6/22/17:
"Kumar-Ortega in Wayne, Bobila-Phoenix at HP, 4 (1 new) at PAC, 22 (2 new) at C.G.!":
GTA Thursday Tennis took place at four locations: The Pointview Courts in Wayne featuring a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match/Non-Title Match between reigning GTA Intermediate Champ: "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar and "Salsa Picante" Edwin Ortega (as reported by Senthil and only his Advanced Division rank was on the line), Holster Park in Clifton featuring the GTA Intermediate Invitational Semifinal Match between William "Bombs Away" Bobila and Jay "The Rising" Phoenix, The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley where the session was hosted by "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport and at The Cedar Grove Courts with surprise impromptu host "Hollywood" Frank Samara.
So we will first grab the result from Senthil, then the mutual report from both William and Jay, then the recap from Dan and then we will detail all the comings and goings that took place at Cedar Grove.
The Wayne Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match/Non-Title Match:
Senthil Kumar over Edwin Ortega, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, to successfully defend his # 18 Rank in the Advanced Division! Kumar's GTA Intermediate Title was not on the line as he still awaits a winner to emerge from the ongoing GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament. Edwin: 3 Aces (2 in the 1st Set and 1 in the 2nd Set)!
Samara's Notes: I thank Senthil for his very timely reporting of that match. We now head to Holster Park in Clifton and get the mutual report from William and Jay of their Semifinal Match against one another.
The Holster Park Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Semifinal Match:
William Bobila over Jay Phoenix, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, to successfully defend both his # 13 Rank in the Advanced Division and his # 2 Rank in the Intermediate Division while advancing to the Finals of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! William: 2 Aces!
Bobila Bombs Away!: Our warm-up started about 5:30 and the match began around 5:40/5:45 and ended somewhere around 7:45 to 7:55. In the 1st Set, there were a lot ground-stroke shots. I was more consistent than Mr. Jay Phoenix who made a lot of errors. It appeared he couldn't figure me out in that set.
In the 2nd Set, there was even more rally shots. I was leading 5-2 and Jay was really a fighter as he fought back and won the next 5 games to take the set! I was running out of stamina and suffering from a shortness of breath. Jay was so nice (and I salute him) in giving me enough time to rest during the changeover. He showed me his true sportsmanship.
In the 3rd Set, in the 1st service game Jay held his service. Surprisingly, and luckily, I got my second wind back. Jay started to commit many unforced errors. I won the next 6 games to close the match.
Jay has his say: His first serve is powerful and he is very consistent on both sides. The better player won.
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely reporting. I congratulate William on a hard-fought victory and offer kudos to Jay for his spirited effort. We now head to Nutley for the Praport Report.
The Park Ave Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Dean Delgado/Dan Praport over Keith Lewkowitz/Arunraj Nair, 6-4, 7-5, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 66 and # 67 Ranked Teams respectively! It was the official GTA Debut of Arunraj Nair. No Aces.
Keith Lewkowitz/Arunraj Nair over Dean Delgado/Dan Praport, 6-3! No Aces.
The Praport Report: I got to Park Ave. at 7pm and we started soon after that.
Samara's Notes: I thank Dan for his recap. We will now discuss how the Cedar Grove session unfolded.
After failing to address the league earlier in the day as to what his tennis plans would be later in the night, "Hollywood" Frank Samara sent a text message to Kris a little after 7pm stating that he would soon be on his way to Cedar Grove and hope to get there by 7:30.
Samara pulled into the lot at 7:25. Upon his arrival, he saw "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes in a hitting session with "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner on Court One. Herb's wife Kate roamed the grounds and eventually sat on the bench with Frank to talk tennis.
On Court Two, there was a Singles One-Setter already in progress as "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah was taking on "Instant" Moka Pathan.
On Court Three, "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas was teaming with "The Secret Weapon" Sairaj Srinivasan as they faced two guys that Frank did not recognize. Kris soon told him that they were friends with Bobila and to get their info after the action ended.
