11/15/17:
"Samara hosts 9 at C.G., then 12 play at Bubble!":
There were two sessions of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis as first it was the usual one at The Cedar Grove Courts, but this time hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara. Then there was a somewhat concurrent (but running until later) session at The Wayne Bubble featuring the Night Owls Group organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo. Samara went there solely to gather all the scores at that time as his playing services were not needed (they had an even amount of twelve competitors…plus, Frank was all "played out" from a full session at C.G. anyway). Dino "The Dragon" Celis made a late cameo at Cedar Grove and then followed Samara to The Bubble to do the same there.
So we will first recap how the Cedar Grove session unfolded and then get the multi-layered recap from The Wayne Bubble.
Samara pulled into the lot at 6:55 to see the usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan", already out on Court Four hitting against both "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff and "Stealth" Omar Santos. Courts One, Two and Three were all vacant.
Frank soon went out onto the court to take the side of Kris in the hitting session and within five minutes a Doubles One-Setter was underway.
The conditions were slightly chilly as the temps had dipped down into the 40 degree range having only been in the low 50's earlier in the day, but still they were quite reasonable for play as there was no wind at all to make things any worse.
While we were still playing, Doinks Srinivasan (aka "The Marathon Woman") made her way onto Court Three at 7:35. She went through a stretching and limbering up session while waiting for her chance to play.
At 7:55, she was finally joined by "Del Brotro" Mike Mole for a fairly brief hitting/practice session. I say "brief" because when the Doubles One-Setter on Court Four finally ended five minutes later (at 8pm), things got switched up with a nod to those who wanted to play Doubles and those who did not mind having a Singles hitting session.
So Doinks came over to Court Four while Jordan went over to Court Three to hit with Mike. We game Mrs. Srinivasan her choice of partner. The selection was her hubby Kris, Frank or Omar. She opted to team with Samara…and, thus, the next Doubles One-Setter soon got underway.
Right around that same time, both the GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and Natalia "Nitro" Sout arrived at 8:05. They sat on the bench for a bit before they were told by the twosome out on Court Three that they were welcome to join them for some Doubles. After a fairly lengthy hitting session, the third Doubles One-Setter of the night got underway at exactly 8:28.
Prior to that, however, both "The Rogue" Rob Gawley and "Lady B" Louise Bysiek arrived at 8:15. For Rob, it would only be a cameo appearance as he was in his work boots and not planning to play any tennis. He left at 8:30. Louise, however, was looking to play and had to wait a while as we know One-Setters always last long whenever someone is on their own and waiting to play…LOL!
So those were the nine official competitors we had throughout the session. And Dino made his arrival at 9:25.
So let's get to the action!
The Cedar Grove Results:
Jordan Bachvaroff/Omar Santos over Kris Srinivasan/Frank Samara, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. It went like this: Kris was broken (Kris hit a passing shot winner for 15-Love, then went up 30-Love before a hard shift to Break Point as Jordan hit a vicious volley winner along the way, then it went to Deuce, back to Break Point and then the break), Jordan was broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love where Frank hit a drop shot winner for 15-All and that was where back-to-back Double Faults brought it to Double Break Point where Frank hit a winning volley for the break), but Frank was the first to hold serve (Love-15 shifted straight to Double Game Point as Frank hit a passing shot winner and Omar blew an overhead along the way, but then Kris also blew an overhead to cut the lead down to Game Point, but then the hold came next) for 2-1. Omar held as well (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and then it was point for point until 30-All which was where Kris hit a wicked return winner for Break Point, but then Omar responded with an impressive passing shot winner to make it Deuce, then came Game Point and another un-returned serve for the hold) and then Srinivasan was broken again (Kris blew a volley for Love-15 and then it went point for point to Break Point as Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley along the way, but then Omar hit an excellent drop shot volley winner for the break) to fall to 2-3. Bachvaroff was also broken again (Love-15 was where an un-returned serve soon shifted the momentum to 30-15, but then Frank hit another of his sharp slice drop shot winners for 30-All and then a Double Fault set up Break Point where then another Double Fault caused the break) and then Samara held again (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point as Frank hit a precise passing shot winner along the way and then it would go to Deuce and then Game Point where Kris hit an emphatic Backhand Volley winner to secure his partner's hold) to reclaim the lead at 4-3. Santos was broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and then a shift to 15-30 right after Frank hit a winning volley, then came 30-All and Break Point where Kris ended yet another game with an excellent passing shot winner) as his team fell to 