4/9/17:
"5 I-M matches, 2 play at BP, 15 at AP, 15 at C.G., 15 at The Bubble!":
This Sunday featured multiple sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis and sometimes concurrently as competitors involved in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament found various places to play their matches.
The first of the four First Round matches that were played on this day took place in Brookdale Park in Bloomfield and it featured "Holy Moly" Mike facing off with "The WB" William Bobila. Soon after, two more of the First Round matches got underway simultaneously at The Cedar Grove Courts as one match had Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan going up against "The Annihilator" Nihar Panda while Nihar's buddy Rana "Pure Style" Purupati had to deal with "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak. After those two matches, the four of them came together for one Doubles One-Setter.
Meanwhile, we had the second straight Sunday that was sunny with a peak temperature above 65 degrees. All week long, "Hollywood" Frank Samara said he would get the session started at Albion Park in Clifton as "Hollywood" Frank Samara around 11am. But as this Palm Sunday unfolded, he once again found himself getting off to a much earlier start than originally planned (just like last week).
Samara pulled up to the courts at 9:55am. As he did last week, he sent a text message to "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon asking him to e-mail the league about the change in plans. This took place at 10am. Five minutes later, when Weldon had failed to respond, Frank sent the same message to "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan. Again, no reply. So at 10:10, he sent the same request to "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan.
Even then, there was a lack of response. So all Samara could do was sit on the bench alongside the North Court just hoping someone would decide to show up early and pull up to the courts.
The next to arrive was "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto. He said that Kris did end up informing the league and his e-mail went out to the group at 10:22. Soon after, Samara received a text from Srinivasan stating that it was actually his son Sairaj that sent out the e-mail on his behalf as Kris was out on the road.
Not long after that, Weldon's late reply was that he just woke up while Capan's was that her cell had been in the charger, so she saw the message late. It all did not matter as Kris had already been on the case and the arrivals would soon start coming fast and furious.
While Frank and Vin were having a hitting session on the North Court, "Teej" T.J. Shah, "Ragin" Rajan Shah and "Lean Daddy" Dean Delgado all walked down toward the courts at 10:55. Samara decided to let Dean team with Vin against The Shahs of Sunset while he shifted over to Center Court to hold that one while waiting for more competitors.
The next two to arrive were not with the GTA. Instead, they were two young brothers (possibly twins) that took over the South Court at 11:10. For a while, it would not matter.
"Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales arrived at 11:35 and took the bench alongside the North Court to watch the Doubles action. Ten minutes later, Mole and Bobila arrived together and soon met with Samara over near Center Court. Five minutes more and it was "Big George" Jorge Solano stepping onto the courts and also heading over to Center Court. This inspired Gonzales to go over as well.
At 11:55, Pienciak also arrived and he first reported the earlier Cedar Grove scores directly to Samara (Mole had sent his earlier via text). Ten minutes later, Ryan would find himself replacing Vin to team with Dean against T.J. and Rajan. At the same time on Center Court, another Doubles One-Setter was starting as Jose and Jorge teamed to take on William and Mike. This gave Frank a chance to sit alongside Vin on the bench alongside the North Court.
Just two minutes later, both "Instant" Moka Pathan and "C.A.T." Christine Toth made their way down to the courts. They waited near Samara and De Benedetto. And yet another five minutes after that, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay also made their way onto the courts joining the growing group on the bench. Now we were faced with a logjam situation!
Thankfully, the two young guys on the South Court seemed to notice this (or perhaps they were just tired) as they left at 12:20. Samara directed the four most recent arrivals to take that court and have some Mixed Doubles action.
At 12:40, "MC Quick" Mike Carucci headed toward the courts with his young daughter (I never found out her name) and then the Shahs left soon after. Ten minutes later, Bobila left as he started to get somewhat exhausted in the earlier Doubles One-Setter. And yet another five minutes after that, Solano left.
"Coach" Dino Celis arrived at 1:05 just to make an extended cameo appearance as he is still injured. Five minutes later, Gonzales left.
The next extended cameo appearance was made by "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli who limped toward the courts (banged up from the earlier football game which also featured Pathan) at 1:40. And while he was the last to arrive, it was Samara who was the last to play as he kept letting everyone else compete first.
For the second straight Sunday, we had a great session that featured fifteen competitors and some welcome weather that felt like a glorious spring day. Enough chit chat...
...let's get to the scores!
The Brookdale Park Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
William Bobila over Mike Mole, 6-1, 6-3, to become both the New # 25 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division and the New # 7 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! No Aces.
The Mole Memo: The match ran from 10am to 11:13. Thankfully, we did not have to pay to play at Brookdale. William is good and he has great placement. I made too many unforced errors.
Samara's Notes: Under normal circumstances (beyond the annual GTA Intermediate Invitational), Bobila's win over a "bridge player" like Mole (i.e. one who is simultaneously ranked in both the Advanced and the Intermediate Divisions) would have sent him solely into the Advanced Division. But when you sign on for this tourney, you are signing on to be a part of both divisions. After all, if not, then this win would have made Bobila overqualified for competition in the Intermediate Division and he would then be forced to drop out of the tourney...and that would not make sense for the sake of competition in this event.
Also, what Mole did not include in his written comment about the match (but I feel it deserves to be mentioned) is that he just returned the day before from a two week vacation. So there was some rust factor involved as well. Still, Mike did not want to make any excuses and he gave full praise and respect to William who looks to be a definite factor in this tournament.
The Cedar Grove Results:
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Nihar Panda over Dennis Cabanatan, 7-5, 6-0, to become the New # 20 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! No Aces.
