10/25/17:
"Liu-Knitzer part of 6 at PAC, 28 play (2 new) at C.G.!":
There were two sessions of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis and it was the usual ones at both the Park Ave. Courts in Nutley (co-hosted by "Richie" Rich Liu and "The Riz" John Rizzo) and at The Cedar Grove Courts (co-hosted by "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan and "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli).
So let's get the lowdown from both locations now. The first one up at the plate is Richie Rich!
On a cool and pleasant Wednesday evening in Nutley, Dan and I completed a Best of 3 Sets Singles Challenge Match.
The PAC Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Dan Knitzer over Rich Liu, 7-5, 6-3, to become the New # 32 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division! No Aces.
The Richie Rich Recap: It was a hard-fought match where there like some 20 Deuces in the 1st Set alone! Congrats to Dan, as he was very consistent and quick in making impressive gets off of hard shots during extended rallies.
The 1st Set was very competitive where each game seemed to go to Deuce and multiple times. Both Dan and I pretty much held serve till the end where I dropped a couple games to lose 7-5. The 2nd Set was also competitive for the most part as Dan was up 3-0, then I came back to tie it at 3-3 only to then lose at 6-3. Dan used the lob to really get me as I missed some crucial slams off those countless lobs. Dan played a very consistent game throughout and deserves the win. I hope he gives me a rematch soon.
Samara's Notes: I thank Rich for his timely reporting and comprehensive commentary. We now grab some additional results from The Riz and will then go back to Rich for an incomplete result.
Tom La/Nick Caputo over John Rizzo/Edgar Valencia, 6-0! No Aces.
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
John Rizzo/Nick Caputo over Tom La/Edgar Valencia, 6-3, 6-3, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 103 and # 104 Ranked Teams respectively! No Aces.
The Riz Report: We did take a really long break between sets because I was not going to play again…but thankfully my foot seemed to hold up through it all.
Samara's Notes: I thank John for his timely reporting and now we go back to Rich for just a little bit more.
After our long match (which ran from approximately 7:45 to 9:30), Dan played Edgar Valencia in what was intended to be a Singles One-Setter.
Dan Knitzer leading Edgar Valencia, 4-3 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)! No Aces.
The Richie Rich Recap: I had fun watching then along with John as it seemed Edgar was making Dan run all over the place. Dan sure got a good workout this night.
Samara's Notes: Again, thanks to Rich for all he is doing for the GTA as he has brought many new players to our league this season via his Meet-Up Group. We now head up to Cedar Grove where Kris will first set the tone with his overall view of the session (along with a slew of results) and then we will also have contributions from Gen and Spin along the way as well.
It turned out to a beautiful night for GTA Tennis despite the fall in temperature. With absolutely no wind, it didn't feel cold. On the contrary, it made it a pleasant evening session. It was a massive turnout as I believe we had 28 players total with the well-organized women kicking off the evening session early, followed up by a stream of other players at regular intervals. There is every chance I am going to miss a few results. Hopefully, input from others will help fill the gaps.
Samara's Notes: We now go to Gen for the first couple scores (along with her commentary which will then be followed by feedback from Kris).
Doinks initiated the match by sending a text to the rest of us early in the morning. She coordinated with Brenda and Dawn to play us this evening around 6:45. We took Court 3 and started to warm-up. Dawn and Brenda started hitting on one side of the court. Sally Pillay was nice enough to hit with me for a few minutes until Doinks joined us.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Doinks Srinivasan/Genalin Capan over Brenda Jordan/Dawn Peterson, 6-2! No Aces.
Gen's Notes: None of us were able to hold serves till 2-2. Doinks was the first to hold her service game for us to take the lead at 3-2. We took the next three games for the win. The momentum started to pick up with more rallies in the mix. The last game went to multi-Deuces as Brenda/Dawn saved 2 Match Points before we finally closed out the set on the third one. The set lasted 30 minutes, played from 7:08 to 7:38.
Brenda Jordan/Dawn Peterson over Doinks Srinivasan/Genalin Capan, 7-6 (7-3)! No Aces.
