4/27 Results.

4/27/17:               

"Ortega-Tailor part of 25 at C.G. as Samara hosts!":                               

GTA Thursday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts as "Hollywood" Frank Samara acted as host after being a slightly late (7:45pm) and somewhat surprise arrival.  Usual host "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan arrived at the courts at almost the exact same time.

At that time, three of the four courts there were under our control while we would have to go without Court One (occupied by four of the Cedar Grove regulars not associated with our group) for most of the night (we finally got it back around 9:20).

But before we get to how the evening session unfolded, it had actually started earlier at 5:30 as "Eddie O" Edwin Ortega and "Tailor Made" Raj Tailor got together for their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 16 Match.  They also ended up playing a One-Setter after that.

So we will go to those scores before doing the usual recap of events.   

The Cedar Grove Courts:

GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 16 Match:

Raj Tailor over Edwin Ortega, 6-2, 6-1, as he becomes 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 Quarterfinals of The GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  Raj: 2 Aces (one in each set)!

The Raj Report: It was a good match with some nice rallies.  We then played a One-Setter.

Raj Tailor over Edwin Ortega, 6-3!  No Aces.  Edwin had jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but then Raj took six straight games for the win.

Samara's Notes: I thank Raj for his very timely reporting of that result.  I also congratulate him on his impressive victory.  Next, he will face the very crafty "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo in the Quarters.

Upon my arrival, I saw that Court One was already occupied by the four guys who we can call "The Anti-GTA Contingent."  I pretty much knew they would be there most of the night and I was right.  This would lead to a backlog situation for us for most of the evening, but thankfully all our good peeps took it in stride and used it as an opportunity to take a breather and socialize with others on the bench.

On Court Two, it was "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes teaming with "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport to take on "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff and "J-Wow" Janice Wang (and she really is starting to "wow" people with her game…especially that lethal two-handed backhand that she wields).

On Court Three, a One-Setter was just about to get underway as "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues was paired with "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli as they faced one of our powerhouse Mixed Doubles teams – "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "The Smackdown" Sally Pillay.  Spin played some of his best tennis in this one (as did his partner, Joe) and it seemed that the comedic barbs sent his way from one Mister Marijus this past Sunday may have struck a nerve…LOL!

And on Court Four, "The A-Bomb" Andrew Truong and "Holy Moly" Mike Mole were already squaring off against "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales and "Drill Instructor" Don Moya.

Sitting on the bench were "Teej" T.J. Shah (who had just arrived) along with "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon, "Bravo" Brenda Jordan and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson.  They reported their earlier scores to Samara.

At 7:55, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan made his arrival.  At 8:35, "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan did the same.  Five minutes later, Omar "Stealth" Santos was also heading toward the courts.

Ten minutes more, "Coach" Dino Celis began an extended cameo appearance.  And five minutes later (at 8:55), Tito "Touch" Castolo was the final arrival of the evening.

This led to an amazing total of 25 official competitors throughout the extended session.  The weather underperformed expectations as Mother Nature unleashed her daughter, Misty Drizzle, upon us.  And later in the night, it went from a mist to a very low fog…like we were playing in the clouds.  Despite the damp and humid conditions, the GTA Tennis action was quite heavenly!  And here is the rest of it…

Andrew Troung/Brenda Jordan over Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson, 6-0!  Andrew: 2 Aces (one on each)!  I neglected to ask which court it was played on and what the approximate start and stop times were.

Kathy Sheldon/Brenda Jordan over Andrew Truong/Dawn Peterson, 6-3!  No Aces.  Same as above in terms of time played and on which court.

2 out of 3 Sets:

Nathan Fernandes/Dan Praport over Jordan Bachvaroff/Janice Wang, 6-0, 6-1!  No Aces.  Not sure when this one got started on Court Two, but it finished at 8:05.

Jose Gonzales/Don Moya over Andrew Truong/Mike Mole, 6-1!  No Aces.  Again, not sure when this one began on Court Four, but it ended at 8pm.

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Joe Rodrigues/Dan Martinelli, 6-4!  Sally: 1 Ace on Joe (a deceptive weak one after several "First In" blasts); and Marijus: 1 Ace on Spin (the usual missile from the big man)!  This one went game for game as no team could take a two-game lead over the other.  But then when it was 4-5 with Joe on serve, it went to Break/Match Point, Deuce, 2^nd Break/Match Point, 2^nd Deuce and then it finally finished on the 3^rd Break/Match Point at exactly 8:41 (they had begun this one on Court Three at 7:50)!

Dennis Cabanatan/T.J. Shah over Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales, 6-3!  Dennis: 1 Ace on Kris.  Court Four hosted this foursome from 8:10 to 8:42.

Andrew Truong/Mike Mole over Dan Praport/Janice Wang, 6-3!  No Aces.  They played this on Court Two from 8:10 to 8:35.

Don Moya/Doinks Srinivasan over Andrew Truong/Mike Mole, 6-4!  Don: 2 Aces on Mike; and Andrew: 1 Ace on Don!  This one was also played on Court Two and it lasted from 8:40 to 9:20.

Nathan Fernandes/Janice Wang over Jose Gonzales/Sally Pillay, 6-4!  No Aces.  This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Three from 8:46 to 9:20.

Dennis Cabanatan/T.J. Shah over Joe Rodrigues/Omar Santos, 6-3!  Omar: 1 Ace on Dennis; and T.J.: 1 Ace on Omar!  These four faced off on Court Four from 8:48 to 9:21.

Three One-Setters all ended within a minute of one another while the four guys finally abandoned Court One just minutes earlier.  Suddenly, we all were in a panic trying to figure out the next round of matches.  We knew we wanted to get Samara and Castolo into the action to maximize the turnout total.

In fact, Tito was the first to make some kind of decision when he said he would team with Frank.  Their opposition would be Marijus and Kris on Court Four.

On Court Three, Nate took the role of Charlie in "Charlie's Angels" as it was just him with the three remaining ladies (as he teamed with Doinks against Sally and Janice).

Andrew had wanted to play Singles all night long and he finally got his wish as he went over to Court One to square off against Dennis.  And then Omar and Mike went to do the same on Court Four.

I do believe the two Singles One-Setters still featured the changeovers, but I do know that the two Doubles One-Setters decided to forego them in the hopes of getting the action completed (only one of two could claim that).

Since the next four One-Setters all began on or around 9:25, we will go in the order of how they finished (though I could not grab the times along the way).

Dennis Cabanatan over Andrew Truong, 6-2!  No Aces.

Mike Mole over Omar Santos, 6-3!  No Aces.

Nathan Fernandes/Doinks Srinivasan over Sally Pillay/Janice Wang, 6-2!  No Aces.

Marijus Kuzavas/Kris Srinivasan leading Frank Samara/Tito Castolo, 6-5 (with Tito on serve at 15-All as the lights went off at 10pm)!  Marijus: 1 Ace on Frank (a big one near the sideline)!  Since we did not do the changeovers, I did not write down the flow of the games along the way.  In fact, I am going off memory right now as I type this the next day…but this is how I believe they went: Kris seemed destined for a Love hold as he quickly went to Triple Game Point, but the hold came on Double Game Point, Frank held in a 3-Deuce game, Marijus had a hold identical to Kris (Triple Game Point, the hold came on Double Game Point) and then Tito held at Love as we were all on serve at 2-2!  Srinivasan was the first to be broken as I think he went from up 30-Love to Break Point and the break while I believe Samara (that's me…heehee) did the exact opposite as I held by going from down Love-30 to Game Point and then the hold for a 4-2 lead for my team.  Kuzavas held again and this was the service where he had the Ace on me (I think he again went to Triple Game Point, but would hold on Double Game Point) to pull to 3-4, but Castolo held again (on Game Point, I believe) to extend his team's lead to 5-3.  But The K Man held on Double Game Point and then Hollywood was broken at Love to level it at 5-5!  Super Mario held yet again (may have been at Love, not entirely sure) to go up 6-5!  Tito Touch was then on serve and it was at 15-All as the lights went out to close out the night!  While it was a shame it went unfinished, we could all walk away saying we didn't lose…LOL!  All in all, it still was a lot of fun. 

Samara signing off! 

4/26 Results.

4/26/17:               

"Kris hosts 12 at C.G.!":                               

GTA Wednesday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts as "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan acted as host.  We now turn over this report to Kris. 

We were blessed to be able to play some GTA Tennis last night after witnessing a steady drizzle at the beginning of our evening session with ominous clouds.  Unlike the other night, the courts were getting a bit wet, but we started a Doubles Match in quick time so that "the rain gods" could take a break and watch us play...:-).  Indeed, three games into our match, the drizzle relented and the coast was clear from there on. 

The Cedar Grove Courts:

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Nathan Fernandes/Tom La over Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff, 7-5, 6-1, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 53 and # 54 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces.

