed Doubles One-Setter of the evening and it lasted from 12:15 to 12:45. One of the stories of the night was the quite obvious steady improvement of one Mr. Mole. Holy Moly, indeed!
Marijus Kuzavas/Dino Celis over Dan Hwang/Ryan Sherry, 6-2! No Aces. The last official One-Setter of the evening was held on Court Four from 12:25 to 12:45.
All in all, it is simply amazing how many players and how much action we had over the course of a session that lasted about four hours and forty-five minutes! Thanks to all those who participated and helped us make GTA history.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
"46 players (9 new, 7 returning) compete at GTA Bubblepalooza 4!":
There was a very special session of GTA Friday Night Tennis to honor the kickoff of the 2017 GTA Season. The "Bubblepalooza" moniker was coined by "Hollywood" Frank Samara two seasons ago when two of these events were held at The Wayne Bubble that inaugural year of the idea. But the concept and execution of this event, once again, was the result of the efforts of "The Riz" John Rizzo.
While Rizzo's focus was primarily the invitations and then the accommodations (food, beverages, etc.), Samara's role was making sure that all those that attended had their fair share of court time at The Bubble.
Last year's event set a new record in terms of the number of official competitors in a singular session with 37 players. This year, Rizzo and Samara set a goal of at least 40 competitors. They cleared that hurdle quite easily when they ended up with 46 actual players plus one extended cameo appearance made by Minnie Cabanatan (wife of Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan). She plans on playing with us in the near future, but was feeling a bit under the weather on this particular night.
And we could have hit an even more amazing total of 50 competitors in one session had it not been for last-minute no-shows...the most infamous of which was made by "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli (who had some unforeseen intestinal issues). His absence was the most heinous when considering the fact he took the opportunity to chastise others on the invitation list that had yet to confirm their pending participation at that particular time.
Nonetheless, the event was a tremendous success. It was record-breaking in a few ways as not only did we have 46 competitors, but we had nine making their official GTA Debut (a new record for a singular session), seven others were making their official return to the league (another record) and one of them was making their first appearance on GTA courts in twenty years (yet another record)!
Unlike the three previous Bubblepalooza events where through the course of his work managing The Night Owl Sessions up at The Wayne Bubble, Rizzo had earned some free court time for himself along the way...and then instead of keeping that time for his own purposes, he decided to be quite generous with it...this time around he had to pay for the court time. So for the first time, there was a $10 admission fee.
I doubt that covered his expenses (even though the rate of attendance was strong) as he also purchased eight pizza pies, a 3 foot long sub sandwich, a platter of mozzarella sticks and a custom-made two-tiered cake.
Two years ago, his idea was to create a special session soon after the 2015 Season officially got underway that would include some of his friends from those RTA Night Owl Indoor Sessions along with many more of his friends from the GTA. This would also enable some of those RTA players to then make their official GTA Debut.
Given the fact that there are four courts at The Bubble, Rizzo thought it best to invite a certain amount of players that he had already established relationships with rather than open it up to the entire league as that could have led to a situation that would grow out of hand. Furthermore, he relied on RSVPs in order to plan on how much food he should have in advance.
Before I go further with the details of how the session unfolded, I just want to once again thank The Riz for offering up his time, services and funds to host this event for the benefit of the GTA. And I acted as the host of the session in the traditional sense of how we use the term "hosting", i.e. I collected the scores of all the action along the way.
Usually in my results write-ups, I detail the order of entry and/or appearance as the session progresses...but not this time around! There were just too many people to note...and they came in waves! All I will say is that it became our most epic session to date. It also served as an introduction (or reintroduction) for many players. It was an amazing way to kick off the 2017 Season. And the goal for next year's Bubblepalooza 5 will be 50 competitors (at the very least)!
Let's get to the action!
The Wayne Bubble Results:
Jeff Angello/Jeff Angello Jr. over Tom La/Jonathan La, 6-1! No Aces. It was the official GTA Returns of Jeff Angello, Jeff Angello Jr. and Jonathan La! After a hitting session that began a little bit after 8pm, this one got underway on Court One and lasted until 8:35. It was father and son versus father and son. I believe that Jeff Junior represents PCTI (Passaic County Technical Institute) while Jonathan represents NHS (Nutley High School). Both bring big game for 15 year old players and can more than hold their own against the adults.
Mike Mole/Bo Folchi over Dennis Cabanatan/Ryan Sherry, 6-1! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Bo Folchi. Much like the above One-Setter, hitting began a bit after 8pm and this one (contested on Court Three, aka "Show Court" as it is in front of the lobby/seating area and naturally draws an audience) also finished at 8:35. Folchi is a Former 7-Time GTA Champion who has opted to play most of his tennis at The Nutley Tennis Club in recent years as the red clay courts there are far more forgiving on the knees.
