3/29/18:
"12 compete (1 more almost did) at The Bubble!":
There was just one session of GTA Thursday Night Tennis and it was the usual Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble run by "The Riz" John Rizzo along with "Hollywood" Frank Samara acting as host to collect scores along the way.
Initially, we had ten players shortly after 9pm. So the plan was to have Doubles action on Courts Two and Three while "SWAT" Rich Liu and "Sadistic" Syed Rashid were willing to face one another in Singles on Court One. Court Four would be occupied by another group until 9:30.
But when "The AM Rush" Anish Mehta showed up around 9:15 as a slightly later arrival, "The Adonis" Don Moya was recruited to join Anish on Court One for some Doubles action involving Rich and Syed. And then "The Running Man" Ryan Sherry was the latest arrival at 9:30, so he then took the place of Moya.
It had been Mehta/Liu versus Rashid/Moya, from about 9:25 to 9:35, but then they scrapped it to allow Sherry into the foursome. I never collected the score of that aborted would-be One-Setter.
So, the official count of competitors for the session stands at just twelve. Let's get to the action!
The Wayne Bubble Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Frank Samara/Nick Caputo over John Rizzo/Tom La, 6-2, 6-2, to become the New # 134 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division! Nick: 3 Aces (2 on Tom and 1 on John) all in the same game, the last one of the 2nd Set! We were the first official action of the session as we got the match started on Court Three at exactly 9:19.
1st Set: John was broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break), Frank held serve (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point, Double Fault for Game Point, Deuce and then it was all Game Points until 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Game Point and finally the hold) and then Tom was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) for 0-3. Nick was broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) and Rizzo held (Love-30 went straight to Game Point and the hold) to pull to 2-3. But from there, Samara held again (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point and the hold), La was broken again (15-Love, 15-All, Double Fault for 15-30, 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point and then the break) and then Caputo held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game/Set Point, Double Fault for Game/Set Point and then the hold for the set). This set was finished at 9:51. Two minutes later, the next one was underway.
2nd Set: John was broken (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, but then a Double Fault set up Break Point and then came the break), Frank held at Love, Tom was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point and the break) and Nick held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) for a 4-0 lead. Rizzo held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) and then Samara was broken for the first time (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 4-2. But from there, La was broken again (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point, but then came a rebound to Deuce only to have a Double Fault set up Break Point and then came the break) and Caputo held again (started with a big yet short in the box sideline Ace against Tom, then followed with a service-line Ace on John where Rizzo ended up mistiming his swing and it was now 30-Love before going to 30-15 and Double Game/Match Point where he ended things in fine fashion with a big corner blast of an Ace on Tom for the hold) to get the win! The match ended at 10:19, exactly one hour long!
The Skinny: At the outset when trying to decide the teams, Nick said he wanted to team with Frank as the two of them had never been on the same court before...neither as partners nor opponents. The pairing meshed well together right from the start as it was the combo of Nick's powerful forehand shots and adept volleys coupled with Frank's finesse, slice shots and placements. Samara was getting his slice backhand shots low and deep into the back of the court which set up Caputo for finishing volleys at the net when those shots came back to him. Frank did not get much pace on his serves, but he usually did enough with the placements to earn returns that went right into the wheelhouse of Nick. And speaking of serves, the final game of the match was an absolute clinic put on by Caputo. The man that Frank first dubbed "NC-17" said that he smelled blood in the water. Well, he certainly finished off the opposition the way a great white shark would. The NC-17 tag must be a warning of graphic content! LOL!
In between sets, Samara asked Rizzo if he would mind making it a full match so that he and Caputo could get ranked as a team together. John said OK as long as I get to choose my partner next time in the rematch. And he wanted this noted in the write-up. If you think that is a sign of a contentious situation, you ain't seen nothin' yet! We will get to that later in this report.
Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst over Chris Chiaro/Ray Spadaro, 6-3! Senthil: 1 Ace on Ray; and Chris: 1 Ace on Senthil! This one got underway on Court Two at 9:20. Not sure when it ended as it would go right into the next one...which we will get to in just a bit.