The 1st Set was quite competitive and in balance until the end.  Nate played smart and was well-supported by Tom who can be quite proud of some of his shots.  He was particularly good in protecting the Doubles Alley as Jordan was trying some down-the-line shots time and time again only to see an agile Tom swiftly put the ball away between his opponents.  Despite not getting in his first serves, Jordan did well on his second serves and the highlight of this set was his return of serves (which were brutal) to set up an easy point at the net.

It was a far cry in the 2nd Set with both our games faltering.  Jordan does most damage from the baseline with his forehand shots, but he did the damage (to us) at the net…:-).  We surely lost some focus while both Nate and Tom played with more intensity.

Mike Mole/Ryan Pienciak over Jorge Solano/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-0!  No Aces (apparently).

The players who had trickled in while we were in the midst of our match got to play Doubles, but didn't make balanced teams as the score reflects.

Nathan Fernandes/Kris Srinivasan over Jay Phoenix/Mike Mole, 6-2!  No Aces.

The somewhat facile victory was certainly achieved by Nate's consistent and authoritative overheads.  But Mike's serves were top-notch…some of the best serves that had plenty of fizz and zip!  They were vicious and kicking!  What an improvement from him and zero Double Faults!  His ground-strokes were equally impressive, but an attacking game by us at the net threw him off.  Jay jumped right into the match and as he plays with such intensity and gusto, he's on from the first point.  The best shot was the one in which he threw the kitchen sink into his shot from the baseline down the line beating Nate.

Ryan Pienciak/Jorge Solano leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Tom La, 4-1 (Incomplete when Tom La had to leave)!  No Aces (apparently).

This One-Setter didn't get to see its completion, but I was surprised at the score when they stopped as Tom had to go.  This was played for quite sometime…so much so that I actually thought this was their second One-Setter.  Jorge was on a role and had wished that they had played the set out to its proper conclusion.

Jay Phoenix/Natalia Sout over Mike Mole/Laurie Boughton, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

It looked like it was a very competitive match.  Jay had nicely warmed up and was fired up.  Mike was a force with his serves and topspin shots with solid support from Laurie.  She is thoroughly enjoying her time when she plays tennis for sure.  But the highlight of this match was the superior play by Natalia with aggressive returns to Mike's serves and overall she stole the limelight with her attacking shots!

Jordan Bachvaroff/Jorge Solano over Kris Srinivasan/Ryan Pienciak, 6-2!  No Aces.

Sitting out for a while had completely cooled me off and I was off my rhythm.  Ryan was not his aggressive self either.  We were confident if we could only get our groove back, but we ended up playing an insipid set after all.

Kris Srinivasan/Ryan Pienciak over Jordan Bachvaroff/Jorge Solano, 6-2!  No Aces.

The loss in the earlier set was rankling and obviously we wanted to set it right.  Jorge wanted to go, but was talked into playing one more.  Some of us can be persuasive...:-).  Our intent was clear and we upped the pace of the game.  Ryan got his serves going and started hitting hard.  In fact, I was the victim of one of his shots when I got slapped hard on the back of my head!  With a rapid-fire start, we got the first two games only to blow the next two with silly errors and good plays by both Jordan and Jorge.  But that's all they would win for the rest of the night as we ramped up our games to see the finish line in quick time.  Not sure, Jorge will get to sleep well...:-).

The women got to hit the ball by challenging Nate for 20 minutes or so and they seemed to be having a heck a lot of fun in the process.  All in all, a gray and gloomy evening turned into a fistful of adventures with the weather improving significantly by the minute!  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: Besides the fact that Kris is so often willing to host GTA Tennis up at Cedar Grove and provide us with his colorful and comprehensive reports, I am even more thankful to him this season for the way he is now announcing to the league that tennis will be possible on nights when that status would otherwise be uncertain.  I can easily see how it has improved the turnout thus far this year.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

4/25 Results.

4/25/17:               

"Marie/Frank host 8 (2 new, 1 return) at Fair Lawn!":                               

GTA Tuesday Night Tennis took place at The Fair Lawn Racquet Club as "The Olympian" Marie Salamon invited "Hollywood" Frank Samara to be a sub in her weekly Tuesday Night Tennis group at The Club. 

As usual, Marie had two courts booked for two hours (8 to 10pm) to accommodate eight players.  I am thankful to her for thinking of me.  It gave me the chance to not only see some of the members of her group that I've enjoyed playing with in the past, but also to meet two players I have not seen before.

There were no changeovers as teams held their side of the court for the entire set.  Then, at 9pm, we switched up the match-ups.

I had actually memorized the flow of all the games of my first One-Setter and most of my second.  But when that second one went to 5-5 after the opposition saved three Match Points against my serve, I lost the will to remember it all.  Thus, what follows is a very condensed version of the night's events (when compared to my usual write-up).

It was a fun evening as the action was both competitive and enjoyable.

The Fair Lawn Results:

Frank Samara/George Sienkiewicz over Tim Yu/Marie Salamon, 7-5!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Return of George Sienkiewicz.  We played this one on Court Four from 8:20 to 8:57 (we first had a warm-up hitting session that lasted close to 20 minutes, as did the other foursome on Court Three).

The Skinny: Marie came out on fire as she hit winners in the first two points of the match which led to a Love break of George (normally, he is a dominant server).  Tim was then also broken for 1-1.  After that, the Samara/Sienkiewicz combo (it was their first time teaming together) fell to 1-5 before taking six straight games to complete an incredible comeback!  For the first half of the match, you could have called the Yu/Salamon tandem The Line Painters as Tim almost always hit the sidelines with his sweeping forehand blasts while Marie often found the baseline with her lobs and volleys.  But once Frank and George were able to clear their heads somewhat, Sienkiewicz got things going with his big forehand shots and serves while Samara did his thing with the slice backhands (three of which found their way down the Doubles Alley and the last of which was on Match Point) and surprising get-making.

We had time to play one more unofficial bonus game while waiting for the action on Court Three to finish and Tim and Marie took that one…a small moral victory.

J.D. Lee/Marcia Yu tied with Daniel Shtern/Robin Altman, 4-4 (Incomplete as they ran out of time a little past 9pm…they, too, did not start this one on Court Three until around 8:20).  No Aces (apparently).

The Skinny: This incomplete One-Setter could not serve as the official GTA Debut of both J.D. Lee and Daniel Shtern (that is not a typo…that is how his last name is spelled).  I was told that two of their games went to multiple Deuces and lasted almost as long as the rest of the games combined and that was why they could not get this Mixed Doubles One-Setter done in time.

Marie is the matchmaker of the group and she wanted to test herself against three men once again.  So Tim and Frank switched courts so that Mr. Yu could team with his wife, Mrs. Yu (Marcia).  Plus, Samara is already familiar with Robin.  And that sent J.D. and Daniel over to Court Four where they would finally be able to take part in a completed One-Setter.

George Sienkiewicz/J.D. Lee over Daniel Shtern/Marie Salamon, 6-2!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Debut of both J.D. Lee and Daniel Shtern.  This one got underway on Court Four around 9:05, but not sure when it ended as they would then switch teams and get another one started…which we will get to a little later.

Tim Yu/Marcia Yu over Frank Samara/Robin Altman, 7-5!  Tim: 1 Ace on Robin (a blast to the corner); and Frank: 1 Ace on Marcia (a deceptive slider that skidded off of the service line and caught her by surprise).  We got this one going on Court Three around 9:05 and it finished by 9:50.

The Skinny: The Yu Crew was up 3-1 before Samara/Altman won four straight games for a 5-3 lead.  And then at 5-4, Frank was on serve and it went 15-Love, 15-All and then straight to Double Game/Match Point, then Game/Match Point, Deuce, the 3^rd Game/Match Point, 2^nd Deuce, Break Point and the break for 5-5!  That would be the first of three straight games for Tim and Marcia as they made an impressive mini-comeback to seal the deal and get the win.

After that one, we started another one.  Frank and Robin had a 3-1 lead when we had to stop at 10:05.  There were no aces in this makeshift half-set.

George Sienkiewicz/Marie Salamon tied with J.D. Lee/Daniel Shtern, 4-4 (Incomplete when they, too, had to stop at 10:05).  No Aces (apparently). 

All in all, it was a lot of fun.  Marie says she hopes to see more of me up there while she also plans on playing with us more at both Clifton and Cedar Grove (as she already has been a bit lately).  We also hope that some of her group's players will make it down our way to join us, too. 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

4/24 Results.

4/24/17:               

"Rodrigues-Hwang part of 12 at C.G. as Kris hosts!":                               

GTA Monday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (featuring the third of the Round of 16 Matches in the GTA Intermediate Invitational to be played, this one between "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues and "The DH" Dan Hwang with both respectively reporting their result) which was also hosted by "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan. 

So we will turn this report over to Kris along with the comments from both Joe and Dan after their match.

It turned out to be a superb evening of GTA Tennis despite the slight drizzle that threatened the possibility of any play for the evening.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  So for those who stayed put, it became drizzle-free by 8pm to ensure play for the rest of the evening.

The Cedar Grove Results:

GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 16 Match:

Dan Hwang over Joe Rodrigues, 6-4, 6-1, to become both the New # 20 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division and the New # 2 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Quarterfinals of The GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  No Aces.