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Ryan Pienciak over Rana Purupati, 6-3, 6-0, to successfully defend his # 13 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Purupati entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 28 Ranked Player. No Aces.
The Ryan Report: All four parties in these two matches arrived at the courts around 10am. After the usual hitting sessions, both matches got underway somewhere around 10:15. And then once both battles were finished, the four of them came together for a Doubles One-Setter.
Ryan Pienciak/Rana Purupati over Nihar Panda/Dennis Cabanatan, 6-2! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: This was the second time in two weeks that Ryan and Nihar managed to face off against one another in a Doubles environment. It gave them a chance to scout each other as they will soon square off in the Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational. It should also be said that after having a hot streak late last season, Cabanatan currently finds himself nursing a shoulder injury. This should not detract from the impressive victory on the part of Panda, but it does deserve to be mentioned.
The Albion Park Results:
T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah over Dean Delgado/Vinnie De Benedetto, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. Samara took casual notes from afar (Center Court, actually) until the intensity and growing importance of this One-Setter forced him to get closer and more comprehensive. Vin was broken on serve, but then his team went up 3-1. Again, De Benedetto was broken (except this time around it was a multiple Deuce game) to have his team's lead cut to 3-2, but then they won the next two games to go up 5-2. Rajan held as his team pulled to 3-5 and then The Vin Man had his worst service performance yet as he started off with a Double Fault and went on to be broken at Love and have his team's lead cut to 5-4! T.J. held to level the score, but Dean held yet again (he was never broken) to reclaim the lead for his team at 6-5. But then Rajan had his second straight hold (which was a battle as he was down Break/Match Point, Deuce, 2nd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, 3rd Break/Match Point, 3rd Deuce, Double Fault for 4th Break/Match Point, 4th Deuce, Game Point and finally the hold) to force the Tiebreak! In the Breaker: Vin held his lone serve and then T.J. held both of his serves for a 2-1 lead. Dean was broken on the first of his two serves to fall to 1-3, but then he held his second for 2-3. Rajan held the first of his two serves for 4-2 at the changeover, but then he was broken on his second for a 4-3 lead. De Benedetto was then broken on both of his serves and then T.J. held both of his as he made a great get/winner combo on his team's first Match Point opportunity (the 5th M.P. overall) to cap quite the comeback victory! Without any rounding up or down, they truly played this one from 11am to 12noon exactly on the North Court. Due to the comeback factor which includes four saved Match Points, this one may have an outside shot at being a Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end (or an Honorable Mention at the very least).
Dean Delgado/Ryan Pienciak over T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah, 6-2! Ryan: 1 Ace on Rajan. This was also played on the North Court and it lasted from 12:05 to 12:38.
William Bobila/Mike Mole over Jose Gonzales/Jorge Solano, 6-3! Mike: 1 Ace on Jorge. This one took place on Center Court from 12:05 to 12:48. Midway through, it seemed that Bobila may have to quit early due to exhaustion. But he caught his breath and his second wind and played on and it was a good thing that he did. After this one, all but Mike were done. Jorge wanted to conserve his energy and strength for his GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match later in the day up at Cedar Grove.
2 out of 3 Set Mixed Doubles Match:
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Moka Pathan/Christine Toth, 6-3, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 5 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division! Meanwhile, Pathan/Toth entered the division as the New # 47 Ranked Team. Marijus: 3 Aces in the 1st Set (2 on Moka and 1 on Christine); and Moka: 1 Ace on Sally in the 2nd Set! They got the 1st Set underway on the South Court at 12:27 (after seven minutes of hitting). It ended at 12:56. Four minutes later, they entered into what would become the 2nd Set (after all parties involved agreed to it becoming a full match for rank) and that one ended exactly at 1:28.
Dean Delgado/Vinnie De Benedetto over Ryan Pienciak/Mike Carucci, 6-3! Dean: 1 Ace on Ryan; and Mike: 1 Ace on Vinnie (a self-described change-up). Mike was broken in an 8-Deuce game where there were likely to be 7 Break Points! This one took place on the North Court and lasted from 12:48 to 1:27.
Frank Samara/Mike Mole over Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Carucci, 6-4! Marijus: 2 Aces on Mike! In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners where and when...so here's the basic breakdown: Mike C. held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point and the hold), Mike M. held (a Triple Game Point lead got cut down to Deuce, but then came another Game Point and the hold), Marijus held (he started with a sideline Ace on Mike and roared straight to Triple Game Point, then it was Double Game Point where he hit a big corner Ace against Mike for the hold), but Frank was the first one to be broken (a Love-30 start, 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break) to fall to 1-3. Carucci was broken (Love-30 shifted straight to Game Point, then Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point again and then the break) and Mole held again (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) to tie things up at 3-3. Kuzavas also held again (started with a Double Fault, but then went right to Double Game Point and the hold) to reclaim the lead for his team, but then Samara held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) to knot the score once more at 4-4. From there, MC Quick was broken again and this time it was at Love while Holy Moly held a third straight time (15-Love and then two consecutive Double Faults for 15-30, but then it shifted again as it went right to Game/Match Point, then Deuce, the 2nd Game/Match Point and the hold) to seal the deal and get the win! We played this one on the South Court from 1:35 to 2:07.
The Skinny: After being on the sidelines all day (except for a brief hitting session with Vin at the beginning of the session), Samara came in a little rusty as he refused the opportunity to hit a bit before starting in order to save time. But he shook it off and would later deliver some fine Overhead Smashes along the way. Poor Mole as he looked quite good in Doubles on this day...guess the rust came off just a bit too late for him. Kuzavas was his usual dominant self except later in the set when he may have been getting a tad tired and start putting some in the net. Carucci, the least experienced of the four, shook off the winter rust quite quickly (living up to his moniker) as he made several great gets while his shot-making also continues to improve very nicely.
