6/11/17:
"M2 at PAC (1 new), Samara hosts 10 (1 new) at AP, 13 play at C.G.!":
There was three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: an early morning one at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley featuring the M2 Round of 13 Match between the teams of GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro/"Lean Daddy" Dean Delgado and "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport/"The Lion Tamer" Andrew Ramer (with Dan reporting), the usual mid-morning to early afternoon one at Albion Park in Clifton (hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara) and an evening session at The Cedar Grove Courts co-hosted by "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan.
We will first go to Nutley for the result from there (i.e. The Praport Report). Then we will detail all the comings and goings at Albion (via Samara). And then we will finish with the combined report from Kris and Gen.
The Park Ave. Courts Result:
Dan Praport/Andrew Ramer over Chris Chiaro/Dean Delgado, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, to become the New # 51 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division while advancing to the Quarterfinals of the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament! It was the official GTA Debut of Andrew Ramer. Andrew: 1 Ace on Dean in the 2nd Set.
The Praport Report: We started hitting around 8:15am and got the match started around 8:25. It was already very hot and humid considering it was still early in the morning. The match ended around 10:05.
The Champ chimes in (addressing Samara's concerns about another possible "ringer" entering the league): Ramer is good, but I think he fits in well with our group. We just cannot schedule another match this early again.
Samara's Notes: I thank Dan for his detailed and timely report. I welcome Andrew to the league. I also congratulate both on a very impressive victory. I thank Chris for his honest assessment of Andrew's skill set. And I had a feeling the early scheduling of the above match was not going to favor The Party Boys (Chris and Dean).
We now take it up to Albion!
It was 11:05 when "Hollywood" Frank Samara pulled up to the courts Upon his arrival, he saw that "Coach" Dino Celis had once again been instructing "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and putting him through the paces in another intense workout session as The Doc continues to seek to drop some pounds. This time around, this unique display took place on the South Court.
The two of them were mostly finished with the workout session, but they took a break to speak to a new recruit that comes to us by way of Ayman Elbatanony. Her name is Suzanne Bujara and she is relatively new to tennis. Ayman has been giving her some tennis instruction over at Holster Park.
She is very nice and fits in quite well with us attitude-wise. We soon found out that she was not nearly as "rank" a beginner as she thought she was. She has potential and just needs more time out on the courts.
On the North Court, we once again had the same two guys from last week (aka The Bald Brothers). But due to the high heat, they bailed by 11:20.
And on Center Court, a Doubles One-Setter was already underway as "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon was teaming with his MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament partner, "LP" Lena Pyatski as they faced off against "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto and "The Mel Man" Melvin Hyman (making his first trip to Albion).
At 11:10, Jay "The Rising" Phoenix made his way to the courts. Samara was soon hitting solo against Jay and Suzanne on the South Court while Spin was taking a breather after his workout. It was agreed upon that Frank would team with Suzanne to take on Jay and Spin. Once the North Court became available, the four of them decided to get their One-Setter started over there as that court featured more shade (a much sought after commodity on this 90 degree day!). We got it underway at 11:25.
At 11:35, "Dominant" Dawn Peterson made her way to the courts. She only had to wait about ten minutes before getting the chance to hit a bit and then become part of the second Doubles One-Setter to take place on Center Court.
At noon, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes was the tenth and final competitor to arrive. The sweltering conditions likely kept many competitors away.
It should also be said that Samara's cousin, "KC" Kathy Carroll mistakenly arrived at Albion on Saturday afternoon rather than Sunday. She is still recovering from an injury and looking to just "dip her toes a bit" to see how she feels as she heals. I guess she was unable to return on Sunday, but we hope to see her at the courts in the near future.
Now, let's get to the scores!
The Albion Park Results:
Chazz Weldon/Lena Pyatski over Vinnie De Benedetto/Melvin Hyman, 6-2! No Aces. They got this one underway somewhere near 11am on Center Court and it ended at 11:45.
