12/3/17:
"Samara hosts 12 at AP, Kevin/Riz host 24 at Bubble!":
There were three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: the early morning one at The Albion Park Courts in Clifton hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara and then the two back-to-back late afternoon/early evening Sunday sessions for the two Night Owl groups up at The Wayne Bubble where the first one was hosted by "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle as usual host, "The Riz" John Rizzo, was unable to attend that one. Rizzo arrived in time to host the second one.
Let's first detail the comings and goings at Albion before getting the Bubble results from John.
Samara rolled up to the courts a bit earlier than he said he would at 10:15 (as opposed to 10:30, as originally indicated). Nobody else was there yet, so he remained in his car. The weather was a bit on the cool side, though slightly warmer than it was a week ago. The peak temperature was forecast to get to just under 50 degrees and the best part about the day was that there would be absolutely no wind.
At 10:25, he noticed that both "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto and Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda had also now pulled up to the curb. Soon enough, all three were heading down the hill toward the courts. Before they could even get out onto the North Court, "Hurricane" Jose Gonzales was the next to arrive at 10:30.
Next, "Sue B. Newbie" Suzanne Bujara was entering the other gate at the corner of the South Court at 10:35. And then we had a surprise as "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli was the next one to come down the hill at 10:40 as his Sunday football game plans went up in smoke!
Samara and Martinelli were willing to sit out and play their usual role as "The Hecklers" and that left the other four to take the North Court for some Mixed Doubles as it would be Gonzales teaming with Bujara to take on De Benedetto and Tokuda.
But before Hollywood and The Doc could settle into their raucous routine, "Automatic" Anna Mazur was now heading down the hill at 10:55. So the team sometimes known as Spin City, other times billed as The Foundation...soon made their way over to the South Court to hit with Anna.
And even that situation would not last long as both Natalia "Nitro" Sout and "Diver Down" Muhammad Haque then arrived at 11:05 and headed toward the South Court, too. Natalia said that GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes was also on his way and, sure enough, he made his way onto the court at 11:10.
Just as Samara was trying to figure out the situation, "Big George" Jorge Solano arrived at 11:15. We soon figured it best to have Nate and Nat play against Spin and Anna on the South Court while Frank, Jorge and Muhammad would have a hitting session on Center Court.
But when the first Mixed Doubles One-Setter finished on the North Court at 11:23, Jose wanted to engage in some Men's Doubles on Center Court and he figured he and Vin would slide over and split up to play with Jorge and Muhammad as Gonzales was set to team with Haque against Solano and De Benedetto. At this time, Samara was off the court at the sidelines of the South Court.
Muhammad, however, said he still did not feel ready to jump into competition...so he asked Frank to take his place. Samara thought it would be best if he and Gonzales took opposite sides, but Jose felt otherwise. He cited that Solano and De Benedetto are both highly skilled Doubles players. Besides, Jorge and Vin seemingly had no issues with the teams the way they were seeming to unfold. So we went with it...and it turns out Jose was right about it being an even match-up...as you will see later in this report.
And it was during that One-Setter when Frank saw someone not readily familiar heading toward the courts. The man, upon seeing Samara, called out "Frank" and introduced himself as Phil Federico. Samara then immediately remembered him as they had met once before at the Park Ave. Courts in Nutley. The arrival of "Fed-X" was a welcome one as it gave us an even number of 12 players...perfect for three courts!
Ever since Jose and Vin shifted over from the North Court to Center Court, Sachiko and Suzanne were having a spirited hitting session with one another on the North Court. Upon Federico's arrival, Samara asked Haque to leave the sidelines of the South Court and join Phil and the ladies for some Mixed Doubles action on the North Court...and so he did.
And that was our total number of official competitors for the entire session: twelve! It worked out perfectly and the weather ended up being quite favorable.
"The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis arrived at 1:40 and first went out onto Center Court where Natalia was practicing her serve. He gave her some pointers. Then they soon made their way over to the South Court are where Sout would again get involved in official action along the way while Celis would be happy to hang with The Hecklers.
And when the last One-Setter of the day ended exactly at 2:32, all those who had not already left headed for the hills (both literally and figuratively) as a faint drizzle had started around 2pm and the conditions were starting to get quite chilly...no after-tennis bull sessions this Sunday!
