4/14/18:
"Epic Saturday - 7 Title/Tournament Matches in 6 locations!":
With the weather getting even more summer-like on Saturday (peak temperature over 80 degrees!) than it was on Friday, there were six sessions of GTA Saturday Tennis: the first took place at the Weehawken Waterfront Sports Complex as "A-Bomb" Alex Gero and "NC-17" Nick Caputo got together for their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with Nick reporting).
The second was at Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park as "Bee Gee" Brad Gero and Tim "Tam" Nguyen met for the very first time (much like Alex and Nick above) to face off against one another in their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with both reporting).
The third was at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley as "SWAT" Rich Liu met up with his former co-host of the Meet-Up Groups there, "Kaptain" Keith Lewkowitz, for their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with Rich reporting).
The fourth was a very extended session at The Cedar Grove Courts as that location's action got underway early and featured two more of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Matches: "The Tempest" T.J. Shah versus Umang "Ash" Jain (with Ash reporting) and then "Stealth" Omar Santos versus "J-Kat" Jeremy Katzeff (with both reporting)...plus there was plenty more action from this session as reported by Laurie "Suge Boogie" Boughton, "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan and Former GTA Champion: Timothy Wong, aka "The Legend Killer," who made his surprise return to the league.
The fifth was a late afternoon session at The Brookdale Park Courts in Bloomfield as "The Mel Man" Melvin Hyman and "Diver Down" Muhammad Haque got together for their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with both reporting).
And the sixth session got underway at the Albion Park Courts in Clifton as "Del Brotro" Mike Mole and "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan had an extended hitting session with one another there (with Gen reporting), but then it became the impromptu location of the GTA Women's Doubles Championship Match as the reigning Champions: Laura "The Aura" Gawley and Sally "The Smackdown" Pillay put their Titles on the line against their Top Contenders (the 2017 W-Dub Champs): "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker and Louise "Queen B" Bysiek (with Laura reporting).
In terms of meaningful matches that have an impact on the GTA Rankings, this had to be the most monumental day in the entire history of the league! And it is definitely the greatest amount of locations for GTA play in a single day! This, I'm sure, is only a sign of things to come as the GTA continues to grow to unprecedented proportions.
Doing our best job to keep everything in relative chronological order, we first head out to Weehawken.
The Weehawken Waterfront Sports Complex Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Nick Caputo over Alex Gero, 6-1, 6-1, to become the New # 24 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational! No Aces.
Nick's Notes: We met at 9:30am and started the match soon after. It was a great, hard-fought match with Alex. He is a great guy and a tough competitor. Even though he hasn't been playing tennis all that long, he is very quick on his feet and is like a brick wall in the way he gets everything back. He has also become a true lob expert!
Samara's Notes: I thank Nick for his very timely reporting also and congratulate him on an impressive victory.
We now go to Ridgefield Park for the dual report from Brad and Tim.
The Overpeck Park Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Brad Gero over Tim Nguyen, 6-4, 6-3, to successfully defend his # 26 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Nguyen entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 43 Ranked Player. No Aces.
Brad's Breakdown: We played from about 10am to 12noon. Tim was good competition, but I managed to hold him off and win in straight sets.
Tim's Take: Yes, it was a good match.
Samara's Notes: I thank both of them for their timely reporting and congratulate Brad on his victory.
We now take this report to Nutley.
The Park Ave. Courts Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Rich Liu over Keith Lewkowitz, 6-0, 6-4, to successfully defend his # 29 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! No Aces.
The Rich Report: The 2nd Set was very competitive as Keith started to get his groove back. He stepped up his serving and forehand game and the result was a very competitive set with some long, sustained rallies. We had a great time and got in some good exercise on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon. Frank, I thank you for all your efforts in setting up this tournament and running the league.
Samara's Notes: Rich, I thank you for those kind words and also for reporting the result in such a timely fashion. I also congratulate you on a hard-fought victory. I also offer kudos to Keith for a fine effort. The 2nd Set shows that he just started shaking off the rust a bit too late.
We now head up to Cedar Grove for many matches being reported by multiple sources!
The Cedar Grove Results:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Umang Jain over T.J. Shah, 7-5, 7-5 (T.J. retired while up 5-4 in the 2nd Set due to cramping...here in the GTA, you forfeit the balance of the games in that set), to become both the New # 27 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division and the New # 8 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational! Umang: 2 Aces (one in each set)!
Annotations from Ash: We hit for 10 minutes. We started the match at 11:30 and finished at 1:10. Going into the 1st Set, T.J. won the toss and asked me to serve first. He broke me straight away and then held his serve for a quick 2-0 lead. I then held my serve with an Ace along the way and then broke him to get back on serve at 2-2. From there, it continued on serve until 5-5 where I then held again for 6-5 and then broke T.J. to take the set.
It was very hot, so it took a lot of endurance to then play a second set. In the 2nd Set, T.J. started off aggressively as he broke me twice and held his serve twice to go up 4-0. Then, with the help of another Ace, I held my serve to make it 1-4. He held again for a 5-1 lead. Then, by holding twice and breaking him once, I reduced his lead to 5-4. He was then serving for the match, but got off to a Love-30 start. It was in that second point where picking up a volley, he got really bad cramps in his abdomen and could not continue after that.
Again, it was very hot, so I understand his decision to retire...but I would have loved to finish the match. T.J., it was great to play against you.