Gen's Notes: We started again with an exchange of breaks for 1-1. Gen held for 2-1 and then Dawn was broken on her serve to extend our lead to 3-1. We had leads at 3-2 and 4-2. Then Brenda/Dawn took the next three games to take the lead at 5-4. Brenda was then serving for the set. This service game went back and forth with multiple Game Points/Break Points. Doinks and I saved 2 Match Points and then got the break for 5-All! Gen held for 6-5. Dawn's service game was another battle (multi-Deuces). Doinks and I had our chances, but did not convert 2 Break Points. Dawn eventually held for 6-All to take us to a Tiebreaker.
In the TB: Brenda/Dawn took lead at 2-1. Then we got the next two points for 3-2. Then Brenda/Dawn won the next five points to take the set. We played this one from 7:38 to 8:34…four minutes shy of a full hour! This set is a definite Nominee for One-Set Women's Doubles Match of the Year.
We had intended to play a full match, but decided to stop after what would have been the 2nd Set since people were waiting to play. Overall, they were very competitive sets…especially that last one. Everyone played well. We had some really intense rallies which made for a fun and spirited atmosphere. Good stuff, ladies!
As Dawn started to drive-off we noticed she had a very large, cuddly stuffed bear on the passenger side of her car. We took a photo-op moment with Snuggles (aka "Ted" as per Mike Mole). I sent the pictures on a separate e-mail to Frank. I hope you get to see it.
Samara's Notes: I concur with Gen's opinion on that last One-Setter being a very likely Nominee at season's end. As for the photos, I did get them…but I am, unfortunately, so far behind with various issues…that I do not know when I will be able to share them with the league. "The Accelerator" Abhilash Gadi sent me a very nice pic of his complete of a half marathon he had completed in Brooklyn (I believe) the day before he competed in the M-Dub Mixed Doubles Tournament and I still have failed to get that out to the group. He may end up becoming our new "Marathon Man" (a moniker once owned by Ron Ruiz). Let's now get the feedback from Kris on those first couple One-Setters.
The K has his say: This turned out to be a great couple of One-Setters as we got to see terrific plays made by every one of them. It was a great comeback and spirited play by Brenda and Dawn to stay in the second one to take out their opponents in the TB! It was good to see Brenda play strong in the second set unlike at times in the past when she used to get tired as the match would progress. Dawn was packing some smoking shots as well. Gen was brilliant at the net and Doinks was flowing in her shots. The women would have played the deciding 3rd Set to make it a full match if not for the players waiting on the sidelines for their chance to play.
Arthur Fontanilla/Fadia Nicolas over Kris Srinivasan/Omar Santos, 6-3! No Aces.
We started right away without warming up and it reflected in our game. Arthur was practicing with a hopper earlier and he played many shots that were brutal. Fadia was steady and solid. We were just starting to get warmed up when the match concluded.
Moka Pathan/Ray Spadaro over Jay Phoenix/Joe Rodrigues, 6-4! No Aces.
They had a very good match as all the players had their moments of glory. Ray was amazing and was a satisfied man having played a smart game. It was great to hear Jay making his usual noises, enlivening the atmosphere. Joe and Moka showed their aggressive game and focus. It was a close match that ended to Ray's thrill of getting to close it out in victorious fashion.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Mike Mole/Jose Gonzales, 7-6 (8-6)! No Aces.
It was a very close match that started beautifully for Mike and Jose, winning the first four games before a solid comeback by the reigning GTA Mixed Doubles Champs. Jose was serving superbly and Marijus was less than sharp at first before coming back good and strong with it. Sally was sharp at the beginning of the night before coming off the rails as the night progressed.
Levy Lorenzo/Myet Delgra over Nick Inciong/Rona Mendoza, 7-5! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of both Myet Delgra and Rona Mendoza.
It was a very good match that saw two new female players coming in from Nutley as they specifically looked to play with us. I talked to both Myet and Rona and welcomed them to the league by setting up a Mixed Doubles match for them. Both are good players and are excellent additions to our Women's Division. They got to play only one set, but it was an exceptionally lengthy one that both enjoyed. There was a plenty of cross-court tussle between Nick and Myet on many points. She was game for the most part.
Ryan Pienciak/Joe Rodrigues over Mike Mole/Tito Castolo, 7-6 (7-1)! No Aces.
It was another close match that went the distance.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Moka Pathan/Ray Spadaro, 7-5! No Aces.