As of now, the forecast for next Sunday (the 10th) is set to only peak around 40 degrees! Yet, many in attendance said they would be willing to give it a go given the fact it will be the last official Sunday of the 2017 Season. We will have to see where the forecasts trend and maybe gut out a tough one next week.
Bouncing back to the Sunday that just happened, it is now time to get to that action!
The Albion Park Results:
Vinnie De Benedetto/Sachiko Tokuda over Jose Gonzales/Suzanne Bujara, 6-4! No Aces. This one took place on the North Court and lasted from 10:55 to 11:23. After this one finished, Sachiko and Suzanne had a prolonged hitting session with one another.
Jose Gonzales/Frank Samara over Jorge Solano/Vinnie De Bendetto, 7-6 (7-2)! Jose: 1 Ace on Vin; and Jorge: 1 Ace on Frank! It went like this: Frank was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30 right after Vin hit a winning volley, then Jose hit a winning volley of his own for 30-All which was where Jorge hit a net-cord-aided winner to set up Break Point and then came the break), Jorge was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30 right after Jose hit a winner, but then Jorge hit a winner of his own for 30-All which was where Frank hit a walloping Overhead Smash winner to set up Break Point and then came the break), but Jose was the first to hold serve (Vin hit a winning volley and then hit a winning return to make it Love-30, but that was where an un-returned serve reversed the momentum and soon it would be Game Point where a T-line Ace against Vin secured the hold) for 2-1. Vinnie was broken (started with a Double Fault and then Jose hit a whipping winner for Love-30 and that was where Vin made a great get that led to him hitting a winning volley in his next stroke of the ball to make it 15-30, then it went to 30-All, Break Point where an un-returned serve made it Deuce, then it was Break Point again where Frank hit what can only be described as a Backhand Volley/drop shot winner combo for the break) and then Samara held at Love after hitting a drop shot winner on Triple Game Point to give his team a 4-1 lead! And the gap increased after Solano was broken in a struggle (started with a Double Fault, he then hit a truly un-returnable serve for 15-All and then it was point for point to Game Point as Jose hit a winner and then Jorge hit a sick passing shot winner along the way to set up that Game Point only to then have Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash to bring it to Deuce and then an un-returned serve set up another Game Point...and from here forward I can no longer remember the winners in this game as it went to 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to fall to 1-5! Gonzales was then broken (Love-15 where Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-All, but then he blew an overhead and Vin hit a winning volley on the way to Double Break Point which was where Jose hit a drop shot winner to cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) and De Benedetto (Love-15, 15-All and then straight to Double Break/Match Point, Break/Match Point, Deuce, 3rd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point and then the hold...and I could not remember who hit what winners in that game or the next game as the next game would go even longer and I also had to record the scores of the One-Setters on both the North and South Courts right around this time) to save 3 Match Points and pull to 3-5! Hollywood was then broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point cut down to Deuce, Game/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point and then the break) and Big George held (Jose hit a drop shot winner for Love-15 and then an un-returned serve made it 15-All and then another one paved the path to Double Game Point where Frank hit a winning drop shot return to cut that down to Game Point, but then came the hold) to keep hope alive at 5-5! Hurricane Jose was then broken again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love where back-to-back winning volleys by Vin made it 15-30 which was where Frank hit a winning volley of his own and that soon shifted the momentum to Game Point, then Deuce and Break Point where Vin hit a winning lob that just caught the back of the baseline to earn the break) to fall to 5-6 only to then have Vintage Vinnie get broken in the longest game of the match...another one where I could not remember who hit what winners...well, except for the very last one as it went from 15-Love and then shifted to 15-30, then 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game/Match Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Break Point, 5th Deuce and Break Point again where Frank made a lunging stab of a get that then became a lob that just sailed over Vin and out of the reach of Jorge to earn the break and force the Tiebreak! In the Breaker: Frank held his lone serve when he ended the point with a drop shot winner, Jorge was broken on his first serve when Frank hit a winning lob, but he got revenge in his second serve with a sideline Ace on Frank for 1-2! Jose held the first of his two serves after Frank hit his Windmill Overhead Smash and then a truly un-returnable serve on the second go-round put his team up 4-1! Vin held the first of his two serves after Jorge hit a winning Backhand Volley for 2-4 at the changeover, but then Vin was broken on his second when Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley of his own to fall to 2-5 with service now going back to Samara who held the first of his two serves when Jose hit the most impressive Backhand Volley winner of the bunch to set up 6-2 and the 6th Match Point overall where Frank held once again as Vin blew a volley to end this marathon One-Setter! We got this one underway on Center Court at 11:28 and it finished at 12:42...a full hour and 14 minutes!
