9/10/17:
"Samara hosts 8 at AP, Mazur-Pillay, M2 Final part of 14 at C.G.!":
There were two sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: the usual late morning into early afternoon one at The Albion Park Courts in Clifton hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara; and then an extended one at The Cedar Grove Courts that began mid-afternoon and lasted into the evening featuring two very important matches - the GAH7 Final between "Automatic" Anna Mazur and "The Smackdown" Sally Pillay (with Anna reporting) and then the M2 Men's Doubles Final featuring "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak/"Chito" Nick Inciong taking on "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas/"Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas (with both Ryan and Marijus reporting…Marijus also had further details on the Mazur-Pillay match).
We will first detail all the comings and goings at Albion before taking this report up to Cedar Grove.
When "Hollywood" Frank Samara pulled up to the courts at Albion at 11am, he saw "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli and "Sue B. Newbie" Suzanne Bujara doing the exact same thing. The three of them then walked together down the hill to the three vacant courts. Given the beautiful weather, they were surprised that nobody else had arrived yet.
Soon, the three of them entered into a hitting session on the North Court as The Foundation worked over a solo Suzanne. That did not last long as "The Headhunter" Ralph Bernard arrived at 11:10 and took Bujara's side in the session.
When both GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and Frank "Hydro" Hohorst each arrived at 11:15, Samara saw an opportunity to send Bernard into a Singles hitting session against The Champ while having Hohorst take his place in the Doubles session on the North Court. First, Nate and Ralph hit on Center Court before soon shifting over to the South Court. This eventually led to some official action taking place between them.
And as their action officially got underway, so did the Doubles action on the North Court as The Foundation faced off against Hohorst and Bujara. And soon after that One-Setter ended at 11:45 and they were about to switch teams with Samara set to team with Bujara, "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales made his way down to the courts at 11:50. Spin said he was willing to sit out so Jose could take his place in teaming with Frank H. to face Frank S. and Suzanne.
"Dynamo" Dino Celis came with a bucket of balls at 12:20 and started practicing alone on Center Court until Spin decided to start hitting against him. And five minutes later, "Stingray" Ray Spadaro made his first-ever appearance at Albion (like many, he loved the courts) and he would soon become the eighth and last official competitor of the session.
It was a shockingly low turnout on such a fine day. Oh well...hey, hey!
The Albion Park Results:
Frank Samara/Dan Martinelli over Frank Hohorst/Suzanne Bujara, 6-1! Frank: 1 Ace on Suzanne. It went like this: Frank H. was broken (he blew a volley for Love-15, it went to Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point where Frank S. blew a drop shot attempt to bring it to Break Point where Suzanne then blew a volley to allow the break), Frank S. held serve (he hit a drop shot winner for 15-Love, 15-All where an un-returned serve made it 30-15 and then a well-placed if not fast-paced corner Ace against Suzanne set up Double Game Point where a winning volley from Frank H. cut the lead to Game Point, but then came the hold), Suzanne was broken (a winning lob from Spin made it Love-15, it was then Love-30 where Frank S. hit a winning drop shot volley to set up Triple Break Point only to have Frank H. hit a winning Backhand Volley for Double Break Point and then Frank S. blew a volley to bring it to Break Point, but then came the break) and Spin held (Love-15 shifted straight to Double game Point as winners from Frank S. sandwiched a blown volley by Frank H. and then The Doc hit an un-returned serve to secure the hold) to jump out to a 4-0 lead! Hohorst held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love only to have Frank S. hit a winning return for 15-All, it went to 15-30 where another un-returned serve made it 30-All and then it went to Game Point and the hold) to get his team onto the scoreboard, but Samara held again (he hit a winner and then a drop shot winner to make it 30-Love where Frank H. hit a winning return for 30-15, but then Frank H. blew an overhead to set up Double Game Point and then came the hold) and Bujara was broken again (Love-30 where back-to-back blown volleys from Frank S. made it 30-All, but then came Break/Match Point and the break) to take the loss! We played this one on the North Court from 11:25 to 11:45.
Nathan Fernandes over Ralph Bernard, 6-4! No Aces. South Court hosted this one from 11:25 to 11:59. After it was done, Ralph exclaimed that "it was not done!" He wanted a rematch. Well, remember that old saying: "Be careful what you wish for!"
Nathan Fernandes over Ralph Bernard, 6-3! No Aces. This one (also on the South Court) got underway at 12:02. Not sure when it ended as it went right into a third One-Setter which we will get to a little later.
