6/9/17:
"Samara hosts 22 (1 return) at C.G. incl. M2 1st Rounder!":
GTA Friday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts where "Hollywood" Frank Samara once again acted as host. The Main Event would be the first of the M2 Round of 13 Matches to be played with the team of "The K-Man" Kris Srinivasan and "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar taking on "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto. Here now are the comings and goings of the session.
Samara pulled into the parking lot earlier than expected at 6:45. Upon his arrival, he saw that on Court One there was Miroslav "Mirav" Glavic hitting against his buddy "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner.
Court Two and Court Three were both vacant, so Samara asked Bob "The Lob" Fattal to join him on Three for a hitting session (and also to hold as many courts as possible).
And on Court Four, it was some Singles action as Jay "The Rising" Phoenix and "The Electrifying" Elias Khwam were facing each other in a One-Setter.
At 6:50, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes arrived. Samara asked him to take his place on Court Three while Frank would then shift over to Court Two to hold that one. The strategy was sound as the GTA had all four courts (not counting Herb and Mirav until they left at 8pm) under its control the entire evening.
At 6:55, both "Big George" Jorge Solano and De Benedetto pulled into the parking lot. Samara invited them over to Court Two to hit against each other.
Fifteen minutes later at 7:10, Kris walked across the street and quickly assessed the situation. He then determined that he wanted Court Three for his M2 Match. So he asked Nate and Bob to shift over to Court Two and they were kind enough to do so.
Kris and Jorge were hitting against Vin until Spin arrived at 7:15 and took his rightful place next to his partner. Senthil arrived just minutes later and replaced Jorge in the hitting session until they got the actual match underway on Court Three at exactly 7:26.
"The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan came across the street at 7:30 just as "ME" Michel Encarnacion was pulling into the parking lot. We haven't seen Michel since last fall. The two of them were able to start hitting on Court Two as, by that time, Nate and Bob had come over to Court Four hot on the heels of that Singles One-Setter between Jay and Elias. Jay had left, but Elias stuck around to team with his buddy Bob to face Nate and Jorge.
The players kept coming: "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales at 7:35, "Richie" Rich Liu at 7:40; "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak at 7:45 and, at that same time, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived to make an extended cameo appearance; "Magic" Mike Mole at 8pm, Natalia "Nitro" Sout at 8:10; The Gawleys (Rowdy Rob and Laura the Aura) and "The Levitator" Levy Lorenzo at 8:15, and Tito "Touch" Castolo and "2 Tall" Dave Zhu at 8:30.
This gave us an impressive total of 22 competitors for the session.
Time to get to the scores!
The Cedar Grove Results:
Jay Phoenix over Elias Khawam, 6-1! No Aces. This one took place on Court Four from 7pm to 7:24.
M2 Round of 13 Match:
Senthil Kumar/Kris Srinivasan over Dan Martinelli/Vinnie De Benedetto, 6-1, 6-0, to successfully defend their # 11 Rank in the Doubles Division while also advancing to the Quarterfinals of the GTA M2 Men's Doubles Tournament! In the process, Martinelli/De Benedetto enters the Doubles Division as the New # 61 Ranked Team. No Aces.
1st Set: Spin was broken (Spin made an amazing get/winner combo for 15-Love, it shifted to 15-30 where Senthil scored with a winning Backhand Volley to set up Double Break Point and then Senthil hit another winning volley for the break), Kris was broken (Senthil blew an overhead for Love-15 and Vin hit a volley winner for Love-30, it went to Triple Break Point where an un-returned serve made it Double Break Point and then it went to Break Point where a Double Fault caused Kris to break himself), Vin was broken (got off to a 30-Love start and then Senthil hit a winning volley for 30-15, it then went to 30-All and Game Point which was where Spin blew a volley for Deuce only to have Vin hit a vicious winner for Game Point, then it went to 2nd Deuce and Break Point where Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for the break) and then Senthil was the first to hold serve (Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash for 30-Love, but then Senthil blew an overhead for 30-15, it went to 30-All where Kris hit a winning volley for Game Point which was where Senthil made a great get that led to getting the point and earning the hold) to go up 3-1. From there, Martinelli was broken again (Love-30 shifted to 30-All with two un-returned serves, it then went to Game Point where Vin blew a volley to make it Deuce, it was Break Point where Spin scored with a surprising hybrid of a passing shot and a lob to bring it back to 2nd Deuce, but then Spin blew an overhead to set up another Break Point and then Senthil scored with a venomous volley winner for the break), Srinivasan held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, then 30-Love where Senthil blew a drop shot attempt to make it 30-15, it then went to 30-All and another winning volley by Senthil set up Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold) and then De Benedetto was broken again (Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15, then two un-returned serves shifted it to 30-15, it was 30-All where Vin scored with a passing shot winner for Game Point, but then Kris hit a Backhand Volley winner for Deuce and then Vin blew a volley to set up Break/Set Point only to have Kris blow a drop shot attempt to bring it back to 2nd Deuce where Kris redeemed himself with a winning Overhead Smash to set up the 2nd Break/Set Point where Kris scored with yet another winning Overhead Smash to earn the break) to end the set exactly at 7:54 (it had begun on Court Three precisely at 7:26). One minute later, they got the next one underway.