The Skinny: Gonzales and Samara came out of the gate like thoroughbreds and it soon seemed like Frank might have been accurate in his assessment which suggested that he and Jose should have been split up and placed onto opposing teams. But then a combination of lackadaisical daze (especially on Samara's part) from the Gonzales/Samara tandem coupled with determination and increased consistency from the Solano/De Benedetto team soon flipped this contest on its ear! It looked like one of the greatest one-set comebacks was in the offing until Frank regained his focus in the Tiebreak and essentially took much of it over with his partner Jose getting in a near final exclamation point with that late Backhand Volley winner. While the 7-2 TB score is not all that impressive, when you consider the 6 Match Points and then factor in the fact that this contest took 74 minutes to finish...well, it at least has to be in the conversation as a possible Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Dan Martinelli/Anna Mazur, 6-4! No Aces. South Court hosted this one from 11:30 to 12:13.
Phil Federico/Sachiko Tokuda over Muhammad Haque/Suzanne Bujara, 6-0! Muhammad: 1 Ace on Sachiko; and Phil: 1 Ace on Suzanne. They played this one on the North Court from 11:42 to 12:12.
The Skinny: Federico stepped right into official action without any warm-up. The much more experienced tandem won out over the team that can rightfully claim true rookie status. After it ended, Sachiko left and Phil had a hitting session with Suzanne where he gave her some sound advice. Then, Mr. Federico was the next one to leave the session.
Nathan Fernandes/Muhammad Haque over Anna Mazur/Natalia Sout, 6-1! No Aces. This "Battle of the Sexes" style One-Setter took place on the South Court and lasted from 12:18 to 12:42.
The Skinny: Spin was the one who suggested that they do it "Battle of the Sexes" style. I was too busy in my own battle to note the way the games went, but I seem to recall The Doc laughing like an evil genius as I believe the ladies won the opening game. If so, it was all downhill from there as the guys had to fight hard to prove Martinelli wrong.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Jorge Solano/Anna Mazur, 6-2! No Aces. South Court would be the home of this one and all the others for the balance of the day. This one lasted from 12:46 to 1:19. After it ended, both Jose and Vin (he stuck around to hang around with The Hecklers) left for the day.
Natalia then willingly sat out the next one and came over to the benches where Frank and Spin were. She said, "I'll heck!" She had meant to say she would also heckle, but it was much cuter the way she said it. But apparently that idea was not suitable for her as the lack of movement was making her cold quite fast. She soon decided it better to practice her serve and form alone on Center Court...until Dino arrived and joined her over there for a while.
Muhammad Haque/Anna Mazur over Nathan Fernandes/Suzanne Bujara, 6-4! Muhammad: 1 Ace on Suzanne. Haque/Mazur had a fairly surprising 4-0 lead when Anna was then broken at Love to have her team's lead cut to 4-1. Nate then held to pull to 2-4, but Muhammad also held to increase his team's lead to 5-2. Suzanne managed to hold and then Mazur was broken again (Triple Game/Match Point, Double Game/Match Point, Game/Match Point, Deuce and the break) to have her team's lead reduced again, this time to 5-4. But Fernandes was then broken as well (Double Break/Match Point, Break/Match Point, Deuce, 3rd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, it finally ended on the 4th Break/Match Point which was the 7th M.P. overall) to take the loss! This one started on the South Court at 1:24 and finished at 1:56.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Muhammad Haque/Anna Mazur, 6-1! No Aces. Nate and Nat had leads of 2-0, 2-1 and then off to the races of the win! This one took place on the Couth Court as it got underway at 2pm and ended exactly at 2:32.
From there, it was a land rush as all four players along with the three remaining spectators (Frank, Spin and Dino) all headed for the hills and/or their homes as it had gotten quite damp and chilly at that time.
We now turn this report over to Kevlar Kevin and The Riz for the results from The Bubble!
The Wayne Bubble Results:
The 3 to 5pm session (scores submitted by Kevin):
Brenda Jordan/Robin Wilson over Marie Easton/Jeanette Pegg, 6-3! No Aces.
Brenda Jordan/Marie Easton over Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson, 7-5! No Aces.