The DH delivers the following hit: We played from 6:45 to 8pm.  The 1st Set was back and forth and could have gone either way.  Fortunately, I took my chances and capitalized.  Then, the first four games of 2nd Set were also tight, and the 2nd Set score seems a bit misleading, as Joe was in it till the very end.  Joe is a great competitor.  The line calls and competition were all very fair play.  It was a pleasure to compete with him.

J-Rod is next up to bat: Dan played well and it was a much-deserved win.  I echo the sentiment that he is a pleasure to play against and I look forward to playing him again during the summer.  I wish Dan much success in the rest of the tournament.

And now The K has his say: It was the first match for the evening (originally scheduled for a 6pm start and a dry court did get to see slight drizzle for most of the second half of their match).  It was a very good match with quality tennis from both the players.  It was a very close 1st Set which saw Dan edge out Joe in a squeeze.  Joe was serving great and that was backed up with attacking shots, but Dan is indeed a well-rounded player with exquisite forehand and backhand shots backed up with solid serves. That didn't deter Joe as he was able to draw errors with great shots.

It was a mixed bag for Joe in the 2nd Set as the serves, at times great, often faltered at other times and Dan was mixing up his shots with great placements and drop shots.  It did take a toll on poor Joe, but he sure is a warrior as he played clean shots for most of the match.  Congrats to Dan on a well-deserved victory!  He has got a lovely game to take him deep into the tournament.

Samara's Notes: Hwang is one of the competitors that I expected to go far in this tournament and he is definitely living up to expectations.  We now go back to Kris for the balance of this report.

Nathan Fernandes/Mike Mole over Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La, 6-0!  No Aces (apparently).

It looked like both Dennis and Tom La needed a good warm-up before they could dish out their goods. As lop-sided the score of this set is, it did help them in the next set to come up with a good fight.

Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La over Nathan Fernandes/Mike Mole, 10-8!  No Aces (apparently).

It was a well-contested match that pretty much went the distance.  Tied at 6-All, they decided to play like Wimbledon in the Final Set by going for the win with a two game difference rather than play a Tiebreak.  It did see some more fight, but didn't have the legs for a marathon run like the Isner-Mahut match.  Since the GTA's standards are quite high, it may not qualify for a Nominee at year's end...haha!

Samara's Notes: Not so sure of that, Kris, as 10-8 is quite impressive.  But without the details of multiple Match Points, etc., it lacks some drama.  And I actually believe in the Tiebreak (rather than playing out the games) as a prime source of drama.  But we shall see.  And now we go back to Kris.

Chris Chiaro over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

After a solid start by Chris winning the first three games, Jordan came on good getting on board with solid shots and placements.  Just then, a slight drizzle started and Jordan was happy to stop, satisfied that he got on board…:-).  But he was goaded into playing further by us as the courts were fairly dry for the most part.  It turned out to be good for him as he won the next game.  The match then turned around as Chris started making lots of errors and combined with some shots and gets from Jordan, the match went on for a while as I got to hit a bit with Lou in the meantime.

Tito Castolo/Doinks Srinivasan over Nathan Fernandes/Laurie Boughton, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

It was a well-contested match apparently with the whole atmosphere was reverberating with the sounds of the players, especially the boisterous Laurie.  Tito is his wily self, playing wicked tennis.  Nate had the run of his life, running all over the place backing up Laurie, rushing to the net and Tito surely ensured that.  Doinks got some nice tips from Tito and her deep shots helped her side.  Laurie played great, but got suffocated with a barrage of shots thrown at her.  With all the giggles and noise that she made, she is a sure nominee for having great fun last night.

Nathan Fernandes/Laurie Boughton leading Tito Castolo/Doinks Srinivasan, 3-2 (and serving when it had to be Incomplete due to lights out at 10pm)!  No Aces (apparently).

Nate is a cunning fella in his own sweet way as he figured out his counterpart, Tito.  That's the best part about Nate, figuring out the opponent and adapting accordingly during the play.  Results started reflecting for his side, but the night was long enough!

3 out of 5 Sets Doubles Match:

Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Lou La Forgia/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0, 6-4, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 26 Rank in the Doubles Division!  In the process, La Forgia/Bachvaroff entered the division as the New # 54 Ranked Team.  Jordan: 1 Ace on Kris in the 2nd Set!

Chris was not bothered to team with me (the weakest link), but then he and Nate most times do that to challenge themselves.  It was a super finish for us as we played strong in all the three sets to two very competent players.  The highlight of the night, at least from my perspective, was the ridiculously low number of errors that I committed.  Shocking!  :-).

Buoyed by my decent play, Chris was on a roll, especially taking on Lou's attacking shots, time and again. 

The 1st Set's score could easily have been different (not the result) as Chris survived a couple of his services to hold after a lengthy game.  One of them should have been an easy hold, but Lou and Jordan played beautifully to give a match throughout the night.  Lou should have held a couple of games after leading as well.  Lou's error on Game Point coming to the net to smoke an outright winner sent the game to Deuce and then it ended in a break of serve.  One of those nights!

We saw a great comeback from Lou and Jordan.  It is sheer delight to watch Lou's smooth forehand shots hit with such pace that only Chris could counter.  It was a like a tug of war between the two on some rallies that Chris came out on the good.  I'll be happy to be in Lou's shoes any day to play like that and lose.  Jordan came on strong in the 2nd Set, serving well and muscling through his forehand shots with topspin winners.  Still, we had an early break and actually were on a 9-game winning trot before Lou held his serve and got on board for the first time in the night.  A couple of loose attacking shots from me changed the scenario as I deviated ever so slightly from the winning ways that I had displayed earlier.  Chris and Jordan held, followed by a break on my serve.  Lou was vicious on his serve for an easy hold, but that was all they would do to go further.

We dominated the 3rd Set to a great extent as we were quite focused like in the 1st Set.  Jordan suddenly seemed to have lost his serve as he double-faulted thrice with the last one hammering the final nail on the coffin!

Overall, it turned out to be a night of brisk and crisp tennis, and surely a satisfying one for the winners of course…:-).  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: As always, The K Man is the man for GTA Tennis up at Cedar Grove…much thanks for his efforts!

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

4/23 Results.

4/23/17:

"Ryan/Nick-Chris/Raj part of 18 at AP, Mel-Alex part of 11 at C.G.!":

This Sunday featured two sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis:  "Hollywood" Frank Samara hosted the morning session at Albion Park in Clifton (and it started early at 9am as The Main Event - Top Contenders Match between the two top contending teams of "Chito" Nick Inciong/"The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak and GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro/"The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah kicked things off) and then "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan hosted a late-afternoon into evening session at The Cedar Grove Courts which also featured a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match between "The Mel Man" Melvin Hyman and Alex Roumi (with Mel reporting the result…and also an additional score sent in via Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan). 

Before we get to that later session, let's first discuss how the first session unfolded.

Samara pulled up to the courts at 8:55am.  Less than a minute later, so did Pienciak.  They both headed out onto the North Court, but Frank took the bench to begin writing notes.

Chiaro arrived five minutes later and soon after he started hitting with Ryan.  As they started hitting, one half of the reigning GTA Doubles Champions, Tito "Touch" Castolo made his way onto the court as well.  It seemed he was there to scout the competition as he and his partner, "Stormin" Norman Taclob, would be facing the winning team.  Plus, Tito was only in street clothes and brought no racquet with him (though all would soon change a little later). 

Inciong arrived at 9:05 to join the hitting session and Shah did the same five minutes later.  By the time they officially kicked off their match at exactly 9:23, Castolo had left the bench he was sharing with Samara to go take a seat along the fence of Center Court.  This was sound strategy for at least holding one more court.  Meanwhile, Frank would take notes of the match.

At 9:30, "Big George" Jorge Solano stepped onto the courts and headed over to Center Court.  But then Jorge and Tito decided to hit on the South Court instead.  Twenty minutes later, both "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport and "The Hitman" Tom La arrived and then made their way over to that same court for some Doubles.

At 10:05, "Stealth" Omar Santos and his daughter, Trista, took a seat in the patio area just uphill from the courts and stayed there for a while to watch the action.

Ten minutes later, Natalia "Nitro" Sout arrived.  She had to wait on the bench alongside Samara for a while before getting the chance to take part in the action.

The Main Event ended exactly at 10:30.  Five minutes later, both "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay made their way onto the courts joining the growing group on the sideline area of the North Court.  Five minutes later, we now also had "Bee Gee" Brad Gero. 

Now we were faced with a logjam situation, but not due to lack of courts...simply because of overall confusion as to where to go and/or what to do.  Sally and Natalia started hitting with one another on the North Court.  Samara took himself over to Center Court to make sure to hold it as the turnout demanded such action.

Finally, Chiaro, Pienciak and La all headed over to the court as Frank would team with Chris against Ryan and Tom.  Meanwhile, that first Doubles One-Setter on the South Court had already ended and now Jorge and Dan were having a hitting session with one another.