Sally Pillay over Christine Toth, 6-1! No Aces. They faced off against one another on the North Court from 1:35 to 2:20. The reason for the lengthy One-Setter (besides some spirited rallies) was the fact that there was a bathroom break and some extended water breaks along the way as well.
As the five men left (Kuzavas, Samara, Mole, Celis and Martinelli) watched the women from afar (South Court), they first noticed a hawk flying in the sky. This is not unusual as this was a common occurrence at the Robin Hood Park Courts and we have even seen one before at Albion (one night in Cedar Grove as well). But then the scene got a little freaky as one quickly went to seven and then soon became eight of them! At one moment, they started to swoop somewhat low as if they were perhaps hungry for some tennis players! This inspired Spin to utter the line of the day: "They're magnificent birds!" It was one of those lines that was made funnier by the way he said...a case of "you had to be there..."
There was then a second session at Cedar Grove that got underway around 4pm and featured two more GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Matches (Solano versus "The Wildman" Ryan Sherry and also "Tailor Made" Raj Tailor vs. "The Accelerator" Abhilash Gadi) along with other players involved in additional action.
"The K Man" Kris Srinivasan was the one who announced the session to the league. He then acted as the host and provided us with the following write-up. Sherry and Tailor also sent in their scores directly.
We now turn this report over to The K and let him take it away!
There was a somewhat 'petite' session in Cedar Grove on a beautiful afternoon, planned for 4pm with short notice as Greg Swierczek was up for hitting a bit. The heavy morning sessions at multiple locations and then an early evening session planned at The Wayne Bubble had obviously taken a toll on this evening's turnout. But again, two courts were taken by non-GTA players who occupied the courts for quite some time...so perhaps it was for the best.
Just as we started, Joe Rodrigues and Mike Sindler joined us, soon followed by Syed Rashid who all decided to go down the road to the old courts (where they only ended up having a hitting session before heading up to The Bubble).
Court One was taken by Jorge Solano who played against Ryan Sherry in the First Round of the GTA Intermediate Invitational tournament. Jay (my son) wanted to play with Sairaj (my other son) against me and Greg. His confidence was reflected in his game as he was aided well by Sairaj as they almost rolled us over with aggressive shots, great gets and good serving. I was serving Love-30, down 1-5 and needed to hold my serve to stay in the set. It was a game changer from the next point onwards as we held and went on to win all the games that followed. The boys dropped their game big-time with poor serving and misses combined with our aggressive approach.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Greg Swierczek/Kris Srinivasan over Sairaj Srinivasan/Jay Srinivasan, 7-5! Sairaj: 1 Ace on Greg!
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Ryan Sherry over Jorge Solano 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, to become the New # 23 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! Ryan: 2 Aces (2nd and 3rd Set)!
The K has his say: It was indeed a very close match which was hanging in the balance until the last point was played. It was a grueling battle that saw plenty of lengthy rallies as both players pushed the other side to side. Jorge did a solid job of running Ryan around, but boy can Ryan run! He also made Jorge run aplenty and blew some points after setting up them well. But he was also extremely good in getting to the ball and smoked some fast-paced shots every now and then.
It looked like Ryan won the 1st Set, but it was the wily Jorge. Even he missed on what could have been great placements, but still he won the crucial points and took the set. In the 2nd Set, Ryan proved to be quite steady and was unshakeable, running to every ball and playing with great control.
The deciding set was a roller coaster and it became a mental game. It was close and when it looked like one guy was winning, the other pushed himself to keep it even. It was 4-All and Jorge won a hard-fought game to take the lead and, with the momentum, he now had 2 Match Points in his favor against Ryan's serve. At this juncture, Ryan was a cool customer, totally unflustered and he played with the finest temperament. That's when he pulled off his booming first serve. What a time for him to come up with an Ace on his first serve! One MP saved! The next serve was a fairly mild one that Jorge would normally return 9 out of 10 times. Instead, it was an inexplicable miss, managing to jam himself and help Ryan save MP # 2! The impact was obvious as Ryan went on to hold his serve to tie it 5-All, saved by the skin of his teeth. Jorge was a shadow of himself as a meek game meant a break for Ryan and then he was sitting much better as he served with confidence and the momentum going his way. He would go to win the game, set and match in a tightly contested battle! Jorge was besides himself and indeed it was a tough loss, but he certainly played with a big heart. Ryan deserved a great win, playing hard and had the incredible ingredient of having a cool temperament. Congrats to him on a hard-fought victory, but Jorge deserves a great pat on the back for his great play that was fully involved and showcased his gargantuan efforts.
Samara's Notes: I concur with all that Kris has said above and also wish to add that this could be an early contender for GTA Intermediate Singles Match of The Year at season's end. We now go back to The K!
Jay Srinivasan/Matias Dioses over Mike Mole/Christian Dioses, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of both Matias Dioses and Christian Dioses.
The Dioses Brothers were waiting when we were in the middle of our first match. And so was Mike Mole. After our match, I stepped out along with Greg and Sairaj despite being hungry for more tennis. But it was good to see the boys in action as they displayed great shots and serves.
On the other side, we had another First Round Match between Raj Taylor and Abhilash Gadi. They had to wait a bit before finally getting Court Three.
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Raj Tailor over Abhilash Gadi, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 27 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Gadi entered the division as the New # 30 Ranked Player. Raj: 2 Aces; and Abhilash: 1 Ace!