Henry Mendoza/Sean McHugh over Kevin Doyle/Vlad Smolyanskiy, 7-6 (14-12)! No Aces.
Kevin Doyle/Vlad Smolyanskiy over Henry Mendoza/Sean McHugh, 6-1! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank Kevin for sending in those results in a very timely fashion. It is a shame he did not have time to send in details as that 14-12 TB score is an amazing one. Even just going off the score alone, it will have to be put up for at least some consideration as another possible Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year.
We now go to The Riz for the scores from the 6 to 8pm session.
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst over Jordan Bachvaroff/John Rizzo, 6-4, 6-4, to successfully defend their #75 Rank in the Doubles Division! In the process, Bachvaroff/Rizzo entered the division as the New #121 Ranked Team. No Aces. Twice during the 2nd Set there were close shots that Senthil called out that he later felt sorry about.
Syed Rashid/Mike Sindler over Joe Rodrigues/Alex Hohorst, 6-2! No Aces.
Joe Rodrigues/Syed Rashid over Mike Sindler/Alex Hohorst, 6-2! No Aces.
Syed Rashid over Alex Hohorst, 6-0! No Aces.
Dennis Cabanatan/Arthur Fontanilla over Joe Rodrigues/Mike Sindler, 6-2! No Aces.
Ryan Pienciak/Dennis Cabanatan over Tom La/Nick Caputo, 7-5! No Aces. Ryan and Dennis were down 0-4 before coming back!
Tom La/Nick Caputo over Ryan Pienciak/Rich Liu, 6-2! No Aces.
Rich Liu/Nick Caputo over Ryan Pienciak/Tom La, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. This set was notable because of the five minute delay when seemingly nobody could remember the game score. A lengthy (and loud) debate ensued with no clear resolution. During the Tiebreak, everyone lost track of the Tiebreak score once again! Being a spectator for this, my observation is that Tom was deciding to have selective memory issues!
John Rizzo/Frank Hohorst leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Senthil Kumar, 4-3 (Incomplete when the session time ended)! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I also thank John for submitting these results in a very timely manner…along with some additional commentary as well.
All the best,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
"Samara hosts 12 at AP, Kevin/Riz host 24 at Bubble!":
There were three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: the early morning one at The Albion Park Courts in Clifton hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara and then the two back-to-back late afternoon/early evening Sunday sessions for the two Night Owl groups up at The Wayne Bubble where the first one was hosted by "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle as usual host, "The Riz" John Rizzo, was unable to attend that one. Rizzo arrived in time to host the second one.
Let's first detail the comings and goings at Albion before getting the Bubble results from John.
Samara rolled up to the courts a bit earlier than he said he would at 10:15 (as opposed to 10:30, as originally indicated). Nobody else was there yet, so he remained in his car. The weather was a bit on the cool side, though slightly warmer than it was a week ago. The peak temperature was forecast to get to just under 50 degrees and the best part about the day was that there would be absolutely no wind.
At 10:25, he noticed that both "Vintage" Vinnie De Benedetto and Sachiko "Sachi" Tokuda had also now pulled up to the curb. Soon enough, all three were heading down the hill toward the courts. Before they could even get out onto the North Court, "Hurricane" Jose Gonzales was the next to arrive at 10:30.
Next, "Sue B. Newbie" Suzanne Bujara was entering the other gate at the corner of the South Court at 10:35. And then we had a surprise as "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli was the next one to come down the hill at 10:40 as his Sunday football game plans went up in smoke!
Samara and Martinelli were willing to sit out and play their usual role as "The Hecklers" and that left the other four to take the North Court for some Mixed Doubles as it would be Gonzales teaming with Bujara to take on De Benedetto and Tokuda.
But before Hollywood and The Doc could settle into their raucous routine, "Automatic" Anna Mazur was now heading down the hill at 10:55. So the team sometimes known as Spin City, other times billed as The Foundation...soon made their way over to the South Court to hit with Anna.
And even that situation would not last long as both Natalia "Nitro" Sout and "Diver Down" Muhammad Haque then arrived at 11:05 and headed toward the South Court, too. Natalia said that GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes was also on his way and, sure enough, he made his way onto the court at 11:10.
Just as Samara was trying to figure out the situation, "Big George" Jorge Solano arrived at 11:15. We soon figured it best to have Nate and Nat play against Spin and Anna on the South Court while Frank, Jorge and Muhammad would have a hitting session on Center Court.