And on Court Four, Kris was teaming with "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales as they faced "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff and "ME" Michel Encarnacion.
At 7:30, we had the surprise arrival of "Kaboom" Raj Boddu as we have not seen him at the courts of Cedar Grove for some time now. Frank directed him over to Court One to get involved in the hitting session with Nate and Herb.
The next two players to arrive were "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia at 7:50 and then Senthil another five minutes later.
At 8pm, the Doubles One-Setter featuring the two newest members of Bobila's Pinoy Posse had ended and Samara stepped onto that court to introduce himself and also obtain their names. Peddy Santos and Vio Mendoza are both nice guys who are happy to now be part of the league and they would soon play another Doubles One-Setter before calling it a night.
It was also at this same time that "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan made her way across the street. Her timing was perfect as she was able to take the place of her son Sairaj in the next Doubles One-Setter on Court Three.
At 8:10, a lot of talent-shifting took place on the courts and Samara stepped onto Court One to hold it for future action as that hitting session had ended for the evening.
Five minutes later, "Magic" Mike Mole arrived and headed over to Court One to hit with Samara as did Jose. But soon after, both of those players had the chance to get involved in a Doubles One-Setter on Court Four and they jumped at the opportunity.
At 8:35, "2 Tall" Dave Zhu and "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli both arrived separately. But they would soon form a team together on Court Three that would stick with each other the rest of the night.
From 8:50 to 9pm, "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak, Tito "Touch" Castolo and Natalia "Nitro" Sout all arrived. Ryan was able to get involved in some Doubles action on Court Two while Tito and Natalia decided to have a hitting session on Court One.
And those were the final arrivals of the evening as the session featured an impressive total of 22 official competitors.
Let's get to the action!
The Cedar Grove Results:
Moka Pathan over Raj Shah, 6-3! Raj: 1 Ace. Not sure when this one got underway on Court Two, but it did not end until 7:55.
Mike Kazlauskas/Sairaj Srinivasan over Peddy Santos/Vio Mendoza, 6-4! Vio: 1 Ace on Sairaj! It was the official GTA Debut of both Peddy Santos and Vio Mendoza. Again, not sure when this one got started. But it was finished on Court Three at exactly 8pm.
Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales over Jordan Bachvaroff/Michel Encarnacion, 6-2! Jose: 2 Aces (one on each)! This one took place on Court Four from 7:10 to 7:47.
Kris Srinivasan/Raj Boddu over Jordan Bachvaroff/Michel Encarnacion, 6-0! No Aces. This one was also played on Court Four and it lasted from 7:50 to 8:18.
Peddy Santos/Vio Mendoza over Mike Kazlauskas/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-1! Mike: 3 Aces (2 on Vio and 1 on Peddy)! This was played on Court Three from 8:05 to 8:30.
Nathan Fernandes/Lou La Forgia over Raj Shah/Senthil Kumar, 7-5! No Aces. Court Two hosted this one from 8:10 to 8:50. Down 3-5, Nate and Lou saved a Match Point and then went on to win four straight games for the comeback victory!
Kris Srinivasan over Michel Encarnacion, 6-2! Kris: 1 Ace. They got this one done on Court One in the time span of 8:22 to 8:55.
Frank Samara/Raj Boddu over Mike Mole/Jose Gonzales, 6-0! No Aces. It went like this: Raj held serve (Mike hit a winning return for Love-15, but then it went straight to Double Game Point with an un-returned serve along the way and then another one to earn the hold), Mike was broken (Jose blew a volley for Love-15 and it was on the way to Triple Break Point which was where Mike hit a missile-like passing shot winner for Double Break Point, but then he hit a Double Fault to break himself), Frank held at Love as Jose blew a volley, Raj hit an excellent Backhand Volley winner and then Raj hit a vicious volley winner to secure his partner's hold and then Jose was broken (started with a Double Fault, it shifted to 30-15 after Jose hit a victorious volley winner, but then it shifted back to Break Point after Raj hit a blast of a passing shot winner and then came the break) to fall to 0-4! Boddu then held again (Jose blew a volley for 15-Love, it then went 30-Love, Double Game Point and then the hold) and Mole was broken at Love when Raj made an amazing get on Triple Break/Match Point which led to winning the point...game, set and match!) for the win! We played this one on Court Four from 8:23 to 8:43.