Syed Rashid/Ryan Sherry over Anish Mehta/Rich Liu, 6-3! They could not remember the Ace count, but said Syed had at least one while Anish had plenty. This one got underway on Court One around 9:45. Not sure when it ended as it would go into another one...which we will also get to in just a bit.
Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst over Chris Chiaro/Ray Spadaro, 6-4! Frank: 1 Ace on Ray; and Chris: 1 Ace on Senthil! There would still be one more One-Setter between the two teams on this court (Court Two). But first...
Syed Rashid/Ryan Sherry over Anish Mehta/Rich Liu, 7-5! Again, they had no idea of the Ace count. This was also played on Court One.
The Skinny: When Anish, Rich and Syed were walking off the courts and Frank grabbed the scores from them, he asked them how it should be recorded and reported. They all agreed to just let it be One-Setters (Ryan had already left just a few minutes earlier).
Chris Chiaro/Ray Spadaro over Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst, 6-3! Senthil: 1 Ace on Ray; and Chris: 1 Ace on Senthil! This was the last of the action on Court Two.
The Skinny: Chiaro sent the results to Samara via text message right after the session had ended. He reported it all as separate One-Setters.
Frank Samara/Tom La leading John Rizzo/Nick Caputo, 6-5 (Incomplete when they had to stop at 11:02 as the session was to end at 11pm)! John: 1 Ace on Tom; and Tom: 1 Ace on Nick on the last point of the unfinished One-Setter! We got this one underway on Court Three at exactly 10:22. Here's how it was going: Frank was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point and the break) and John held serve (Triple Game Point, Double Fault for Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) for a 2-0 lead. Tom held (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and then a bounce to Deuce, Game Point and the hold) and Nick was broken (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point, but then a bounce back to Deuce, another Break Point and the break) to level things at 2-2. Samara was broken again (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) to fall to 2-3...and then came the pivotal game of the would-be One-Setter. Rizzo was on serve and went up 30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point which was reduced to Deuce, then another Game Point where he hit a serve to the sideline that I recall Tom getting his racquet on it (I don't remember it being a would-be Ace...perhaps I'm wrong), but La couldn't return it. I started walking toward the flip cards to change the score when Nick notified me that Tom had just called it out. The late (and bad) call made John livid! Instead of holding serve for a 4-2 lead, it was now back to 2nd Deuce! It then went to Break Point where he hit a definitive sideline Ace against Tom that La did not question. Rizzo ranted, "Was that one out, too?!?!" The tension level was high and it would remain that way for the rest of the game and set. That Ace brought it back to 3rd Deuce, then came a Game Point, 4th Deuce, Break Point, 5th Deuce, Break Point again, 6th Deuce, another Break Point and finally the break to level the set at 3-3! John was even angrier at this moment because if he had at least managed to survive the call and go onto hold, then the bad call would ultimately not have had all that much impact. La was then broken (15-Love, a Double Fault for 15-All and then right to Double Break Point and the break) and Caputo held at Love to put his team up 5-3! At this point, Rizzo is still riled up because he feels the set should have been over already and in his team's favor. But Hollywood managed to hold (30-Love shifted to 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) to keep his team alive and then an unfocused Riz was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) to tie things up again, this time at 5-5! The Hit Man then held (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, then it went 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point again and then a big sideline Ace against Nick for the hold) for 6-5...but then time was up at 11:02! John could only derive a small dose of satisfaction that the One-Setter ended up being incomplete and not an official victory in the opposing team's favor.
The Skinny: Well, there is really not much more to say that has not been said already in the point-by-point, game-by-game breakdown above. There was still tension after the match. John and Nick were going to meet "The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis at Sharkey's in Clifton, but Frank declined the invitation as he has been running on empty lately due to a lack of sleep.