But when the first Mixed Doubles One-Setter finished on the North Court at 11:23, Jose wanted to engage in some Men's Doubles on Center Court and he figured he and Vin would slide over and split up to play with Jorge and Muhammad as Gonzales was set to team with Haque against Solano and De Benedetto. At this time, Samara was off the court at the sidelines of the South Court.
Muhammad, however, said he still did not feel ready to jump into competition...so he asked Frank to take his place. Samara thought it would be best if he and Gonzales took opposite sides, but Jose felt otherwise. He cited that Solano and De Benedetto are both highly skilled Doubles players. Besides, Jorge and Vin seemingly had no issues with the teams the way they were seeming to unfold. So we went with it...and it turns out Jose was right about it being an even match-up...as you will see later in this report.
And it was during that One-Setter when Frank saw someone not readily familiar heading toward the courts. The man, upon seeing Samara, called out "Frank" and introduced himself as Phil Federico. Samara then immediately remembered him as they had met once before at the Park Ave. Courts in Nutley. The arrival of "Fed-X" was a welcome one as it gave us an even number of 12 players...perfect for three courts!
Ever since Jose and Vin shifted over from the North Court to Center Court, Sachiko and Suzanne were having a spirited hitting session with one another on the North Court. Upon Federico's arrival, Samara asked Haque to leave the sidelines of the South Court and join Phil and the ladies for some Mixed Doubles action on the North Court...and so he did.
And that was our total number of official competitors for the entire session: twelve! It worked out perfectly and the weather ended up being quite favorable.
"The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis arrived at 1:40 and first went out onto Center Court where Natalia was practicing her serve. He gave her some pointers. Then they soon made their way over to the South Court are where Sout would again get involved in official action along the way while Celis would be happy to hang with The Hecklers.
And when the last One-Setter of the day ended exactly at 2:32, all those who had not already left headed for the hills (both literally and figuratively) as a faint drizzle had started around 2pm and the conditions were starting to get quite chilly...no after-tennis bull sessions this Sunday!
As of now, the forecast for next Sunday (the 10th) is set to only peak around 40 degrees! Yet, many in attendance said they would be willing to give it a go given the fact it will be the last official Sunday of the 2017 Season. We will have to see where the forecasts trend and maybe gut out a tough one next week.
Bouncing back to the Sunday that just happened, it is now time to get to that action!
The Albion Park Results:
Vinnie De Benedetto/Sachiko Tokuda over Jose Gonzales/Suzanne Bujara, 6-4! No Aces. This one took place on the North Court and lasted from 10:55 to 11:23. After this one finished, Sachiko and Suzanne had a prolonged hitting session with one another.
Jose Gonzales/Frank Samara over Jorge Solano/Vinnie De Bendetto, 7-6 (7-2)! Jose: 1 Ace on Vin; and Jorge: 1 Ace on Frank! It went like this: Frank was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30 right after Vin hit a winning volley, then Jose hit a winning volley of his own for 30-All which was where Jorge hit a net-cord-aided winner to set up Break Point and then came the break), Jorge was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30 right after Jose hit a winner, but then Jorge hit a winner of his own for 30-All which was where Frank hit a walloping Overhead Smash winner to set up Break Point and then came the break), but Jose was the first to hold serve (Vin hit a winning volley and then hit a winning return to make it Love-30, but that was where an un-returned serve reversed the momentum and soon it would be Game Point where a T-line Ace against Vin secured the hold) for 2-1. Vinnie was broken (started with a Double Fault and then Jose hit a whipping winner for Love-30 and that was where Vin made a great get that led to him hitting a winning volley in his next stroke of the ball to make it 15-30, then it went to 30-All, Break Point where an un-returned serve made it Deuce, then it was Break Point again where Frank hit what can only be described as a Backhand Volley/drop shot winner combo for the break) and then Samara held at Love after hitting a drop shot winner on Triple Game Point to give his team a 4-1 lead! And the gap increased after Solano was broken in a struggle (started with a Double Fault, he then hit a truly un-returnable serve for 15-All and then it was point for point to Game Point as Jose hit a winner and then Jorge hit a sick passing shot winner along the way to set up that Game Point only to then have Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash to bring it to Deuce and then an un-returned serve set up another Game Point...and from here forward I can no longer