The Skinny: Jose was dealing with a sore wrist that had occurred the night before and Mike had not yet quite dialed in those big topspin forehands and serves of his. Frank played the best he has in quite some time, but the real story was the magnificent play of Raj who has been away from the courts of the GTA for some time. Not only has he not lost a step, it seemed he has gained one as he made several great gets coupled with strong and finishing shots.
Dave Zhu/Dan Martinelli over Mike Kazlauskas/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! Mike: 2 Aces on Spin in the same game (and the second one was on a second serve)! Dave and Spin were up 5-2 and they may have had a Match Point that would have been saved by Big Kaz and Doinks to extend this set one more game before its end. This was played on Court Three from 8:40 to 9:22.
Frank Samara/Raj Boddu over Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole, 6-2! No Aces. Here's how it went down: Mike held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All which was right after an un-returned serve and then another un-returned serve set up Game Point and then came the hold), Raj held (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All which was where Frank hit a winning volley and then there was an un-returned serve on the way to Double Game Point and then the hold), but Jordan was the first to be broken (30-Love, Double Fault for 30-15, but then Frank hit a winning return to reverse the momentum as it would then go to Break Point and the break) for 1-2. Frank held (an un-returned serve and then a winning lob from Raj made it 30-Love, but then Mike made an amazing get that caused Frank to muff an easy volley to cut the lead to 30-15 and sent his game spiraling to Break Point, but then it went to Deuce, Break Point again where Raj hit an excellent passing shot winner for 2nd Deuce, then it was Break Point again where Frank hit an equally impressive passing shot winner for 3rd Deuce, then came Game Point and the hold), Mole was broken at Love as he started with a Double Fault and then Frank hit an emphatic Overhead Smash winner for Love-30, then there was another Double Fault to set up Triple Break Point and then one more Double Fault (for good measure) to break himself and then Boddu held again (started off with two straight Double Faults, but then an un-returned serve shifted the momentum straight to Game Point and the hold) for a commanding 5-1 lead! Bachvaroff held (Mike hit a winner to set up Triple Game Point, Double Fault cut that lead to Double Game Point where Mike hit another winner to secure his partner's hold) to pull to 2-5, but then Samara held again (started off with an un-returned serve for 15-Love, then 30-Love, 30-15 and another un-returned serve to set up Double Game/Match Point where Frank secured his own hold with a winning lob) to get the win! We played this on Court Four from 8:45 to 9:15.
The Skinny: Boddu's excellent level of play continued unabated and it inspired Samara to keep pace with it. The two of them have teamed together in the distant past, but the long layoff as a tandem did not allow them to miss a beat as they were simply on a roll on this night.
Nathan Fernandes/Lou La Forgia over Senthil Kumar/Ryan Pienciak, 6-3! No Aces. Court Two hosted this one from 8:55 to 9:25.