Gary Puntasecca/Nihar Panda over Francisco Mantilla/Rana Purupati, 6-1! Nihar: 3 Aces on Rana! It was the official GTA Debuts of Gary Puntasecca, Nihar Panda and Rana Purupati and the official GTA Return of Francisco Mantilla! Similar to the two scores above, hitting began shortly after 8pm...but this one did not get finished on Court Four until 8:45. Panda and Purupati are friends (and now recruits) of "Lucky" Leo Victor. Puntasecca is a recruit of Mantilla, who made his return to the league after 20 years! Francisco was originally brought into the GTA by "Broadway Dre" Andre Sayegh (a City Councilman for the City of Paterson and hopefully that city's next Mayor). Now we just hope it won't be another 20 years until we see Power FM again!
Denise Savino/Marie Salamon over Kathy Sheldon/Laurie Boughton, 7-5! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Marie Salamon and the official GTA Debut of Laurie Boughton. Like the other three results, hitting for this one also got underway shortly after 8pm. But the ladies did not finish this one until 9pm! When initial news reports (via e-mail and Facebook) went out about this session the next day (Saturday morning), it was mistakenly reported that six players had returned to the league. It actually turned out to be seven as Salamon had fallen off the ranks for inactivity just prior to the end of the 2016 Season. Boughton is a new member of the Night Owls group and it was at the suggestion of "Drill Instructor" Don Moya that she become involved with the GTA as well.
Syed Rashid/Mike Sindler over Levy Lorenzo/Dain VanDeventer, 6-1! Mike: 2 Aces on Dain! It was the official GTA Debut of Dain Van Deventer. This match took place on Court Three and lasted from 8:40 to 9:10. VanDeventer (aka DVD) used to be a member of Nutley Tennis Club. We had been trying to bring him into the GTA for quite some time. One of "Sadistic" Syed's signature "swing for the fences" forehands almost connected to the cranium of Dain (who was positioned at the net) and this drew "the death stare" from DVD. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and it was a case of all's well that end's well.
William Bobila/Fred Suba over Raj Boddu/Mark LaSalle, 6-2! Mark: 1 Ace on Fred. It was the official GTA Debuts of William Bobila, Fred Suba and Mark LaSalle! This one was contested on Court One from 8:40 to 9:20. All three new players are friends and recruits of Tom La. It was a very impressive night for the man known as "The Hitman" who was responsible for five of the attendees (including himself).
Pranav Sinha/Brian Barbera over Mike Kazlauskas/Fernanda Toker, 6-4! Mike: 3 Aces (2 on Brian and 1 on Pranav) all in the same game; and Brian: 1 Ace on Fernanda! It was the official GTA Return of Brian Barbera. This foursome faced off on Court Four from 8:50 to 9:30. Pranav and Brian jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Mike and Fernanda fought back to make things interesting. Barbera hopes to be more involved in GTA action this season than he had been in the past couple of years.
Don Moya/Janice Wang over Dino Celis/Natalie Guzman, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of Janice Wang. Court Two hosted this contest from 9:05 to 9:40. Janice is the very good friend (and now recruit) of Don and she proved to be (as Moya promised she would be) a very steady player. Hopefully, she (and Don) will play more GTA Tennis in the coming months and years.
Alfred Chen/Dan Hwang over Kris Srinivasan/Nick Inciong, 6-4! Alfred: 3 Aces (2 on Nick and 1 on Kris)! This took place on Court Three from 9:15 to 9:50.
Senthil Kumar/Ryan Sherry over Jose Gonzales/Gary Puntasecca, 6-2! Jose: 2 Aces on Senthil! Court One hosted this one from 9:25 to 9:55.
Jeff Angello/Jeff Angello Jr. over Nihar Panda/Rana Purupati, 6-0! No Aces. These four faced off on Court Four from 9:35 to 10pm. The father/son combo was even more impressive against the fairly experienced tandem of Panda and Purupati.
Bo Folchi/Denise Savino over Mike Mole/Marie Salamon, 6-4! Mike: 1 Ace on Denise. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Two and lasted from 9:45 to 10:15.
Dennis Cabanatan/Jonathan La over Anish Mehta/Dain VanDeventer, 6-1! No Aces. This was contested on Court Three from 9:55 to 10:25.
Mike Kazlauskas/Mike Sindler over Syed Rashid/Ryan Sherry, 6-3! Mike: 2 Aces (one on each) in the same game; Ryan: 1 Ace on Mike in the very first serve of the match! They got this one done on Court One with it lasting from 10pm to 10:40.
Ryan Pienciak/Janice Wang over Fernanda Toker/Laurie Boughton, 6-1! Ryan: 1 Ace on Fernanda. This one took place on Court Four from 10:05 to 10:30. Ryan was the lone, lucky man with the three ladies, but some said the true story was the ever-steady game possessed by Janice.
Dino Celis/Raj Boddu over William Bobila/Fred Suba, 7-5! Dino: 1 Ace on William. This was conducted on Court Two from 10:20 to 11:05. Dino and Raj got off to a slow start (not sure how far they were down) before they rallied back to overcome the crafty and wily duo that is Bobila/Suba.