remember the winners in this game as it went to 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to fall to 1-5! Gonzales was then broken (Love-15 where Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-All, but then he blew an overhead and Vin hit a winning volley on the way to Double Break Point which was where Jose hit a drop shot winner to cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) and De Benedetto (Love-15, 15-All and then straight to Double Break/Match Point, Break/Match Point, Deuce, 3rd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point and then the hold...and I could not remember who hit what winners in that game or the next game as the next game would go even longer and I also had to record the scores of the One-Setters on both the North and South Courts right around this time) to save 3 Match Points and pull to 3-5! Hollywood was then broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point cut down to Deuce, Game/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point and then the break) and Big George held (Jose hit a drop shot winner for Love-15 and then an un-returned serve made it 15-All and then another one paved the path to Double Game Point where Frank hit a winning drop shot return to cut that down to Game Point, but then came the hold) to keep hope alive at 5-5! Hurricane Jose was then broken again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love where back-to-back winning volleys by Vin made it 15-30 which was where Frank hit a winning volley of his own and that soon shifted the momentum to Game Point, then Deuce and Break Point where Vin hit a winning lob that just caught the back of the baseline to earn the break) to fall to 5-6 only to then have Vintage Vinnie get broken in the longest game of the match...another one where I could not remember who hit what winners...well, except for the very last one as it went from 15-Love and then shifted to 15-30, then 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game/Match Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Break Point, 5th Deuce and Break Point again where Frank made a lunging stab of a get that then became a lob that just sailed over Vin and out of the reach of Jorge to earn the break and force the Tiebreak! In the Breaker: Frank held his lone serve when he ended the point with a drop shot winner, Jorge was broken on his first serve when Frank hit a winning lob, but he got revenge in his second serve with a sideline Ace on Frank for 1-2! Jose held the first of his two serves after Frank hit his Windmill Overhead Smash and then a truly un-returnable serve on the second go-round put his team up 4-1! Vin held the first of his two serves after Jorge hit a winning Backhand Volley for 2-4 at the changeover, but then Vin was broken on his second when Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley of his own to fall to 2-5 with service now going back to Samara who held the first of his two serves when Jose hit the most impressive Backhand Volley winner of the bunch to set up 6-2 and the 6th Match Point overall where Frank held once again as Vin blew a volley to end this marathon One-Setter! We got this one underway on Center Court at 11:28 and it finished at 12:42...a full hour and 14 minutes!
The Skinny: Gonzales and Samara came out of the gate like thoroughbreds and it soon seemed like Frank might have been accurate in his assessment which suggested that he and Jose should have been split up and placed onto opposing teams. But then a combination of lackadaisical daze (especially on Samara's part) from the Gonzales/Samara tandem coupled with determination and increased consistency from the Solano/De Benedetto team soon flipped this contest on its ear! It looked like one of the greatest one-set comebacks was in the offing until Frank regained his focus in the Tiebreak and essentially took much of it over with his partner Jose getting in a near final exclamation point with that late Backhand Volley winner. While the 7-2 TB score is not all that impressive, when you consider the 6 Match Points and then factor in the fact that this contest took 74 minutes to finish...well, it at least has to be in the conversation as a possible Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Dan Martinelli/Anna Mazur, 6-4! No Aces. South Court hosted this one from 11:30 to 12:13.
Phil Federico/Sachiko Tokuda over Muhammad Haque/Suzanne Bujara, 6-0! Muhammad: 1 Ace on Sachiko; and Phil: 1 Ace on Suzanne. They played this one on the North Court from 11:42 to 12:12.
The Skinny: Federico stepped right into official action without any warm-up. The much more experienced tandem won out over the team that can rightfully claim true rookie status. After it ended, Sachiko left and Phil had a hitting session with Suzanne where he gave her some sound advice. Then, Mr. Federico was the next one to leave the session.
Nathan Fernandes/Muhammad Haque over Anna Mazur/Natalia Sout, 6-1! No Aces. This "Battle of the Sexes" style One-Setter took place on the South Court and lasted from 12:18 to 12:42.