Frank Samara/Kris Srinivasan over Tito Castolo/Natalia Sout, 6-3! No Aces. The breakdown: Frank held (Kris hit a winning volley for 15-Love where Tito hit a much more vicious volley winner for 15-All and then Kris blew a volley for 15-30, but then an un-returned serve started the shift to Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), Natalia held (Tito blew a volley and then Kris hit a winner to make it Love-30, but then two consecutive winning volleys by Tito led to Game Point where Frank blew a volley to allow the hold), Kris held (Kris hit a winner to get off to a 15-Love start, it shifted to 15-30, then an un-returned serve started the shift to Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), but Tito was the first to be broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point and finally the break…could not remember who hit what winners where and when, but Kris was a force at the net with at least a few winning volleys and Overhead Smashes along the way) for 1-3. Samara held again (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point, 3rd Deuce and Game Point again where the only winner I could remember may have been the shot of the night when Frank hit a backhand down-the-Doubles Alley passing shot winner for the hold) and Sout was broken at Love to fall to 1-5. Srinivasan was also broken at Love as Frank blew two of his patented Windmill Overhead Smashes along the way (the first of which found an unintended target…Spin on Court Three! And then the second one was a complete whiff!) and then Castolo held (two winners by Tito led to Triple Game Point, then it was Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to pull to 3-5! But Hollywood then had his third straight hold (Natalia hit a net-cord-aided winning return to make it Love-30, it then went to 15-30 where Kris blew an overhead to set up Double Break Point, but then Kris redeemed himself with a big-time Overhead Smash winner for Break Point and then an un-returned serve set up Deuce where Frank then hit his other "patented" shot…a screen shot winner to set up Game/Match Point where Kris hit a victorious volley winner to secure his partner's hold) to earn an impressive victory! We played this on Court Four from 9:20 to 9:54.
The Skinny: Much like Boddu, Samara was on a roll on this particular evening and Srinivasan joined him in the cause. Although both had some embarrassing misfires, they more often than not made up for it with spectacular play. Sout continued to show improvement in her increasingly aggressive game while Castolo was surprisingly off his usual smooth rhythm just a bit.
Lou La Forgia/Ryan Pienciak over Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole, 6-2! Mike: 2 Aces (one on each)! This one got underway on Court Two at exactly 9:27. Not sure when it ended as it went right into this next one.
Lou La Forgia/Ryan Pienciak leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole, 2-0 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)! No Aces.
Dave Zhu/Dan Martinelli leading Mike Kazlauskas/Doinks Srinivasan, 4-3 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)! Dave: 2 Aces on Mike (in the same game); and Mike: 1 Ace on Spin! This one began on Court Three at 9:25. In the two (well, almost) One-Setters they played, these four seemed to be having a whole lot of fun!
It was a great session where the intensity increased as did the humidity! But the steam room-like conditions only made the circumstances more heated…but all in the right way.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
Gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
"Kumar-Ortega in Wayne, Bobila-Phoenix at HP, 4 (1 new) at PAC, 22 (2 new) at C.G.!":
GTA Thursday Tennis took place at four locations: The Pointview Courts in Wayne featuring a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match/Non-Title Match between reigning GTA Intermediate Champ: "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar and "Salsa Picante" Edwin Ortega (as reported by Senthil and only his Advanced Division rank was on the line), Holster Park in Clifton featuring the GTA Intermediate Invitational Semifinal Match between William "Bombs Away" Bobila and Jay "The Rising" Phoenix, The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley where the session was hosted by "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport and at The Cedar Grove Courts with surprise impromptu host "Hollywood" Frank Samara.
So we will first grab the result from Senthil, then the mutual report from both William and Jay, then the recap from Dan and then we will detail all the comings and goings that took place at Cedar Grove.
The Wayne Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match/Non-Title Match:
Senthil Kumar over Edwin Ortega, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, to successfully defend his # 18 Rank in the Advanced Division! Kumar's GTA Intermediate Title was not on the line as he still awaits a winner to emerge from the ongoing GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament. Edwin: 3 Aces (2 in the 1st Set and 1 in the 2nd Set)!
Samara's Notes: I thank Senthil for his very timely reporting of that match. We now head to Holster Park in Clifton and get the mutual report from William and Jay of their Semifinal Match against one another.
The Holster Park Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Semifinal Match:
William Bobila over Jay Phoenix, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, to successfully defend both his # 13 Rank in the Advanced Division and his # 2 Rank in the Intermediate Division while advancing to the Finals of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! William: 2 Aces!
Bobila Bombs Away!: Our warm-up started about 5:30 and the match began around 5:40/5:45 and ended somewhere around 7:45 to 7:55. In the 1st Set, there were a lot ground-stroke shots. I was more consistent than Mr. Jay Phoenix who made a lot of errors. It appeared he couldn't figure me out in that set.