It was a slow start for Raj as he was not playing as his usual aggressive self and it didn't help that his shots were missing the court. Abhi has a great game, but it was obvious that match situations can change the dynamics of most players. Abhi played a bit more freely in the 1st Set, but Raj was a bit flustered. That changed after the 1st Set as he got to play some of his well-placed aggressive shots. While I didn't see most of their match, I did see Abhi getting more defensive which let Raj assert himself. I didn't get to talk to them at the conclusion of their match as I got to play a few games against Ryan.
Kris Srinivasan leading Ryan Sherry, 3-1 (Incomplete when they decided to stop)! No Aces.
We had decided to play for 20 minutes. Ryan was serving well and playing with more pace (unlike in his previous match where Jorge had slowed the pace). The games were close and it was good to get the body moving.
The evening was relatively low on turnout, but saw some intense matches indeed! Cheers!
Samara's Notes: I thank Kris for being much more proactive this season in terms of announcing these somewhat impromptu sessions at Cedar Grove ahead of time. It really helps the group. And, as always, I thank him for hosting and providing us with his colorful and comprehensive reports.
From 6pm to 8:30, there was the annual Season Closing Party for all The Night Owls up at The Wayne Bubble (this coming Tuesday and Thursday will be the final Night Owl sessions of this season) hosted by "The Boss" Bill Bess and "The Riz" John Rizzo. This season, Samara was invited to attend and he was also allowed to bring his offspring - Angeliz and Dante!
It was The Samara Family that were the first ones to arrive on the scene around 5:45, though "The Hitman" Tom La pulled into the parking lot around the same time. Angie and Dante got the chance to practice hitting the ball against the wall (their first time ever doing this) while more of The Night Owls arrived.
Soon, it was "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon followed by Rizzo and then others. We entered The Bubble around 6:05. Five minutes later, Rizzo and "Laidback" Laurie Boughton started hitting against Samara and Sheldon on Court One. This was also another first opportunity for Angie and Dante as they got to be the official ball girl and ball boy for the coming One-Setter which got underway at 6:15. Other action would quickly occupy the other courts while Mr. Bess set up his annual contests on Court Four.
The Wayne Bubble Results:
Frank Samara/Kathy Sheldon over John Rizzo/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! No Aces. We did not conduct the usual changeovers in order to save time and, thus, this is the basic breakdown of how the games went: John held (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Frank held (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point, the hold came on Game Point), but Laurie was the first to be broken (a Double Fault for Love-30, Triple Break Point, Double Break Point and then the break) to fall to 1-2. Kathy was also broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to make it 2-2, but then Rizzo was broken at Love to fall to 2-3. Samara held again (15-Love which was where he blew the opportunity to nail a picture-perfect Windmill Overhead Smash to go up 30-Love...perhaps he was trying to show off a bit in front of his kids as he actually...and excitedly...jumped up a bit too soon and then on the way down end up framing it as the ball dropped behind him instead for 15-All...but then he was motivated to go straight to Double Game Point and then the hold) for a 4-2 lead! Bougton was broken again (Triple Break Point, the break came on Double Break Point) as her team fell to 2-5, but then Sheldon was broken at Love and The Riz held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) to pull to 4-5! But then Hollywood held a third straight time (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game/Match Point and then the hold) to get the "W!" We played this one on Court One from 6:15 to 6:45.
The Skinny: Rizzo's increasing amount of ailments and injuries is taking its toll on his game as not only is his mobility somewhat restricted, but it has now even affected his serve which was getting quite dominant just a short while ago. Boughton seemed to be hot and cold. Sheldon was on fire with her forehand returns which often resulted in winners. Samara did little wrong, but he still beat himself up for the blown opportunity on the would-be gift to set up what should have been a sure thing...his patented Windmill Overhead Smash in front of his two little cuties. Oh well!
Senthil Kumar/Nick Inciong over Alfred Chen/Syed Rashid, 6-1! No Aces. Not sure exactly when this one got underway on Court Two, but it ended at 6:55.
Tom La/Mike Sindler over Joe Rodrigues/Pranav Sinha, 6-3! No Aces. Like the previous one, not sure of the start time...but this one was finished on Court Three at 6:55.
It was then time for the contests on Court Four. Sindler ended up winning the most accurate serve contest (we can now call him "Mr. Serve" rather than "The Sin Man") while Rodrigues won the most accurate volley contest. As a result, both gentleman walked away with newly won racquets.
Samara participated in the serving contest, but then went back to Court One to hit with Angie and Dante who absolutely loved the opportunity to do so and displayed their best tennis to date...though they still have a long way to go!
Dan Hwang/Vladimir Smolyanskiy over Rafaelo Kazakov/Pranav Sinha, 6-2! No Aces. Don't know when this one actually began on Court Three, but it ended at 8pm.
Alfred Chen/Nick Inciong over Senthil Kumar/Tom La, 6-1! Tom: 1 Ace on Alfred. They got this one underway on Court Two at 7:55 and it closed out the session sometime near 8:30. Both Rizzo and Kumar sent text messages to Samara of the score (as he left with his kids a little after 8pm), but Senthil was the one who also noted the Ace.
Thanks to both Mr. Bess and Mr. Rizzo for hosting this party. Bill had both "Drill Instructor" Don Moya and "The Tenderizer" Meet Rana to help with the festivities as well.
It seems like 15 was the magic number of the day as that was the number of official competitors at the Albion Park session, the two Cedar Grove sessions combined and the session at The Wayne Bubble.
This weekend continued to amp up the 2017 Season as Mother Nature has finally relented and allowed some true spring weather to break on through and set the stage for some awesome GTA Tennis.