Despite the downer mood for the last half of a set at the end there, it was a fun session that featured some really great fast-paced and hard-hitting action.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
"12 compete (1 more almost did) at The Bubble!":
There was just one session of GTA Thursday Night Tennis and it was the usual Night Owls session up at The Wayne Bubble run by "The Riz" John Rizzo along with "Hollywood" Frank Samara acting as host to collect scores along the way.
Initially, we had ten players shortly after 9pm. So the plan was to have Doubles action on Courts Two and Three while "SWAT" Rich Liu and "Sadistic" Syed Rashid were willing to face one another in Singles on Court One. Court Four would be occupied by another group until 9:30.
But when "The AM Rush" Anish Mehta showed up around 9:15 as a slightly later arrival, "The Adonis" Don Moya was recruited to join Anish on Court One for some Doubles action involving Rich and Syed. And then "The Running Man" Ryan Sherry was the latest arrival at 9:30, so he then took the place of Moya.
It had been Mehta/Liu versus Rashid/Moya, from about 9:25 to 9:35, but then they scrapped it to allow Sherry into the foursome. I never collected the score of that aborted would-be One-Setter.
So, the official count of competitors for the session stands at just twelve. Let's get to the action!
The Wayne Bubble Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Frank Samara/Nick Caputo over John Rizzo/Tom La, 6-2, 6-2, to become the New # 134 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division! Nick: 3 Aces (2 on Tom and 1 on John) all in the same game, the last one of the 2nd Set! We were the first official action of the session as we got the match started on Court Three at exactly 9:19.
1st Set: John was broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break), Frank held serve (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point, Double Fault for Game Point, Deuce and then it was all Game Points until 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Game Point and finally the hold) and then Tom was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) for 0-3. Nick was broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) and Rizzo held (Love-30 went straight to Game Point and the hold) to pull to 2-3. But from there, Samara held again (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point and the hold), La was broken again (15-Love, 15-All, Double Fault for 15-30, 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point and then the break) and then Caputo held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game/Set Point, Double Fault for Game/Set Point and then the hold for the set). This set was finished at 9:51. Two minutes later, the next one was underway.
2nd Set: John was broken (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, but then a Double Fault set up Break Point and then came the break), Frank held at Love, Tom was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point and the break) and Nick held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) for a 4-0 lead. Rizzo held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) and then Samara was broken for the first time (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 4-2. But from there, La was broken again (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point, but then came a rebound to Deuce only to have a Double Fault set up Break Point and then came the break) and Caputo held again (started with a big yet short in the box sideline Ace against Tom, then followed with a service-line Ace on John where Rizzo ended up mistiming his swing and it was now 30-Love before going to 30-15 and Double Game/Match Point where he ended things in fine fashion with a big corner blast of an Ace on Tom for the hold) to get the win! The match ended at 10:19, exactly one hour long!
The Skinny: At the outset when trying to decide the teams, Nick said he wanted to team with Frank as the two of them had never been on the same court before...neither as partners nor opponents. The pairing meshed well together right from the start as it was the combo of Nick's powerful forehand shots and adept volleys coupled with Frank's finesse, slice shots and placements. Samara was getting his slice backhand shots low and deep into the back of the court which set up Caputo for finishing volleys at the net when those shots came back to him. Frank did not get much pace on his serves, but he usually did enough with the placements to earn returns that went right into the wheelhouse of Nick. And speaking of serves, the final game of the match was an absolute clinic put on by Caputo. The man that Frank first dubbed "NC-17" said that he smelled blood in the water. Well, he certainly finished off the opposition the way a great white shark would. The NC-17 tag must be a warning of graphic content! LOL!
In between sets, Samara asked Rizzo if he would mind making it a full match so that he and Caputo could get ranked as a team together. John said OK as long as I get to choose my partner next time in the rematch. And he wanted this noted in the write-up. If you think that is a sign of a contentious situation, you ain't seen nothin' yet! We will get to that later in this report.
Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst over Chris Chiaro/Ray Spadaro, 6-3! Senthil: 1 Ace on Ray; and Chris: 1 Ace on Senthil! This one got underway on Court Two at 9:20. Not sure when it ended as it would go right into the next one...which we will get to in just a bit.