Jay Phoenix/Dan Martinelli over Frank Samara/Suzanne Bujara, 6-3! Jay: 1 Ace on Suzanne. It was the official GTA Debut of Suzanne Bujara. It went like this: Spin held serve (Jay hit a winning Overhead Smash in the first point and then another winner in the next point for a 30-Love lead, it then went to 30-15 and then Double Game Point where Frank blew an attempted drop shot to allow the hold), Frank held (Frank hit a drop shot winner for 15-Love on the way to Triple Game Point, then it was at Double Game Point where Spin hit a winner to cut that lead to Game Point, but then came the hold), Jay held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and then a very impressive return winner from Frank for 15-All, but then it was on the way to Double Game Point with another un-returned serve along the way and then it was soft and short Ace on Suzanne for the hold) and Suzanne also held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All as Frank hit two drop shot winners along the way and then another drop shot led to Game Point and then came the hold) as we were all on serve at 2-2! Martinelli held again (three consecutive un-returned serves set up Triple Game Point, then a Double Fault for Double Game Point and then it was on Game Point where Spin hit a winner to secure his own hold) and Samara held at Love (after starting things off with a winning Backhand Volley) to keep things even at 3-3! But from there, Phoenix held again (an un-returned serve and a winner from Spin on the way to Triple Game Point which got reduced to Game Point, but then came the hold) while Bujara was broken (Double Fault for Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) to fall to 3-5. The Doc held a third straight time as Love-15 shifted straight to Double Game/Match Point as Spin hit a winner along the way while Jay hit a whopper of a winner to seal the deal on this one! We played this on the North Court from 11:25 to 11:55.
The Skinny: The workouts seem to be having a positive effect on Spin as there is a bit more spring in his step. Jay has been coming on strong lately as he continues to improve. Frank played much better than he did in his poor showing at Cedar Grove on Friday night. And Suzanne outperformed the low expectations that she delivered to everyone prior to her initial performance.
Chazz Weldon/Lena Pyatski over Melvin Hyman/Dawn Peterson, 6-4! Dawn: 1 Ace on Lena. Center Court hosted this one from 11:52 to 12:43.
Nathan Fernandes over Jay Phoenix, 6-1! No Aces. They started this one on the South Court at 12:10. Not sure when it ended as it went right into another one which we will get to just a little later in this report.
Dan Martinelli/Vinnie De Benedetto over Frank Samara/Suzanne Bujara, 6-3! Vin: 2 Aces on Suzanne; and Spin: 1 Ace on Suzanne! Here's how it went down: Suzanne was broken (Vin hit a winner for Love-15 where Frank made a great get/winner combo for 15-All, but then it went straight to Double Break Point where a Double Fault ended matters), Spin was broken (Suzanne hit a nice return winner for Love-15 which was answered by a nice get/winner combo by Spin for 15-All, but then this one also went right to Double Break Point, then it was at Break Point where the break came), Frank was broken at Love as Vin hit a winning return to get things started, but then Vinnie was the first one to hold (Spin made an impressive get/drop shot winner combo for 30-Love, it then went to Triple Game Point and then Double Game Point where Vin scored on Suzanne with a slow Ace to the corner) to go up 3-1. Bujara rebounded with a Love hold as Vin blew an overhead to get things started and she also had an un-returned serve along the way as well, but Martinelli also held (Frank hit a drop shot winner and then Suzanne hit a winner of her own to make it Love-30, but then two un-returned serves shifted it to 30-All where a slow and short Ace once again caught Suzanne by surprise as it set up Game Point, then the game went to Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold) to go up 4-2. Samara held (Suzanne hit another winner and Frank hit a Backhand Volley winner on the way to Triple Game Point before his lead was cut to Game Point, but then came the hold) to pull to 3-4. But from there, De Benedetto held again (Frank blew a drop shot attempt for 15-Love and it was off and running to Triple Game Point where Frank made another quick get/winner combo to reduce it to Double Game Point only to have a sideline Ace on Suzanne secure the hold) and then Newbie Bujara was broken as she started off with a Double Fault and then Spin hit a winner for Love-30 where another Double Fault set up Triple Break/Match Point, the break came on Double Break/Match Point and this one was then in the books! We played this one on the North Court from 12:10 to 12:42.
The Skinny: Suzanne's level of performance improved in this one except for that last game where she was broken which was pretty much the only time she looked like a newbie the entire session. Still, she had fun and so did the rest of us. She is a welcome addition to the league. And, thankfully, she lives close to Albion...so I expect we will continue to see more of her. Thanks to Ayman for sending her our way.
Nathan Fernandes over Jay Phoenix, 6-1! No Aces. This second One-Setter ended on the South Court at exactly 12:49. The reason this could not be recorded as a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match is the fact that Phoenix is still in the active draw of the still ongoing GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament.
After taking a breather, Nate and Jay went back out on the court (I think it was Center Court this time around) for an extended hitting session that went all the way until 1:45.
