12/15 Results.

12/15/17:

"37 players (2 new, 1 return) compete at GTA Bubblepalooza 5!":

There was a very special session of GTA Friday Night Tennis to honor the end of the 2017 GTA Season.  The "Bubblepalooza" moniker was coined by "Hollywood" Frank Samara two seasons ago when two of these events were held at The Wayne Bubble that inaugural year of the idea.  But the concept and execution of this event, once again, was the result of the efforts of "The Riz" John Rizzo. 

While Rizzo's focus was primarily the invitations and then the accommodations (food, beverages, etc.), Samara's role was making sure that all those that attended had their fair share of court time at The Bubble.

This was the first time we held a "Bubblepalooza" event to close a season as in the past they had strictly been to open one or, at least, get the ball rolling.

The 2016 Season Opener had set a new record, at that time, in terms of the number of official competitors in a singular session with 37 players. 

For the 2017 Season Opener, Rizzo and Samara had set a goal of at least 40 competitors.  They cleared that hurdle quite easily when they ended up with 46 actual players plus one extended cameo appearance made by Minnie Cabanatan (wife of Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan).  This is somewhat ironic as the lone cameo for this Season Ending Party was Dennis who was a late arrival (originally, he was hoping to play along with Minnie…but then something came up last minute). 

That event was a tremendous success and was also record-breaking in a few ways as not only did we have 46 competitors, but we had nine making their official GTA Debut (a new record for a singular session) while seven others were making their official return to the league (another record) and one of them was making their first appearance on GTA courts in twenty years (yet another record)!

Going into this "Season Ending Party," we knew we would be hard-pressed to break any of those records given the time of year (i.e. many are going to office holiday parties and/or doing some gift shopping).  Also, due to court costs, the entrance fee had to be increased from $10 to $20 (versus the 2017 Season Opener), but that also included plenty of pizza, a three-foot sub and assorted pastries and soft drinks (plus it was BYOB for the harder stuff).  And then we were thrown the curve ball of snow late in the afternoon which caused a couple of cancellations.  Nonetheless, the turnout was still quite impressive and the session was undoubtedly a major success.

Two years ago, Rizzo's idea was to create a special session soon after the 2015 Season officially got underway that would include some of his friends from those RTA Night Owl Indoor Sessions along with many more of his friends from the GTA.  This would also enable some of those RTA players to then make their official GTA Debut.

Given the fact that there are four courts at The Bubble, Rizzo thought it best to invite a certain amount of players that he had already established relationships with rather than open it up to the entire league as that could have led to a situation that would grow out of hand.  Furthermore, he relied on RSVPs in order to plan on how much food he should have in advance.

Before I go further with the details of how the session unfolded, I just want to once again thank The Riz for offering up his time, services and funds to host this event for the benefit of the GTA.  And I acted as the host of the session in the traditional sense of how we use the term "hosting", i.e. I collected the scores of all the action along the way.

Usually in my results write-ups, I detail the order of entry and/or appearance as the session progresses...but not this time around!  There were just too many people to note...and they came in waves!  It was a nice way to close the 2017 Season.  And the goal for Bubblepalooza 6 to open the 2018 Season will be to get up to a total of 50 competitors (at the very least)!

Let's get to the action!

The Wayne Bubble Results:

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Tommy Reszkowski/Fernanda Toker, 7-5!  Marijus: 3 Aces on Tommy; and Tommy: 1 Ace on Sally!  This one kicked off the night as it officially got underway on Court Two at 8:25, but it lingered longer than many other One-Setters that had started later as this one did not get finished until 9:25...exactly one hour long! 

The Skinny: Reszkowski/Toker were up 5-3 and just two points away from what some would have considered to be a One-Set upset when the reigning GTA Mixed Doubles Champions: Kuzavas/Pillay got their act together and proceeded to take four straight games for the comeback victory!

Fadia Nicolas/Laurie Boughton over Kathy Sheldon/Suzanne Bujara, 6-3!  No Aces.  Court Three hosted this one from 8:28 to 8:55.

The Skinny: Court Three often gets called the "Show Court" as it is the one right in front of the lounge area (and only netting separates the court from that area filled with couches and chairs).  In a "Bubblepalooza" session, quite a crowd forms in the lounge as those that are not playing are hanging out, socializing, eating and drinking.  So there is a little added pressure to play on this court.  The Women's Doubles action was, thus, getting a lot of attention...and it must be said that Suzanne (who I call "Sue B. Newbie") did not succumb to the pressure.  Quite the opposite, she rose to the occasion and showed just how much she has already improved this past season.

Ray Spadaro/Nick Caputo over Paul Mallick/Sam Wong, 6-2!  Paul: 1 Ace on Ray; and Sam: 1 Ace on Ray!  It was the official GTA Return of Sam Wong.  This one was played on Court One from 8:32 to 9:02.

The Skinny: Mr. Wong only played with us once before and it was late in the 2016 Season on a Sunday at the Albion Park courts in Clifton.  "The Levitator" Levy Lorenzo brought him into the league.  Sam is the owner of The Seasons restaurant in Clifton, NJ.  It is a fine establishment in the Styretowne Shopping Center and I suggest you check it out if you are not already familiar with it.

Rich Liu/Fausto Murg over Mike Mole/Keith Lewkowitz, 6-3!  No Aces.  This foursome faced off on Court Four from 8:32 to 8:58.

Alfred Chen/Jeff Rozner over Nick Inciong/Louise Bysiek, 6-4!  Jeff: 1 Ace on Louise.  It was the official GTA Debut of Jeff Rozner.  Court Three hosted this contest from 9:09 to 9:45.

The Skinny: Louise brought Jeff as her guest.  When he saw Nick in the lounge area, he recognized him from past tennis events.  Turns out they've known one another for about fifteen years (small world!).  So it made sense to put this foursome together.

Rich Liu/Kathy Sheldon over Fausto Murg/Fadia Nicolas, 6-3!  Fadia: 1 Ace on Rich!  This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court One and it lasted from 9:10 to 9:35.

Mike Cipollini/Janice Wang over Syed Rashid/Don Moya, 6-1!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Debut of Mike Cipollini.  These four faced off on Court Four from 9:15 to 9:42.

The Skinny: Cipollini is a part-owner of The Bubble (a minority partner whereas "The Boss" Bill Bess is the majority partner).  Mike is a very nice guy and he also helped things move along during the session along with Ram (I do not know his last name) and also Moya, of course.

Paul Daddio/Senthil Kumar over Jose Gonzales/Jay Phoenix, 6-1!  Jose: 1 Ace on Paul!  This was conducted on Court Two from 9:30 to 9:57.

Ryan Pienciak/Sam Wong over Dan Knitzer/David Caicedo, 6-2!  Dan: 1 Ace on Sam!  This one got done on Court One.  It lasted from 9:45 to 10:20.

Dino Celis/Nick Caputo over Mike Mole/Paul Mallick, 6-4!  Dino: 1 Ace on Mike!  Court Four hosted this one from 9:53 to 10:30.

Ray Spadaro/Suzanne Bujara over Dan Martinelli/Laurie Boughton, 7-6 (10-8)!  Spin: 1 Ace on Suzanne.  These two teams were on display on Court Three (aka The Show Court) from 9:52 to 10:35 (surprisingly short considering how far it went score-wise)!

The Skinny: Spin and Laurie had been down 0-5 in the set!  On the verge of eating the first bagel of the night, they rallied back to make this one very interesting.  In the Tiebreak, Martinelli/Boughton had a 6-3 lead with multiple Match Points only to see it get leveled at 6-6 when the second changeover took place!  It would be evened up again at 8-8 only to have Sting Ray and Sue B. Newbie take the last two points for the upset victory!  Again, Bujara rose to the challenge of having to perform in front of the crowd.  Of course, Mr. Martinelli loved it as he thrills in being The COA - Center of Attention!  This one has a chance at being a Nominee for One-Set Mixed Doubles Match of The Year at season's end...which is right about now!  LOL!

Right after this one ended is when we gathered everyone together for a handful of group photos on Court Three before the action resumed.  Martinelli was scheduled to be the official "Photog," but he failed to bring his camera.  Thanks to Dino for coming through in the pinch and taking a few shots before turning his smart phone over to Rizzo so that Mr. Celis could also be included in a couple of pics.

Fernanda Toker/Sally Pillay over Kathy Sheldon/Fadia Nicolas, 6-1!  No Aces.  This second Women's Doubles One-Setter of the evening took place on Court Two and lasted from 10:02 to 10:32.