In the 2nd Set, there was even more rally shots. I was leading 5-2 and Jay was really a fighter as he fought back and won the next 5 games to take the set! I was running out of stamina and suffering from a shortness of breath. Jay was so nice (and I salute him) in giving me enough time to rest during the changeover. He showed me his true sportsmanship.
In the 3rd Set, in the 1st service game Jay held his service. Surprisingly, and luckily, I got my second wind back. Jay started to commit many unforced errors. I won the next 6 games to close the match.
Jay has his say: His first serve is powerful and he is very consistent on both sides. The better player won.
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely reporting. I congratulate William on a hard-fought victory and offer kudos to Jay for his spirited effort. We now head to Nutley for the Praport Report.
The Park Ave Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Dean Delgado/Dan Praport over Keith Lewkowitz/Arunraj Nair, 6-4, 7-5, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 66 and # 67 Ranked Teams respectively! It was the official GTA Debut of Arunraj Nair. No Aces.
Keith Lewkowitz/Arunraj Nair over Dean Delgado/Dan Praport, 6-3! No Aces.
The Praport Report: I got to Park Ave. at 7pm and we started soon after that.
Samara's Notes: I thank Dan for his recap. We will now discuss how the Cedar Grove session unfolded.
After failing to address the league earlier in the day as to what his tennis plans would be later in the night, "Hollywood" Frank Samara sent a text message to Kris a little after 7pm stating that he would soon be on his way to Cedar Grove and hope to get there by 7:30.
Samara pulled into the lot at 7:25. Upon his arrival, he saw "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes in a hitting session with "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner on Court One. Herb's wife Kate roamed the grounds and eventually sat on the bench with Frank to talk tennis.
On Court Two, there was a Singles One-Setter already in progress as "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah was taking on "Instant" Moka Pathan.
On Court Three, "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas was teaming with "The Secret Weapon" Sairaj Srinivasan as they faced two guys that Frank did not recognize. Kris soon told him that they were friends with Bobila and to get their info after the action ended.
And on Court Four, Kris was teaming with "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales as they faced "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff and "ME" Michel Encarnacion.
At 7:30, we had the surprise arrival of "Kaboom" Raj Boddu as we have not seen him at the courts of Cedar Grove for some time now. Frank directed him over to Court One to get involved in the hitting session with Nate and Herb.
The next two players to arrive were "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia at 7:50 and then Senthil another five minutes later.
At 8pm, the Doubles One-Setter featuring the two newest members of Bobila's Pinoy Posse had ended and Samara stepped onto that court to introduce himself and also obtain their names. Peddy Santos and Vio Mendoza are both nice guys who are happy to now be part of the league and they would soon play another Doubles One-Setter before calling it a night.
It was also at this same time that "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan made her way across the street. Her timing was perfect as she was able to take the place of her son Sairaj in the next Doubles One-Setter on Court Three.
At 8:10, a lot of talent-shifting took place on the courts and Samara stepped onto Court One to hold it for future action as that hitting session had ended for the evening.
Five minutes later, "Magic" Mike Mole arrived and headed over to Court One to hit with Samara as did Jose. But soon after, both of those players had the chance to get involved in a Doubles One-Setter on Court Four and they jumped at the opportunity.
At 8:35, "2 Tall" Dave Zhu and "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli both arrived separately. But they would soon form a team together on Court Three that would stick with each other the rest of the night.
From 8:50 to 9pm, "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak, Tito "Touch" Castolo and Natalia "Nitro" Sout all arrived. Ryan was able to get involved in some Doubles action on Court Two while Tito and Natalia decided to have a hitting session on Court One.
And those were the final arrivals of the evening as the session featured an impressive total of 22 official competitors.
Let's get to the action!
The Cedar Grove Results:
Moka Pathan over Raj Shah, 6-3! Raj: 1 Ace. Not sure when this one got underway on Court Two, but it did not end until 7:55.
Mike Kazlauskas/Sairaj Srinivasan over Peddy Santos/Vio Mendoza, 6-4! Vio: 1 Ace on Sairaj! It was the official GTA Debut of both Peddy Santos and Vio Mendoza. Again, not sure when this one got started. But it was finished on Court Three at exactly 8pm.