3-5, but then The K Man was broken a third straight time (Jordan blew a volley for 15-Love, but then came the shift to Double Break Point as Jordan hit a winning drop shot volley for 15-All and then at 15-30 Kris thought he had an Ace on the T-line against Jordan only to have Jordan cite a ball mark just outside the line and we did a first serve play-over which did not go our way and it was then Double Break Point where Kris hit a vengeful drop shot winner to bring it to Break Point, but then came the break) to have his team's lead cut to 5-4. The Bulgarian Bull finally held serve and it was at Love as he started off with an un-returned serve and also secured the hold with another un-returned serve to tie things up at 5-5! Hollywood then had his third straight hold (Omar blew a volley to make it 30-Love and then an un-returned serve set up Triple Game Point and then that lead was reduced to Game Point, but then came the hold) to regain the lead for his team at 6-5. Stealth was able to hold serve in a pivotal game (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All and along the way Kris made an awesome dig get/lob winner combo and then came a Double Fault to set up Break/Match Point which was where Kris blew what should have been an easy volley winner which now made it Deuce where Kris redeemed himself with a well-placed drop shot return winner to set up the 2nd Break/Match Point and then came the 2nd Deuce where Kris once again blew a volley and this time around it set up Game Point where Jordan hit a venomous volley winner to secure his partner's hold and force the Tiebreak) to extend the match! In the Breaker: Kris held his lone serve, but then Jordan held both of his as Omar hit a passionate passing shot winner in the first one and Jordan hit a precise drop shot winner in the second and then Frank was broken on both of his serves as Kris blew a volley in the first one and then Omar scored with another passing shot winner to close out the second and give his team a 4-1 lead as he was about to go on serve. He held the first of his two serves for 5-1 at the changeover and then he held his second as well to make it 6-1 which was the first Match Point in favor of his team, but the third MP overall. Srinivasan then held both of his serves to save two Match Points to hand back to Bachvaroff a 6-3 lead and yet another Match Point. He was broken on his first serve, but then held on his second to take the TB at 7-4 on the 6th MP overall! We played this on Court Four from 7pm to 8pm. That is not an estimate…those are the exact start and stop times as this one was exactly one hour long!
The Skinny: Kris felt bad afterward as he felt he let down the team by not being able to hold serve while his partner held every time. But, ultimately, the opposition mounted a spirited comeback and were worthy of the win here. In a season filled with Doubles One-Setters with more impressive Tiebreak scores, I feel this one will fall short of an official Nomination for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end…but it should at least garner an Honorable Mention.
Kris Srinivasan/Omar Santos over Frank Samara/Doinks Srinivasan, 7-5! No Aces. Here's how it went down: Frank held (Doinks blew a volley for Love-30, but it shifted to 30-All right after Kris blew a volley and then that was where Kris scored with an excellent Backhand Volley/drop shot winner combo to set up Break Point where Frank hit a crushing Overhead Smash for Deuce and then Kris blew another volley to set up Game Point where the hold came via an un-returned serve) and then Omar was broken (Kris blew a volley for Love-15, but then Frank blew a volley for 15-All and then Frank redeemed himself with a winning return to shift the momentum to Double Break Point where Kris blew yet another volley to allow the break) for 0-2. Doinks was broken at Love as Frank blew a drop shot attempt for Love-15 and then Omar scored with a drop shot winner followed by a winning lob in the next point to set up Triple Break Point and then came the break, but Kris was also broken (Frank hit a winning volley for Love-15, then an un-returned serve made it 15-All which was where Doinks hit a net-cord-aided return winner which then sent the momentum to Double Break Point, then it was Break Point where the break came) for 1-3. Samara held yet again and this time it was at Love as it got started with a winning volley from Doinks for 15-Love and was closed out with an un-returned serve for a 4-1 lead, but then Santos held (30-Love where Frank hit another whopper of an Overhead Smash for 30-15, but then came Double Game Point and the hold) for 2-4. Mrs. Srinivasan was broken again (Frankd made a great get/winner combo for 15-Love, but then Kris hit a whipping winner to shift the momentum which would carry all the way to Double Break Point where Omar blew a volley to make it Break Point which was where Kris scored with a winning volley for the break) and then Mr. Srinivasan finally held serve for the first time of the night (Frank whipped out his Windmill Overhead Smash for Love-15, but then back-to-back un-returned serves followed by a winning volley from Omar made it Double Game Point where Omar hit an even more impressive Overhead Smash winner to secure his partner's hold) to knot the score at 4-4! Then, The Wood was broken for the very first time of the evening (Omar hit a drop shot winner for a Love-15 start which was where Frank made another nice get/winner combo for 15-All only to then have it go to Double Break Point as Kris hit a winning volley along the way, that was cut down to Break Point only to have Kris score with another