It was a very good win for Nate and Natalia after beginning behind, down 3-5. There were amazing shots from Natalia to some well-placed shots and she was quite focused. Nate was his usual brilliant self, jumping in at crucial times and his slices proved effective on many occasions. His confidence in Natalia has grown tremendously by seeing her consistency and involvement. It was good for them to build strongly as a team, beating Men's Doubles teams consistently these days. It would be a good time to challenge Marijus and Sally.
Samara's Notes: Right now, Marijus and Sally must first play the 2017 M-Dub Champs: Rich Liu and "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon. There has been much negotiating back and forth as their four schedules have been in conflict. As of now, the match is set for Monday, November 6th. We now go back to Kris.
Rob Gawley/Natalia Sout over Dan Martinelli/Suzanne Bujara, 6-3! No Aces.
A wily Rob and a steady Natalia made it tough for the opponents. I had suggested Spin team with Natalia against Rob and Susan. What can I say when Rob won't let go of Nat...:-). Well, Spin was robbed of teaming with Natalia by "The Rogue"...:-).
Samara's Notes: Spin did not report that result (I hope he was actually in that one), but he did report some others which we will get to a little later in this report. Let's first grab a couple more scores from Kris.
Levy Lorenzo/Nick Inciong over Marijus Kuzavas/Omar Santos, 6-3! No Aces.
Ryan Pienciak/Kris Srinivasan over Nathan Fernandes/Dino Celis, 7-5! Ryan: 2 Aces on Dino!
It turned out to be good match after we were almost shut down at one stage trailing 3-5! Ryan was serving superbly and did well to keep us in the loop. But it was a disaster from my side against two good players doing well. Nate hardly makes errors and Dino was serving great on either side with incredible zip. Dino's shots were solid, but his misses and lack of mobility played a role in the ultimate outcome.
Samara's Notes: We now turn to Spin for those additional results before we let Kris have his final thoughts on the session as well as some great news for the league going forward.
Sally Pillay/Fadia Nicolas over Dan Martinelli/Suzanne Bujara, 6-2! No Aces.
The Spin from Spin: Sally was hilarious! She could not serve to save her life or the lives of others. The rest of her game was great, but she was in a serving funk "fer" sure. Case in point: our only two games were courtesy of her Double Faulting them away.
Tito Castolo/Doinks Srinivasan over Dan Martinelli/Sally Pillay, 6-1! No Aces.
The Spin from Spin: Sally's serving woes continued in this one, but to a lesser extent. It was I who stunk up the place. Doinks and Tito were nearly perfect as this set was over in no time. Doinks decided to take charge from the outset and set the teams. She said, and I quote, "Let's play Tito and I versus you two. It will be the Filipinos versus 'the others'!" Spin jumped all over "the others" comment.
Dan Martinelli/Tito Castolo leading Sally Pillay/Doinks Srinivasan, 3-1 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)! No Aces.
The Spin from Spin: Again, it was the ever so bold Doinks who said "let's do a 'Battle of the Sexes' set!" She was quite feisty on this night. Between her laughter and Sally's screams, it was sure a fun set that had me wishing the lights would stay on until 11!
A crowd gathered and stayed at the courts for a good deal of time after the lights went out. Kudos to the injured Natalia who toughed it out playing with a splint on her hand! A twisted and sprained thumb would not deny her some GTA Tennis action.
Samara's Notes: I thank Spin for his colorful commentary. We now bounce back to Kris for some more color commentary as well as some important news.
The K has his say: It was an incredible night of intense, non-stop action with great matches and spirited plays. With two new women players joining the GTA, it looks great for the Women's Division as the league further expands. Earlier, I received a text message from the Cedar Grove Township Recreation Department Director asking me about the "Referee Chair"...:-). I gave them the full lowdown and then incidentally asked for an extension of the lights being left on deadline (just like they favored us with last year). As a result, we have been assured of lights being left on until December 1st for which I'm grateful and thankful, indeed! Hopefully, we will have decent weather for us to enjoy outdoor GTA Tennis thru November as well. Cheers!
Samara's Notes: I thank everyone in both Nutley and Cedar Grove for their hosting duties and very timely reporting. This is how the league continues to grow and I am very appreciative of the efforts of all involved. And major kudos to Kris for all his negotiating efforts with Cedar Grove Parks and Rec these past few years. As they said on "Seinfeld": "Did the K Man do it or did the K Man do it?!?!" Well, he did…once again!
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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