All the best,
Frank Samara
"5 I-M matches, 2 play at BP, 15 at AP, 15 at C.G., 15 at The Bubble!":
This Sunday featured multiple sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis and sometimes concurrently as competitors involved in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament found various places to play their matches.
The first of the four First Round matches that were played on this day took place in Brookdale Park in Bloomfield and it featured "Holy Moly" Mike facing off with "The WB" William Bobila. Soon after, two more of the First Round matches got underway simultaneously at The Cedar Grove Courts as one match had Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan going up against "The Annihilator" Nihar Panda while Nihar's buddy Rana "Pure Style" Purupati had to deal with "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak. After those two matches, the four of them came together for one Doubles One-Setter.
Meanwhile, we had the second straight Sunday that was sunny with a peak temperature above 65 degrees. All week long, "Hollywood" Frank Samara said he would get the session started at Albion Park in Clifton as "Hollywood" Frank Samara around 11am. But as this Palm Sunday unfolded, he once again found himself getting off to a much earlier start than originally planned (just like last week).
Samara pulled up to the courts at 9:55am. As he did last week, he sent a text message to "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon asking him to e-mail the league about the change in plans. This took place at 10am. Five minutes later, when Weldon had failed to respond, Frank sent the same message to "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan. Again, no reply. So at 10:10, he sent the same request to "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan.
Even then, there was a lack of response. So all Samara could do was sit on the bench alongside the North Court just hoping someone would decide to show up early and pull up to the courts.
The next to arrive was "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto. He said that Kris did end up informing the league and his e-mail went out to the group at 10:22. Soon after, Samara received a text from Srinivasan stating that it was actually his son Sairaj that sent out the e-mail on his behalf as Kris was out on the road.
Not long after that, Weldon's late reply was that he just woke up while Capan's was that her cell had been in the charger, so she saw the message late. It all did not matter as Kris had already been on the case and the arrivals would soon start coming fast and furious.
While Frank and Vin were having a hitting session on the North Court, "Teej" T.J. Shah, "Ragin" Rajan Shah and "Lean Daddy" Dean Delgado all walked down toward the courts at 10:55. Samara decided to let Dean team with Vin against The Shahs of Sunset while he shifted over to Center Court to hold that one while waiting for more competitors.
The next two to arrive were not with the GTA. Instead, they were two young brothers (possibly twins) that took over the South Court at 11:10. For a while, it would not matter.
"Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales arrived at 11:35 and took the bench alongside the North Court to watch the Doubles action. Ten minutes later, Mole and Bobila arrived together and soon met with Samara over near Center Court. Five minutes more and it was "Big George" Jorge Solano stepping onto the courts and also heading over to Center Court. This inspired Gonzales to go over as well.
At 11:55, Pienciak also arrived and he first reported the earlier Cedar Grove scores directly to Samara (Mole had sent his earlier via text). Ten minutes later, Ryan would find himself replacing Vin to team with Dean against T.J. and Rajan. At the same time on Center Court, another Doubles One-Setter was starting as Jose and Jorge teamed to take on William and Mike. This gave Frank a chance to sit alongside Vin on the bench alongside the North Court.
Just two minutes later, both "Instant" Moka Pathan and "C.A.T." Christine Toth made their way down to the courts. They waited near Samara and De Benedetto. And yet another five minutes after that, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay also made their way onto the courts joining the growing group on the bench. Now we were faced with a logjam situation!
Thankfully, the two young guys on the South Court seemed to notice this (or perhaps they were just tired) as they left at 12:20. Samara directed the four most recent arrivals to take that court and have some Mixed Doubles action.
At 12:40, "MC Quick" Mike Carucci headed toward the courts with his young daughter (I never found out her name) and then the Shahs left soon after. Ten minutes later, Bobila left as he started to get somewhat exhausted in the earlier Doubles One-Setter. And yet another five minutes after that, Solano left.
"Coach" Dino Celis arrived at 1:05 just to make an extended cameo appearance as he is still injured. Five minutes later, Gonzales left.
The next extended cameo appearance was made by "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli who limped toward the courts (banged up from the earlier football game which also featured Pathan) at 1:40. And while he was the last to arrive, it was Samara who was the last to play as he kept letting everyone else compete first.
For the second straight Sunday, we had a great session that featured fifteen competitors and some welcome weather that felt like a glorious spring day. Enough chit chat...
...let's get to the scores!
The Brookdale Park Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
William Bobila over Mike Mole, 6-1, 6-3, to become both the New # 25 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division and the New # 7 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! No Aces.
The Mole Memo: The match ran from 10am to 11:13. Thankfully, we did not have to pay to play at Brookdale. William is good and he has great placement. I made too many unforced errors.
Samara's Notes: Under normal circumstances (beyond the annual GTA Intermediate Invitational), Bobila's win over a "bridge player" like Mole (i.e. one who is simultaneously ranked in both the Advanced and the Intermediate Divisions) would have sent him solely into the Advanced Division. But when you sign on for this tourney, you are signing on to be a part of both divisions. After all, if not, then this win would have made Bobila overqualified for competition in the Intermediate Division and he would then be forced to drop out of the tourney...and that would not make sense for the sake of competition in this event.
Also, what Mole did not include in his written comment about the match (but I feel it deserves to be mentioned) is that he just returned the day before from a two week vacation. So there was some rust factor involved as well. Still, Mike did not want to make any excuses and he gave full praise and respect to William who looks to be a definite factor in this tournament.
The Cedar Grove Results:
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Nihar Panda over Dennis Cabanatan, 7-5, 6-0, to become the New # 20 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! No Aces.