2nd Set: Kris held at Love as Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash, Vin blew a volley, Senthil hit another winning Overhead Smash and then Senthil hit a Backhand Volley winner for the break, Spin was broken (Vin hit back-to-back winning volleys for 30-Love, it was then Triple Game Point where Senthil hit a sizzling passing shot winner for Double Game Point, it then went to Game Point and Deuce where Senthil a winning volley for Break Point, and un-returned serve returned the game to 2nd Deuce, but then came Break Point and the break), Senthil held (Spin hit a winning lob for Love-15, Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-All, an un-returned serve made it 30-15 and then Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Double Game Point where a truly un-returnable serve secured the hold), Vin was broken (Kris hit a winner for Love-15, it was 15-All where Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-30 and then Vin blew a volley to set up Double Break Point where Kris hit a net-cord-aided winner for the break), Srinivasan held again (Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15, an un-returned serve made it 15-All and then it went straight to Double Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold) and then Martinelli was broken again and this time it was at Love as Senthil hit a winner followed by a winning volley for Love-30 and then when it was Triple Break/Match Point, Kris hit a victorious volley winner for the break and the match (which ended at exactly 8:13)!
The Skinny: I know we say it all the time, but it is true...this one was a lot closer than the simple score indicates. As you can see by the point-by-point breakdown above, Spin and Vin had their chances...several of them, in fact! They just failed to convert as they were less consistent than their competitors. While Kris had his impressive moments, it was Senthil who was once again an MVP of the match in which he was involved as he was such a steady and also forceful presence at the net. His net play dictated most of the tempo of the match. He seemed...at least to me...like he was the true difference-maker in this one. But kudos to all competitors on a spirited effort. It was fun to watch as the atmosphere was both competitive yet still somewhat lighthearted.
Nathan Fernandes/Jorge Solano over Bob Fattal/Elias Khawam, 6-0! No Aces. Court Four hosted this foursome from 7:28 to 7:48.
Ryan Pienciak/Jorge Solano over Bob Fattal/Elias Khawam, 6-1! No Aces. Also played on Court Four, this one lasted from 7:49 to 8:09.
Jose Gonzales/Doinks Srinivasan over Rich Liu/Michel Encarnacion, 6-4! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Michel Encarnacion. This took place on Court Two from 7:50 to 8:30.
Levy Lorenzo/Jorge Solano over Ryan Pienciak/Bob Fattal, 6-4! Ryan: 2 Aces on Levy; and Bob: 1 Ace on Jorge! Another face-off on Court Four…this one lasted from 8:20 to 9pm.