At 11am, "Elegant" Jen Elgart arrived and she was soon followed onto the courts by "The Birthday Boy" Dan Martinelli (aka Spin) who was soon to be celebrating his 62nd (precisely at 1:55pm).  With all three courts full (now that Doubles One-Setters had just gotten underway on both the North Court and the South Court just five minutes prior), Martinelli and Elgart both had to wait on the bench near the North Court.

"Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes stepped onto the courts at 11:15.  Ten minutes later, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived to make an extended cameo appearance as he is still injured. 

"Ragin" Rajan Shah and "Teej" T.J. Shah arrived together at 11:30.  Their timing was perfect as the Doubles One-Setter on the South Court had just finished at the same time.  Soon, the two of them entered into an extended hitting session with Praport as a willing fourth player could not be found for quite some time.

This gave us an impressive total of 18 official players for the session.  The weather ended up being absolutely perfect for tennis as it was sunny throughout the session and the peak temperature felt like it had exceeded seventy degrees.

Marijus and Sally had brought some "adult beverages" (i.e. beer and hard cider) in honor of "The Birthday Boy" Dan Martinelli.  As the session grew longer, the hilarity level soared higher.  Little did we know what a comedian Marijus is.  We will wrap up the Albion write-up with a series of his memorable quotes.

First, let's get to the scores!

The Albion Park Results:

2 out of 3 Set "Top Contenders" Doubles Match:
Ryan Pienciak/Nick Inciong over Chris Chiaro/Raj Shah, 6-2, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 2 Rank in the Doubles Division and to establish themselves as the sole Top Contenders to the GTA Doubles Championship!  No Aces. 

1st Set: Chris was broken (Love-15, 15-All, Double Fault for 15-30 where Ryan hit a vicious volley to set up Double Break Point, then Break Point where Nick blew a volley to make it Deuce, but then Chris blew a volley to bring it back to Break Point and then came the break) and Ryan held serve (Love-30 where he hit a near-ace to the corner that Raj barely nicked in order to avoid the official Ace...and now it was 15-30, then it went to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point where Raj blew a volley to make it 3rd Deuce, then it was Game Point where Ryan hit a monster Overhead Smash for the hold) to go up 2-0.  Raj held at Love as he hit a winner to set up 30-Love and that was where Nick blew an overhead to set up Triple Game Point and then Ryan blew a volley to enable the hold to allow the opposition onto the scoreboard, but Nick also held (15-Love, 15-All, 30-15 where Chris hit an insane return winner for 30-All and that was where an excellent rally led to Game Point, then Deuce and an un-returned serve to set up Game Point once again which was where Ryan hit a whopper of a winner) to go up 3-1.  Chiaro was broken again (Raj hit an awesome volley winner for 15-Love, but then Chris blew an overhead for 15-All, then it went 30-15, 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce where an un-returned serve set up Game Point yet again, then 3rd Deuce was where Ryan hit a winner to set up Break Point and then came the break) as The Former Champs had dropped to 1-4!  Pienciak was also broken (a winner from Chris for Love-15 and then he topped that with an even more wicked winner for Love-30, but then Raj blew a volley for 15-30, it was then Double Break Point where Ryan hit a winning Backhand Volley to make it Break Point and that was where an excellent and extended rally led to Deuce which was where Chris hit a drop shot winner to make it Break Point and then came the break) to have his team's lead cut to 4-2.  But from there, Shah was broken (Raj blew a volley to make it Love-15 and then Nick hit a winner for Love-30, it then went to Triple Break Point, it was Double Break Point where Ryan blew a volley to make it Break Point, but he then redeemed himself with an outstanding Backhand Volley winner to get the big break) and then Inciong held again (un-returned serve for 15-Love, an excellent rally led to 15-All, 30-15 and then Double Game/Set Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold) to claim the set (which began on the North Court at exactly 9:23 and finished precisely at 10:04).  One minute later, they got this next set underway.

2nd Set: Chris held (one of the best rallies of the match led to 15-Love, it was then 15-All where Chris hit a winning Overhead Smash for 30-15 and then The Champ hit another winner to set up Double Game Point where another dramatic marathon rally ended with Raj hitting an amazing drop shot winner to secure his partner's hold) and then Ryan was broken (Ryan blew a volley for Love-15, it then went Love-30, 15-30 which was where Chris hit a whipping winner to set up Double Break Point where Raj once again closed out a game with a drop shot winner) as his team got off to a 0-2 start in this set.  Raj was also broken (Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15 and then a Double Fault made it Love-30, but then Chris hit a winning volley for 15-30 and an un-returned serve brought it to 30-All, but then it was Break Point where Ryan hit another winning Overhead Smash) and Nick held (30-Love where Raj hit a winning return to make it 30-15, but then Ryan hit a sizzling Backhand Volley winner to set up Double Game Point and then came the hold) to level the set at 2-2.  Chiaro was broken at Love as Ryan hit a Backhand Volley winner for Love-15, it was then Love-30 where Ryan hit an even more impressive Backhand Volley winner to set up Triple Break Point which was where the break came next and then Pienciak held at Love as yet another awesome rally led to a 15-Love start where an un-returned serve made it 30-Love and then Raj blew a drop shot to set up Triple Game Point which was where the hold came next as the score now went to 4-2 in favor of Pienciak/Inciong.  Shah was broken again (Ryan hit a killer Overhead Smash winner which bounced over the fence and made the score Love-30, it was 15-30 where Ryan hit another scintillating Backhand Volley winner to set up Double Break Point and then came the break) and then Inciong held again (Ryan hit another whopper of an Overhead Smash winner which once again bounced over the fence for 15-Love, but then Chris replied with a wicked passing shot winner for 15-All, it was 30-15 where a Double Fault made it 30-All and then Raj whipped out a powerful passing shot winner of his own to make it Break Point where yet another one of the best rallies of the match set up Deuce, it was then Game/Match Point where they got it done on the first one) for the very impressive victory as this one ended exactly at 10:30.

The Skinny: This was the first time that Raj had played this season as he has still been dealing with some health issues that were affecting his family, but thankfully they seem to be getting resolved in a positive manner.  He blamed his rust for the loss, but it was not the only factor.  Chris was having an off-day (which is rare for him, as of late) while Nick was his ever-steady self and Ryan was in ultra-aggressive offensive mode (more often than not, it paid dividends for him).  Pienciak was such a force at the net as he utilized both his great range and still youthful speed to not only cover those incoming shots, but often blast them back as either walloping Overhead Smashes or well-angled and fast-paced volleys (especially Backhand Volleys).  This may have been the best performance that I have ever seen from the man who has positively earned the moniker of The Lumberjack.  He wielded his axe quite well on this occasion and he was so ably supported by Inciong at the baseline who entered into many hard-hitting and extended rallies trading shots with Chiaro.  Shah may have affected the tempo of his team more with the shots that he didn't take rather than the ones that he didn't make.  He had some hesitancy to poach while at the net as his timing was off and he lacked confidence.  Ultimately, this match was a tale of two teams moving in opposite directions - the legendary Former Champs losing their footing after such an extended break from each other while on the flipside we now have an up and coming force that is looking to have a similar impact on the reigning Champs: Taclob/Castolo!  We hope to get this match together in the very near future.

Tito Castolo/Dan Praport over Jorge Solano/Tom La, 6-3!  This was played on the South Court from 10:08 to 10:36.

Ryan Pienciak/Tom La over Chris Chiaro/Frank Samara, 6-3!  Tom: 1 Ace on Frank.  In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners where and when (unless it was truly significant), so here's the basic breakdown: Chris was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point shifted to Deuce, Break Point again and the break), Tom held (started with a T-line Ace against Frank, Double Fault for 15-All, but then onto Double Game Point and the hold) and Frank was broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point where Tom hit a painful roller over the net for the winner and the break) as his team got off to a 0-3 start!  Ryan was broken (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Break Point before a shift to Deuce and then it was all Game Points until 3rd Deuce, Break Point and the break) and then Chiaro held at Love to pull to 2-3!  La was broken (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All, 15-30, 30-All, Double Fault for Break Point and then the break), but Samara was broken again and this time at Love to fall to 3-4!  Pienciak held as it went 15-Love then point for point to Game Point, Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold to put his team up 5-3.  King Crush was then broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break/Match Point, Deuce, 2nd Break/Match Point and then the break) to take a tough loss!  We played this one on Center Court from 10:48 to 11:21.

The Skinny: By his own admission, Chiaro's bad day continued in this one as he did not have the control that he normally has over his overpowering shots that often overwhelm the opposition.  But it did not help matters that Samara stepped onto the court with very little warm-up (as it showed) as simple shots that he would usually manage and manipulate to slice and dice the opponents instead ended up as embarrassing frame-jobs that would often end up pitifully dropping into the net rather than over it for winners.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, The Lumberjack continued to chop things up and it only helped that he had The Hitman with him to finish off their enemies.

Raj Shah/Nick Inciong over Jorge Solano/Dan Praport, 6-3!  No Aces.  The South Court hosted this one from 10:55 to 11:30.