Alfred Chen/Nick Inciong over William Bobila/Syed Rashid, 6-4!  No Aces.  This one got done on Court One and it lasted from 10:25 to 11:20.  Toward the end of this contest, Bobila was not feeling well...so it was "one and done" for William.

Tommy Reszkowski/Jeff Rozner over Marijus Kuzavas/Louise Bysiek, 6-2!  Marijus: 3 Aces (2 on Tommy and 1 on Jeff)!  This foursome faced off on Court Four from 10:40 to 11:13.  It must also be said that Mr. Kuzavas was quite inebriated at this time.

Senthil Kumar/Dino Celis over Don Moya/Janice Wang, 6-2!  Senthil: 1 Ace on Janice.  Court Three hosted this one from 10:43 to 11:09.

Keith Lewkowitz/David Caicedo over Jose Gonzales/Fausto Murg, 7-6 (8-6)!  Jose: 1 Ace on Keith.  This was played on Court Two from 10:46 to 11:35.

Paul Daddio/Jay Phoenix over Ryan Pienciak/Dan Knitzer, 6-4!  No Aces.  This was contested on Court Three from 11:15 to 11:50.

Fernanda Toker/Sally Pillay over Mike Mole/Pranav Sinha, 6-2!  No Aces.  This "Battle of The Sexes" style Mixed Doubles One-Setter took place on Court Four and lasted from 11:19 to 11:49.

John Rizzo/Fadia Nicolas over Frank Samara/Laurie Boughton, 6-2!  John: 1 Ace on Laurie.  It went like this: John held serve (15-Love and then Frank hit a winning drop shot return that sailed about an inch over the net to make it 15-All, then an Ace up the T against Laurie made it 30-15 and that was where Laurie blew an overhead to set up Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold), Frank held serve (Love-15 soon shifted to 30-15 after an un-returned serve, then came 30-All and Game Point where Laurie hit a vengeful volley winner to secure her partner's hold), Fadia held as well (30-Love, 30-15 where Laurie blew a volley to set up Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold), but Laurie was the first to be broken and it was at Love as John hit a winning volley to start the game, then came a Double Fault for Love-30 and the rest of the game was history for the 1-3 start.  Rizzo held again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love where Frank hit an excellent passing shot winner for 15-All, then it went 30-15, 30-All where another un-returned serve set up Game Point and that was where Laurie blew a volley to allow the hold) to go up 4-1, but Samara held again as well and it was at Love as Laurie hit a volley that somehow sailed across the body of John without hitting him (as he was playing close to the net) to set up Triple Game Point and then came the hold to pull to 2-4!  But from there, Nicolas held again (30-Love where Laurie hit a winner where Fadia just spun her way around hitting the ball and that made it 30-15 and then it went to Double Game Point where Laurie hit a winning drop shot return to cut that lead to Game Point, but then came the hold) while Boughton was broken again (started off with a Double Fault, then came 15-All where John ripped a return winner for 15-30 and then Frank blew a volley to set up Double Break/Match Point where an un-returned serve cut it to Break/Match Point and then Frank hit a redemptive Backhand Volley winner for Deuce, it was then on the 3rd Break/Match Point where John hit a drop shot winner just out of reach of Laurie's racquet in the Doubles Alley to end this one) to get "The L" out of there!  We played this one on Court One from 11:24 to 11:51.

The Skinny: Despite each having not played the entire evening up until the time of this One-Setter, Rizzo and Samara got into the flow of things rather quickly.  The difference was between Nicolas and Boughton as Fadia still seemed ready to go (and held twice) while Laurie admitted to being exhausted (and was broken twice).  Still, it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

Don Moya/Janice Wang over Jeff Rozner/Louise Bysiek, 6-4!  No Aces.  These two teams faced off on Court Two from 11:40 to 12:08.  Afterward, there was a brief hitting session between Don and Janice.  It was soon joined by both Sally Pillay and Mike Mole and would eventually lead to our last One-Setter of the night (which will be reported later...and last...in this report).

Senthil Kumar/Nick Caputo over Marijus Kuzavas/Dino Celis, 7-5!  No Aces.  These four fought valiantly on Court Four from 11:52 to 12:40.

Paul Daddio/Pranav Sinha over Ryan Pienciak/Dan Knitzer, 6-1!  Pranav: 1 Ace on Dan.  Court One hosted this one from 11:56 to 12:23.

Keith Lewkowitz/David Caicedo over Rich Liu/Fausto Murg, 7-6 (7-2)!  No Aces.  This full reunion of "The Nutley Crew" took place on Court Three and lasted from 11:56 to 12:34.

Don Moya/Janice Wang leading Mike Mole/Sally Pillay, 5-2 (Incomplete when it had to be stopped at 12:43 in order to have everything wrapped up...over and out by 1am)!  No Aces.

All in all, it was quite breathtaking how many players and how much action we had over the course of a session that lasted almost four hours and forty-five minutes!  Thanks to all those who participated and helped us once again make GTA history.

Sincerely,
Frank Samara
Gtasamara5@gmail.com

12/14 Results.

12/14/17:

"14 play at The Bubble!":

There was just one session of GTA Thursday Night Tennis as there were no results reported from The Cedar Grove Courts.  "Hollywood" Frank Samara acted as the host (in terms of collecting the scores) of the Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo. 

The Wayne Bubble Results:                 

Joe Rodrigues/John Rizzo over Mike Sindler/Frank Hohorst, 8-6!  No Aces.  This was the first official action of the night as they got this one underway on Court Two at exactly 9:12.  They decided to play out the games rather than go to the Tiebreak.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Tom La/Nick Caputo over Chris Chiaro/Senthil Kumar, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, to successfully defend their # 96 Rank in the Doubles Division!  Nick: 2 Aces on Chris in the 1^st Set!  This one took place on Court One from 9:13 to right around 11pm.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Anish Mehta/Ryan Sherry over Frank Samara/Don Moya, 6-3, 6-3, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 140 and # 141 Ranked Teams respectively!  Anish: 3 Aces (2 on Frank – 1 in each set and 1 on Don in the 2^nd Set)! 

1^st Set: Don held at Love as he started off with an un-returned serve, Frank followed that with a winning Overhead Smash, then there were two more un-returned serves to close out the game, Anish was broken (a truly un-returnable serve for 15-Love, a corner Ace on Frank for 30-Love, a Double Fault to make it 30-15 and that sent the momentum all the way to Break Point where another Double Fault served to break himself) and Frank held serve (Don hit a winning volley and then he hit a winning Backhand Volley which was then followed by an un-returned serve to set up Triple Game Point, but then a furious return winner from Anish followed by another winner from Anish shifted the momentum all the way to Deuce…and from here I no longer remember who hit what winners as it was all Game Points up until 3^rd Deuce and then all Break Points until 5^th Deuce, Game Point and finally the hold) for 3-0!  Ryan held (a truly un-returnable serve for 15-Love, then it was 15-All before an un-returned serve and a winning volley by Anish made it Double Game Point and then came the hold) and then Moya was broken (Frank blew a volley for Love-15, then Don hit an excellent passing shot winner for 15-All, it then went to 15-30, Double Break Point where back-to-back un-returned serves made it Deuce only to have Frank blow another volley to set up Break Point once again where a Double Fault caused the break) for 3-2.  Mehta held (Triple Game Point, Double Game Point and an un-returned serve to secure the hold) and then Samara was broken (Ryan hit a ripping return winner for Love-30, an un-returned serve for 15-30 where Ryan then hit a net-cord-aided winner that bounced right over the waiting racquet of Don at the net to make it Double Break Point where Anish that hit a raging return winner for the break) to lose the lead for his team at 3-4!  Sherry then held again (a truly un-returnable serve to once again start off his game followed then by blown volleys from both Don and Frank to set up Triple Game Point, it then went to Double Break Point where Don blew another volley to allow the hold) and then The Adonis was broken again (a truly un-returnable serve set up Triple Game Point, but then a Double Fault made it Double Game Point, then Game Point and another Double Fault to bring it to Deuce where an un-returned serve brought it back to Game Point, 2^nd Deuce and another un-returned serve set up Game Point once again, but then it went to 3^rd Deuce where Frank blew an overhead which set up Break/Match Point and then came the break) as Mehta/Sherry took six straight games for a great comeback to take the set which we started on Court Three at 9:25 and it ended at 9:55.  We then all agreed to try to make it a full match and we went into the next set three minutes later.

