3/24/17:
"Kris/Frank host 16 at C.G.!":
GTA Friday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts after a chilly and gray day gave way to a rather decent evening (weather-wise) for tennis as the temps climbed to around 50 degrees.
Earlier in the day, "Hollywood" Frank Samara had promised the league that he would begin hosting the session no later than 7:30pm. But a certain fly in the ointment caused him to run late. As his usual sorry situation unfolded, Samara sent a text message to the usual Cedar Grove host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, telling him that his arrival would be closer to 8pm.
So Kris made sure to get over to the courts as soon as he could in order to start hosting the session until Frank would arrive. Well, at least Samara was able to make good on his second promise as he did arrive exactly at 8pm.
At that time, all four courts were already full. On Court One, "Stealth" Omar Santos and "The Art Font" Arthur Fontanilla were engaged in Singles action. On Court Two, there were four teenage guys that Frank initially (and mistakenly) thought were playing Doubles (more on that in just a bit).
On Court Three, there was Mixed Doubles action underway as "Holy Moly" Mike Mole was teaming with "Laidback" Laurie Boughton to take on "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo and "Bravo" Brenda Jordan.
And on Court Four, Kris was aligned with "The Bavarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff as they faced off against "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and "Big George" Jorge Solano (turns out this was already the second Doubles One-Setter to take place on this court).
Out in the parking lot, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan was greeting "Teej" T.J. Shah and "Ragin" Rajan Shah upon their arrival. Samara made his way over to the trio and it was then that Frank realized that the four young lads on Court Two were kicking a soccer ball around rather than playing tennis!
If this had been a couple of years ago at Robin Hood Park in Clifton, Samara would have stormed the court and told the kids to beat it. But given that it was Cedar Grove and Frank was not really running things, he opted to just speak very loudly about the fact that there is a sign posted that clearly says "Tennis Only" as he ranted on and on about the situation.
Perhaps the foursome overheard his remarks or maybe they were just courteous enough to realize that a crowd of actual tennis players was gathering and looking to take over that court, but they did leave soon after and, thankfully, the night went on without incident.
It was at this time that Natalia "Nitro" Sout had also arrived, so Samara told her to join the three other guys (Dennis, T.J. and Rajan) on Court Two for some Doubles. And then the GTA had all four courts under its control. Frank was now content to take the bench alongside Court Four as he tried to get caught up with all the scores that he had either missed or that would soon to be completed.
At 8:20, "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales pulled into the lot and soon took a seat next to Samara on the bench. He would not have to wait long as five minutes later he was able to take the place of Bachvaroff on Court Four. Jordan was not a happy camper as he was having a rough night. At one point during the second Doubles One-Setter, he half-jokingly exclaimed: "I've forgotten how to play tennis!"
In fact, after that second set had concluded, he mistakenly thought that the teams he was on had been "bageled" twice. Turns out his first tandem had actually won two games in the initial One-Setter of the evening.
When Samara finally decided to become a competitor at 9:10, he was the 16th and final official player of the session.
Five minutes later, two father/daughter combos (at least that's the way it looked...or else these were two couples that resulted from a most disturbing dating site as the girls seemed to be teenagers while the guys were much older than that) took over Court One for some Mixed Doubles. While the men seemed to have a decent amount of tennis experience, the young ladies were quite green. In fact, one of the two girls made a serve that flew straight out and over the fence that separates the courts from the parking lot!
Around 9:20, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived to make an extended cameo appearance while he continues to recover from a recent tendon injury (near his right knee, I believe).
Given the still somewhat chilly temps, it ended up being a fairly well-attended and enjoyable session. And here is how the actual action went down.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Nathan Fernandes/Jorge Solano over Jordan Bachvaroff/Arthur Fontanilla, 6-2! No Aces. This took place on Court Four (not sure of the start and finish times).
Nathan Fernandes/Jorge Solano over Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0! No Aces. This also took place on Court Four and finished at 8:22 (not sure when it started as it was already underway by 8pm).