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Brad Gero/Natalia Sout, 7-5!  No Aces.  This Mixed Doubles One-Setter took place on the North Court from 10:55 to 12noon (one hour and five minutes).  Kudos to The Rock from Glen Rock (aka Gero) and Natalia Nitro as they are a makeshift duo going up against the very experienced (and married) tandem of Super Mario and Spicy Sally (though both would earn additional monikers later in the session).

Frank Samara/Dan Martinelli over Nathan Fernandes/Jen Elgart, 7-5!  No Aces.  Again, just the simple lowdown: Nathan was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point and the break as the last two consecutive points ended with incredible get/winner combos by Spin as he had all the exuberance and unbridled enthusiasm of a young man unfettered roaming the countryside!) and Frank held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) to take a 2-0 lead.  Jen held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) and Spin was broken at Love to level things at 2-2!  Fernandes was broken again (Triple Break Point got cut down to Break Point, but then came the break), but then Samara was also broken (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) to tie things again, this time at 3-3!  Elgart was also broken (Double Fault for Triple Break Point which was cut down to Break Point, but then came the break), but Martinelli was broken again (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 shifted again to Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to knot the score once more, this time at 4-4!  Nate the Great finally held in a struggle (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point, Deuce and then all Break Points until 5th Deuce, Game Point, 6th Deuce, Game Point and the hold), but then Hollywood held at Love to stay alive at 5-5!  Elegant Elgart was broken again (Double Fault for Love-30, Triple Break Point once again got reduced to Break Point, but again came the break) and then The Birthday Boy finally held serve (30-Love shifted to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, then it was Game/Match Point and the hold) to give himself a gift - a victory!  We played this one on Center Court from 11:25 to 12:18.

Nathan Fernandes/Dan Praport over Rajan Shah/T.J. Shah, 6-3!  No Aces.  South Court hosted this one from 12:20 to 12:50.

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Brad Gero/Natalia Sout, 6-0!  No Aces.  This time, the much more experienced combo exploited their advantage as they fed an early afternoon bagel to their opponents.  It took place on the North Court and lasted from 12:25 to 12:53.  This led to another hitting session between Sally and Natalia.

Some of the gang started to filter out and head home while others in the gang hung around and were invited to get a tad inebriated by ingesting some alcoholic beverages.  As the drinks went down, the levity levitated like the carbonated bubbles of beer and hard cider that were being ingested.

But instead of The Birthday Boy being the one offering up all of the memorable quotes, instead it was the comedic styling of one "Mad Komic" Marijus Kuzavas as he laid out one one-liner after another!  And just about all of his barbs were directed at the man known as Spin.

For all the double-entendre that Mr. Martinelli was espousing, Kuzavas first said to him: "You little disgusting man!"  Of course, when you stand 6'6" and you see some other guy who tops out around 5'9"...well, you would think them to be a little man as well.  This newly-acquired label was soon altered to "you little dirty man!"  And then Marijus asked: "Do you need a towel to clean up your dirtiness?"

Keep in mind, we still have two more One-Setters to report.  They were Mixed Doubles, but played as "Battle of The Sexes" style with the gents going up against the ladies.  With Spin on the court teaming with Nate, Marijus became the new Master Heckler while Frank and Dino laughed it up on the bench and as the gals also took their potshots at one Mr. Martinelli.

Nathan Fernandes/Dan Martinelli over Sally Pillay/Natalia Sout, 6-1!  No Aces.  The North Court hosted this one from 1:08 to 1:33.

Sally, besides being "Spicy", earned a new moniker here in this one: "The Smackdown!"  Not only does she smack the ball around the court with a vengeance, but she likes to talk a lot of smack along the way.  At one point, Natalia seemed afraid of her own partner.  Pillay noticed this.  To which her hubby said: "That's how I feel every day!"

Here are some other observations from The Mad Komic!  "Did you notice that the Little Dirty Man hits like a girl"  "It's OK.  Now take the candy away from the baby (Spin is the aforementioned baby in this scenario)!" 

But he also had to give credit where credit was due as The Doc hit a sizzling winner down the Doubles Alley.  Sally said she couldn't even see him!  Super Mario called him a "62 year old ninja!"

The ladies wanted revenge.  Not only was Sally feeling spicy, but even Natalia was still quite fired-up.  They decided to change their return of service sides in this next one.

Nathan Fernandes/Dan Martinelli over Sally Pillay/Natalia Sout, 6-0!  No Aces.  Once again played on the North Court, it lasted from 1:35 to 1:58...just three minutes beyond Martinelli officially turning 62!

When Spin once uttered: "This could mess up my brain!", Marijus asked: "What brain?"

After the first game had concluded, Sally offered up a supportive statement to her partner Natalia when she said: "We're playing a little better."  Spin's retort was "It's still One-Love!"

When Kuzavas noticed the gals trying to hit to Martinelli whenever possible, his criticism was: "What kind of strategy is this?  To pick on a baby!"  Thoughts of Milosh openly bashing Jerry Seinfeld's tennis game immediately came to mind.

Even though Fernandes remained an innocent bystander, apparently he was guilty by association as even he was not spared the comedic wrath of one Mr. Kuzavas who noted: "Nate is slowly becoming Mr. Disgusting Jr.!"  There were even some comments that were too colorful (off-color, actually) for reprint here.

It was all in good fun and Spin loved every minute of it.  He loves being abused as long as he remains the center of attention.  ;-)

After everyone else left, Spin, Dino and Frank had a brief bull session that ran until 2:15.  It was a nice way to end an epic day. 

We will first go to the result reported by Mel, then the full recap from Kris which will include the score sent in by Dennis.

The Cedar Grove Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Alex Roumi over Melvin Hyman, 6-2, 7-6 (11-9), to become the New # 38 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division!  Alex: 1 Ace.

The Mel Man delivers: Alex had some incredible gets while Mel was hit by his old bugaboo... failing to protect a 4-1 lead in the 2nd Set plus a 4-1 lead in the Tiebreak!

Samara's Notes: I thank Mel for his very timely reporting of that match…and that was an incredible 2nd Set score!  I only met Alex briefly once…which is why I have yet to come up with an appropriate moniker for him.  We now turn this report over to Kris.

Our original plan to go to Clifton changed instead for an evening session in Cedar Grove.  It was a beautiful day with gorgeous sunshine.  When I reached the tennis courts a little after 5pm, Senthil Kumar was having a hitting session with Mike Mole on Court One.  On the other side, Omar Santos was playing Singles with Alex Roumi, who had earlier played with Andrew Troung, and then Mel Hyman.

Samara's Notes: I never received any reported results from Andrew or Alex, so whatever they played with one another will have to remain unofficial.  Now we go back to Kris.

Also in action was Jordan Bachvaroff with his pal.  Soon, we were joined by Marie Salamon, my wife Doinks, Dan Hwang, Ray Spadaro, Dennis, Herb Reinder, Chris Barbieri and Andrea Lim.

Omar Santos over Alex Roumi, 7-6 (7-5)!  No Aces (apparently).

Omar felt Alex was a bit tired from his earlier matches and that it helped him.

Senthil Kumar/Doinks Srinivasan over Mike Mole/Marie Salamon, 7-6 (7-3)!  No Aces.

Mike was sportive to ask me to play, but I let him play first as he had not played earlier in Clifton.  It looked like a close match and Senthil's solid play edged his team ahead.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Dan Hwang/Ray Spadaro over Kris Srinivasan/Omar Santos, 6-1, 7-5, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 52 and # 53 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces.

A passive game cost us the 1st Set with ease.  The 2nd Set started alarmingly similar with us winning our first game by breaking Dan's serve, but soon we were down 1-4.  Dan's ground- strokes were amazing and Ray was solid with his precise shots.  It was really good to see Ray after quite some time, but he hasn't lost his touch one bit.  We made some minor adjustments in our approach as Omar stayed back and played more aggressively from the baseline with me attacking at the net.  We mounted our comeback by winning four games in a row to lead for the first time at 5-4 only to blow it in the next two games.

Herb Reiner/Ray Spadaro over Doinks Srinivasan/Marie Salamon, 6-3!  No Aces.

The veterans showcased their skills effectively to outwit the women.

Senthil Kumar/Kris Srinivasan over Omar Santos/Dan Hwang, 6-4!  No Aces.

We were down Love-4 before we put on our "game face" and started mounting a full assault to take the next six straight games straight for a satisfying win.

Senthil Kumar/Herb Reiner over Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 7-6 (7-2)!  No Aces.

It was an intense One-Setter with a combo of lovely shots and silly errors to take the match to the distance. Herb was solid when the ball came to him, but full credit to Senthil for playing smart and serving well to Doinks.  He was great at the net, but found himself helpless to some of Doinks' topspin lobs over his head. Doinks also had an attractive cross-court passing shot to which Senthil could only lunge gallantly.  We were in a winning position many times, having 5 Match Points to go 6-4, but it looked like we didn't want the game to end quickly...J.

Overall, it was good GTA Tennis that was quite engaging!  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for being "the host with the most" up at  Cedar Grove.

Best wishes,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354

4/22 Results.