winning volley for the break) as his team lost their lead for the first time in this one, but then Stealth was also broken (Kris blew a volley for Love-30 and then a Double Fault set up Triple Break Point where Doinks blew a volley to make it Double Break Point which was where Kris blew what should have been a sure volley winner to allow the break) to keep things alive at 5-5! The Marathon Woman was broken yet again (down Triple Break Point, it was reduced to Break Point, but then came the break) for 5-6 and then The K Man held again (Omar hit a victorious volley winner for 15-Love and then followed that up with calling his partner's next serve long while Kris thought he had it off the service-line…Frank said it felt long, but could not see it and Doinks thought it might have been good but was also unsure…so we did a first serve play-over and that led to it being 15-All rather than going up 30-Love and then it went point for point as two blown volleys by Omar kept evening the score, but still it went to Game/Match Point, then Deuce and then it ended on the 2nd Game/Match Point) to cap an impressive comeback! This one was also played on Court Four and it lasted from 8:03 to 8:49.
The Skinny: Once again, Samara was impressive with his level of play…but it still did not result in a win. Kris felt the momentum sway once they were finally able to break Frank for the first time and then Mr. Srinivasan was finally able to hold serve as well. That gave him all the confidence he needed and he started getting a bit more zip in his shots. Also, kudos must be offered to Omar who played some of the best tennis we have ever seen from him. He received a call from home just prior to the last game and in his rush to get things done…he almost caused things to be undone with his jumping in on the long serve call and then blowing rushed volleys. Sometimes the worst thing we can do is try to finish things fast…as it almost always leads to those very things going much longer!
Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole over Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout, 7-5! Mike: 2 Aces on Natalia! They played this on Court Three from 8:28 to 9:13. There were many hard-hitting and fast-paced rallies in this one. From what I was able to see in the moments I could look their way, the "bullies" (said mostly in jest…LOL!) were targeting Natalia only to find she was more than up to the challenge as she sent those shots back with the same fire in which they were delivered and usually her patience and persistence paid off with her team coming out on top to take the point. It just seems that there were not enough of those opportunities to come out in the lead in games overall. Still, very good stuff here and their rallies were entertaining to watch whenever I could sneak a peek at them.
Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan over Frank Samara/Louise Bysiek, 6-4! Kris: 1 Ace on Louise. The dirty lowdown: Kris held (Doinks hit a winner and then Kris hit a drop shot winner to make it 30-Love which was where Frank hit a victorious volley for 30-15 and then came a Double Fault for 30-All, next came Game Point, Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold), Frank was broken (Kris hit a sharp slice of a Backhand Volley winner for Love-15, it shifted to 30-15, then shifted again to Break Point and then came the break) and Doinks held (Kris hit a venomous volley winner for 30-Love, it went to 30-15 and then an un-returned serve set up Double Game Point where Kris hit yet another winning volley to secure his partner's hold) to take a 3-0 lead. Louise held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, a shift to 15-30 where Frank hit an impressive winner for 30-All, then Break Point, Deuce…and I could no longer remember who hit what winners in this one as it was all Game Points thru 3rd Deuce and yet another Game Point and finally the hold) to get her team onto the scoreboard, but then Mr. Srinivasan held yet again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, 15-All and then an Ace up the T on Louise for 30-15, Double Game Point and then the hold) to go up 4-1. Samara finally held again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, 30-Love, 30-15 and then Double Game Point where Frank hit a well-executed drop shot winner for the hold) to pull closer at 2-4. Mrs. Srinivasan also held again (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 shifted again to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce where Frank blew a volley to set up Game Point and then came the hold, and I must say that was another game where I likely forgot some winners along the way) to take a fairly commanding 5-2 lead. But Bysiek held yet again (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break/Match Point where Frank made a great dig-style get that kept the point alive and led to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold) and then The K Man was broken (started with a Double Fault, it shifted to 30-15 where Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash that led to the next shift to Break Point, then it was Deuce where Frank made a great get/winner combo to set up Break Point where Frank hit yet another winning Overhead Smash for the break) to have his team's lead cut to 5-4. But then Hollywood was also broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, it shifted to 15-30 where another un-returned serve made it 30-All which was where Doinks made an awesome get/winner combo to set up Break/Match Point and then came the break) to end the match! We played this one on Court Four from 8:52 to 9:36.