The Skinny: Spin was the one who suggested that they do it "Battle of the Sexes" style. I was too busy in my own battle to note the way the games went, but I seem to recall The Doc laughing like an evil genius as I believe the ladies won the opening game. If so, it was all downhill from there as the guys had to fight hard to prove Martinelli wrong.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Jorge Solano/Anna Mazur, 6-2! No Aces. South Court would be the home of this one and all the others for the balance of the day. This one lasted from 12:46 to 1:19. After it ended, both Jose and Vin (he stuck around to hang around with The Hecklers) left for the day.
Natalia then willingly sat out the next one and came over to the benches where Frank and Spin were. She said, "I'll heck!" She had meant to say she would also heckle, but it was much cuter the way she said it. But apparently that idea was not suitable for her as the lack of movement was making her cold quite fast. She soon decided it better to practice her serve and form alone on Center Court...until Dino arrived and joined her over there for a while.
Muhammad Haque/Anna Mazur over Nathan Fernandes/Suzanne Bujara, 6-4! Muhammad: 1 Ace on Suzanne. Haque/Mazur had a fairly surprising 4-0 lead when Anna was then broken at Love to have her team's lead cut to 4-1. Nate then held to pull to 2-4, but Muhammad also held to increase his team's lead to 5-2. Suzanne managed to hold and then Mazur was broken again (Triple Game/Match Point, Double Game/Match Point, Game/Match Point, Deuce and the break) to have her team's lead reduced again, this time to 5-4. But Fernandes was then broken as well (Double Break/Match Point, Break/Match Point, Deuce, 3rd Break/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, it finally ended on the 4th Break/Match Point which was the 7th M.P. overall) to take the loss! This one started on the South Court at 1:24 and finished at 1:56.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Muhammad Haque/Anna Mazur, 6-1! No Aces. Nate and Nat had leads of 2-0, 2-1 and then off to the races of the win! This one took place on the Couth Court as it got underway at 2pm and ended exactly at 2:32.
From there, it was a land rush as all four players along with the three remaining spectators (Frank, Spin and Dino) all headed for the hills and/or their homes as it had gotten quite damp and chilly at that time.
We now turn this report over to Kevlar Kevin and The Riz for the results from The Bubble!
The Wayne Bubble Results:
The 3 to 5pm session (scores submitted by Kevin):
Brenda Jordan/Robin Wilson over Marie Easton/Jeanette Pegg, 6-3! No Aces.
Brenda Jordan/Marie Easton over Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson, 7-5! No Aces.
Henry Mendoza/Sean McHugh over Kevin Doyle/Vlad Smolyanskiy, 7-6 (14-12)! No Aces.
Kevin Doyle/Vlad Smolyanskiy over Henry Mendoza/Sean McHugh, 6-1! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank Kevin for sending in those results in a very timely fashion. It is a shame he did not have time to send in details as that 14-12 TB score is an amazing one. Even just going off the score alone, it will have to be put up for at least some consideration as another possible Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year.
We now go to The Riz for the scores from the 6 to 8pm session.
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst over Jordan Bachvaroff/John Rizzo, 6-4, 6-4, to successfully defend their #75 Rank in the Doubles Division! In the process, Bachvaroff/Rizzo entered the division as the New #121 Ranked Team. No Aces. Twice during the 2nd Set there were close shots that Senthil called out that he later felt sorry about.
Syed Rashid/Mike Sindler over Joe Rodrigues/Alex Hohorst, 6-2! No Aces.
Joe Rodrigues/Syed Rashid over Mike Sindler/Alex Hohorst, 6-2! No Aces.
Syed Rashid over Alex Hohorst, 6-0! No Aces.
Dennis Cabanatan/Arthur Fontanilla over Joe Rodrigues/Mike Sindler, 6-2! No Aces.
Ryan Pienciak/Dennis Cabanatan over Tom La/Nick Caputo, 7-5! No Aces. Ryan and Dennis were down 0-4 before coming back!
Tom La/Nick Caputo over Ryan Pienciak/Rich Liu, 6-2! No Aces.
Rich Liu/Nick Caputo over Ryan Pienciak/Tom La, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. This set was notable because of the five minute delay when seemingly nobody could remember the game score. A lengthy (and loud) debate ensued with no clear resolution. During the Tiebreak, everyone lost track of the Tiebreak score once again! Being a spectator for this, my observation is that Tom was deciding to have selective memory issues!
John Rizzo/Frank Hohorst leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Senthil Kumar, 4-3 (Incomplete when the session time ended)! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I also thank John for submitting these results in a very timely manner…along with some additional commentary as well.
All the best,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
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