Arthur Fontanilla over Omar Santos, 6-3! No Aces. Court One hosted this one which did not get done until 8:47 (thought it was a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match as this, too, was already underway by 8pm)!
Levy Lorenzo/Brenda Jordan over Mike Mole/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! No Aces. They played this on Court Three and it ended exactly at 8:27 (not sure when it got going as this also had begun prior to 8pm). When nobody else stepped up to step in, the foursome was told they could play another one (which we will get to a little later).
T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah over Dennis Cabanatan/Natalia Sout, 6-1! No Aces. These two tandems took Court Two at 8:05. After a twelve minute hitting session, this One-Setter officially got underway at exactly 8:17 and it finished at 8:36. They took a breather and soon launched into a rematch (again, we will get to that one in just a bit).
Levy Lorenzo/Brenda Jordan over Mike Mole/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! No Aces. This battle on Court Three ended up being a repeat of their first one. It lasted from 8:30 to 9:05.
Nathan Fernandes/Kris Srinivasan over Jose Gonzales/Jorge Solano, 6-1! No Aces. Jose said he needed some hitting time and that got underway at 8:25 and lasted for ten minutes before they officially launched into this one on Court Four. It finished exactly at 9:02. At that time, Solano was done for the night and Samara had finally got all caught up with the scorekeeping.
T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah over Dennis Cabanatan/Natalia Sout, 8-6! No Aces. Rather than play a Tiebreak, they decided to play it out old-school style (until one team won by two games). This battle occupied Court Two from 8:40 to 9:25.
Nathan Fernandes/Jose Gonzales over Frank Samara/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-1! Jose: 1 Ace on Frank. It went like this: Frank was broken (Jose hit a winning return for Love-15, then it was 15-All where Jose scorched an even more impressive winning return for 15-30 and it was then on the way to Double Break Point where Jose hit the winning volley for the break), Nathan held serve (Jose hit a winning volley for a 15-Love start, it was then 15-All where Jose hit another winning volley on the way to Double Game Point and then the hold), Jordan was broken (Double Fault for Love-30 where Jose hit another one of those wicked winning returns to set up Triple Break Point which was where Jordan scored with an impressive get/winner combo to cut his deficit down to Double Break Point but then came the break) and Jose held (an un-returned serve set up 30-Love, then it was 30-15 where he scored with a big-time Ace to the corner against Frank to set up Double Game Point and then came the easy hold) as his team took a quick 4-0 lead! Samara managed to hold serve to get his team on the scoreboard (Jose hit a winning drop shot for Love-15 which was where Frank replied with a winning drop shot of his own for 15-All and then Jordan hit a winner to make it 30-15, it was then 30-All where Jordan blasted an even bigger winner to et up Game Point and then came the hold), but then Fernandes held again (un-returned serve set up Triple Game Point, the hold came on Double Game Point) and Bachvaroff was broken again (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break/Match Point where Jose scored the knockout blow with yet another drop shot winner) to take a lopsided loss! We faced off on Court Four and this action did not occupy the court all that long (from 9:10 to 9:27)!
The Skinny: This one could have been called "The Jose Show" as Gonzales was on fire throughout this contest. Meanwhile, his partner Fernandes was his always steady, ever ready self. Bachvaroff's rusty slump continued though he did has some aggressive and impressive moments. Srinivasan noticed that Samara seemed to have his usual touch and craftiness already working in his favor early in the season and despite the cold temps and a minimal hitting session.
Nathan Fernandes/Jose Gonzales over Kris Srinivasan/Mike Mole, 6-1! Jose: 2 Aces (one on each)! In terms of the score on Court Four, this one was equally lopsided when compared to the previous contest. But it managed to last five minutes longer (9:30 to 9:52). Afterward, Nate and Mike had a hitting session with one another which lasted until the lights went out at 10pm.
And during the last One-Setter of the evening, Natalia and Laurie also had a hitting session with one another. It got started on Court Three, but then they shifted it over to Court Two (perhaps to avoid interfering with the Men's Doubles action on Court Four).