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Ryan Pienciak over Rana Purupati, 6-3, 6-0, to successfully defend his # 13 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Purupati entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 28 Ranked Player. No Aces.
The Ryan Report: All four parties in these two matches arrived at the courts around 10am. After the usual hitting sessions, both matches got underway somewhere around 10:15. And then once both battles were finished, the four of them came together for a Doubles One-Setter.
Ryan Pienciak/Rana Purupati over Nihar Panda/Dennis Cabanatan, 6-2! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: This was the second time in two weeks that Ryan and Nihar managed to face off against one another in a Doubles environment. It gave them a chance to scout each other as they will soon square off in the Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational. It should also be said that after having a hot streak late last season, Cabanatan currently finds himself nursing a shoulder injury. This should not detract from the impressive victory on the part of Panda, but it does deserve to be mentioned.
The Albion Park Results:
T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah over Dean Delgado/Vinnie De Benedetto, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. Samara took casual notes from afar (Center Court, actually) until the intensity and growing importance of this One-Setter forced him to get closer and more comprehensive. Vin was broken on serve, but then his team went up 3-1. Again, De Benedetto was broken (except this time around it was a multiple Deuce game) to have his team's lead cut to 3-2, but then they won the next two games to go up 5-2. Rajan held as his team pulled to 3-5 and then The Vin Man had his worst service performance yet as he started off with a Double Fault and went on to be broken at Love and have his team's lead cut to 5-4! T.J. held to level the score, but Dean held yet again (he was never broken) to reclaim the lead for his team at 6-5. But then Rajan had his second straight hold (which was a battle as he was down Break/Match Point, Deuce, 2nd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, 3rd Break/Match Point, 3rd Deuce, Double Fault for 4th Break/Match Point, 4th Deuce, Game Point and finally the hold) to force the Tiebreak! In the Breaker: Vin held his lone serve and then T.J. held both of his serves for a 2-1 lead. Dean was broken on the first of his two serves to fall to 1-3, but then he held his second for 2-3. Rajan held the first of his two serves for 4-2 at the changeover, but then he was broken on his second for a 4-3 lead. De Benedetto was then broken on both of his serves and then T.J. held both of his as he made a great get/winner combo on his team's first Match Point opportunity (the 5th M.P. overall) to cap quite the comeback victory! Without any rounding up or down, they truly played this one from 11am to 12noon exactly on the North Court. Due to the comeback factor which includes four saved Match Points, this one may have an outside shot at being a Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end (or an Honorable Mention at the very least).
Dean Delgado/Ryan Pienciak over T.J. Shah/Rajan Shah, 6-2! Ryan: 1 Ace on Rajan. This was also played on the North Court and it lasted from 12:05 to 12:38.
William Bobila/Mike Mole over Jose Gonzales/Jorge Solano, 6-3! Mike: 1 Ace on Jorge. This one took place on Center Court from 12:05 to 12:48. Midway through, it seemed that Bobila may have to quit early due to exhaustion. But he caught his breath and his second wind and played on and it was a good thing that he did. After this one, all but Mike were done. Jorge wanted to conserve his energy and strength for his GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match later in the day up at Cedar Grove.
2 out of 3 Set Mixed Doubles Match:
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Moka Pathan/Christine Toth, 6-3, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 5 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division! Meanwhile, Pathan/Toth entered the division as the New # 47 Ranked Team. Marijus: 3 Aces in the 1st Set (2 on Moka and 1 on Christine); and Moka: 1 Ace on Sally in the 2nd Set! They got the 1st Set underway on the South Court at 12:27 (after seven minutes of hitting). It ended at 12:56. Four minutes later, they entered into what would become the 2nd Set (after all parties involved agreed to it becoming a full match for rank) and that one ended exactly at 1:28.
Dean Delgado/Vinnie De Benedetto over Ryan Pienciak/Mike Carucci, 6-3! Dean: 1 Ace on Ryan; and Mike: 1 Ace on Vinnie (a self-described change-up). Mike was broken in an 8-Deuce game where there were likely to be 7 Break Points! This one took place on the North Court and lasted from 12:48 to 1:27.
Frank Samara/Mike Mole over Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Carucci, 6-4! Marijus: 2 Aces on Mike! In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners where and when...so here's the basic breakdown: Mike C. held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point and the hold), Mike M. held (a Triple Game Point lead got cut down to Deuce, but then came another Game Point and the hold), Marijus held (he started with a sideline Ace on Mike and roared straight to Triple Game Point, then it was Double Game Point where he hit a big corner Ace against Mike for the hold), but Frank was the first one to be broken (a Love-30 start, 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break) to fall to 1-3. Carucci was broken (Love-30 shifted straight to Game Point, then Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point again and then the break) and Mole held again (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) to tie things up at 3-3. Kuzavas also held again (started with a Double Fault, but then went right to Double Game Point and the hold) to reclaim the lead for his team, but then Samara held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) to knot the score once more at 4-4. From there, MC Quick was broken again and this time it was at Love while Holy Moly held a third straight time (15-Love and then two consecutive Double Faults for 15-30, but then it shifted again as it went right to Game/Match Point, then Deuce, the 2nd Game/Match Point and the hold) to seal the deal and get the win! We played this one on the South Court from 1:35 to 2:07.
The Skinny: After being on the sidelines all day (except for a brief hitting session with Vin at the beginning of the session), Samara came in a little rusty as he refused the opportunity to hit a bit before starting in order to save time. But he shook it off and would later deliver some fine Overhead Smashes along the way. Poor Mole as he looked quite good in Doubles on this day...guess the rust came off just a bit too late for him. Kuzavas was his usual dominant self except later in the set when he may have been getting a tad tired and start putting some in the net. Carucci, the least experienced of the four, shook off the winter rust quite quickly (living up to his moniker) as he made several great gets while his shot-making also continues to improve very nicely.