The Skinny: The story of the night continued through this one as Samara continued to play some of his best tennis in recent memory (Bysiek was stunned by many of his gets) only to end up in a losing cause. Louise started off slow as she did not take much time to hit beforehand and all bundled up in a winter coat…her game was still somewhat cold. But once she started to warm up, she was her usual return-making self as just about any shot hit her way would be sent back in proper fashion as she almost always manages to be one of the steadier players on the court. The momentum just did not change hands soon enough in this one. Eager for more action, all four wanted to play another. It was decided we would forego the changeovers to save time. Samara committed the games to memory to write down at the end.
Frank Samara/Louise Bysiek leading Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 5-3 (Incomplete with Kris on serve and down Love-30 when the lights went off at 10pm)! Kris: 1 Ace on Louise. Here's how it was going: Kris was broken despite the Ace on Louise, Frank held and Doinks was broken for a 0-3 opening. Louise was broken at Love, but Mr. Srinivasan was broken again for 1-4. Samara was also broken and then Mrs. Srinivasan held to pull to 3-4. Then, Bysiek had a Love hold for 5-3 and The K Man was on serve once again and down Love-30 when it was lights out and saved by the proverbial bell!
The Skinny: Kris took glee in the fact that Frank went winless for the night as his team was able to get the "F" out of Dodge just in time. It was ironic that Samara's best on-court performance in perhaps two seasons went fruitless. Bysiek also came on much stronger in this one as her warm-up continued here. We had begun this one on Court Four at exactly 9:37…23 minutes was just not enough time to get it done. A similar situation unfolded on Court Three.
Jordan Bachvaroff/Mike Mole leading Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout, 6-5 (Incomplete with Nate, I believe, on serve and down Love-30 when the lights went off at 10pm)! No Aces. They got this one underway on Court Three at 9:18 and that still was not enough time for a proper finish. Honestly, I cannot recall if they also decided to forego the changeovers in their latter One-Setter.
From there, Frank and Dino both got into their cars around 10:05 and made it to The Wayne Bubble by 10:20. Both had the chance to lounge on the couch in the waiting area and then Samara collected the scores as the various players made their way off the courts.
The Wayne Bubble Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Women's Doubles Match:
Kathy Sheldon/Fadia Nicolas over Dawn Peterson/Jeanette Pegg, 6-1, 6-2, as both teams entered the Women's Doubles Division as the New # 24 and # 25 Ranked Teams respectively! No Aces. Not sure when this one got underway, but it finished on Court Three at 10:30.
Vlad Smolyanskiy/Susan Koshy over Ted Cedroski/Sam Senowitz, 7-5! No Aces (apparently). This was played on Court One and then they switched up the teams for the next one.
Ted Cedroski/Susan Koshy over Vlad Smolyanskiy/Sam Senowitz, 6-3! No Aces (apparently). This one finished on Court One right around 10:35. After this, they split into pairs with Ted and Vlad having a hitting session on Court One while Sam and Susan did the same on Court Three.
Don Moya over John Rizzo, 6-2! No Aces. They played on Court Four and this one likely ended around 10:25. With Dino not dressed to play tennis, there was no opportunity for Doubles. They started another Singles set with John leading 1-0, but then both decided to scrap it and call it a night.
Fadia Nicolas/Jeanette Pegg leading Kevin Doyle/Robin Wilson, 3-2 (Incomplete, interrupted by the end of the session)! No Aces. This one got underway on Court Two at exactly 10:34.
The Skinny: Kevin explained that due to the number of players, it left him with Marie on Court Two to have their own one-on-one hitting session for most of the night. By the time the above Doubles One-Setter came together, it was too late to see it to its proper finish.
Samara's Notes: I thank John for hosting these sessions and also thank Kevin, Dawn, Kathy and Susan for offering up their scores as well.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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