All in all, it was a fun one even if somewhat uneventful.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
"Kris/Frank host 16 at C.G.!":
GTA Friday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts after a chilly and gray day gave way to a rather decent evening (weather-wise) for tennis as the temps climbed to around 50 degrees.
Earlier in the day, "Hollywood" Frank Samara had promised the league that he would begin hosting the session no later than 7:30pm. But a certain fly in the ointment caused him to run late. As his usual sorry situation unfolded, Samara sent a text message to the usual Cedar Grove host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, telling him that his arrival would be closer to 8pm.
So Kris made sure to get over to the courts as soon as he could in order to start hosting the session until Frank would arrive. Well, at least Samara was able to make good on his second promise as he did arrive exactly at 8pm.
At that time, all four courts were already full. On Court One, "Stealth" Omar Santos and "The Art Font" Arthur Fontanilla were engaged in Singles action. On Court Two, there were four teenage guys that Frank initially (and mistakenly) thought were playing Doubles (more on that in just a bit).
On Court Three, there was Mixed Doubles action underway as "Holy Moly" Mike Mole was teaming with "Laidback" Laurie Boughton to take on "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo and "Bravo" Brenda Jordan.
And on Court Four, Kris was aligned with "The Bavarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff as they faced off against "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and "Big George" Jorge Solano (turns out this was already the second Doubles One-Setter to take place on this court).
Out in the parking lot, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan was greeting "Teej" T.J. Shah and "Ragin" Rajan Shah upon their arrival. Samara made his way over to the trio and it was then that Frank realized that the four young lads on Court Two were kicking a soccer ball around rather than playing tennis!
If this had been a couple of years ago at Robin Hood Park in Clifton, Samara would have stormed the court and told the kids to beat it. But given that it was Cedar Grove and Frank was not really running things, he opted to just speak very loudly about the fact that there is a sign posted that clearly says "Tennis Only" as he ranted on and on about the situation.
Perhaps the foursome overheard his remarks or maybe they were just courteous enough to realize that a crowd of actual tennis players was gathering and looking to take over that court, but they did leave soon after and, thankfully, the night went on without incident.
It was at this time that Natalia "Nitro" Sout had also arrived, so Samara told her to join the three other guys (Dennis, T.J. and Rajan) on Court Two for some Doubles. And then the GTA had all four courts under its control. Frank was now content to take the bench alongside Court Four as he tried to get caught up with all the scores that he had either missed or that would soon to be completed.
At 8:20, "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales pulled into the lot and soon took a seat next to Samara on the bench. He would not have to wait long as five minutes later he was able to take the place of Bachvaroff on Court Four. Jordan was not a happy camper as he was having a rough night. At one point during the second Doubles One-Setter, he half-jokingly exclaimed: "I've forgotten how to play tennis!"
In fact, after that second set had concluded, he mistakenly thought that the teams he was on had been "bageled" twice. Turns out his first tandem had actually won two games in the initial One-Setter of the evening.
When Samara finally decided to become a competitor at 9:10, he was the 16th and final official player of the session.
Five minutes later, two father/daughter combos (at least that's the way it looked...or else these were two couples that resulted from a most disturbing dating site as the girls seemed to be teenagers while the guys were much older than that) took over Court One for some Mixed Doubles. While the men seemed to have a decent amount of tennis experience, the young ladies were quite green. In fact, one of the two girls made a serve that flew straight out and over the fence that separates the courts from the parking lot!
Around 9:20, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived to make an extended cameo appearance while he continues to recover from a recent tendon injury (near his right knee, I believe).
Given the still somewhat chilly temps, it ended up being a fairly well-attended and enjoyable session. And here is how the actual action went down.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Nathan Fernandes/Jorge Solano over Jordan Bachvaroff/Arthur Fontanilla, 6-2! No Aces. This took place on Court Four (not sure of the start and finish times).
Nathan Fernandes/Jorge Solano over Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0! No Aces. This also took place on Court Four and finished at 8:22 (not sure when it started as it was already underway by 8pm).