4/22/17:               

"Carucci-T.J. in Lyndhurst, Truong-Doyle TBC at C.G.!":                               

GTA Saturday Tennis took place at both The Riverside Ave. Courts in Lyndhurst (featuring the last of the First Round Matches in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament to be played, this one between "MC Quick" Mike Carucci and "Teej" T.J. Shah and then at The Cedar Grove Courts (featuring the second of the Round of 16 Matches in the GTA Intermediate Invitational to be played, this one between "The A Bomb" Andrew Truong and "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle) with Mike and Andrew respectively reporting the results. 

We first turn this report over to Mike.

The Lyndhurst Result:

GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:

T.J. Shah over Mike Carucci, 6-3, 6-2, as both players entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 39 and # 40 Ranked Players respectively while Shah advances to The Round of 16 of The GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  T.J.: 3 Aces in the 1^st Set.

The Quick Recap: We played at 10am in Lyndhurst.  When we arrived, there were two GTA guys playing on one court and it was drizzling.  But the weather held just long enough for us to play our match. 

In the 1st Set, T.J. went up 4-0 until Mike held serve after two Deuces.  Mike then broke T.J., to make it 4-2.  T.J. held, but then Mike held for 5-3.  After two Deuces, T.J. broke Mike for the set, 6-3.  

In the 2nd Set, T.J. held at 1-0.  Mike went up 40-0 in the second game, only to be broken after several Deuces.  T.J. then held after more Deuces for 3-0.  Mike was broken and T.J. held for 5-0.  Then, Mike held and broke T.J. by holding off a few Match Points making it 5-2.  T.J. broke Mike for the set at 6-2 and the match.

We considered playing a quick Doubles One-Setter with our fellow GTA'ers, but the rain immediately fell.  Mother Nature had other plans on Earth Day...

Samara's Notes: I thank Mike for his timely reporting, but Mr. Carucci should be a mystery novelist…because he leaves me wondering just who these other two GTA guys were…LOL!

The Cedar Grove Result:

GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 16 Match:

Andrew Truong leading Kevin Doyle, 6-0, 3-0!  No Aces.

The A droppin' The Bomb: It was at this point in the match when the rain came and the courts became unplayable. We'll revisit the match this week to finish it.

Samara's Notes: I thank Andrew for their very timely reporting.

Samara signing off! 

4/21 Results.

4/21/17:               

"Truong-Tailor 1-Setters at C.G.!":                               

GTA Friday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts, but with just two players competing against one another ("The A Bomb" Andrew Truong and "Tailor Made" Raj Tailor) with Raj reporting the results. 

"Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli confirmed as much as he drove up there that night to find just two of our players out on the courts, so he turned around and went home. 

We now turn this report over to Raj.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Raj Tailor over Andrew Truong, 6-3!  No Aces.

Raj Tailor over Andrew Truong, 6-1!  No Aces.

The Raj Report: Once again, it was competitive between us with his ripping backhand versus my ripping forehand.  Put the two together and you come up with a lethal weapon.

Samara's Notes: I'm not sure if the two of them had intended it to be a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match, but it cannot be since both are still active in the draw of the ongoing GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament.  I thank Raj for his very timely reporting.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

 

 

4/20 results

4/20/17:

               

"Kris hosts 18 at C.G.!":

                               

GTA Thursday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts with "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan acting as host.  We now turn this report over to Kris.

 

It was a lovely night for GTA Tennis with comfortable temperatures after a somewhat chilly Tuesday night.  Nathan Fernandes and Jay Srinivasan were among the early birds on one side and there was a Mixed Doubles Match happening on the other side.  I arrived close to 8 pm and wished I had made it earlier on this beautiful night. 

 

All the tennis courts were buzzing with action and were pretty much usurped by the GTA players.  The turnout was good and all had a fair shake to a great extent.  I'll run the results in a dash.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

Nathan Fernandes/Jose Gonzales over Jay Srinivasan/Matias Dioses, 6-1!  No Aces (apparently).

 

2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match:

Tom La/Kathy Sheldon over Mike Mole/Dawn Peterson, 6-2, 6-3, as both teams entered the Mixed Doubles Division as the New # 46 and # 47 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Mike Mole/Dawn Peterson over Tom La/Natalia Sout, 6-3!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Nathan Fernandes/Jose Gonzales over Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan, 6-4!  Jose: 1 Ace on Kris!

 

Both Nate and Jose were solid.  Jose was particularly playing spectacular tennis, hitting back Chris's attacking shots and serving well.  We were hit hard in the earlier games as we were down 1-4 before mounting a nice comeback.  Indeed, my poor plays at crucial times had an effect on the results even though I had my glorious moments as well.  We were on the cusp of tying the match 5-All when my silly flubbed overhead ended what could have potentially been a well-stretched match.

 

Dwight Thomas Jr./Matias Dioses over Dwight Thomas Sr./Jay Srinivasan, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

 

There were some rallies and net plays besides some good serves, but the overall difference was reflected in Dwight Junior's game as was evident over the night's proceedings.

 

Dwight Thomas Sr./Dwight Thomas Jr. over Jay Srinivasan/Matias Dioses, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Dwight Thomas Jr./Jay Srinivasan over Dwight Thomas Sr./Matias Dioses, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Tito Castolo/Andrew Kroessler over Nathan Fernandes/Jose Gonzales, 7-5!  No Aces (apparently).

 

A solid match where Tito and Drew controlled much of the action, but Nate and Jose were in the thick of things, keeping it in good balance and close.  A small twist could have reversed the results.

 

Chris Chiaro/Doinks Srinivasan over Ryan Pienciak/Dan Hwang, 7-5!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Ryan Pienciak/Dan Hwang over Chris Chiaro/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Both One-Setters were fierce and competitive.  Despite attacking net play by both Ryan and Dan, Chris and Doinks played with full steam to counter-attack and keep the match tight.

 

Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales over Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout, 7-6 (7-3)!  No Aces.

 

It was a compelling and close match as both Nate and Natalia were brilliant, giving a solid fight as Nate brought the best out of Natalia.  Jose was steady and I had my moments that I can cherish...:-). 

 

All in all, it turned out to be an amazing night with GTA Tennis galore in Cedar Grove.  Cheers!

 

Samara's Notes: As always, I thank Kris for all he does for our league up at Cedar Grove.  Not just the hosting, but the very comprehensive reporting as well.

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

4/18 Results.

4/18/17:               

"Omar-Levy, Rafaelo-Mel part of 22 at C.G.!":                               

GTA Tuesday Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts was pretty much an all-day affair as it got underway in the early afternoon with a GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 16 Match between "Stealth" Omar Santos and "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo (as reported by Levy), then a later afternoon 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match between "RK Fire" Rafaelo Kazakov and "The Mel Man" Melvin Hyman (as reported by Rafaelo) and then the usual evening session (eventually hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara, but first managed by the usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, as Samara was a late arrival).

Before we get to how the evening session unfolded, let's first report those two full Challenge Matches.

The Cedar Grove Results:

GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 16 Match:

Levy Lorenzo over Omar Santos, 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-1, to become both the New # 22 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division and the New # 4 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Quarterfinals of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  No Aces (apparently).

The Levy Lowdown: I was up 5-1 in the Tiebreak of the 2nd Set when I had a huge mental lapse and could not close it out as Omar took six straight points!  I tried my best to beat him as it was very hot out in the sun.  We played from 1:40 to 4:10!

Samara's Notes: First, I thank Levy for his very timely reporting of this result.  Second, I congratulate him on an impressive victory and major leap up the ranks.  When he registered for the tourney, his attitude seemed to indicate that he would take a chance on playing some Singles and also use the opportunity to get some exercise.  Well, now he finds himself in the Advanced Division as well as the I-M Division and he is also the first player into the Quarterfinals of the tourney.  Well done! 

And now we go to the result from Rafaelo.

2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:

Rafaelo Kazakov over Melvin Hyman, 6-0, 6-4, to successfully defend his # 23 Rank in the Intermediate Division!  In the process, Hyman entered the division as the New # 38 Ranked Player.  Mel: 2 Aces!

Samara's Notes: I thank Rafaelo for his timely reporting of this report.  I'm also glad to see that Mel got over his recent illness and found an opportunity to enter the I-M Division outside of the tournament.

And now we recap how the night went.

Once again, a certain succubus usurped the plans of one Mr. Samara (who had promised an arrival at The Cedar Grove Courts no later than 7:30).  As 7:30 drew near, Frank sent a text message to Kris stating his arrival would occur closer to 8pm.

Sure enough, Samara did pull into the parking lot at 8pm.  His anger quickly gave way to a sense of satisfaction as he saw that all four courts were in play by the players of the GTA.

On Court One, it was "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales teaming with "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli to take on the mother/son combo of "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan and "The Secret Weapon" Sairaj Srinivasan.

On Court Two, there was another Doubles One-Setter already underway as GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro was paired with "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan (playing in denim blue jeans a la Raj Shah, as she had originally intended to only make a cameo appearance) to face the combo of Kris and  "Big George" Jorge Solano.