Meanwhile, Frank, Spin and Dino had a bull session in their usual spot up the hill from the courts out on the sidewalk that ran until just shy of 2pm.
We now head up to Cedar Grove for the combined report from Kris, Marijus and Gen.
The Cedar Grove Courts:
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! No Aces.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Kris Srinivasan/Ryan Pienciak, 6-4! Marijus: 1 Ace on Kris!
We were down 1-5 before recovering some lost ground. But Marijus and Sally were rock solid and look like the Mixed Doubles team to beat in the ongoing tourney.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Ryan Pienciak/Janice Wang, 6-3! No Aces.
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Levy Lorenzo/Jordan Bachvaroff over Jose Gonzales/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), to successfully defend their # 55 Rank in the Doubles Division! In the process, Gonzales/Srinivasan enters the division as the New # 63 Ranked Team. No Aces.
Levy Lorenzo/Genalin Capan over Rafaelo Kazakov/Edgar Valentina, 6-1! No Aces. They played this one on Court Four from 8:50 to 9:20.
The K has his say: Gen was absolutely brilliant in her match that saw Levy putting everything into his game against an almost consistent Rafaelo and a great serving Edgar, who was also very effective in his drop shots. It was a well-balanced match that was close and captivating. Cheers!
Rafaelo Kazakov/Edgar Valentina over Levy Lorenzo/Genalin Capan, 6-4! Edgar: 1 Ace on Gen. This one also took place on Court Four as it started immediately after the previous encounter and finished just in time right before 10pm!
Gen's Notes: The first game set the tone for the rest of the match as Rafaelo held serve in a game that became a 10-Deuce struggle! There were a couple more multiple Deuce games in the set. Rafaelo and Edgar had leads of 4-2 and then 5-2. That was where Edgar had held for 5-3, but then Levy held and Kazakov was broken as we pulled to 4-5. Then I was on serve and it was 30-All, Break/Match Point, Deuce, 2nd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce and then on the 3rd Break/Match Point it was Rafaelo who hit a shot that hit the top of the tape and then rolled down on our side of the net for the win!
Samara's Notes: I thank Kris, Marijus and Gen for submitting their scores in a very timely manner and for also providing details as well.
Best wishes,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
"M2 at PAC (1 new), Samara hosts 10 (1 new) at AP, 13 play at C.G.!":
There was three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: an early morning one at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley featuring the M2 Round of 13 Match between the teams of GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro/"Lean Daddy" Dean Delgado and "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport/"The Lion Tamer" Andrew Ramer (with Dan reporting), the usual mid-morning to early afternoon one at Albion Park in Clifton (hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara) and an evening session at The Cedar Grove Courts co-hosted by "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan.
We will first go to Nutley for the result from there (i.e. The Praport Report). Then we will detail all the comings and goings at Albion (via Samara). And then we will finish with the combined report from Kris and Gen.
The Park Ave. Courts Result:
Dan Praport/Andrew Ramer over Chris Chiaro/Dean Delgado, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, to become the New # 51 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division while advancing to the Quarterfinals of the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament! It was the official GTA Debut of Andrew Ramer. Andrew: 1 Ace on Dean in the 2nd Set.
The Praport Report: We started hitting around 8:15am and got the match started around 8:25. It was already very hot and humid considering it was still early in the morning. The match ended around 10:05.
The Champ chimes in (addressing Samara's concerns about another possible "ringer" entering the league): Ramer is good, but I think he fits in well with our group. We just cannot schedule another match this early again.
Samara's Notes: I thank Dan for his detailed and timely report. I welcome Andrew to the league. I also congratulate both on a very impressive victory. I thank Chris for his honest assessment of Andrew's skill set. And I had a feeling the early scheduling of the above match was not going to favor The Party Boys (Chris and Dean).
We now take it up to Albion!
It was 11:05 when "Hollywood" Frank Samara pulled up to the courts Upon his arrival, he saw that "Coach" Dino Celis had once again been instructing "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and putting him through the paces in another intense workout session as The Doc continues to seek to drop some pounds. This time around, this unique display took place on the South Court.
The two of them were mostly finished with the workout session, but they took a break to speak to a new recruit that comes to us by way of Ayman Elbatanony. Her name is Suzanne Bujara and she is relatively new to tennis. Ayman has been giving her some tennis instruction over at Holster Park.
She is very nice and fits in quite well with us attitude-wise. We soon found out that she was not nearly as "rank" a beginner as she thought she was. She has potential and just needs more time out on the courts.