2^nd Set: Anish was broken (Love-15 shifted straight to Double Game Point with two un-returned serves along the way, but then it was reduced to Deuce and then Break Point where Anish hit a shot that had a lot of slice on it and it then landed on the top of the net where it seemed like it was going to spin and roll its way over only to continue its little dance along the top of the tape where it then dropped back down on his side of the court for the break) and Don held serve (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point, Double Fault for Deuce, Game Point and another Double Fault to make it 2^nd Deuce, then Game Point where Don hit a blistering passing shot winner for the hold) to go up 2-0.  Ryan held (Don hit yet another amazing passing shot winner for Love-15, but then it went right to Double Game Point with an un-returned serve along the way, it was then cut to Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold) and then Frank was broken (Anish hit a rocking return winner for Love-15, it was then 15-All before heading right to Double Break Point where back-to-back blown volleys by Ryan made it Deuce, another Break Point, 2^nd Deuce where Ryan hit a big-time Overhead Smash winner to set up another Break Point and then came the break) to level things at 2-2.  Mehta held (Ryan hit another crushing Overhead Smash winner to make it 30-Love, it shifted to 30-All where an un-returned serve set up Game Point, a Double Fault for Deuce, a big sideline Ace against Don to set up Game Point…and I could no longer remember who hit what winners here as it went to 2^nd Deuce, Game Point, 3^rd Deuce, Game Point, 4^th Deuce, Break Point and a big corner Ace on Frank for 5^th Deuce, Game Point, 6^th Deuce, Game Point and a mishit volley by Ryan to secure his partner's hold) and Moya was broken (Love-15 soon shifted to 30-15 with an un-returned serve along the way, but then it shifted again to Break Point right after Ryan hit another one of his sharp-angled Backhand Volley winners and then came the break) for 2-4.  Sherry was also broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, then 30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point then cut down to Deuce and then Break Point where Don hit a victorious volley for the break) to have his team's lead cut to 4-3, but then Samara was broken again (30-Love shifted to 30-All, then an un-returned serve set up Game Point, but then came Deuce, Break Point and the break) to fall to 3-5.  The AM Rush then held again (an un-returned serve followed by yet another Backhand Volley winner by Ryan made it 30-Love, it shifted to 30-All where Frank blew a volley to set up Game/Match Point and then came the hold) to get the win!  The match ended at 10:45.

The Skinny: Moya took a step back from his performance level the previous night at The Bubble (the Wednesday night session) while his partner Samara took at least two steps backward!  It was really an off night for Frank as he seemingly never found the timing on what should have been put-away shots (volleys and overheads).  Mehta got off to a slightly slow start, but once he got rolling he was firing on all cylinders…and his artillery is fierce!  But the biggest story of the match was the noticeable improvement from Sherry.  He is much more consistent than he was in the past.  He not only plays solid defense, but also likes to use his height and range up at the net to finish off points in an offensive manner.  Ryan, ably supported by the firepower of Anish, put on quite an impressive display.

2 out of 3 Sets:

Tony Shiao over Dennis Cabanatan, 6-3, 6-4!  No Aces.  This does not count as a rank defense for Shiao as he is solely in the Advanced Division while Cabanatan is solely in the Intermediate Division.  This took place on Court Four from 9:50 to 11:03.

Mike Sindler/Frank Hohorst over Joe Rodrigues/John Rizzo, 6-3!  No Aces.  Not sure when this one began or ended on Court Two as it came hot on the heels of their previous One-Setter and then went right into another one as I believe they intended this to be a full match…but, alas, it was not to be (see what follows).

Mike Sindler/Frank Hohorst leading Joe Rodrigues/John Rizzo, 4-3 (Incomplete when Rizzo had to take a call around 10:50)!  No Aces.

Don Moya/Ryan Sherry leading Anish Mehta/Frank Samara, 3-2 (Incomplete when they had to stop at 11:02 as it was time to end the session)!  Don: 1 Ace on Frank.  Here's how it was going: Anish held serve (back-to-back winners by Anish made it 30-Love, it then shifted to 30-All right after Don hit a blast of a Backhand Volley winner, but then Ryan blew a volley to set up Game Point and then came the hold), Ryan held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, it was then 15-All where an un-returned serve followed by a vicious volley winner by Don made it Double Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), but Frank was the first to be broken and it was at Love as Frank blew a volley while Don hit a successful volley winner along the way and then Don earned the break with a burning winner to make it 1-2!  Don held (Ryan hit a whopper of an Overhead Smash winner to make it 30-Love, then there was a Double Fault for 30-15 where a big Ace up the T against Frank set up Double Game Point, it was then on Game Point where Ryan hit his most impressive Backhand Volley winner of the night) for a 3-1 lead, but then Mehta held again (got off to a Love-30 start, but then Don blew a volley and the momentum soon shifted all the way to Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to pull to 2-3, but then we all knew we were out of time!  This one had gotten underway on Court Three at 10:48 and we knew from the outset that it was highly unlikely we would finish it by 11pm (or soon after).

The Skinny: While this was technically not a loss, it only served to make Samara feel like an even bigger loser than he had felt earlier as he was the only one not to hold serve in this makeshift half-set.  To add insult to injury, he was broken at Love!  Yep, it was a rough night for old Hollywood!

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/13 Results.

12/13/17:

"12 (14?) play at The Bubble!":

There was just one session of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis as there were no results reported from The Cedar Grove Courts.  "Hollywood" Frank Samara acted as the host (in terms of collecting the scores) of the Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo.  

While there were actually 14 competitors at The Bubble session, I only collected the scores that featured twelve of the players as I did not bother to attempt to grab the results from Court Two as first it was Ted Cedroski going up against Vlad Smolyanskiy in what we presume was at least two Singles One-Setters.  So, whatever action Ted and Vlad were involved in will have to remain unofficial. 

The Wayne Bubble Results: 

2 out of 3 Sets Women's Doubles Match:

Fadia Nicolas/Jeanette Pegg over Kathy Sheldon/Robin Wilson, 7-5, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 19 Rank in the Women's Doubles Division!  In the process, Sheldon/Wilson entered the division as the New # 29 Ranked Team.  No Aces.  This was the first official action of the evening as it got underway on Court Three at 9:23.  The 1^st Set ended at 10:08 and the match had finished by 10:48. 

Rafaelo Kazakov/Sean McHugh over Kevin Doyle/Sam Senowitz, 6-3!  Sam: 4 Aces (2 on each)!  They got this one going on Court One at 9:27.  Not sure when this set ended as it went right into another one that was unable to be completed (we will note it at the end of this report). 

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

John Rizzo/Don Moya over Frank Samara/Dino Celis, 6-1, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 57 Rank in the Doubles Division!  No Aces.  We did not gain access of Court Four until 9:33 (as this is the one court of the four occupied by others until 9:30 on Wednesday nights).  After a seven minute hitting session, we began the match at 9:40 (and we went into it with the idea of it being a full match). 

1^st Set: Dino was broken (John hit an excellent passing shot winner and Frank blew an easy volley on the way to Triple Break Point, but then an un-returned serve followed by a blistering passing shot winner from Dino soon brought about a bounce back to Deuce, but then came another Break Point and then the break), Don held at Love as he started off with an un-returned serve and Frank blew another volley on the way to Triple Game Point where John hit a winning Overhead Smash to secure his partner's hold and Frank was broken (Don blew a volley for 15-Love, but then Don hit a winner for 15-All, it was then at 15-30 where an un-returned serve made it 30-All, then Break Point and another un-returned serve made it Deuce, Game Point, 2^nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to start off down 0-3!  John was also broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, but then Don blew a volley and the momentum soon shifted to 15-30 only to then shift again to Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) to allow the opposition onto the scoreboard, but from there Celis was broken again (John hit a winning drop shot return and then Don hit a drop shot winner for Love-30, a truly un-returnable serve made it 15-30 where Don hit a sizzling passing shot winner for Double Break Point where John had a highly impressive drop shot winner for the break), Moya then held again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and a bit later it was a truly un-returnable serve to set up Triple Game Point, but then a Double Fault brought that down to Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) and Samara was broken again (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 as both John and Don blew consecutive volleys, it was then 30-All where Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash to set up Game Point, it was then Deuce where Don hit a winner to set up Break/Set Point where he then made an excellent get winner/combo to end the set…which finished at exactly 10:05).  There was a two minute break before the next set started.  Samara and Celis would switch their service sides in this next set. 