Tom La/Mark LaSalle over Dan Hwang/Pranav Sinha, 7-6 (7-5)! No Aces. Despite the Tiebreak score, this one got underway on Court Three at 10:30 and was over by 11:15. The buddy tandem of La/La Salle just got by Hwang/Sinha in what proved to be the closest contest of the entire evening.
Nick Inciong/Levy Lorenzo over Jose Gonzales/Brian Barbera, 6-2! No Aces. Court Four contained this battle from 10:35 to 11:15. While sitting on the sidelines in the lobby area, Nick and Levy expressed their desire to team together as they felt they each belonged in the thus far nonexistent "Senior Division." Soon, someone coined them (perhaps it was Rizzo) as "The Legends of The Court" and then they went out and lived up to that moniker with an impressive win over the tough pairing of Gonzales and Barbera.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Bo Folchi/Marie Salamon, 6-1! No Aces. Court One hosted this Mixed Doubles contest from 10:45 to 11:05. On paper, it seemed like it had the potential to be an even battle...but afterwards, Salamon joked to Samara that he "fed them to the wolves!" Folchi also remarked what a fine tandem that Kuzavas/Pillay were...and he was especially impressed by the talents of "Spicy" Sally.
Senthil Kumar/Ryan Pienciak over Anish Mehta/Alfred Chen, 6-1! Anish: 1 Ace on Senthil. This one took place on Court One from 11:10 to 11:35 and fell short (by one point) of being fully completed. Up 5-1 and with Triple Game Point in favor of Kumar/Pienciak, Chen suffered an injury and it was thought best to just forfeit that point away to allow this one to be recorded as a completed contest.
John Rizzo/Fernanda Toker over Frank Samara/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! John: 3 Aces (2 on Frank and 1 on Laurie)! Here's the basic breakdown: Frank was broken on Double Break Point, John was broken (Triple Break Point then shifted to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, sideline Ace on Frank for 3rd Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point, 4th Deuce and then all Game Points until 7th Deuce, Break Point and the break), Laurie was broken on Break Point, but Fernanda was the first to hold serve and she did it quite impressively at Love for a 3-1 lead. Samara held at Double Game Point to pull to 2-3, but then Rizzo also held (Double Fault for 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, an Ace up the T against Laurie for Game Point and then came the hold) to go up 4-2. Boughton was broken again (Double Break Point, Break Point, then the break) to fall to 2-5, but then Toker was broken (30-15 shifted to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) to have her team's lead cut to 5-3. Hollywood held again (15-30 shifted straight through Game Point to the hold) to pull to 4-5, but The Riz also held again (30-15, another sideline Ace against Frank to go up Double Game/Match Point, the hold came on Game/Match Point) for an impressive win. This Mixed Doubles contest took place on Court Two from 11:15 to 12:10 (likely the longest battle of the night, though the lone Women's Doubles One-Setter earlier in the night came close). Rizzo and Boughton both came into this battle somewhat buzzed (perhaps drunk, even) and it seemed to favor John more than it did Laurie. Still, it was fairly evenly matched and a lot of fun. The most noteworthy improvement for John as of late is his service game as he is starting to rack up quite the Ace count.
Don Moya/Janice Wang over Dennis Cabanatan/Jonathan La, 6-1! No Aces. These four met on Court Four and the contest lasted from 11:20 to 11:45.
Kris Srinivasan/Raj Boddu over Nihar Panda/Rana Purupati, 6-2! Raj: 1 Ace on Nihar; and Nihar: 1 Ace on Kris! They got this one underway on Court Three at 11:20 and it ended just around midnight.
Ryan Sherry/Brian Barbera over Mike Mole/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-2! No Aces. Court One hosted this one from 11:40 to 12:05. Doinks was a late arrival, but quite a welcome one as she enabled us to set the new record of 46 competitors in one evening.
Dino Celis/Levy Lorenzo over Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay, 6-4! No Aces. Court Four featured this foursome from 11:50 to 12:20.
Dennis Cabanatan/Pranav Sinha over Tom La/Jonathan La, 6-3! No Aces. This one had begun on Court One at 12:10 and it ended at 12:40.
Anish Mehta/Ryan Pienciak over Raj Boddu/Brian Barbera, 6-1! No Aces. This was conducted on Court Two from 12:15 to 12:35.
Mike Mole/Janice Wang over Senthil Kumar/Marie Salamon, 6-2! Mike: 1 Ace on Senthil. Court Three was the place to be for this final Mixed Doubles One-Setter of the evening and it lasted from 12:15 to 12:45. One of the stories of the night was the quite obvious steady improvement of one Mr. Mole. Holy Moly, indeed!
Marijus Kuzavas/Dino Celis over Dan Hwang/Ryan Sherry, 6-2! No Aces. The last official One-Setter of the evening was held on Court Four from 12:25 to 12:45.
All in all, it is simply amazing how many players and how much action we had over the course of a session that lasted about four hours and forty-five minutes! Thanks to all those who participated and helped us make GTA history.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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