On the North Court, we once again had the same two guys from last week (aka The Bald Brothers). But due to the high heat, they bailed by 11:20.
And on Center Court, a Doubles One-Setter was already underway as "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon was teaming with his MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament partner, "LP" Lena Pyatski as they faced off against "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto and "The Mel Man" Melvin Hyman (making his first trip to Albion).
At 11:10, Jay "The Rising" Phoenix made his way to the courts. Samara was soon hitting solo against Jay and Suzanne on the South Court while Spin was taking a breather after his workout. It was agreed upon that Frank would team with Suzanne to take on Jay and Spin. Once the North Court became available, the four of them decided to get their One-Setter started over there as that court featured more shade (a much sought after commodity on this 90 degree day!). We got it underway at 11:25.
At 11:35, "Dominant" Dawn Peterson made her way to the courts. She only had to wait about ten minutes before getting the chance to hit a bit and then become part of the second Doubles One-Setter to take place on Center Court.
At noon, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes was the tenth and final competitor to arrive. The sweltering conditions likely kept many competitors away.
It should also be said that Samara's cousin, "KC" Kathy Carroll mistakenly arrived at Albion on Saturday afternoon rather than Sunday. She is still recovering from an injury and looking to just "dip her toes a bit" to see how she feels as she heals. I guess she was unable to return on Sunday, but we hope to see her at the courts in the near future.
Now, let's get to the scores!
The Albion Park Results:
Chazz Weldon/Lena Pyatski over Vinnie De Benedetto/Melvin Hyman, 6-2! No Aces. They got this one underway somewhere near 11am on Center Court and it ended at 11:45.
Jay Phoenix/Dan Martinelli over Frank Samara/Suzanne Bujara, 6-3! Jay: 1 Ace on Suzanne. It was the official GTA Debut of Suzanne Bujara. It went like this: Spin held serve (Jay hit a winning Overhead Smash in the first point and then another winner in the next point for a 30-Love lead, it then went to 30-15 and then Double Game Point where Frank blew an attempted drop shot to allow the hold), Frank held (Frank hit a drop shot winner for 15-Love on the way to Triple Game Point, then it was at Double Game Point where Spin hit a winner to cut that lead to Game Point, but then came the hold), Jay held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and then a very impressive return winner from Frank for 15-All, but then it was on the way to Double Game Point with another un-returned serve along the way and then it was soft and short Ace on Suzanne for the hold) and Suzanne also held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All as Frank hit two drop shot winners along the way and then another drop shot led to Game Point and then came the hold) as we were all on serve at 2-2! Martinelli held again (three consecutive un-returned serves set up Triple Game Point, then a Double Fault for Double Game Point and then it was on Game Point where Spin hit a winner to secure his own hold) and Samara held at Love (after starting things off with a winning Backhand Volley) to keep things even at 3-3! But from there, Phoenix held again (an un-returned serve and a winner from Spin on the way to Triple Game Point which got reduced to Game Point, but then came the hold) while Bujara was broken (Double Fault for Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) to fall to 3-5. The Doc held a third straight time as Love-15 shifted straight to Double Game/Match Point as Spin hit a winner along the way while Jay hit a whopper of a winner to seal the deal on this one! We played this on the North Court from 11:25 to 11:55.
The Skinny: The workouts seem to be having a positive effect on Spin as there is a bit more spring in his step. Jay has been coming on strong lately as he continues to improve. Frank played much better than he did in his poor showing at Cedar Grove on Friday night. And Suzanne outperformed the low expectations that she delivered to everyone prior to her initial performance.
Chazz Weldon/Lena Pyatski over Melvin Hyman/Dawn Peterson, 6-4! Dawn: 1 Ace on Lena. Center Court hosted this one from 11:52 to 12:43.
Nathan Fernandes over Jay Phoenix, 6-1! No Aces. They started this one on the South Court at 12:10. Not sure when it ended as it went right into another one which we will get to just a little later in this report.