Jose Gonzales/Frank Hohorst over Frank Samara/Suzanne Bujara, 6-3! No Aces. Here's how it went down: Frank S. was broken (an un-returned serve got things started as it went 15-Love and then point for point until 30-All as Jose hit a winner and there was another un-returned serve along the way, but then Frank H. hit a winning volley to set up Break Point where Frank S. responded with a winning volley of his own for Deuce which was where Jose hit a laser-like return winner for Break Point and then came the break), Frank H. held (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 with back-to-back un-returned serves, it then went to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) and Suzanne was broken (Love-15 where Frank S. hit a net-cord-aided volley winner for 15-All only to then have it go straight to Double Break Point as Frank H. hit a drop shot winner along the way and then came the break) for a 0-3 start. Jose was broken (Frank H. blew a volley for Love-15, it was then Love-30 where Frank H. hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-30 only to then have it go to Double Break Point and the break) to allow the opposition onto the scoreboard, but then Samara was broken again (another winning return from Jose made it Love-15 and then it went point for point to Break Point as Frank H. blew a volley along the way only to have Jose roar back with an even more impressive return winner and then the break would come later) and Hohorst held again (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) for a commanding 5-1 lead. Bujara then rebounded with a hold of serve in a battle so lengthy that many winners were forgotten (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point right after Jose's attempt at a screen shot winner ended up pelting his partner in the back of the head, but then there was a Double Fault for Deuce and then it was all Game Points until 4th Deuce, Break/Match Point, 5th Deuce, Game Point where Frank S. made a great get/winner combo to secure his partner's hold) and then Gonzales was broken again (Love-15 where Jose hit a winner for 15-All only to then have it go to Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 5-3! And then came a game with Hollywood on service that even surpassed the most recent struggle of his partner's service...and again, many winners were forgotten along the way (Love-30 shifted to 30-All with back-to-back un-returned serves, it was Break/Match Point where another un-returned serve made it Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, 3rd Break/Match Point, 3rd Deuce, Game Point, 4th Deuce, 4th Break/Match Point, 5th Deuce, Game Point, 6th Deuce, 5th Break/Match Point, 7th Deuce where Jose hit a winner to set up the 6th Break/Match Point and then he hit another winner for the break and the win)! We played this one on the North Court from 12:03 to 12:43.
The Skinny: For the last few games of the One-Setter above, a mysterious spectator made his way onto the court and then took the bench alongside the North Court. He was a middle-aged Latino sporting a pink Polo shirt and he said he was there to watch (sounds kinky). Once the One-Setter was over, he went back to the baseball fields where Little League ball (likely Farm League judging by the size of the kids involved) was being played.
Dan Martinelli/Ray Spadaro leading Frank Hohorst/Suzanne Bujara, 4-1 (Incomplete when Bujara had to leave at 1:04...this one got underway on the North Court at 12:46)! Ray: 2 Aces on Suzanne; and Spin: 1 Ace on Frank! To be fair, Suzanne warned everyone when this begun that she only had about twenty minutes left to play.
Nathan Fernandes over Ralph Bernard, 6-0! No Aces. Not sure when they started this one on the South Court, but this bagel was officially served hot at exactly 12:53! Afterward, Nate and Ralph continued on in a hitting session. And after Mr. Bernard had to leave, Mr. Celis took his place.
Ray Spadaro/Frank Hohorst over Frank Samara/Dan Martinelli, 6-3! No Aces. The dirty lowdown: Spin held (Love-15 shifted straight to Double Game Point as two un-returned serves followed by a great get/drop shot winner combo by Frank S. had set up the DGP and then another un-returned serve secured the hold) and Frank H. was broken (Love-30 where Frank H. blew an overhead to set up Triple Break Point where Spin made a great get only to have Ray reply with a winner for Double Break Point, but then it was Ray blowing a volley to allow the break) for 0-2. Frank S. was also broken (Ray hit an awesome Overhead Smash winner for Love-30 and that was where Frank S. responded with a big winner of his own for 15-30 only to have Frank H. hit a blistering return winner for Double Break Point and then came the break) and Ray then held (Ray hit a winner for 15-Love, then Spin hit a winning lob for 15-All only to then have it go right to Double Game Point where Frank S. hit a truly impressive Backhand Volley winner for Game Point, but then came the break) to level things at 2-2. Martinelli was broken (Frank H. hit a winning drop shot volley for Love-15 and it was off and running to Triple Break Point where an un-returned serve made it Double Break Point, but then came the break) and Hohorst held (Frank S. hit a winner for Love-15, but then it shifted to 30-15 as Frank H. hit another winning drop shot volley and then Frank S. blew a volley of his own, it then went to 30-All where Frank S. blew an overhead to set up Game Point where Frank S. then blew a drop shot attempt to allow the hold) to go up 4-2. Samara then held (he hit an awesome passing shot winner for 15-Love, it then went to 15-All before heading right to Double Game Point where he then hit one of his best drop shot winners for the hold) to pull to 3-4, but then Spadaro held again (started with a Double Fault and then Frank S. hit another very nice passing shot winner for Love-30 and then it went to Triple Break Point before it then became "The Hohorst Show" as he hit a winning Backhand Volley, another winning volley and then a drop shot winner to make it Deuce which was where Frank H. then hit a winning drop shot volley to set up Game Point which he then ended with what might have been his greatest volley winner of the day) to go up 5-3! The Doc was then broken again and this time it was at Love as it had now become "The Spadaro Show" as Ray first scored with a passing shot volley winner for Love-15, then he hit a mishit volley winner for Love-30 and then he scorched a return winner to set up Triple Break/Match Point which he then ended with yet another winning volley! We played this one on the North Court from 1:06 to 1:36.