2^nd Set: John held (John hit a winner and then Don made a great get/winner combo for 30-Love, it then shifted to 30-All, Game Point, Deuce where an un-retuned serve set up another Game Point where Don whacked an excellent Backhand Volley winner to secure his partner's hold), Dino was broken (Love-15 where Frank hit a vicious volley winner followed by a whipping winner from Dino to shift it to 30-15, but then Don hit a blazing return winner for 30-All and then a Double Fault set up Break Point and then came the break) and then Don held (started with a Double Fault, an un-returned serve for 15-All, 15-30 and then a shift to Game Point with a winning volley from John along the way and then another volley winner by John to secure his partner's hold) as his team took another 3-0 lead.  But then Frank finally held (15-Love then point for point to Game Point as John blew a volley along the way and then came the hold) to get on the board in this set, but then Rizzo held again (Love-15 where Don hit an emphatic Overhead Smash winner for 15-All only to then blow a surefire volley to make it 15-30 which was where Frank blew an overhead to bring it to 30-All where an un-returned serve set up Game Point and then another locked down the hold) to go up 4-1.  Celis was broken again and this time it was at Love as he hit a Double Fault to make it Love-30 and then he hit another on Triple Break Point to break himself and fall to 1-5!  Moya was finally broken as he started off with two consecutive Double Faults, then John hit a winning volley for 15-30 only to then blow a volley to set up Double Break Point where Don hit a winner to cut that to Break Point, but then came the break) to have his team's lead cut to 5-2. Samara, however, was broken once more in the end (Love-15 where John blew a volley for 15-All where an un-returned serve made it 30-15 which was where Frank blew a volley to bring it to 30-All, it then went to Break/Match Point which was where the break came) to finish the match at exactly 10:32! 

The Skinny: The match looks more lopsided than it felt…at least from my vantage point.  The primary difference in the 1^st Set was Moya always held serve while everyone else was broken.  In the 2^nd Set, Rizzo and Samara added their names to the list of at least having held serve once.  Celis, who has quite the big serve, was never able to dial it in enough to hold at least once throughout the entire contest.  Furthermore, his mobility is still limited from the knee surgery he had earlier this year.  He is truly hitting some nice shots (both backhands and forehands), but until his agility returns to its previous levels…it is hard for him to split the court enough to keep things balanced against teams prepared to exploit that deficiency as it currently stands. 

Frank Samara/John Rizzo over Don Moya/Dino Celis, 6-3!  Don: 2 Aces (one on each); Dino: 1 Ace on John; and John: 1 Ace on Don!  It went like this: Dino held serve (John made a great dig into a stabbing get/winner combo to start this one off at Love-15, it was then at Love-30 where Don hit a winning volley for 15-30, then it was Double Break Point where Dino hit the corner Ace against John to bring it to Break Point where Don hit a monster Overhead Smash winner to make it Deuce which was where Dino hit a scorching passing shot winner to set up Game Point and then came the hold), John held (Don hit a sizzling passing shot winner of his own and Frank blew a volley on the way to Triple Break Point, but then John hit a winner followed by an un-returned serve on the way to Deuce which was where Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash to set up Game Point, then it was 2^nd Deuce where Frank hit a volley winner more vicious than the previous Overhead to set up Game Point once again and then John hit a roller over the net for a winner and to secure his own hold), Don held (Love-15 where Don hit a winning lob for 15-All and then he hit a sideline Ace against John for 30-15, it then went to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) and Frank held at Love as it started with Don blowing a volley, Frank making a great get/winner combo which he then followed with an even better winner to set up Triple Game Point where he locked in the hold with an un-returned serve as we were all on serve at 2-2!  Celis was the first to be broken (Love-15 where Don then hit an awesome Overhead Smash winner followed by a venomous volley winner to shift it to 30-15, but then Frank hit a winning drop shot return for 30-All and it then went to Break Point and the break) while Rizzo held again (15-Love where Dino hit a blast of a winner which then reversed the momentum as it would then go to 15-30, then it was 30-All where Dino hit a crushing return winner to set up Break Point, but then came the sideline Ace on Don to bring it to Deuce where back-to-back un-returned serves took it to Game Point and then the hold) for 4-2!  Moya also held again (Don made a great get/winner combo for 15-Love, then John hit a drop shot winner for 15-All which was where Frank blew a volley for 30-15 where he was then punished with a T-line Ace from Don which set up Double Game Point and then came the hold) to pull to 3-4, but then Samara also held again (John hit a winning drop shot volley to set up Triple Game Point where perhaps an overeager Frank, in trying to hit a winner, slapped a shot into the top of the tape which then dropped down on his side of the net for Double Game Point, but then came the hold) while The Scorpion Dragon was then broken yet again (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, it went to 30-Love before shifting to 30-All, it then went to Game Point, but a Double Fault brought it to Deuce and then it was Break/Match Point where Don blew a volley to end this one just in time) to take the loss at 11:05 (we got this one underway on Court Four at exactly 10:34)! 

The Skinny: Having time for one more set, we decided to switch up the teams and this match-up proved to be more balanced.  Celis finally broke the curse of being the only one always broken on serve as he finally held to open the set.  But that was where his good fortune ended as each member of the opposing team always held serve as did Dino's own partner.  So, again, that was the main differential factor in this one.  One funny thing to note is that John told Frank after Samara's hold at Love that it may very well be his last Love hold of the 2017 Season.  Just one point away from a second straight Love hold, Frank may have been a bit too amped up when he hit that shot into the top of the net…thus denying himself the chance to prove Rizzo wrong.  Oh well! 

Rafaelo Kazakov/Sean McHugh tied with Kevin Doyle/Sam Senowitz, 6-6 (Incomplete when the session ran out of time)!  No Aces.  This one was also played on Court One.  I thank Kevin for sending me their scores and other details.

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/12 Results.

12/12/17:

"Riz hosts 17 at Bubble!":

There was just one session of GTA Tuesday Night Tennis as the rain mixed with light snow made any session at The Cedar Grove Courts impossible.  So it was just the Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble hosted by "The Riz" John Rizzo. 

We now turn this report over to John.

The Wayne Bubble Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Senthil Kumar/John Rizzo over Dan Praport/Rich Liu, 6-2, 6-1, to become the New # 16 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division!  Rich: 2 Aces on John!

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

John Rizzo/Don Moya over Senthil Kumar/Rich Liu, 7-5, 6-1, to become the New # 57 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division!  Don: 2 Aces (one on each); and John: 1 Ace on Rich!

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Mike Sindler/Ryan Sherry over Joe Rodrigues/Pranav Sinha, 6-3, 6-3, to become the New # 116 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division!  No Aces.

Tony Shiao/Tom La over Dan Hwang/Dennis Cabanatan, 6-2!  No Aces.

Dan Hwang/Dennis Cabanatan over Tony Shiao/Tom La, 7-5!  No Aces.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Ryan Pienciak/Nick Caputo over Chris Chiaro/Frank Hohorst, 6-1, 6-1, to become the New # 126 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division!  No Aces.

Ryan Pienciak/Chris Chiaro over Frank Hohorst/Nick Caputo, 6-1!  No Aces.

Frank Hohorst/Nick Caputo over Ryan Pienciak/Chris Chiaro, 6-1!  No Aces.

Frank Hohorst/Nick Caputo leading Ryan Pienciak/Chris Chiaro, 5-4 (Incomplete when the session ran out of time)!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: I thank John for collecting all these scores and reporting them in such a timely fashion.  Too bad that last set did not have time to get finished as yet another 2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match could have been completed.  There was a lot of movement in the Doubles Division on this occasion.  

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/10 Results.

12/10/17:

"Kat/Kev/Riz host 20 at The Bubble!":

There were two sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis, both of which were the usual Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo.  Rizzo, however, was not at the earlier of the two sessions so "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon and "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle picked up the slack and acted as the impromptu hosts of that session in reporting the results in a very timely (and, in the case of Kevin, very detailed manner).

The would-be usual morning session at Albion Park in Clifton that is always hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara could not be conducted due to the snowfall the previous day (Saturday).  As such, we missed out on what would have been the last official Sunday session of the 2017 Season.

It is now up to The Bubble we go to get the results from Kat, Kev and The Riz in that order. 

The Wayne Bubble Results:                 

The 3 to 5pm session:

Susan Senowitz/Robin Wilson over Kathy Sheldon/Marie Easton, 7-5!  No Aces.

Kathy Sheldon/Robin Wilson over Marie Easton/Susan Senowitz, 7-6 (7-5)!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: I thank Kathy for her very timely submission of those scores.  We now turn this report over to Kevin.

Brenda and I got to play a full 2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match against Dawn Peterson and Vlad Smolyanskiy.  Our match was so intense that I did not collect any scores from any of the other courts (sorry).  We, The Night Owls, had action on three of the four courts.