Dan Martinelli/Vinnie De Benedetto over Frank Samara/Suzanne Bujara, 6-3! Vin: 2 Aces on Suzanne; and Spin: 1 Ace on Suzanne! Here's how it went down: Suzanne was broken (Vin hit a winner for Love-15 where Frank made a great get/winner combo for 15-All, but then it went straight to Double Break Point where a Double Fault ended matters), Spin was broken (Suzanne hit a nice return winner for Love-15 which was answered by a nice get/winner combo by Spin for 15-All, but then this one also went right to Double Break Point, then it was at Break Point where the break came), Frank was broken at Love as Vin hit a winning return to get things started, but then Vinnie was the first one to hold (Spin made an impressive get/drop shot winner combo for 30-Love, it then went to Triple Game Point and then Double Game Point where Vin scored on Suzanne with a slow Ace to the corner) to go up 3-1. Bujara rebounded with a Love hold as Vin blew an overhead to get things started and she also had an un-returned serve along the way as well, but Martinelli also held (Frank hit a drop shot winner and then Suzanne hit a winner of her own to make it Love-30, but then two un-returned serves shifted it to 30-All where a slow and short Ace once again caught Suzanne by surprise as it set up Game Point, then the game went to Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold) to go up 4-2. Samara held (Suzanne hit another winner and Frank hit a Backhand Volley winner on the way to Triple Game Point before his lead was cut to Game Point, but then came the hold) to pull to 3-4. But from there, De Benedetto held again (Frank blew a drop shot attempt for 15-Love and it was off and running to Triple Game Point where Frank made another quick get/winner combo to reduce it to Double Game Point only to have a sideline Ace on Suzanne secure the hold) and then Newbie Bujara was broken as she started off with a Double Fault and then Spin hit a winner for Love-30 where another Double Fault set up Triple Break/Match Point, the break came on Double Break/Match Point and this one was then in the books! We played this one on the North Court from 12:10 to 12:42.
The Skinny: Suzanne's level of performance improved in this one except for that last game where she was broken which was pretty much the only time she looked like a newbie the entire session. Still, she had fun and so did the rest of us. She is a welcome addition to the league. And, thankfully, she lives close to Albion...so I expect we will continue to see more of her. Thanks to Ayman for sending her our way.
Nathan Fernandes over Jay Phoenix, 6-1! No Aces. This second One-Setter ended on the South Court at exactly 12:49. The reason this could not be recorded as a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match is the fact that Phoenix is still in the active draw of the still ongoing GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament.
After taking a breather, Nate and Jay went back out on the court (I think it was Center Court this time around) for an extended hitting session that went all the way until 1:45.
Meanwhile, Frank, Spin and Dino had a bull session in their usual spot up the hill from the courts out on the sidewalk that ran until just shy of 2pm.
We now head up to Cedar Grove for the combined report from Kris, Marijus and Gen.
The Cedar Grove Courts:
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! No Aces.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Kris Srinivasan/Ryan Pienciak, 6-4! Marijus: 1 Ace on Kris!
We were down 1-5 before recovering some lost ground. But Marijus and Sally were rock solid and look like the Mixed Doubles team to beat in the ongoing tourney.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Ryan Pienciak/Janice Wang, 6-3! No Aces.
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Levy Lorenzo/Jordan Bachvaroff over Jose Gonzales/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), to successfully defend their # 55 Rank in the Doubles Division! In the process, Gonzales/Srinivasan enters the division as the New # 63 Ranked Team. No Aces.
Levy Lorenzo/Genalin Capan over Rafaelo Kazakov/Edgar Valentina, 6-1! No Aces. They played this one on Court Four from 8:50 to 9:20.
The K has his say: Gen was absolutely brilliant in her match that saw Levy putting everything into his game against an almost consistent Rafaelo and a great serving Edgar, who was also very effective in his drop shots. It was a well-balanced match that was close and captivating. Cheers!
Rafaelo Kazakov/Edgar Valentina over Levy Lorenzo/Genalin Capan, 6-4! Edgar: 1 Ace on Gen. This one also took place on Court Four as it started immediately after the previous encounter and finished just in time right before 10pm!
Gen's Notes: The first game set the tone for the rest of the match as Rafaelo held serve in a game that became a 10-Deuce struggle! There were a couple more multiple Deuce games in the set. Rafaelo and Edgar had leads of 4-2 and then 5-2. That was where Edgar had held for 5-3, but then Levy held and Kazakov was broken as we pulled to 4-5. Then I was on serve and it was 30-All, Break/Match Point, Deuce, 2nd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce and then on the 3rd Break/Match Point it was Rafaelo who hit a shot that hit the top of the tape and then rolled down on our side of the net for the win!
Samara's Notes: I thank Kris, Marijus and Gen for submitting their scores in a very timely manner and for also providing details as well.
Best wishes,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
No comments:
Post a Comment