Syed Rashid/Ryan Sherry over Anish Mehta/Rich Liu, 6-3! They could not remember the Ace count, but said Syed had at least one while Anish had plenty. This one got underway on Court One around 9:45. Not sure when it ended as it would go into another one...which we will also get to in just a bit.
Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst over Chris Chiaro/Ray Spadaro, 6-4! Frank: 1 Ace on Ray; and Chris: 1 Ace on Senthil! There would still be one more One-Setter between the two teams on this court (Court Two). But first...
Syed Rashid/Ryan Sherry over Anish Mehta/Rich Liu, 7-5! Again, they had no idea of the Ace count. This was also played on Court One.
The Skinny: When Anish, Rich and Syed were walking off the courts and Frank grabbed the scores from them, he asked them how it should be recorded and reported. They all agreed to just let it be One-Setters (Ryan had already left just a few minutes earlier).
Chris Chiaro/Ray Spadaro over Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst, 6-3! Senthil: 1 Ace on Ray; and Chris: 1 Ace on Senthil! This was the last of the action on Court Two.
The Skinny: Chiaro sent the results to Samara via text message right after the session had ended. He reported it all as separate One-Setters.
Frank Samara/Tom La leading John Rizzo/Nick Caputo, 6-5 (Incomplete when they had to stop at 11:02 as the session was to end at 11pm)! John: 1 Ace on Tom; and Tom: 1 Ace on Nick on the last point of the unfinished One-Setter! We got this one underway on Court Three at exactly 10:22. Here's how it was going: Frank was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point and the break) and John held serve (Triple Game Point, Double Fault for Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) for a 2-0 lead. Tom held (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and then a bounce to Deuce, Game Point and the hold) and Nick was broken (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point, but then a bounce back to Deuce, another Break Point and the break) to level things at 2-2. Samara was broken again (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) to fall to 2-3...and then came the pivotal game of the would-be One-Setter. Rizzo was on serve and went up 30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point which was reduced to Deuce, then another Game Point where he hit a serve to the sideline that I recall Tom getting his racquet on it (I don't remember it being a would-be Ace...perhaps I'm wrong), but La couldn't return it. I started walking toward the flip cards to change the score when Nick notified me that Tom had just called it out. The late (and bad) call made John livid! Instead of holding serve for a 4-2 lead, it was now back to 2nd Deuce! It then went to Break Point where he hit a definitive sideline Ace against Tom that La did not question. Rizzo ranted, "Was that one out, too?!?!" The tension level was high and it would remain that way for the rest of the game and set. That Ace brought it back to 3rd Deuce, then came a Game Point, 4th Deuce, Break Point, 5th Deuce, Break Point again, 6th Deuce, another Break Point and finally the break to level the set at 3-3! John was even angrier at this moment because if he had at least managed to survive the call and go onto hold, then the bad call would ultimately not have had all that much impact. La was then broken (15-Love, a Double Fault for 15-All and then right to Double Break Point and the break) and Caputo held at Love to put his team up 5-3! At this point, Rizzo is still riled up because he feels the set should have been over already and in his team's favor. But Hollywood managed to hold (30-Love shifted to 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) to keep his team alive and then an unfocused Riz was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) to tie things up again, this time at 5-5! The Hit Man then held (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, then it went 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point again and then a big sideline Ace against Nick for the hold) for 6-5...but then time was up at 11:02! John could only derive a small dose of satisfaction that the One-Setter ended up being incomplete and not an official victory in the opposing team's favor.
The Skinny: Well, there is really not much more to say that has not been said already in the point-by-point, game-by-game breakdown above. There was still tension after the match. John and Nick were going to meet "The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis at Sharkey's in Clifton, but Frank declined the invitation as he has been running on empty lately due to a lack of sleep.
Despite the downer mood for the last half of a set at the end there, it was a fun session that featured some really great fast-paced and hard-hitting action.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
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