On Court Three, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes was hitting with Natalia "Nitro" Sout as "Coach" Dino Celis was giving her instruction.  It seemed that "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak had just arrived and was trying to find where he may fit into the picture.

And on Court Four, "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson were in the second of two One-Setters against "Holy Moly" Mike Mole and "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto.

At 8:20, both Levy Lorenzo and Tito "Touch" Castolo arrived separately.  Another five minutes after that, "Eddie O" Edwin Ortega had also arrived. 

I'm happy to say we had the entire place to ourselves all night long.  As such, it was a very enjoyable session despite the chilly temps.  Counting all the GTA action that took place at Cedar Grove the entire day, we had a total of 22 official competitors.

At 9:50, "The Whip" Peter Wylie stepped onto Court One with a bucket of balls knowing that he would only have ten minutes to hit them.

Let's get to the scores!

Mike Mole/Vinnie De Benedetto over Joe Rodrigues/Dawn Peterson, 7-6 (10-8)!  No Aces.  This was played on Court Four prior to Samara's arrival.

Samara's Notes: They had no details to give me, but based on that score alone…I do believe this will be a Nominee for One-Set Doubles Specialty Match of The Year at season's end.  They then played a rematch.

Mike Mole/Vinnie De Benedetto over Joe Rodrigues/Dawn Peterson, 6-4!  Mike: 1 Ace on Joe on Match Point!  Not sure when this one had begun on Court Four, but it ended at 8:05.

Chris Chiaro/Genalin Capan over Kris Srinivasan/Jorge Solano, 6-1!  Chris: 1 Ace on Kris.  Again, not sure when this one got underway on Court Two, but it ended at 8:05.

Jose Gonzales/Dan Martinelli over Sairaj Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-1!  No Aces.  Like the others above, not sure when it began…but this one got done on Court One exactly at 8:13.

Chris Chiaro/Genalin Capan over Ryan Pienciak/Jorge Solano, 6-3!  Chris: 1 Ace on Jorge.  Court Two hosted this one from 8:13 to 8:43.

Frank Samara/Doinks Srinivasan over Jose Gonzales/Dan Martinelli, 7-6 (8-6)!  Spin: 1 Ace on Frank; and Jose: 2 Aces on Doinks (in the same game)!  In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners where and when (though I did note two key moments in the very first game).  So here's the basic breakdown: Spin held serve (30-Love shifted to 30-All and that was where Spin made an amazing get/winner combo to set up Game Point where Frank blew an Overhead…a disturbing trend as of late), Frank held (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point, the hold came on Game Point), but Jose was the first to be broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point and the break) for 1-2.  Doinks was broken at Love and Martinelli held again (Triple Game Point got cut down to Game Point and then a Double Fault made it Deuce, Game Point, 2^nd Deuce, Game Point where a sideline Ace against Frank earned the hold) to take a lead for his team at 3-2.  Samara was broken at Love as his team fell behind at 2-4, but Gonzales was also broken at Love for 4-3.  Srinivasan held (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point and then the hold) to knot the score at 4-4 and then the Doc was finally broken (it was 15-Love when a Double Fault made it 15-All, then it went 15-30, 30-All, Break Point and the break) to lose the lead for his team at 4-5.  Hollywood was broken again (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) to level things once more, this time at 5-5.  Latino Heat finally held serve and this time it was at Love as he started off with an Ace up the T against Doinks and then he hit a corner Ace against her to set up Triple Game Point which is where the hold came for a 6-5 lead!  But The Marathon Woman had a second straight hold (Love-30 shifted straight to Game Point and the hold) to force the Tiebreak!  In the Breaker: Spin was broken on his lone serve and then Frank was broken on both of his serves for 1-2.  Jose was broken on his first, but held his second for a 3-2 lead.  Doinks held the first of her two serves for 3-3 at the changeover and then she held again to take the lead at 4-3.  Martinelli hit a Double Fault to make it 3-5, but then he held the second of his two serves to pull to 4-5.  Samara was then broken on the first of his two serves for 5-5, but then held his second to make it 6-5 and set up the very first Match Point of the contest.  Gonzales held the first of his two serves to save that M.P. and make it 6-6 at the second changeover.  But then he was broken on his next serve to hand a 7-6 lead (and 2^nd M.P.) over to Srinivasan who seized the opportunity with a hold and a win!  We played this one on Court One from 8:18 to 9:07.

The Skinny: Everyone had some really great moments in this match, but I truly believe Doinks to be The MVP in this one.  And given both the quality and the drama, I would think it has a shot at being another Nominee for One-Set Doubles Specialty Match of The Year at season's end.

Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Joe Rodrigues/Mike Mole, 6-4!  No Aces.  This one took place on Court Three and lasted from 8:20 to 8:50.  Afterward, Nate and Nat had another hitting session with one another.

Chris Chiaro over Ryan Pienciak, 6-0!  Chris: 3 Aces!  This one did not last long on Court Two…just 15 minutes (8:45 to 9pm)!  The Champ has been delivering up some Aces as of late.  Perhaps King Crush will also be known as King Ace.

Levy Lorenzo/Tito Castolo over Edwin Ortega/Genalin Capan, 6-0!  Tito: 1 Ace on Gen.  Court Four hosted these four Filipinos from 8:47 to 9:12.  After this one, Gen was done and she went over to the bench outside to socialize with Dino and Spin.  The remaining three gentlemen opted for some Canadian Doubles instead.

Nathan Fernandes/Ryan Pienciak over Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout, 6-1!  No Aces.  They played this one on Court Two from 9:02 to 9:25.

Negotiations as to who were going to play in this next Doubles One-Setter were a back and forth affair as we seem to be dealing with "the walking wounded" as of late.  Spin has a sciatica issue that is affecting his lower back while Kris suffered some sort of right shoulder injury over the course of the evening and was prepared to sit out the balance of the session.

But Doinks was eager to play another and she coaxed him back into action.  Jose was prepared to leave and that meant that Spin was going to reprise his role as "The Noble Idiot" (a part that he played to great fanfare last season).  Thankfully, Gonzales said he was willing to do one more to spare Spin any prolonged agony.  Mr. Martinelli was quite thankful for Jose's kind gesture.

Samara said he was willing to "take the bullet" and team with "the damaged goods."  Turns out that it would not play out that way at all!

Frank Samara/Kris Srinivasan over Jose Gonzales/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-2!  No Aces.  Again, here we go with just the flow of the games: Doinks held in an intense battle (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point, Game Point, Double Fault for Deuce and then all Game Points through to 6^th Deuce and then one more Game Point and then came the hold), Frank held (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2^nd Deuce, Game Point and the hold), but Jose was the first to be broken as this game also went 15-Love then point for point except it went that way all the way to Game Point, then Deuce, Break Point and the break for 1-2.  Kris held at Love and Mrs. Srinivasan was broken at Love after a Double Fault had made it Love-30 as The Wood and The K Man had just taken ten straight points to take a 4-1 lead!  When Samara went up 15-Love in his second service game, it became 11 straight points only to go downhill from there as it went right to Double Break Point and then the break came on Break Point to have his team's lead cut to 4-2.  But then Gonzales was broken again (15-Love then point for point to Game Point, Deuce and then all Game Points until 3^rd Deuce, Break Point, 4^th Deuce, Break Point and then the break) and Mr. Srinivasan held (Triple Game/Match Point, the hold came on Double Game/Match Point) to earn an impressive victory!  We played this one on Court One from 9:10 to 9:45.

The Skinny: Samara stepped up his game in this one, but the true surprise was how well Kris played despite the shoulder injury.  As often happens when a player is dealing with an ailment or injury, it actually forces you to play more focused tennis.  It feeds the need to try to end points earlier and with more efficient and proficient shots.  I do believe this was the case here.

Nathan Fernandes/Ryan Pienciak over Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout, 6-2!  No Aces.  Court Two hosted this one from 9:27 to 9:52.

This session was such a contrast from the evening before as it was so enjoyable to see the GTA have the run of the place.  It was a light-hearted atmosphere full of laughter, yet still highly competitive throughout the entire session.  If only all the nights could be like this one.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

 

 

4/17 Results.

4/17/17:               

"Samara hosts 21 (1 return) at C.G.!":                               

GTA Monday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara as the usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, was only available to make a late, but somewhat extended cameo appearance). 

Upon Samara's arrival at 6:55, the situation was not looking all that bad…though signs of a coming disappointment were looming.

On Court One, "Drill Instructor" Don Moya was hitting with his girlfriend, Janice Wang.  Don said that, after some hitting, they would be willing to play some Doubles.

On Court Two, there was a Doubles One-Setter already underway as GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro teaming with "Dominant" Dawn Peterson to take on "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues and "Holy Moly" Mike Mole.

On Court Three, "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff was squaring off against "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld in Singles action.

And on Court Four, young Peter Corso was hitting with his friend (who I later found out to be Brian Reemer…not sure of the spelling of his last name).

"Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes was already waiting on the sidelines and he informed Frank upon his arrival that Rob and Laura Gawley had already come by and decided to head down to the two older courts down the street in order to hit with one another.