Senthil Kumar/Kris Srinivasan over Nathan Fernandes/Frank Samara, 6-4! No Aces. It went like this: Kris was broken at Love as Nathan hit a winning Overhead Smash to start things off and then Senthil blew a volley along the way, Frank was broken (Kris hit a vicious volley winner for Love-30, then 15-30 where Kris unleashed a wicked Overhead Smash winner for Double Break Point which was where Nate hit a winner of his own for Break Point, but then came the break), but Senthil was the first to hold serve (Nate blew an overhead for 15-Love, Frank made a great get on the way to 15-All, but then it was off and running to Double Game Point as Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash along the way and then came the hold) to make it 2-1. Nathan also held (Love-15 shifted to Double Game Point as Kris blew a volley and there was an un-returned serve along the way, Kris hit a passing shot winner to cut it to Game Point, but then Kris blew a volley to allow the hold), but Srinivasan held again (Senthil hit a winning volley for 15-Love, there was an un-returned serve for 30-Love, then it went to 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold) for 3-2. Samara was broken again (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point as Frank blew an overhead and then also blew a drop shot attempt and then Senthil hit an Overhead Smash that landed on top of the tape to convert into a net-cord-aided winner for the break) and then Kumar held again (Frank blew a volley to make it 15-Love, it then shifted straight to Double Break Point as Nate hit both a winning Overhead Smash and then another winner, but then it shifted to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point again where Frank blew another drop shot attempt to allow the hold) for a rather commanding 5-2 lead. Fernandes also held again (Nate hit a winning volley and then Frank hit a mishit Overhead Smash winner to set up 30-Love, it then went to 30-15, Double Game Point, then Game Point where Nate hit a winner to secure his own hold) and then The K Man was broken (30-Love shifted to 30-All, Game/Match Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point again and then the break…could not remember who hit what winners in this game as I had to catch up with scores from other courts) to have his team's lead cut to 5-4! But Hollywood failed yet again to hold (Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-Love, but that went straight to Double Break/Match Point as Kris hit a whipping Backhand Volley winner and Senthil hit a scorching winner of his own along the way and then Frank hit a rare Double Fault to end this one unceremoniously) to take the loss! We played this on Court Three from 8:20 to 8:55.
The Skinny: There clearly was a weakest link in this contest and it was Samara who displayed some of the worst tennis he has ever played in quite some time! Fernandes was so dejected after the loss that he went home soon afterward. Kris was so concerned about this unusual development that you thought he might just call a search party to try to track down Nate the Grieving!
Rich Liu/Tito Castolo over Dave Zhu/Michel Encarnacion, 6-1! No Aces. This was contested on Court Two from 8:45 to 9:05.
Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Mike Mole/Natalia Sout, 6-2! No Aces. This one got underway on Court One somewhere around 8:50 (after a lengthy hitting session) and I'm not sure when it ended.
Senthil Kumar/Dan Martinelli over Jose Gonzales/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-2! No Aces. Court Three hosted this action from 9pm to 9:28. After this, Doinks went solo in hitting against both Gonzales and Mole.
Levy Lorenzo/Ryan Pienciak over Frank Samara/Kris Srinivasan, 6-2! No Aces. Here's how it went down: Frank held (Frank hit an impressive winner for 15-Love, it was 30-Love where Kris blew a volley for 30-15, it then went to Double Game Point where Kris blew another volley for Game Point which was where an un-returned serve secured the hold), Ryan held (a truly un-returnable serve for 30-Love, then 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold), Kris held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point where Ryan hit a lightning-quick reflex short-angle Backhand Volley winner for Game Point, Deuce where Frank hit a roller of a winner for Game Point and then came the hold) and Levy held at Love as Ryan secured the hold with one of his monster Overhead Smash winners as we were all on serve at 2-2. But from there, Samara was broken (15-Love shifted to Double Break Point, Break Point and the break), Pienciak held again (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point and the hold), Srinivasan was broken (15-Love, 15-All and then onto Double Game Point, cut down to Deuce, Break Point and the break) and then Lorenzo held again (15-Love where Kris hit an emphatic Overhead Smash winner for 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Game/Match Point as Kris blew back-to-back volleys and then Ryan hit a roller of a winner to break the hearts of his opposition while securing the hold of his partner) for the win! We played this on Court Four from 9:05 to 9:35.
The Skinny: There are three games there (the three before the last one) where I no longer noted who hit what winners as running out of time was my primary concern. My level of play crept up somewhat, but not enough. Both Kris and I were prime examples of inconsistency…often making great plays only to follow them with foolish errors. Meanwhile, Ryan and Levy were much more consistent. Lorenzo was the steady presence roaming the baseline while Pienciak was the aggressive force up at the net…it was a deadly combo!
Rich Liu/Tito Castolo over Dave Zhu/Jorge Solano, 6-4! Dave: 1 Ace on Tito. They got this one underway on Court Two at 9:10. Once Court One became available, they shifted this action over to that court instead. It finished at 9:48. From there, they played a 10-Point Super Tiebreak just for fun and I never collected the score for that one since it would be meaningless anyway.
Kris Srinivasan/Mike Mole tied with Ryan Pienciak/Doinks Srinivasan, 4-4 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)! No Aces. They started this one on Court Four at 9:37 and decided to forego the changeovers, but they still weren't able to get to a full and proper conclusion.
