9/16/17:
"Ryan-Kaz at AP, Kuzavas-Daddio, Mole-Bernard part of 12 at C.G.!":
There were two sessions of GTA Saturday Tennis: an early morning session at The Albion Park Courts in Clifton as "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak and "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas got together for their Grove Cup XX Quarterfinal Match (as reported by both); and then there was a late afternoon into the evening session at The Cedar Grove Courts as first "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Daddy O" Paul Daddio met in their Grove Cup XX Quarterfinal Match (also as reported by both) and then later in the evening there was a somewhat impromptu full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match between "Magic" Mike Mole and "The Headhunter" Ralph Bernard (again, as reported by both). The balance of the night session at Cedar Grove was hosted by the usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan.
So we will first go to Clifton and then up to Cedar Grove.
The Albion Park Results:
Grove Cup XX Quarterfinal Match:
Ryan Pienciak over Mike Kazlauskas, 6-1, 6-2, to successfully defend his # 3 Rank in the Advanced Division while also advancing to the Semifinals of the 20th Annual Grove Cup Tournament! No Aces.
The Ryan Report: I knew I couldn't win many topspin hard-hitting rallies against Mike, so I tried to mix it up and hit different kinds of shots. Luckily, it kept Mike off his best game long enough for me to close it out in straight sets. I also perfected a new "oh God, the ball is going to hit me in the face" blocking shot which helped me cope with Mike's impressive first serves.
All That Kaz: Great game plan by Ryan! The 1st Set was a wash. I was down 0-5 before I got my first game. He won like 90% of his second serves. Short serves would lure me into making an unforced error by trying to go down the line or cross-court. Whatever I was able to return he would lob over me or hit a passing shot. To win a point, I had to hit 2 or 3 aggressive, well-placed shots. Otherwise, Ryan would run them down. Congrats to Ryan on a well-deserved win!
Ryan Pienciak over Mike Kazlauskas, 6-4! No Aces.
The Ryan Report: Mike got his groove back in the extra "for fun" One-Setter, but I still managed to squeak by and win it.
It was brutally humid. We started the match at 10:10am.
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their very timely and comprehensive reporting and I congratulate Ryan on a thoroughly impressive victory. I know that many feel that Mole is the lead contender for Most Improved Player of The Year, but I beg to differ. While Mike has definitely made great strides, he is still somewhat inconsistent in his results (as we will see later in this report). Meanwhile, Pienciak has been on a roll throughout this Grove Cup tourney this year and the difference between the player he was last season and this season is readily noticeable. Still, the season has yet to close and anything can happen between now and its conclusion.
Time to take it up to C.G.!
The Cedar Grove Results:
Grove Cup XX Quarterfinal Match:
Paul Daddio over Marijus Kuzavas, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, 6-2, to become the New # 6 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division while also advancing to the Semifinals of the 20th Annual Grove Cup Tournament! No Aces.
The Dilly-O from Daddy O: Two hours and forty minutes was the total time of the match! It was a very close match where Marijus played some great tennis and had me on the defensive for its entirety. The 1st Set was back and forth and mostly on serve. Marijus was too good in the Tiebreaker and he took it pretty easily. As the match pushed towards two hours plus in the 2nd Set, I continued to be consistent and my younger legs may have helped me out. Marijus' great serve and overhead were very consistent all match and I'd be surprised if he does not take the Doubles Championship in the near future.
The Super Mario Memo: The 1st Set went 1-3, 2-4, 5-5 and 6-6 leading into the Tiebreak. The 2nd Set went 0-2, 2-3 and then to 6-3. The 3rd Set went 3-0, 4-1 and 6-2. Paul played great defense, getting to all the shots and always making me play one more ball. In the beginning I was able to impose my game by creating points and finishing them, but little by little he wore me down. At the end, I had nothing left. I hadn't played many full Singles Matches this year and it seems I need better stamina to be able to play Paul. All in all, it was a fun match which I greatly enjoyed and I wish the best of luck to Paul going forward.
Samara's Notes: Again, I thank both for very timely and comprehensive reporting. Congratulations to Paul for pulling off what many consider to be an upset as they expected Marijus to at least make it to the Semis where he would have faced "King Crush" Chris Chiaro (now Daddio has that honor). The truth is that Paul is on an undefeated streak in Singles since he arrived in the GTA earlier this season. The Chiaro-Daddio match-up is a very interesting one as each competitor has youth and speed on their side. In the end, it will come down to which one will be more consistent throughout the contest.
And now the lone remaining Quarterfinal is "The AM Rush" Anish Mehta going up against "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah. I hope they can play this match soon as the tourney is finally moving along at a good clip. Pienciak is waiting for the winner of this one.
This may not be in chronological order, but we will now go to the Mole-Bernard result before going to the balance of scores provided by Kris.
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Ralph Bernard over Mike Mole, 6-1, 6-3, to become the New # 11 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division! Ralph: 1 Ace.
Samara's Notes: Mike reported that they played from 8 to 9pm while Ralph noted his Ace. I thank both for their very timely reporting.
And now we let The K take it away!
The highlight indeed was the match between Marijus and Paul. Their match started early around 4pm and lasted for over 2-1/2 hours. It also went the distance and it saw Paul emerging as the victor over an exhausted Marijus in 3 brutal sets. Paul showed alacrity, agility and the consistency that paid off in rich dividends. He also played a smart game as it was played true to his strengths. Marijus was brilliant for the first half of the match even he was well-tested by Paul. Marijus did clinch the 1st Set in the Breaker and started off well in the 2nd Set winning the first two games and was serving up 40-15 in the third game before all hell broke loose!
Mike Mole came later and succumbed to Ralph Bernard in two straight sets in Singles!
The other significant aspect of the evening was the dominating run by Nate and Natalia for the entire duration of the session.
Kris Srinivasan/Natalia Sout over Sairaj Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-1! No Aces.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Kris Srinivasan/Sally Pillay, 7-6 (7-5)! No Aces.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Ralph Bernard/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-1! No Aces.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Kris Srinivasan/Ralph Bernard, 7-5! Nate: 1 Ace on Kris!
Levy Lorenzo/Arthur Pelingon over Dennis Cabanatan/Doinks Srinivasan, 7-5! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of Arthur Pelingon.
Arthur is the husband of Emily who has played with us in the past. Overall, it turned out to be a decent evening of GTA Tennis. Cheers!
Samara's Notes: I thank Kris for hosting the balance of the session and providing us with his report. Arthur is a good guy and a very solid player. I played some unofficial tennis with him a couple of years ago. It is nice to finally have him officially in our league.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
862-596-3354
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