Arthur Fontanilla over Omar Santos, 6-3! No Aces. Court One hosted this one which did not get done until 8:47 (thought it was a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match as this, too, was already underway by 8pm)!
Levy Lorenzo/Brenda Jordan over Mike Mole/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! No Aces. They played this on Court Three and it ended exactly at 8:27 (not sure when it got going as this also had begun prior to 8pm). When nobody else stepped up to step in, the foursome was told they could play another one (which we will get to a little later).
T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah over Dennis Cabanatan/Natalia Sout, 6-1! No Aces. These two tandems took Court Two at 8:05. After a twelve minute hitting session, this One-Setter officially got underway at exactly 8:17 and it finished at 8:36. They took a breather and soon launched into a rematch (again, we will get to that one in just a bit).
Levy Lorenzo/Brenda Jordan over Mike Mole/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! No Aces. This battle on Court Three ended up being a repeat of their first one. It lasted from 8:30 to 9:05.
Nathan Fernandes/Kris Srinivasan over Jose Gonzales/Jorge Solano, 6-1! No Aces. Jose said he needed some hitting time and that got underway at 8:25 and lasted for ten minutes before they officially launched into this one on Court Four. It finished exactly at 9:02. At that time, Solano was done for the night and Samara had finally got all caught up with the scorekeeping.
T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah over Dennis Cabanatan/Natalia Sout, 8-6! No Aces. Rather than play a Tiebreak, they decided to play it out old-school style (until one team won by two games). This battle occupied Court Two from 8:40 to 9:25.
Nathan Fernandes/Jose Gonzales over Frank Samara/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-1! Jose: 1 Ace on Frank. It went like this: Frank was broken (Jose hit a winning return for Love-15, then it was 15-All where Jose scorched an even more impressive winning return for 15-30 and it was then on the way to Double Break Point where Jose hit the winning volley for the break), Nathan held serve (Jose hit a winning volley for a 15-Love start, it was then 15-All where Jose hit another winning volley on the way to Double Game Point and then the hold), Jordan was broken (Double Fault for Love-30 where Jose hit another one of those wicked winning returns to set up Triple Break Point which was where Jordan scored with an impressive get/winner combo to cut his deficit down to Double Break Point but then came the break) and Jose held (an un-returned serve set up 30-Love, then it was 30-15 where he scored with a big-time Ace to the corner against Frank to set up Double Game Point and then came the easy hold) as his team took a quick 4-0 lead! Samara managed to hold serve to get his team on the scoreboard (Jose hit a winning drop shot for Love-15 which was where Frank replied with a winning drop shot of his own for 15-All and then Jordan hit a winner to make it 30-15, it was then 30-All where Jordan blasted an even bigger winner to et up Game Point and then came the hold), but then Fernandes held again (un-returned serve set up Triple Game Point, the hold came on Double Game Point) and Bachvaroff was broken again (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break/Match Point where Jose scored the knockout blow with yet another drop shot winner) to take a lopsided loss! We faced off on Court Four and this action did not occupy the court all that long (from 9:10 to 9:27)!
The Skinny: This one could have been called "The Jose Show" as Gonzales was on fire throughout this contest. Meanwhile, his partner Fernandes was his always steady, ever ready self. Bachvaroff's rusty slump continued though he did has some aggressive and impressive moments. Srinivasan noticed that Samara seemed to have his usual touch and craftiness already working in his favor early in the season and despite the cold temps and a minimal hitting session.
Nathan Fernandes/Jose Gonzales over Kris Srinivasan/Mike Mole, 6-1! Jose: 2 Aces (one on each)! In terms of the score on Court Four, this one was equally lopsided when compared to the previous contest. But it managed to last five minutes longer (9:30 to 9:52). Afterward, Nate and Mike had a hitting session with one another which lasted until the lights went out at 10pm.
And during the last One-Setter of the evening, Natalia and Laurie also had a hitting session with one another. It got started on Court Three, but then they shifted it over to Court Two (perhaps to avoid interfering with the Men's Doubles action on Court Four).
All in all, it was a fun one even if somewhat uneventful.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
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