Still, it was an exciting way to end an epic session.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
Gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
"Samara hosts 22 (1 return) at C.G. incl. M2 1st Rounder!":
GTA Friday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts where "Hollywood" Frank Samara once again acted as host. The Main Event would be the first of the M2 Round of 13 Matches to be played with the team of "The K-Man" Kris Srinivasan and "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar taking on "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto. Here now are the comings and goings of the session.
Samara pulled into the parking lot earlier than expected at 6:45. Upon his arrival, he saw that on Court One there was Miroslav "Mirav" Glavic hitting against his buddy "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner.
Court Two and Court Three were both vacant, so Samara asked Bob "The Lob" Fattal to join him on Three for a hitting session (and also to hold as many courts as possible).
And on Court Four, it was some Singles action as Jay "The Rising" Phoenix and "The Electrifying" Elias Khwam were facing each other in a One-Setter.
At 6:50, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes arrived. Samara asked him to take his place on Court Three while Frank would then shift over to Court Two to hold that one. The strategy was sound as the GTA had all four courts (not counting Herb and Mirav until they left at 8pm) under its control the entire evening.
At 6:55, both "Big George" Jorge Solano and De Benedetto pulled into the parking lot. Samara invited them over to Court Two to hit against each other.
Fifteen minutes later at 7:10, Kris walked across the street and quickly assessed the situation. He then determined that he wanted Court Three for his M2 Match. So he asked Nate and Bob to shift over to Court Two and they were kind enough to do so.
Kris and Jorge were hitting against Vin until Spin arrived at 7:15 and took his rightful place next to his partner. Senthil arrived just minutes later and replaced Jorge in the hitting session until they got the actual match underway on Court Three at exactly 7:26.
"The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan came across the street at 7:30 just as "ME" Michel Encarnacion was pulling into the parking lot. We haven't seen Michel since last fall. The two of them were able to start hitting on Court Two as, by that time, Nate and Bob had come over to Court Four hot on the heels of that Singles One-Setter between Jay and Elias. Jay had left, but Elias stuck around to team with his buddy Bob to face Nate and Jorge.
The players kept coming: "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales at 7:35, "Richie" Rich Liu at 7:40; "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak at 7:45 and, at that same time, "Coach" Dino Celis arrived to make an extended cameo appearance; "Magic" Mike Mole at 8pm, Natalia "Nitro" Sout at 8:10; The Gawleys (Rowdy Rob and Laura the Aura) and "The Levitator" Levy Lorenzo at 8:15, and Tito "Touch" Castolo and "2 Tall" Dave Zhu at 8:30.
This gave us an impressive total of 22 competitors for the session.
Time to get to the scores!
The Cedar Grove Results:
Jay Phoenix over Elias Khawam, 6-1! No Aces. This one took place on Court Four from 7pm to 7:24.
M2 Round of 13 Match:
Senthil Kumar/Kris Srinivasan over Dan Martinelli/Vinnie De Benedetto, 6-1, 6-0, to successfully defend their # 11 Rank in the Doubles Division while also advancing to the Quarterfinals of the GTA M2 Men's Doubles Tournament! In the process, Martinelli/De Benedetto enters the Doubles Division as the New # 61 Ranked Team. No Aces.
1st Set: Spin was broken (Spin made an amazing get/winner combo for 15-Love, it shifted to 15-30 where Senthil scored with a winning Backhand Volley to set up Double Break Point and then Senthil hit another winning volley for the break), Kris was broken (Senthil blew an overhead for Love-15 and Vin hit a volley winner for Love-30, it went to Triple Break Point where an un-returned serve made it Double Break Point and then it went to Break Point where a Double Fault caused Kris to break himself), Vin was broken (got off to a 30-Love start and then Senthil hit a winning volley for 30-15, it then went to 30-All and Game Point which was where Spin blew a volley for Deuce only to have Vin hit a vicious winner for Game Point, then it went to 2nd Deuce and Break Point where Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for the break) and then Senthil was the first to hold serve (Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash for 30-Love, but then Senthil blew an overhead for 30-15, it went to 30-All where Kris hit a winning volley for Game Point which was where Senthil made a great get that led to getting the point and earning the hold) to go up 3-1. From there, Martinelli was broken again (Love-30 shifted to 30-All with two un-returned serves, it then went to Game Point where Vin blew a volley to make it Deuce, it was Break Point where Spin scored with a surprising hybrid of a passing shot and a lob to bring it back to 2nd Deuce, but then Spin blew an overhead to set up another Break Point and then Senthil scored with a venomous volley winner for the break), Srinivasan held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, then 30-Love where Senthil blew a drop shot attempt to make it 30-15, it then went to 30-All and another winning volley by Senthil set up Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold) and then De Benedetto was broken again (Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15, then two un-returned serves shifted it to 30-15, it was 30-All where Vin scored with a passing shot winner for Game Point, but then Kris hit a Backhand Volley winner for Deuce and then Vin blew a volley to set up Break/Set Point only to have Kris blow a drop shot attempt to bring it back to 2nd Deuce where Kris redeemed himself with a winning Overhead Smash to set up the 2nd Break/Set Point where Kris scored with yet another winning Overhead Smash to earn the break) to end the set exactly at 7:54 (it had begun on Court Three precisely at 7:26). One minute later, they got the next one underway.