Kathy Sheldon will send in the Women's Doubles scores as she, Robin Wilson, Marie Easton and Susan Senowitz had a couple of really good sets on Court Two according to Robin.

Also, Rafaelo Kazakov, Susan Koshy, Jeanette Pegg and Deep (who works at The Bubble) played on Court Four in what looked to be a "Battle of The Sexes" style match.

Samara's Notes: Nobody reported anything from that last foursome, so whatever they did will have to remain unofficial.  We now go back to Kev.  

2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match:

Kevin Doyle/Brenda Jordan over Vlad Smolyanskiy/Dawn Peterson, 10-8, 6-3, to successfully defend their # 9 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division!  In the process, Smolyanskiy/Peterson entered the division as the New # 57 Ranked Team.  No Aces.

Anyway, Brenda and I were able to finally come out on top of Dawn Peterson and Vlad Smolyanskiy in this mixed doubles match, but it was quite a battle.

The 1st Set started on Court Three at about 3:10 and ended at 4:17 (Dawn noticed the time).  Brenda and I started slowly.  After winning the first game, we quickly found ourselves down 2-4 as Vlad and Dawn came on strong as they both had their first serves working really well.  However, we managed to regroup, starting with Brenda holding serve when we really needed it, to climb back to a 3-4 deficit.  At that point the set turned into a see-saw like, closely contested battle.  We eventually found ourselves down 5-6 and up against the wall again.  We then managed to tie it up at six all, in another tough game with several long rallies.  At that point, we all elected to forego the Tiebreaker and just keep playing out the games until one team won by two.  After a few more long competitive games, we ended up tied at 8-All…but luckily, in the 17th game I was able to hold serve which brought us to a 9-8 lead.  It was Vlad's turn to serve and, as I previously mentioned, he had his first serve humming all night so it was a challenging situation.  Luckily for us, Vlad double-faulted once which helped Brenda and I get him into an Ad-Out/Break Set Point score.  The game, and set, then appropriately finished with another long rally as Brenda, at the net, ended it with a hard winner up the middle, giving us the 10-8 win!

Dawn and Vlad both really played very consistently the whole afternoon and didn't give away anything to Brenda and me.  Everybody had to earn their points and we were fortunate to come out on top in that 1st Set.

We didn't have much time to rest between sets as we only had the courts until 5pm.  I think we were all feeling it a little bit, but we had to start the next set almost immediately, at around 4:20. 

I think everyone felt a little tired in the 2nd Set and we all had to reach down and gut it out.  Brenda and I jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but of course they came right back to win the next game and tie it at 1-All. The 2nd Set was still very competitive, but we all started to make an error here and there, perhaps due to being a little tired.  Brenda and I finally went up 3-1, and then up until 5-3 it was a battle right to the end.  Things finally ended in the next game with another long rally (of course) to give us the win.  The 2nd Set ended at 4:53.  It was a fun match between two closely matched teams.

Samara's Notes: I thank Kevin not just for his timely reporting, but also all the details as well which are greatly appreciated.

We now turn this report over to John who has the scores from the second session.

The 6 to 8pm session:

Tom La, Dan Hwang and Arthur Fontanilla all hit with the kid working (Deep), but I don't think they played anything.

Pranav Sinha/Syed Rashid over John Rizzo/Alex Hohorst, 6-2!  No Aces.

Pranav Sinha/Syed Rashid tied John Rizzo/Alex Hohorst, 2-2 (Incomplete when Pranav had to leave)!  No Aces.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Ryan Pienciak/Paul Daddio over Jordan Bachvaroff/Ryan Sherry, 6-2, 6-2, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 133 and # 134 Ranked Teams respectively!  Paul: 2 Aces; and Jordan: 1 Ace!

Ryan Pienciak/Jordan Bachvaroff over Paul Daddio/Ryan Sherry, 6-4!  No Aces.

Paul Daddio/Ryan Sherry over Ryan Pienciak/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2!  No Aces.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Joe Rodrigues/Frank Hohorst over Anish Mehta/Mike Sindler, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 135 and # 136 Ranked Teams respectively!  Anish: 2 Aces; and Frank: 1 Ace!

Samara's Notes: I thank John for collecting all those scores and reporting them in such a timely fashion.

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/8 Results.

12/8/17:

"4th Friday Night Bubble Party has 16 players!":

There was just one session of GTA Friday Tennis and it was the fourth GTA Friday Night Tennis Party at The Wayne Bubble with both "Hollywood" Frank Samara (in terms of reporting the results for the GTA) and "The Riz" John Rizzo (coordinating the registration efforts, booking the courts, supplying the food and beverages, etc.) hosting it. 

We need at least twelve competitors to make it worthwhile and we ended up, instead, with the ideal amount of 16 players (four courts with four players each).  And it easily could have been 20 had we been willing to pull people off (but we don't do that when you pay $20 for two hours worth of action) as "The Adonis" Don Moya had started playing a One-Setter (only played one game once he noticed our 16th player had arrived). 

"RK Fire" Rafaelo Kazakov had registered a day before, but did not arrive until 8:50 (the starting time is 8:15) and we already had a full boat of 16 competitors.  While he initially did not understand how a late arrival could take his place, it was explained to him that those paying to play (and already out there) are counting on getting involved in official Singles or Doubles action (and not just a three-way hitting session).  Late arrivals often lead to odd amount situations...so if we can get someone to even things out, we will do that for the benefit of all involved. 

On top of all that, the two hosts (Samara and Rizzo) willingly sat out of this event to accommodate all the others.  So, again, it very readily could have been a session featuring 20 players rather than just sixteen.

There was a humorous moment right at the beginning of the session as Rizzo announced who the foursomes would be on each court (as he had planned this earlier based pretty much on skill level and/or knowing which players would prefer to play Mixed Doubles).

When John told "Hurricane" Jose Gonzales that he would be on Court Four with "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak, "NC-17" Nick Caputo and "DC-10" David Caicedo (i.e. the court with the heavy hitters), Jose made a face that could only be described as being one of extreme disappointment.

The only problem was that he did it right in front of Ryan and Nick!  Well, Mr. Pienciak immediately called him out on this and it became a running joke for the rest of the evening as Jose's new makeshift moniker became "The Face Maker!"  It was even better when Gonzales later exclaimed (after a couple of sets) that he felt like he needed a pacemaker...yes, "The Face Maker" was in need of a pacemaker!  LOL!

Well, all's well that ends well as they actually had some really solid action together and, ultimately, there were no hard feelings...at least, I think there weren't any...DOH!

And "The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis and "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli arrived together at 9:50 to make a late cameo appearance and then stayed on and hung out in the lounge area with Frank and John until the end of the session.

Let's get to the action!

The Wayne Bubble Results:

Mike Mole/Levy Lorenzo over Ray Spadaro/Fausto Murg, 6-2!  No Aces.  This one took place on Court One from 8:25 to 8:52.

Don Moya/Laurie Boughton leading Muhammad Haque/Dawn Peterson, 1-0 (Incomplete when Moya stepped off to allow Paul Mallick onto the court...which was Court Two...and this happened at 8:41, they had started this aborted set at exactly 8:33)!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: Due to the brevity of that would-be One-Setter (just one game), I have not included Mr. Moya in the overall count of competitors during the course of the session.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Ryan Pienciak/David Caicedo over Jose Gonzales/Nick Caputo, 6-4, 6-4, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 131 and # 132 Ranked Teams respectively!  Jose: 2 Aces on Ryan (one in each set)! 

The Skinny: This match got underway on Court Four at precisely 8:32.  The 1st Set finished at 9pm and they soon launched into the next set.  The entire match itself was over at 9:42.  From there, they went into an additional One-Setter with the same two teams facing each other (we will offer up that score later in this report).

2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match:
Tommy Reszkowski/Fernanda Toker over Rich Liu/Fadia Nicolas, 6-0, 6-4, to successfully defend their # 8 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division!  In the process, Liu/Nicolas entered the Mixed Doubles Division as the New # 56 Ranked Team.  Tommy: 1 Ace on Rich in the 2nd Set.

The Skinny: They got it started at 8:38 on Court Three.  Seventeen minutes later (at 8:55), the 1st Set was already in the books and Rich was ready to throw in the towel!  But he got some encouragement from Rizzo and Samara sitting nearby in the lounge area and it became something of a different story in the 2nd Set as Liu/Nicolas jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then it went 2-1, 3-1 until it became tied up at 3-3.  From there, the match shifted back into the favor of Reszkoswki/Toker as they went up 4-3 before it was knotted up once more at 4-4!  The more experienced tandem of Tommy and Fernanda then took the last two games to close this one out at 9:32, but at least it was much more competitive and interesting in that last set.  And that led to the same two teams facing off again in a subsequent One-Setter (which we will get to later).