At 7pm, we saw a familiar face that we had not seen for quite some time – "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport.  Dan was hoping to shake off some rust as he has not played much for the past few seasons due to various injuries.

Five minutes later, Fernandes and Praport joined Moya and Wang on Court One for some Doubles.

At 7:20, Corso and Reemer left Court Four which enabled Samara to step on it and hold it.  The timing was perfect (for the moment, at least) as that was when The Gawleys returned to the lot and they soon joined Frank on the court for a hitting session.

But just five minutes later, someone not from our group arrived and started eyeing up the courts.  Another five minutes after that, he was joined by a second man.

At 7:35, both "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo and "Nik@Nite" Nik Agharkar arrived separately.  Samara had them join The Gawleys on Court Four for some Doubles, but the two guys waiting outside the fence were already making it clear that they did not like this situation.

At 7:40, two more guys made it a total of four and now this clique was hovering for the next court to open up so they could pounce on it.  They tried to do it just five minutes later when the One-Setter on Court One finished, but the guys there made it clear they wanted to hit some more.

At 7:50, after the second One-Setter on that court ended, Chiaro graciously and wisely invited the foursome to take that court over (though they complained along the way that they really wanted to have Court One instead). 

These guys have been regulars at The Cedar Grove Courts for longer than we have been playing there.  And they surely would have raised a stink had they not been given a court anytime soon.  That situation was not nearly as frustrating as the next one to arise just ten minutes later.

At 7:55, Bachvaroff and Bergenfeld finished what they cut down to a Singles One-Setter (as the original plan was to make it a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match) as they saw the pack of players that were waiting continue to build.  We actually thought it had been a full match given the fact they had begun hitting around 6:30 and started playing at 6:40.  It was a true one-set marathon.

Scott was ready to leave, but Jordan wanted to stick around for some Doubles.  So Chiaro, Samara and Mole headed over to Court Three to get some Doubles underway.

At 8pm, a father arrived with his young daughter and a bucket of balls.  He, too, was quite hawkish in the way he approached the fence alongside Court Four.  When he saw that they finished a One-Setter there at 8:10, he immediately started heading toward that court.

Laura rightfully argued that they had just gotten that court a short while ago.  She asked the gang over on Court One when they would be done, but they had only begun their second One-Setter not too long before that.

It led to The Gawleys leaving entirely and this guy getting his way pretty much immediately.  His daughter was somewhere in the 8 to 10 year old age range, so to say the hitting session was somewhat less that productive is something of an understatement.  Perhaps that does not matter anyway.

Well, for thirty minutes (as the father/daughter duo did not leave until 8:40), we only had two of the four courts.  And the four guys on Court Two stayed all the way until lights out at 10pm as they were not about to be told by anyone that they were there too long.

I guess this is how things will be as we move forward throughout the season.  So, again, be warned that Singles Matches should only be scheduled there if they are going to start around 6pm or 6:30 at the latest.  And we will likely have to eat some crap along the way to avoid some of the outsiders to make a complaint with the Cedar Grove Parks and Rec Dept. 

It also means that we should consider whatever other late-night lit court options we have out there as our group continues to grow (which is a great thing and should never be discouraged).  We just need to be realistic about how many people we can have playing at Cedar Grove all at once.

Getting back to the backlog of arrivals – it was Natalia "Nitro" Sout at 8:05, Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan at 8:10, "MC Quick" Mike Carucci (making his first-ever appearance at Cedar Grove) at 8:20, both "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan and Tito "Touch" Castolo at 8:25 and last (but not least) it was "Laidback" Laurie Boughton at 8:30. 

Kris came to make his cameo at 9:05 and likely left around 9:45.

We ended up with an impressive total of 21 official competitors and most in attendance seemed to have fun.  Personally, I was distracted, felt frustrated and played like garbage most of the night as a result.

Enough whining!  Let's get to the scores!

The Cedar Grove Results:

Chris Chiaro/Dawn Peterson over Joe Rodrigues/Mike Mole, 7-5!  No Aces.  Not sure when this one began on Court Two, but it ended exactly at 7:29.  They would enter into a Rematch, but first…

Don Moya/Janice Wang over Nathan Fernandes/Dan Praport, 6-3!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Return of Dan Praport.  After hitting for about five minutes or so, they got this one underway on Court One around 7:10.  It finished precisely at 7:46.  After a nine minute hitting session between Nate and Dan (in an attempt by Praport to shake off more rust), they also entered into a Rematch…but first…

Jordan Bachvaroff over Scott Bergenfeld, 7-5!  Jordan: 1 Ace.  Scott estimated this One-Setter to be one hour and 15 minutes long as he felt like they started it at 6:40 and it ended right at 7:55 on Court Three.

Chris Chiaro/Dawn Peterson over Joe Rodrigues/Mike Mole, 6-0!  No Aces.  Court Two briefly hosted this one as it only lasted from 7:30 to 7:49!

Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Levy Lorenzo/Nik Agharkar, 6-1!  Rob: 1 Ace on Levy.  This foursome faced off on Court Four from 7:40 to 8:10.

Nathan Fernandes/Dan Praport over Don Moya/Janice Wang, 6-0!  No Aces.  Quite the reversal of fortune on Court One in terms of the outcome (it lasted from 7:55 to 8:23).  I guess that brief intermezzo of a hitting session worked wonders…LOL!

Chris Chiaro/Frank Samara over Mike Mole/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-4!  Mike: 1 Ace on Frank; and Chris: 1 Ace on Jordan!  In order to save time, I only noted the flow of the games (not who hit what winners) and they went as follows: Mike was broken (15-Love to Double Break Point and the break) and Chris held serve (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold) for a 2-0 lead.  Jordan held (Triple Game Point, the hold came on Double Game Point), but so did Frank (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point, 2^nd Deuce, Break Point, 3^rd Deuce, Game Point) to extend his team's lead to 3-1.  Mole held (Triple Game Point was cut down to Game Point, but then came the hold), but Chiaro held again (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold) for a 4-2 lead.  Bachvaroff also held again (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold), but Samara was broken (Love-30, then 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) to knot the score at 4-4.  Holy Moly was broken (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point, but then bounced back to Deuce, a looping topspin Ace up the T against Frank for Game Point, 2^nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) and then King Crush held a third straight time (after Jordan questioned the mark of a serve that Mike said was good…it was not an Ace, but it was un-returned for 15-Love, The Champ got amped up and scored what may have been his biggest Ace ever right up the T against Jordan to go up 30-Love, it then went to Triple Game/Match Point, Double Game/Match Point and then finally the hold on Game/Match Point) to seal the deal!  We played this on Court Three from 8pm to 8:35.

The Skinny: Chiaro was the true difference-maker in this one as he was pretty much on the money the entire time while the rest of us had good moments coupled with less than good ones.

Dennis Cabanatan/Natalia Sout over Nik Agharkar/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-4!  No Aces.  Court One hosted this one from 8:30 to 9:02.

Levy Lorenzo/Tito Castolo over Mike Carucci/Laurie Boughton, 6-0!  No Aces.  Also, no changeovers!  Hey, who put these two crafty Filipinos together?!?!  Why, they did, of course…LOL!  This one took place on Court Three from 8:42 to 9:02.

Nathan Fernandes/Janice Wang over Don Moya/Dan Praport, 6-3!  No Aces.  This foursome faced off on Court Four from 8:48 to 9:18.

Dennis Cabanatan/Nik Agharkar over Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout, 6-2!  No Aces.  This one got done on Court One.  It lasted from 9:04 to 9:27.

Levy Lorenzo/Tito Castolo over Mike Carucci/Laurie Boughton, 6-0!  No Aces.  They switched sides of the court (Court Three) since the prior One-Setter, but again there were no turnovers.  The result remained the same.  Time of play: 9:04 to 9:27.

Nathan Fernandes/Janice Wang over Don Moya/Dan Praport, 6-3!  No Aces.  Also, no changeovers here as well as these four faced off again on Court Four.  It lasted from 9:20 to 9:50.

Mike Carucci/Doinks Srinivasan leading Frank Samara/Laurie Boughton, 5-3 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.  We also decided to forego the changeovers in the hopes of getting it done…still, I remembered how it was going: Laurie was broken (Love-30, 15-30 Double Break Point, Double Fault), Doinks held in a struggle (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point went to Deuce and then it was all Game Points until 3^rd Deuce, Break Point, 4^th Deuce, Game Point and the hold) and Frank was broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point where Mike hit a painful roller right over the net-cord for the break) to get off to a 0-3 start!  Mike was broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) to allow the opposition onto the scoreboard, but Boughton was broken again (Double Fault for Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) to go down 1-4.  Srinivasan held again (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point and the hold) to go up 5-1, but then Samara managed to hold at Love while Carucci was broken again (Double Fault for Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 3-5!  Laidback Laurie was on serve for the third time and down Love-15 when we went to black (we had begun this one on Court Three at 9:30)!

Dennis Cabanatan/Tito Castolo tied with Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout, 4-4 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354