2nd Set: Kris held at Love as Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash, Vin blew a volley, Senthil hit another winning Overhead Smash and then Senthil hit a Backhand Volley winner for the break, Spin was broken (Vin hit back-to-back winning volleys for 30-Love, it was then Triple Game Point where Senthil hit a sizzling passing shot winner for Double Game Point, it then went to Game Point and Deuce where Senthil a winning volley for Break Point, and un-returned serve returned the game to 2nd Deuce, but then came Break Point and the break), Senthil held (Spin hit a winning lob for Love-15, Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-All, an un-returned serve made it 30-15 and then Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Double Game Point where a truly un-returnable serve secured the hold), Vin was broken (Kris hit a winner for Love-15, it was 15-All where Senthil hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-30 and then Vin blew a volley to set up Double Break Point where Kris hit a net-cord-aided winner for the break), Srinivasan held again (Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15, an un-returned serve made it 15-All and then it went straight to Double Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold) and then Martinelli was broken again and this time it was at Love as Senthil hit a winner followed by a winning volley for Love-30 and then when it was Triple Break/Match Point, Kris hit a victorious volley winner for the break and the match (which ended at exactly 8:13)!
The Skinny: I know we say it all the time, but it is true...this one was a lot closer than the simple score indicates. As you can see by the point-by-point breakdown above, Spin and Vin had their chances...several of them, in fact! They just failed to convert as they were less consistent than their competitors. While Kris had his impressive moments, it was Senthil who was once again an MVP of the match in which he was involved as he was such a steady and also forceful presence at the net. His net play dictated most of the tempo of the match. He seemed...at least to me...like he was the true difference-maker in this one. But kudos to all competitors on a spirited effort. It was fun to watch as the atmosphere was both competitive yet still somewhat lighthearted.
Nathan Fernandes/Jorge Solano over Bob Fattal/Elias Khawam, 6-0! No Aces. Court Four hosted this foursome from 7:28 to 7:48.
Ryan Pienciak/Jorge Solano over Bob Fattal/Elias Khawam, 6-1! No Aces. Also played on Court Four, this one lasted from 7:49 to 8:09.
Jose Gonzales/Doinks Srinivasan over Rich Liu/Michel Encarnacion, 6-4! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Michel Encarnacion. This took place on Court Two from 7:50 to 8:30.
Levy Lorenzo/Jorge Solano over Ryan Pienciak/Bob Fattal, 6-4! Ryan: 2 Aces on Levy; and Bob: 1 Ace on Jorge! Another face-off on Court Four…this one lasted from 8:20 to 9pm.