Paul Mallick/Laurie Boughton over Muhammad Haque/Dawn Peterson, 6-2!  Laurie: 1 Ace on Dawn!  They played this one on Court Two from 8:45 to 9:27.

The Skinny: There was some desire to switch things up (in terms of players changing courts) between Courts One and Two, so we told the above foursome to just hit while waiting for the action to finish on Court One (to be detailed next) as that One-Setter was already at 5-4.  Of course, whenever anyone is waiting for a set or match to be finished fast, The Murphy's Law of Tennis dictates that it will drag on as long as possible...as you can now see for yourself below.

Levy Lorenzo/Fausto Murg over Mike Mole/Ray Spadaro, 7-6 (9-7)!  No Aces. 

The Skinny: Levy and Fausto had been up 5-2.  It was at 5-4 when Samara and Rizzo notified them that a switch would be made after the set ended.  Next it was tied at 5-5, then Lorenzo/Murg went up again at 6-5.  But then Mole/Spadaro won the next game which forced the Tiebreak!

In the Breaker: Ray was broken on his lone serve, while Fausto was broken on his first but held his second for a 2-1 lead.  Mike held both of his serves to put his team up 3-2.  Levy was broken on the first of his two serves for 2-4 at the changeover, but then he held his second for 3-4.  Spadaro was broken on the first of his two serves to knot the score at 4-4, but then he held his second to go up 5-4.  Murg was broken on the first of his two serves to go down 4-6 and set up Match Point (which I believe to be the first one of the entire set, though I'm not entirely sure...I did not see any when the score was at 5-4 prior to the TB).  Fausto then held his second serve to pull to 4-6, but it was still the 2nd Match Point.  Mole was broken on the first of his two serves for 6-6 at the second changeover and then he was broken again to lose the lead for his team at 6-7 to set up the 3rd Match Point which was the first one for the opposition.  Lorenzo was broken on the first of his two serves for a 7-Up score, but then he held his second for an 8-7 lead which was now his team's 2nd M.P. and the 4th one overall.  And then Spadaro was broken to end this Breaker in dramatic fashion at 9-7!  This down to the wire struggle had begun on Court One at 8:53 and it finished at 9:40...actually not all that long for a confrontation so closely contested!

Samara's Notes: Given the fact that it had four Match Points and a 9-7 score, I think this may have a fairly solid chance at being a Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.

From there, the switch was made with Levy and Ray being invited over to Court Two for some Mixed Doubles action while Paul and Muhammad would head to Court One for Men's Doubles.

Tommy Reszkowski/Fernanda Toker over Rich Liu/Fadia Nicolas, 6-0!  Tommy: 2 Aces (one on each)!  This one took place on Court Three and lasted from 9:35 to 9:55.

The Skinny: Tommy and Fernanda managed to feed Rich and Fadia a second bagel for the evening (I guess the chips and cookies in the lounge were not enough!), but this one lasted a bit longer and was a little more competitive than the 1st Set of the full match played earlier.  From there, Tommy and Rich had a nice hitting session with one another.

Levy Lorenzo/Dawn Peterson tied with Ray Spadaro/Laurie Boughton, 5-5 (Incomplete when both teams were very respectful of the time parameters for the session and stopped this one at 10:16...it had begun on Court Two at exactly 9:43)!  Ray: 1 Ace on Dawn; and Laurie: 1 Ace on Dawn!

Jose Gonzales/Nick Caputo over Ryan Pienciak/David Caicedo, 6-3!  Jose: 1 Ace on David.  Court Four hosted this foursome from 9:45 to 10:13. 

Fausto Murg/Paul Mallick over Mike Mole/Muhammad Haque, 6-2!  Fausto: 2 Aces (one on each)!  They played this on Court Three from 9:45 to 10:27.

After the session ended, Samara, Rizzo, Mole and Liu went to the nearby Taphouse Grille for food and drinks. 

All the best,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com

12/7 Results.

12/7/17:

"13 play at The Bubble!":

There was just one session of GTA Thursday Night Tennis as there were no results reported from The Cedar Grove Courts.  "Hollywood" Frank Samara acted as the host (in terms of collecting the scores) of the Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo. 

The Wayne Bubble Results:                 

Senthil Kumar/Rich Liu over Joe Rodrigues/Syed Rashid, 7-5!  Rich: 1 Ace on Syed!  They played this one on Court Two from 9:25 to 10:05.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Nick Caputo/Ryan Sherry over Tom La/Frank Hohorst, 7-5, 6-3, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 129 and # 130 Ranked Teams respectively!  Nick: 1 Ace on Frank in the 2^nd Set.  They got this one underway on Court Three at 9:27.  Not sure when it ended as it went into an additional One-Setter that went unfinished…more on that one later in this report.

Pranav Sinha/Don Moya over Frank Samara/John Rizzo, 6-1!  Don: 1 Ace on Frank.  It went like this: Frank was broken (John hit a winning volley for 15-Love, but then he blew a volley for 15-All, then a Double Fault made it 15-30, then it was at Double Break Point where Don hit a volley winner for the break) and then Pranav held serve (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, a Double Fault for 15-All and then Don hit a winning volley followed by a truly inspired Backhand Volley winner to make it Double Game Point, another Double Fault to cut the lead to Game Point, but then came the hold) to go up 2-0.  John held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, but then Pranav hit a winner and Don hit a winning volley to make it 15-30 where two consecutive un-returned serves shifted it to Game Point where Frank hit a winning volley to secure his partner's hold), but Don also held (Don hit another amazing Backhand Volley winner for 15-Love, then hit a corner Ace against Frank for 30-Love, it went to Triple Game Point, but then he hit a Double Fault to make it Double Game Point which was where Pranav hit a winning volley to secure his partner's hold) for a 3-1 lead.  Samara was broken again (Love-15, an un-returned serve for 15-All and then Don hit a ripping return winner which soon sent the momentum to Double Break Point where Pranav hit a highly impressive winner for the break) while Sinha held again (started with a Double Fault, but then it was off and running to Double Game Point as he first had an un-returned serve and then Don hit two consecutive volley winners and then the hold came next) to increase his team's lead to 5-1.  Rizzo was then broken at Love right after Don hit yet another winning volley to set up Triple Break/Match Point!  We played this one on Court One from 9:35 to 9:55.

The Skinny: Moya hit the court with all guns blazing (he even had his forehand working for him on this occasion) and he was ably supported by Sinha who was also quite steady along the way.  Meanwhile, Rizzo said he felt exhausted and like he was running around with "Fred Flintstone feet!"  Samara was not much better in his efforts to move around the court.  And thus, soon the sluggish sloths were swept off the court!  Thankfully for them, things would improve throughout the evening.

Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao was a late arrival and he then took the place of Moya in this next one.

Frank Samara/John Rizzo over Tony Shiao/Pranav Sinha, 6-2!  No Aces.  Here's how it went down: John was broken (Frank blew what should have been a sure volley winner to make it Love-15, then at 15-All it was Pranav hitting a  whipping winner which was followed by a nice get/lob combo by Tony to set up Double Break Point, it went to Break Point which was where Tony hit a winning volley for the break), Tony was broken (Pranav blew a volley for Love-15, an un-returned serve for 15-All, but then it went straight to Double Break Point where Tony blew a volley to break himself), but Frank was the first to hold serve (Love-30, 15-30 where John blew a drop shot attempt to set up Double Break Point which was soon bounced back to Deuce where Frank hit an excellent passing shot winner to set up Game Point where he then made a nice get/winner combo to lock down his own hold) to go up 2-1.  Pranav was broken (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All and then on the way to Double Break Point where Frank once again badly blew a surefire volley winner to make it Break Point where he then hit a redemptive volley winner for the break) and Rizzo held (30-Love where Tony hit a winning Overhead Smash for 30-15, it then went to Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) to make it 4-1.  Shiao was then broken again (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All, 15-30, another Double Fault to make it Double Break Point and then the break) to fall to 1-5, but then Samara was also broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All as Pranav hit a winner along the way, it then had the mini-shift to Break Point where Frank badly blew an overhead to break himself) to have his team's lead cut to 5-2.  But then Sinha was broken again (it went 15-Love then point for point until 30-All as Tony hit a winning volley to start it off, John also hit a winning volley, Tony then blew a volley, then there was an un-returned serve and then Tony blew another volley for the mini-shift to Break/Match Point which is where this one ended) to take the loss.  This one was also played on Court One and it lasted from 9:59 to 10:25.