Sally Pillay over Christine Toth, 6-1! No Aces. They faced off against one another on the North Court from 1:35 to 2:20. The reason for the lengthy One-Setter (besides some spirited rallies) was the fact that there was a bathroom break and some extended water breaks along the way as well.
As the five men left (Kuzavas, Samara, Mole, Celis and Martinelli) watched the women from afar (South Court), they first noticed a hawk flying in the sky. This is not unusual as this was a common occurrence at the Robin Hood Park Courts and we have even seen one before at Albion (one night in Cedar Grove as well). But then the scene got a little freaky as one quickly went to seven and then soon became eight of them! At one moment, they started to swoop somewhat low as if they were perhaps hungry for some tennis players! This inspired Spin to utter the line of the day: "They're magnificent birds!" It was one of those lines that was made funnier by the way he said...a case of "you had to be there..."
There was then a second session at Cedar Grove that got underway around 4pm and featured two more GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Matches (Solano versus "The Wildman" Ryan Sherry and also "Tailor Made" Raj Tailor vs. "The Accelerator" Abhilash Gadi) along with other players involved in additional action.
"The K Man" Kris Srinivasan was the one who announced the session to the league. He then acted as the host and provided us with the following write-up. Sherry and Tailor also sent in their scores directly.
We now turn this report over to The K and let him take it away!
There was a somewhat 'petite' session in Cedar Grove on a beautiful afternoon, planned for 4pm with short notice as Greg Swierczek was up for hitting a bit. The heavy morning sessions at multiple locations and then an early evening session planned at The Wayne Bubble had obviously taken a toll on this evening's turnout. But again, two courts were taken by non-GTA players who occupied the courts for quite some time...so perhaps it was for the best.
Just as we started, Joe Rodrigues and Mike Sindler joined us, soon followed by Syed Rashid who all decided to go down the road to the old courts (where they only ended up having a hitting session before heading up to The Bubble).
Court One was taken by Jorge Solano who played against Ryan Sherry in the First Round of the GTA Intermediate Invitational tournament. Jay (my son) wanted to play with Sairaj (my other son) against me and Greg. His confidence was reflected in his game as he was aided well by Sairaj as they almost rolled us over with aggressive shots, great gets and good serving. I was serving Love-30, down 1-5 and needed to hold my serve to stay in the set. It was a game changer from the next point onwards as we held and went on to win all the games that followed. The boys dropped their game big-time with poor serving and misses combined with our aggressive approach.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Greg Swierczek/Kris Srinivasan over Sairaj Srinivasan/Jay Srinivasan, 7-5! Sairaj: 1 Ace on Greg!
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Ryan Sherry over Jorge Solano 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, to become the New # 23 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! Ryan: 2 Aces (2nd and 3rd Set)!
The K has his say: It was indeed a very close match which was hanging in the balance until the last point was played. It was a grueling battle that saw plenty of lengthy rallies as both players pushed the other side to side. Jorge did a solid job of running Ryan around, but boy can Ryan run! He also made Jorge run aplenty and blew some points after setting up them well. But he was also extremely good in getting to the ball and smoked some fast-paced shots every now and then.
It looked like Ryan won the 1st Set, but it was the wily Jorge. Even he missed on what could have been great placements, but still he won the crucial points and took the set. In the 2nd Set, Ryan proved to be quite steady and was unshakeable, running to every ball and playing with great control.
The deciding set was a roller coaster and it became a mental game. It was close and when it looked like one guy was winning, the other pushed himself to keep it even. It was 4-All and Jorge won a hard-fought game to take the lead and, with the momentum, he now had 2 Match Points in his favor against Ryan's serve. At this juncture, Ryan was a cool customer, totally unflustered and he played with the finest temperament. That's when he pulled off his booming first serve. What a time for him to come up with an Ace on his first serve! One MP saved! The next serve was a fairly mild one that Jorge would normally return 9 out of 10 times. Instead, it was an inexplicable miss, managing to jam himself and help Ryan save MP # 2! The impact was obvious as Ryan went on to hold his serve to tie it 5-All, saved by the skin of his teeth. Jorge was a shadow of himself as a meek game meant a break for Ryan and then he was sitting much better as he served with confidence and the momentum going his way. He would go to win the game, set and match in a tightly contested battle! Jorge was besides himself and indeed it was a tough loss, but he certainly played with a big heart. Ryan deserved a great win, playing hard and had the incredible ingredient of having a cool temperament. Congrats to him on a hard-fought victory, but Jorge deserves a great pat on the back for his great play that was fully involved and showcased his gargantuan efforts.
Samara's Notes: I concur with all that Kris has said above and also wish to add that this could be an early contender for GTA Intermediate Singles Match of The Year at season's end. We now go back to The K!
Jay Srinivasan/Matias Dioses over Mike Mole/Christian Dioses, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of both Matias Dioses and Christian Dioses.
The Dioses Brothers were waiting when we were in the middle of our first match. And so was Mike Mole. After our match, I stepped out along with Greg and Sairaj despite being hungry for more tennis. But it was good to see the boys in action as they displayed great shots and serves.
On the other side, we had another First Round Match between Raj Taylor and Abhilash Gadi. They had to wait a bit before finally getting Court Three.
GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Raj Tailor over Abhilash Gadi, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 27 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Gadi entered the division as the New # 30 Ranked Player. Raj: 2 Aces; and Abhilash: 1 Ace!