Kris Srinivasan/Jose Gonzales over Jordan Bachvaroff/Michel Encarnacion, 6-2! Jose: 2 Aces (one on each)! This one took place on Court Four from 7:10 to 7:47.
Kris Srinivasan/Raj Boddu over Jordan Bachvaroff/Michel Encarnacion, 6-0! No Aces. This one was also played on Court Four and it lasted from 7:50 to 8:18.
Peddy Santos/Vio Mendoza over Mike Kazlauskas/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-1! Mike: 3 Aces (2 on Vio and 1 on Peddy)! This was played on Court Three from 8:05 to 8:30.
Nathan Fernandes/Lou La Forgia over Raj Shah/Senthil Kumar, 7-5! No Aces. Court Two hosted this one from 8:10 to 8:50. Down 3-5, Nate and Lou saved a Match Point and then went on to win four straight games for the comeback victory!
Kris Srinivasan over Michel Encarnacion, 6-2! Kris: 1 Ace. They got this one done on Court One in the time span of 8:22 to 8:55.
Frank Samara/Raj Boddu over Mike Mole/Jose Gonzales, 6-0! No Aces. It went like this: Raj held serve (Mike hit a winning return for Love-15, but then it went straight to Double Game Point with an un-returned serve along the way and then another one to earn the hold), Mike was broken (Jose blew a volley for Love-15 and it was on the way to Triple Break Point which was where Mike hit a missile-like passing shot winner for Double Break Point, but then he hit a Double Fault to break himself), Frank held at Love as Jose blew a volley, Raj hit an excellent Backhand Volley winner and then Raj hit a vicious volley winner to secure his partner's hold and then Jose was broken (started with a Double Fault, it shifted to 30-15 after Jose hit a victorious volley winner, but then it shifted back to Break Point after Raj hit a blast of a passing shot winner and then came the break) to fall to 0-4! Boddu then held again (Jose blew a volley for 15-Love, it then went 30-Love, Double Game Point and then the hold) and Mole was broken at Love when Raj made an amazing get on Triple Break/Match Point which led to winning the point...game, set and match!) for the win! We played this one on Court Four from 8:23 to 8:43.
The Skinny: Jose was dealing with a sore wrist that had occurred the night before and Mike had not yet quite dialed in those big topspin forehands and serves of his. Frank played the best he has in quite some time, but the real story was the magnificent play of Raj who has been away from the courts of the GTA for some time. Not only has he not lost a step, it seemed he has gained one as he made several great gets coupled with strong and finishing shots.
Dave Zhu/Dan Martinelli over Mike Kazlauskas/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! Mike: 2 Aces on Spin in the same game (and the second one was on a second serve)! Dave and Spin were up 5-2 and they may have had a Match Point that would have been saved by Big Kaz and Doinks to extend this set one more game before its end. This was played on Court Three from 8:40 to 9:22.
Frank Samara/Raj Boddu over Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole, 6-2! No Aces. Here's how it went down: Mike held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All which was right after an un-returned serve and then another un-returned serve set up Game Point and then came the hold), Raj held (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All which was where Frank hit a winning volley and then there was an un-returned serve on the way to Double Game Point and then the hold), but Jordan was the first to be broken (30-Love, Double Fault for 30-15, but then Frank hit a winning return to reverse the momentum as it would then go to Break Point and the break) for 1-2. Frank held (an un-returned serve and then a winning lob from Raj made it 30-Love, but then Mike made an amazing get that caused Frank to muff an easy volley to cut the lead to 30-15 and sent his game spiraling to Break Point, but then it went to Deuce, Break Point again where Raj hit an excellent passing shot winner for 2nd Deuce, then it was Break Point again where Frank hit an equally impressive passing shot winner for 3rd Deuce, then came Game Point and the hold), Mole was broken at Love as he started with a Double Fault and then Frank hit an emphatic Overhead Smash winner for Love-30, then there was another Double Fault to set up Triple Break Point and then one more Double Fault (for good measure) to break himself and then Boddu held again (started off with two straight Double Faults, but then an un-returned serve shifted the momentum straight to Game Point and the hold) for a commanding 5-1 lead! Bachvaroff held (Mike hit a winner to set up Triple Game Point, Double Fault cut that lead to Double Game Point where Mike hit another winner to secure his partner's hold) to pull to 2-5, but then Samara held again (started off with an un-returned serve for 15-Love, then 30-Love, 30-15 and another un-returned serve to set up Double Game/Match Point where Frank secured his own hold with a winning lob) to get the win! We played this on Court Four from 8:45 to 9:15.