The Skinny: Shiao jumped right into the fray with just the shortest of hitting sessions to get warmed up and it showed.  Yes, he did have some impressive moments…but his unforced errors outweighed his winners.  Sinha also slowed down a bit from his previous set.  Meanwhile, both Samara and Rizzo got their respective acts together.  Frank still hit some overcooked shots (as "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan often likes to say), but they were born from aggression…so at least there was now some spirit in his stride.  He and John were both moving around the court much better in this one.

Joe Rodrigues over Senthil Kumar, 6-3!  Joe: 1 Ace.  This one took place on Court Two from 10:07 to 10:26.  After the previous Doubles One-Setter on this court, the four players split up for Singles action as Court Four had become available once an outside foursome left it around 9:30.  The other Singles One-Setter went as follows.

Syed Rashid over Rich Liu, 6-4!  No Aces.  This one got underway on Court Four around 10:10.  Not sure when it ended as it was soon followed by a hitting session.

Frank Samara/John Rizzo over Joe Rodrigues/Pranav Sinha, 6-4!  Pranav: 1 Ace on John.  The dirty lowdown: Pranav held (Frank hit a drop shot winner and then John hit a winning volley for Love-30 only to then go off the rails as he then blew three consecutive volleys which caused him to let out a raucous roar as it was now Game Point and then came the hold) and then Frank was broken at Love as Joe hit a winning drop shot volley to set up Triple Break Point where Pranav then hit a winning drop shot for the break to make it 0-2!  Joe was broken (Joe hit a net-cord-aided winner for 15-Love, a Double Fault to make it 15-All where he then hit an un-returned serve followed by a venomous volley winner by Pranav to set up Double Game Point where Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Game Point, it then went to Deuce, Break Point where Pranav then blew a volley to allow the break) to allow the opposition onto the scoreboard, but then John was also broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love which was where Frank badly blew what should have been a surefire overhead winner to make it 15-All, then another un-returned serve established the path of point for point until 30-All where a rare Double Fault set up Break Point and then came the break) to fall to 1-3.  Sinha was broken (Love-30 where Joe hit a winner to make it 15-30 where John hit a winner of his own for 30-All, it then went to Double Break Point where a T-line Ace against John cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) while Samara then held (15-Love, 15-All and then onto Double Game Point as Frank hit a vicious volley winner to set that up and then he closed his hold with an un-returned serve) to level things at 3-3!  Rodrigues held (two consecutive un-returned serves for 30-Love, it was then 30-15 where John blew a drop shot attempt to set up Double Game Point and then came the hold), but Rizzo then held at Love as he started off with an un-returned serve and then followed that with a drop shot winner and was then off and running to knot the score once more at 4-4!  The Practitioner was broken again (Pranav hit a winning volley for 15-Love, it shifted to 15-30 right after Frank hit a drop shot volley winner, it then was 30-All where John hit a winning volley to set up Break Point and then came the break) and then Hollywood held again (Love-30 where Joe blew a drop shot attempt and then Frank made a spirited get/winner combo to set up Game/Match Point, but then it went to Deuce and Break Point where Frank made another great/get winner combo to make it 2^nd Deuce where Frank then hit a winner to set up the 2^nd Game/Match Point where John then finished things off with a winning volley) to get this one done just in time!  We played this one on Court One from 10:28 to 11:01.

The Skinny: After the previous One-Setter, Shiao had noticed that Rodrigues and Kumar had just finished their Singles One-Setter on Court Two.  Tony seemed keen on playing some Singles while Joe was now open to the idea of playing some Doubles.  Senthil was willing to play more Singles, so it would soon be a Shiao-Kumar One-Setter on Court Two (which we will get to next) while we played the above Doubles One-Setter.  When Rodrigues was on serve and at Double Game Point to go up 3-0, Rizzo chalked it up to losing steam and perhaps they were about to suffer another sound defeat like they did in their first One-Setter of the evening.  But a combination of motivation and a second wind soon kicked in as Frank and John then crawled their way back into this contest.  With a 5-4 lead, Rizzo made Samara aware of the fact that there was just four minutes left before 11pm (when all the action should cease or, at least, do so soon after).  Of course, whenever you want to close things out quickly…you will usually then end up in a prolonged game.  The final game was not only the best one of the set, but the entire evening (well, on Court One…can't speak for the other action elsewhere).  It was a fun way to close out the night and even the team on the losing side could hold their heads up high for a fine effort as well.

Senthil Kumar over Tony Shiao, 7-6 (7-5)!  No Aces.  Shiao was up 5-1…not in the Tiebreak, but in the set itself!  Kudos to Kumar for quite the comeback!  They played this on Court Two from 10:28 to 11:10.

Nick Caputo/Ryan Sherry leading Tom La/Frank Hohorst, 4-3 (Incomplete when they stopped this action on Court Three at 11:07…not sure when it got underway as it immediately followed the full match they played earlier).  No Aces.     

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/6 Results.

12/6/17:

"13 (14?) play at The Bubble!":

There was just one session of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis as there were no results reported from The Cedar Grove Courts.  "Hollywood" Frank Samara acted as the host (in terms of collecting the scores) of the Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo. 

While there were actually 14 competitors at The Bubble session, I only collected the scores that featured thirteen of the players as I did not bother to attempt to grab the results from Court Two as first it was Ted Cedroski going up against Henry Mendoza in one or two Singles One-Setters and then Ted faced Vlad Smolyanskiy in one after that as well.  So, whatever action Ted was involved in will have to remain unofficial.

The Wayne Bubble Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Women's Doubles Match:

Kathy Sheldon/Jeanette Pegg over Susan Koshy/Robin Wilson, 6-3, 6-1, as both teams entered the Women's Doubles Division as the New # 27 and # 28 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces.  This was the first official action of the evening as it got underway on Court Three at 9:10.  Not sure when it ended, but likely well before 10:30.  Afterward, the four ladies socialized for quite a while.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Kevin Doyle/Sean McHugh over Vlad Smolyanskiy/Sam Senowitz, 6-3, 6-3, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 127 and # 128 Ranked Teams respectively!  Sam: 2 Aces (1 on Kevin in the 1^st Set and 1 on Sean in the 2^nd Set)!  This got officially underway on Court One at 9:12.  Not sure when it finished as it led right into a Doubles One-Setter where Mendoza took the place of Smolyanskiy (more on that one a little later).

Don Moya/Paul Mallick over Frank Samara/John Rizzo, 6-3!  Paul: 1 Ace on Frank!  It went like this: Frank held serve (Love-30 shifted to 30-All right after Don blew a volley, but then it went to Break Point where an un-returned serve brought it to Deuce and then Don blew another volley to set up Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold), Don held (Paul hit a vicious volley winner for 15-Love, but then he blew two consecutive volleys to shift it to 15-30, it then went to Double Break Point where an un-returned serve brought it to Break Point where Paul hit a crushing Overhead Smash winner to make it Deuce which was where Frank hit a very nice volley winner to make it Break Point again, then it went to 2^nd Deuce back-to-back un-returned serves took it to Game Point and then the hold), John held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love only to go straight to Double Break Point where Don blew a volley to make it Break Point and then it went to Deuce with another un-returned serve bringing it to Game Point, 2^nd Deuce, Game Point again and then the hold) and Paul also held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love and then a corner Ace against rank for 30-Love, it was then 30-15 where Don hit a volley winner to make it Double Game Point and then came the hold) as we were all on serve at 2-2.  Samara was the first to be broken (two consecutive un-returned serves for 30-Love, but then a hard shift to Break Point as Paul hit a scathing return winner along the way and then came the break), but Moya held again (started with a Double Fault and then it was point for point until 30-All where Frank blew a volley to set up Game Point, then came Deuce where Paul hit another punishing Overhead Smash winner to set up Game Point once again which Don finished off with a winning volley) to go up 4-2.  Rizzo also held again (Don hit another winning volley to make it Love-15 where an un-returned serve made it 15-All and then it was point for point until 30-All where another un-returned serve set up Game Point where John secured his own hold with a truly great get/winner combo) to pull to 3-4, but Mallick also held again (Don scored with a scorching volley winner for 15-Love, it then went to 15-All, 30-15 where an un-returned serve set up Double Game Point and then another un-returned serve secured the hold) to go up 5-3.  Hollywood was then broken a second straight time (Don hit an awesome Backhand Volley winner for Love-15 where an un-returned serve made it 15-All only for Don to then hit a winning Overhead Smash and a blazing return winner on the way to Double Break/Match Point which is where this one ended) to take the loss!  We played this one on Court Four from 9:42 to 10:17.