Senthil Kumar/Kris Srinivasan over Nathan Fernandes/Frank Samara, 6-4! No Aces. It went like this: Kris was broken at Love as Nathan hit a winning Overhead Smash to start things off and then Senthil blew a volley along the way, Frank was broken (Kris hit a vicious volley winner for Love-30, then 15-30 where Kris unleashed a wicked Overhead Smash winner for Double Break Point which was where Nate hit a winner of his own for Break Point, but then came the break), but Senthil was the first to hold serve (Nate blew an overhead for 15-Love, Frank made a great get on the way to 15-All, but then it was off and running to Double Game Point as Kris hit a winning Overhead Smash along the way and then came the hold) to make it 2-1. Nathan also held (Love-15 shifted to Double Game Point as Kris blew a volley and there was an un-returned serve along the way, Kris hit a passing shot winner to cut it to Game Point, but then Kris blew a volley to allow the hold), but Srinivasan held again (Senthil hit a winning volley for 15-Love, there was an un-returned serve for 30-Love, then it went to 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold) for 3-2. Samara was broken again (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point as Frank blew an overhead and then also blew a drop shot attempt and then Senthil hit an Overhead Smash that landed on top of the tape to convert into a net-cord-aided winner for the break) and then Kumar held again (Frank blew a volley to make it 15-Love, it then shifted straight to Double Break Point as Nate hit both a winning Overhead Smash and then another winner, but then it shifted to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point again where Frank blew another drop shot attempt to allow the hold) for a rather commanding 5-2 lead. Fernandes also held again (Nate hit a winning volley and then Frank hit a mishit Overhead Smash winner to set up 30-Love, it then went to 30-15, Double Game Point, then Game Point where Nate hit a winner to secure his own hold) and then The K Man was broken (30-Love shifted to 30-All, Game/Match Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point again and then the break…could not remember who hit what winners in this game as I had to catch up with scores from other courts) to have his team's lead cut to 5-4! But Hollywood failed yet again to hold (Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-Love, but that went straight to Double Break/Match Point as Kris hit a whipping Backhand Volley winner and Senthil hit a scorching winner of his own along the way and then Frank hit a rare Double Fault to end this one unceremoniously) to take the loss! We played this on Court Three from 8:20 to 8:55.
The Skinny: There clearly was a weakest link in this contest and it was Samara who displayed some of the worst tennis he has ever played in quite some time! Fernandes was so dejected after the loss that he went home soon afterward. Kris was so concerned about this unusual development that you thought he might just call a search party to try to track down Nate the Grieving!
Rich Liu/Tito Castolo over Dave Zhu/Michel Encarnacion, 6-1! No Aces. This was contested on Court Two from 8:45 to 9:05.
Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Mike Mole/Natalia Sout, 6-2! No Aces. This one got underway on Court One somewhere around 8:50 (after a lengthy hitting session) and I'm not sure when it ended.
Senthil Kumar/Dan Martinelli over Jose Gonzales/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-2! No Aces. Court Three hosted this action from 9pm to 9:28. After this, Doinks went solo in hitting against both Gonzales and Mole.
Levy Lorenzo/Ryan Pienciak over Frank Samara/Kris Srinivasan, 6-2! No Aces. Here's how it went down: Frank held (Frank hit an impressive winner for 15-Love, it was 30-Love where Kris blew a volley for 30-15, it then went to Double Game Point where Kris blew another volley for Game Point which was where an un-returned serve secured the hold), Ryan held (a truly un-returnable serve for 30-Love, then 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold), Kris held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point where Ryan hit a lightning-quick reflex short-angle Backhand Volley winner for Game Point, Deuce where Frank hit a roller of a winner for Game Point and then came the hold) and Levy held at Love as Ryan secured the hold with one of his monster Overhead Smash winners as we were all on serve at 2-2. But from there, Samara was broken (15-Love shifted to Double Break Point, Break Point and the break), Pienciak held again (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point and the hold), Srinivasan was broken (15-Love, 15-All and then onto Double Game Point, cut down to Deuce, Break Point and the break) and then Lorenzo held again (15-Love where Kris hit an emphatic Overhead Smash winner for 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Game/Match Point as Kris blew back-to-back volleys and then Ryan hit a roller of a winner to break the hearts of his opposition while securing the hold of his partner) for the win! We played this on Court Four from 9:05 to 9:35.
The Skinny: There are three games there (the three before the last one) where I no longer noted who hit what winners as running out of time was my primary concern. My level of play crept up somewhat, but not enough. Both Kris and I were prime examples of inconsistency…often making great plays only to follow them with foolish errors. Meanwhile, Ryan and Levy were much more consistent. Lorenzo was the steady presence roaming the baseline while Pienciak was the aggressive force up at the net…it was a deadly combo!
Rich Liu/Tito Castolo over Dave Zhu/Jorge Solano, 6-4! Dave: 1 Ace on Tito. They got this one underway on Court Two at 9:10. Once Court One became available, they shifted this action over to that court instead. It finished at 9:48. From there, they played a 10-Point Super Tiebreak just for fun and I never collected the score for that one since it would be meaningless anyway.
Kris Srinivasan/Mike Mole tied with Ryan Pienciak/Doinks Srinivasan, 4-4 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)! No Aces. They started this one on Court Four at 9:37 and decided to forego the changeovers, but they still weren't able to get to a full and proper conclusion.
Still, it was an exciting way to end an epic session.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
Gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354
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