It was a slow start for Raj as he was not playing as his usual aggressive self and it didn't help that his shots were missing the court. Abhi has a great game, but it was obvious that match situations can change the dynamics of most players. Abhi played a bit more freely in the 1st Set, but Raj was a bit flustered. That changed after the 1st Set as he got to play some of his well-placed aggressive shots. While I didn't see most of their match, I did see Abhi getting more defensive which let Raj assert himself. I didn't get to talk to them at the conclusion of their match as I got to play a few games against Ryan.
Kris Srinivasan leading Ryan Sherry, 3-1 (Incomplete when they decided to stop)! No Aces.
We had decided to play for 20 minutes. Ryan was serving well and playing with more pace (unlike in his previous match where Jorge had slowed the pace). The games were close and it was good to get the body moving.
The evening was relatively low on turnout, but saw some intense matches indeed! Cheers!
Samara's Notes: I thank Kris for being much more proactive this season in terms of announcing these somewhat impromptu sessions at Cedar Grove ahead of time. It really helps the group. And, as always, I thank him for hosting and providing us with his colorful and comprehensive reports.
From 6pm to 8:30, there was the annual Season Closing Party for all The Night Owls up at The Wayne Bubble (this coming Tuesday and Thursday will be the final Night Owl sessions of this season) hosted by "The Boss" Bill Bess and "The Riz" John Rizzo. This season, Samara was invited to attend and he was also allowed to bring his offspring - Angeliz and Dante!
It was The Samara Family that were the first ones to arrive on the scene around 5:45, though "The Hitman" Tom La pulled into the parking lot around the same time. Angie and Dante got the chance to practice hitting the ball against the wall (their first time ever doing this) while more of The Night Owls arrived.
Soon, it was "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon followed by Rizzo and then others. We entered The Bubble around 6:05. Five minutes later, Rizzo and "Laidback" Laurie Boughton started hitting against Samara and Sheldon on Court One. This was also another first opportunity for Angie and Dante as they got to be the official ball girl and ball boy for the coming One-Setter which got underway at 6:15. Other action would quickly occupy the other courts while Mr. Bess set up his annual contests on Court Four.
The Wayne Bubble Results:
Frank Samara/Kathy Sheldon over John Rizzo/Laurie Boughton, 6-4! No Aces. We did not conduct the usual changeovers in order to save time and, thus, this is the basic breakdown of how the games went: John held (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Frank held (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point, the hold came on Game Point), but Laurie was the first to be broken (a Double Fault for Love-30, Triple Break Point, Double Break Point and then the break) to fall to 1-2. Kathy was also broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to make it 2-2, but then Rizzo was broken at Love to fall to 2-3. Samara held again (15-Love which was where he blew the opportunity to nail a picture-perfect Windmill Overhead Smash to go up 30-Love...perhaps he was trying to show off a bit in front of his kids as he actually...and excitedly...jumped up a bit too soon and then on the way down end up framing it as the ball dropped behind him instead for 15-All...but then he was motivated to go straight to Double Game Point and then the hold) for a 4-2 lead! Bougton was broken again (Triple Break Point, the break came on Double Break Point) as her team fell to 2-5, but then Sheldon was broken at Love and The Riz held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) to pull to 4-5! But then Hollywood held a third straight time (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game/Match Point and then the hold) to get the "W!" We played this one on Court One from 6:15 to 6:45.
The Skinny: Rizzo's increasing amount of ailments and injuries is taking its toll on his game as not only is his mobility somewhat restricted, but it has now even affected his serve which was getting quite dominant just a short while ago. Boughton seemed to be hot and cold. Sheldon was on fire with her forehand returns which often resulted in winners. Samara did little wrong, but he still beat himself up for the blown opportunity on the would-be gift to set up what should have been a sure thing...his patented Windmill Overhead Smash in front of his two little cuties. Oh well!
Senthil Kumar/Nick Inciong over Alfred Chen/Syed Rashid, 6-1! No Aces. Not sure exactly when this one got underway on Court Two, but it ended at 6:55.
Tom La/Mike Sindler over Joe Rodrigues/Pranav Sinha, 6-3! No Aces. Like the previous one, not sure of the start time...but this one was finished on Court Three at 6:55.
It was then time for the contests on Court Four. Sindler ended up winning the most accurate serve contest (we can now call him "Mr. Serve" rather than "The Sin Man") while Rodrigues won the most accurate volley contest. As a result, both gentleman walked away with newly won racquets.
Samara participated in the serving contest, but then went back to Court One to hit with Angie and Dante who absolutely loved the opportunity to do so and displayed their best tennis to date...though they still have a long way to go!
Dan Hwang/Vladimir Smolyanskiy over Rafaelo Kazakov/Pranav Sinha, 6-2! No Aces. Don't know when this one actually began on Court Three, but it ended at 8pm.
Alfred Chen/Nick Inciong over Senthil Kumar/Tom La, 6-1! Tom: 1 Ace on Alfred. They got this one underway on Court Two at 7:55 and it closed out the session sometime near 8:30. Both Rizzo and Kumar sent text messages to Samara of the score (as he left with his kids a little after 8pm), but Senthil was the one who also noted the Ace.
Thanks to both Mr. Bess and Mr. Rizzo for hosting this party. Bill had both "Drill Instructor" Don Moya and "The Tenderizer" Meet Rana to help with the festivities as well.
It seems like 15 was the magic number of the day as that was the number of official competitors at the Albion Park session, the two Cedar Grove sessions combined and the session at The Wayne Bubble.
This weekend continued to amp up the 2017 Season as Mother Nature has finally relented and allowed some true spring weather to break on through and set the stage for some awesome GTA Tennis.
All the best,
Frank Samara
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