The Skinny: On Wednesday nights, usually the Night Owls group accesses two of the four courts at 9pm and picks up the other two at 9:30 as there is another group there that has those two courts booked until then.  On this evening, however, we got three of the four courts at 9pm as that earlier group just needed one this time around.  Paul Mallick, who made his official GTA Debut at last week's Friday Night Bubble Party, was one of the four players on Court Four while we were waiting to take it over at 9:30.  As we had Samara, Rizzo and Moya all sitting in the lounge area, John came up with the idea of inviting Paul to stick around for some Doubles.  Once Rizzo had the chance to pitch him the offer, Mallick was immediately game for it.  We felt the best balance would be to team Paul with Don.  Turns out that Mr. Mallick was a stronger player than we realized (we never really got to see him play last Friday) as he is very steady (especially at the net) and also hits a very solid forehand.  He is also quite the consistent server.  Moya was hot and cold as he was serving strong and closing out points when he could get to the net, but he seemingly could not get his forehand going.  Rizzo found his groove sooner than Samara did as Frank was the only one of the four to be broken on service and it happened twice…which was truly the only difference in an otherwise close contest.

So going into the Rematch One-Setter, Rizzo thought it best to switch up the service sides as it would enable him to serve first (given the fact that he had been the stronger server in the previous contest).  Meanwhile, Moya and Mallick decided to switch up their return of service sides.

Frank Samara/John Rizzo over Don Moya/Paul Mallick, 6-4!  Don: 3 Aces (2 on John and 1 on Frank)!  Here's how it went down: Don held (Love-30 where a second-serve corner Ace on John made it 15-30 and then it went to Double Break Point where a sideline Ace against John reduced it to Break Point where an un-returned serve brought it to Deuce and still another made it Game Point where Don then scored with a laser-like passing shot winner for the hold), John held at Love as he started off with three consecutive un-returned serves and then Don badly blew what should have been an easy volley winner on Triple Game Point to allow the hold, but Paul was the first to be broken (Frank hit a winner and then Paul blew a volley to make it Love-30, then it was 15-30 where a Double Fault set up Double Break Point where an un-returned serve cut it to Break Point, but then came the break) for 1-2.  Frank held (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, 30-Love, 30-15 where an un-returned serve set up Double Game Point and then another un-returned serve secured the hold) to increase his team's lead to 3-1, but Moya held yet again and this time it was at Love as a truly un-returnable serve made it 15-Love where a corner Ace against Frank made it 30-Love and then another truly un-returnable serve set up Triple Game Point and then came the hold to pull to 2-3.  Rizzo was then broken at Love as it truly became The Don Show as first he hit a winning lob that just sailed over the attempted Windmill Overhead Smash by Frank, then Don hit a winning Overhead Smash which was then followed up by a whipping return winner to set up Triple Break Point where Don scored with another Overhead Smash winner for the break and to level the set at 3-3!  But Mallick was broken again (Don hit a winning volley for 15-Love, a Double Fault made it 15-All, then it was 30-15 followed by 30-All where John hit an emphatic Backhand Volley winner to make it Break Point where Frank then scored with a precise passing shot winner for the break) while Samara held again (30-Love where Don hit a roller of a return over the net for a winner to make it 30-15 only to have it then go to Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to put his team up 5-3.  The Adonis held yet again (a truly un-returnable serve for 15-Love, a Double Fault made it 15-All, another truly un-returnable serve for 30-15, then Double Game Point and another Double Fault to cut that lead to Game Point where Frank scored with another precision passing shot winner to bring it to Deuce where an un-returned serve set up yet another Game Point and still another truly un-returnable serve secured the hold) to pull to 4-5!  The Riz responded with a hold of his own (Frank badly blew what should have been an easy volley winner to make it Love-15 and that was where John stepped up with an amazing get/winner combo followed by a truly un-returnable serve on the way to Double Game/Match Point where Frank squandered another great get made by John to once again blow an otherwise surefire volley winner to reduce the lead to Game/Match Point where John got the job done on his own with an un-returned serve to get the hold) for the win!  This one was also played on Court Four and it lasted from 10:20 to 10:52.

The Skinny: While Moya lamented the fact that he never truly got his forehand going, he at least could have the satisfaction of clearly being the most dominant server of the night.  Rizzo, save that one Love break, was quite solid in that regard as well.  Samara finally found his footing in this one (except that one game at the end where he almost unwillingly sabotaged his partner's service) and made a true impact on the outcome here.  Meanwhile, Mallick was starting to run out of gas as he had already played plenty of tennis before joining us for Doubles.

Henry Mendoza/Sean McHugh leading Kevin Doyle/Sam Senowitz, 3-0 (Incomplete when Mendoza sustained an injury and had to stop playing)!  Sam: 1 Ace on Henry!  This was the third set of action on Court One.  Not sure if it was just a muscle cramp that caused Henry to stop or if it was a bigger issue with his knee.  Hopefully, he will make a speedy recovery and be OK to play tennis in the near future.

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/5 Results.

12/5/17:

"Riz hosts 18 at Bubble!":

There was just one session of GTA Tuesday Night Tennis as the rain made any session at The Cedar Grove Courts impossible.  So it was just the Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble hosted by "The Riz" John Rizzo (it should be noted that "King Crush" Chris Chiaro took the time to report his results directly as well). 

We now turn this report over to John with some additional details from Chris along the way.

The Wayne Bubble Results:

Syed Rashid/Ray Spadaro over Tom La/Alex Hohorst, 6-2!  No Aces.

Ryan Sherry/Alex Hohorst over Mike Sindler/Alex Hohorst, 7-6 (7-5)!  No Aces.

Dan Praport/Joe Rodrigues over Dan Hwang/Frank Hohorst, 6-4!  No Aces.

Senthil Kumar/Mike Sindler over Dan Praport/Joe Rodrigues, 7-6 (7-4)!  No Aces.

Tom La/Dan Hwang over Dan Praport/Joe Rodrigues, 6-2!  No Aces.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Tony Shiao/Nick Caputo over Paul Daddio/John Rizzo, 6-4, 6-3, to become the New # 20 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division!  No Aces.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Chris Chiaro/Frank Hohorst over Ryan Pienciak/Anish Mehta, 6-1, 7-5, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 124 and # 125 Ranked Teams respectively!  Ryan: 1 Ace on Frank in the 2^nd Set.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Chris Chiaro/Senthil Kumar over Ryan Pienciak/Anish Mehta, 6-3, 6-1, to become the New # 125 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division!  Anish: 1 Ace on Senthil in the 1^st Set.

John Rizzo/Nick Caputo tied with Paul Daddio/Tony Shiao, 4-4 (Incomplete when the session ran out of time)!

Samara's Notes: I thank John for collecting all these scores and reporting them in such a timely fashion.  Thanks to Chris as well.

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/4 Results.

12/4/17:

"Doinks/Nate host 9 at C.G.!":

There was just one session of GTA Monday Night Tennis and it took place at The Cedar Grove Courts as "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan and GTA Champion: "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes both acted as impromptu hosts.

Doinks noted that even though both "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld and "GDP" Guy Dupoux issued quasi Open Challenges to the group, she saw neither one at the courts.  We now get the scores from Doinks and Nate.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Joe Rodrigues/Doinks Srinivasan over Jordan Bachvaroff/Levy Lorenzo/Rafaelo Kazakov, 6-2!  No Aces.

The Details from Doinks: Jordan said he would have to leave at 8:15 when we started the set at around 7:50, so I suggested we play No-Ad games.  Then when we were at 4-2 Levy arrived as the clock "struck 12" and Jordan had to leave.  So, Levy jumped in and we resumed the set.

Samara's Notes: This result will have to remain unofficial as we do not allow substitutions along the way in the GTA…at least not for the official records.  We now go back to Doinks for a couple more scores before getting a result from Nate.

Levy Lorenzo/Doinks Srinivasan over Joe Rodrigues/Rafaelo Kazakov, 6-3!  No Aces.

Joe Rodrigues/Levy Lorenzo over Rafaelo Kazakov/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3!  No Aces.

2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Gender Doubles Match:

Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Mike Mole/Rob Gawley, 6-3, 6-4!  No Aces.  Under the new TMT Rules, Mole/Gawley qualified to enter the Doubles Division as the New # 122 Ranked Team.

Samara's Notes: I thank both Doinks and Nate for reporting these results in such a timely fashion. 

Sincerely,
Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

12/3 Results.

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