The Skinny: That same 2-0 jump off trend only to then sink into the abyss carried on for The Foundation in this one. Despite limited mobility and almost re-aggravating his ankle injury, Ray played quite well and he was ably supported by Frank H. Soon after this one finished, all four guys left the courts while Nate and Dino continued hitting with one another.
We now take this report up to Cedar Grove.
The Cedar Grove Results:
GAH7 Final Match:
Anna Mazur over Sally Pillay, 6-1, 6-2, to successfully defend her # 2 Rank in the Women's Division while becoming the 2017 Gail-ann Hamilton Memorial Champ and next Top Contender! Sally: several Aces!
They met at 2:30 to hit before starting this match (according to Anna).
The Super Mario Memo: Anna played great, running down every ball and making very few mistakes. Sally, on the other hand, tried too much…going for power shots and trying to hit the lines at wrong times. This especially hurt her on the big points as many games went to multiple Deuces, while Anna would capitalize on those points better than Sally.
The Consequences: Next up for Anna is a shot at the GTA Women's Championship currently held by the Champ, Laura "The Aura" Gawley.
The M2 Final Match:
Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas over Ryan Pienciak/Nick Inciong, 6-4, 6-3, to become the New # 2 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division and also the 2017 M2 Men's Doubles Tournament Champs! Nick: 1 Ace on Mike in the 1st Set; and Marijus: 1 Ace on Nick in the 2nd Set!
The Super Mario Memo: The flow of the games went as follows…in the 1st Set it went 3-1, 5-3 and 6-4. In the 2nd Set, it went 1-0, 3-2, 6-3. It was a well-contested match. Nick and Ryan gave us a good fight. Both Mike and I served pretty well and it was hard for them to break us. We were able to get a little more bite into their service games than they had in ours. I think that was a difference in the match. Ryan was especially great on the defensive end, digging out some balls that were supposed to be our winners. Even on our serves he denied us a number of Aces. Nick was as usual very consistent at the baseline.
After that we still played one more set, a One-Setter.
Ryan Pienciak/Nick Inciong over Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas, 7-6 (7-1)! No Aces.
The Ryan Report: Marijus and Mike played great tonight, especially their serving. We think Marijus only missed five first serves in the opening set, and Mike was getting a ton of firsts in as well. It made them a tough team to beat on this night. There were many Deuce games that we came up just short on, and ultimately they won 6-4, 6-3. Well deserved win!
The Consequences: Next up for Marijus and Mike (aka M&M, aka The Lanky Lithuanians) is a shot at the GTA Doubles Championship currently held by the Champs, "Stormin" Norman Taclob and Tito "Touch" Castolo.
Samara's Notes: I thank Anna, Marijus and Ryan for their timely reporting. The rest of the results in this report are supplied by the first couple of Cedar Grove, Kris and Doinks Srinivasan (aka "The K Man" and "The Marathon Woman"). We will start off with commentary from Kris.
It turned out to be a busy Sunday with meaningful matches. I left quite early while some matches were going on, but did come back later in the night to greet Dino Celis.
It was Anna over Sally in straight sets in their Finals match. This was the earliest match and I'm sure you will get full details from the women. This match had concluded prior to my arrival.
Then it was Marijus and Mike over Ryan and Nick in their Men's Doubles Final match. You've probably got the full details of the match from the players.
2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match:
Kris Srinivasan/Sally Pillay over Guy Dupoux/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-4, 6-4, to enter the Mixed Doubles Division as the New # 49 and # 50 Ranked Teams respectively! Guy: 4 Aces (two on each and two in each set); and Sally: 1 Ace on Doinks in the 2nd Set!
The K has his say: The highlight was Guy's superb serves and a couple of our calls that were questioned...:-). Doinks was steady, but had unforced errors. Sally served well and had some nice shots. While some of her serves didn't come off well and there were some botched net plays, she did very well at the right moments.
Horst Savickas/Tula Savickas over Doinks Srinivasan/Marie Salamon, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of both Horst and Tula Savickas.
The K has his say: Tula and Horst were just hitting at first before Marie got to join them and was then followed by Arthur Fontanilla.
Arthur Fontanilla/Marie Salamon over Horst Savickas/Tula Savickas, 6-3! No Aces.
Levy Lorenzo/Marie Salamon over Horst Savickas/Tula Savickas, 6-3! No Aces.
The K has his say: Nathan Fernandes and Natalia Sout may have gotten the chance to play against Levy and Arthur (not sure). Nate will brief you on the details. I thought Arthur was having a hitting session first with Guy and later with Jordan Bachvaroff. It turned out to be a brisk night with Marie working on her serves with Dino's input. Cheers!
Samara's Notes: Nate never reported anything (and he usually does), so it will have to remain unofficial. I thank Kris and Doinks for their consistent hosting efforts on behalf of the GTA up at Cedar Grove.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
862-596-3354
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