The Skinny: Boddu's excellent level of play continued unabated and it inspired Samara to keep pace with it. The two of them have teamed together in the distant past, but the long layoff as a tandem did not allow them to miss a beat as they were simply on a roll on this night.
Nathan Fernandes/Lou La Forgia over Senthil Kumar/Ryan Pienciak, 6-3! No Aces. Court Two hosted this one from 8:55 to 9:25.
Frank Samara/Kris Srinivasan over Tito Castolo/Natalia Sout, 6-3! No Aces. The breakdown: Frank held (Kris hit a winning volley for 15-Love where Tito hit a much more vicious volley winner for 15-All and then Kris blew a volley for 15-30, but then an un-returned serve started the shift to Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), Natalia held (Tito blew a volley and then Kris hit a winner to make it Love-30, but then two consecutive winning volleys by Tito led to Game Point where Frank blew a volley to allow the hold), Kris held (Kris hit a winner to get off to a 15-Love start, it shifted to 15-30, then an un-returned serve started the shift to Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), but Tito was the first to be broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point and finally the break…could not remember who hit what winners where and when, but Kris was a force at the net with at least a few winning volleys and Overhead Smashes along the way) for 1-3. Samara held again (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point, 3rd Deuce and Game Point again where the only winner I could remember may have been the shot of the night when Frank hit a backhand down-the-Doubles Alley passing shot winner for the hold) and Sout was broken at Love to fall to 1-5. Srinivasan was also broken at Love as Frank blew two of his patented Windmill Overhead Smashes along the way (the first of which found an unintended target…Spin on Court Three! And then the second one was a complete whiff!) and then Castolo held (two winners by Tito led to Triple Game Point, then it was Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to pull to 3-5! But Hollywood then had his third straight hold (Natalia hit a net-cord-aided winning return to make it Love-30, it then went to 15-30 where Kris blew an overhead to set up Double Break Point, but then Kris redeemed himself with a big-time Overhead Smash winner for Break Point and then an un-returned serve set up Deuce where Frank then hit his other "patented" shot…a screen shot winner to set up Game/Match Point where Kris hit a victorious volley winner to secure his partner's hold) to earn an impressive victory! We played this on Court Four from 9:20 to 9:54.
The Skinny: Much like Boddu, Samara was on a roll on this particular evening and Srinivasan joined him in the cause. Although both had some embarrassing misfires, they more often than not made up for it with spectacular play. Sout continued to show improvement in her increasingly aggressive game while Castolo was surprisingly off his usual smooth rhythm just a bit.
Lou La Forgia/Ryan Pienciak over Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole, 6-2! Mike: 2 Aces (one on each)! This one got underway on Court Two at exactly 9:27. Not sure when it ended as it went right into this next one.
Lou La Forgia/Ryan Pienciak leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole, 2-0 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)! No Aces.
Dave Zhu/Dan Martinelli leading Mike Kazlauskas/Doinks Srinivasan, 4-3 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)! Dave: 2 Aces on Mike (in the same game); and Mike: 1 Ace on Spin! This one began on Court Three at 9:25. In the two (well, almost) One-Setters they played, these four seemed to be having a whole lot of fun!
It was a great session where the intensity increased as did the humidity! But the steam room-like conditions only made the circumstances more heated…but all in the right way.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
Gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
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