Samara's Notes: I thank Ash for his timely and very comprehensive reporting...and also congratulate him on his win. The league is growing so fast, he is another one of several players I've yet to meet in person. I also offer up kudos to T.J. for a spirited effort and hope the cramping situation is a temporary issue and not a prolonged injury.
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Omar Santos over Jeremy Katzeff, 6-0, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 6 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Katzeff entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 45 Ranked Player. Jeremy: 2 Aces in the 2nd Set; and Omar: 1 Ace in the 2nd Set!
The Stealth Report: We played from 1pm to 2:15. Jeremy had the proper form and shots. He just had too many unforced errors and double faults to make it a closer contest. The lone game that he won was when he broke my serve to start the 2nd Set.
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely reporting (Jeremy offered no additional commentary, but had the same score and Ace details as Omar had) and I congratulate Omar on a highly impressive victory!
We now go to Laurie, Doinks and Timothy for the additional results from Cedar Grove.
Nick Inciong/Rose Inciong over Kris Srinivasan/Laurie Boughton, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of Rose Inciong!
The Latest from Laurie: A good time was had by all. Short and sweet and to the point! : -)
Kris Srinivasan/Natalia Sout over Nick Inciong/Rose Inciong, 7-6 (7-5)! Kris: 1 Ace on Rose!
Kris Srinivasan/Muhammad Haque over Jeff Rozner/Louise Bysiek, 7-6 (7-3)! Kris: 1 Ace on Louise; and Jeff: 1 Ace on Muhammad!
Timothy Wong/Vinci Wong over Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay, 6-2! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of both Timothy Wong and Vinci Wong.
Samara's Notes: Proof positive on how it pays to keep GTA Alumni on the mailing list. Timothy was in NJ visiting his friend Vinci and they had some time to play tennis. Timothy knew where we would be and they seized upon the opportunity. Unfortunately, Timothy was only visiting...so any future appearances from him will remain sporadic. Vinci, however, still works and resides in Clifton...so we hope he will now feel free to join us for more tennis without Timothy in tow.
And that was a very impressive One-Set victory over our reigning GTA Mixed Doubles Champions. The Wongs (not related) did not fare quite as well in the rematch which follows.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Timothy Wong/Vinci Wong, 6-4! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank everyone involved for their contributions to this report. We now go to Bloomfield for the result from Brookdale Park.
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Muhammad Haque over Melvin Hyman, 6-4, 6-3, to become the New # 21 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational! No Aces.
The Mel Man delivers: It was not exactly ideal tennis conditions, but it was a great match. I gave it my all, but Muhammad was just too fast and too strong. Hats off to this good guy and solid young player!
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely reporting (Muhammad offered no additional commentary, but had the same score that Mel had).
We now go to Albion Park in Clifton where we will first hear from Gen about her hitting session with Mike Mole and then we will go to Laura for the lone official result from that session.
Take it away, Gen!
It felt like summer...this is crazy weather! Mike Mole and I hit for a little over an hour (1:45 to 3pm). There was no official action. The park was busy with all the Little League teams getting ready for the season.
Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for that update. And now we turn this report over to the GTA Women's Champion: Laura Gawley for the official action at Albion!
The Albion Park Result:
GTA Women's Doubles Championship Match:
Laura Gawley/Sally Pillay over Fernanda Toker/Louise Bysiek, 6-0, 6-1, to complete their third successful GTA Women's Championship defense of their first reign! No Aces.
The Lowdown from Laura: We were happy to finally get this match scheduled. Fernanda held her serve when they were down 0-4 in the 2nd Set. The wind was a little tricky!
Samara's Notes: I thank Laura for her timely reporting and congratulate her along with Sally on a very dominant victory. I believe that the ladies saw the logjam at Cedar Grove and then changed their plans and moved the match to Albion. I also think it got underway somewhere in the 4 o'clock hour.
The Women's Doubles Champs have now faced the lone obligation they had (which was carried over from last season) and are now free to defend their Titles against any team ranked in the Women's Doubles Division (but are not obligated to do so until May as they have now met their April Rank and/or Title Defense Requirement...so now it is up to them if they choose to once again put their prize on the line).
Meanwhile, the reigning GTA Doubles Champions: Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas and the reigning GTA Mixed Doubles Champions: Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay both have to meet their April requirements.
Each set of championship teams is free to take on any teams provided the challenging team is ranked in their respective divisions as Kuzavas/Kazlauskas are no longer expected to wait for a potential winner to emerge from the still in-progress 2017 Tinseltown Memorial Tournament this month. If and when a winner emerges (and provided it is the Men's Team and not one of the two Women's Teams left in the draw), only at that time would we have a new Top Contender situation.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
"Epic Saturday - 7 Title/Tournament Matches in 6 locations!":
With the weather getting even more summer-like on Saturday (peak temperature over 80 degrees!) than it was on Friday, there were six sessions of GTA Saturday Tennis: the first took place at the Weehawken Waterfront Sports Complex as "A-Bomb" Alex Gero and "NC-17" Nick Caputo got together for their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with Nick reporting).
The second was at Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park as "Bee Gee" Brad Gero and Tim "Tam" Nguyen met for the very first time (much like Alex and Nick above) to face off against one another in their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with both reporting).
The third was at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley as "SWAT" Rich Liu met up with his former co-host of the Meet-Up Groups there, "Kaptain" Keith Lewkowitz, for their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with Rich reporting).
The fourth was a very extended session at The Cedar Grove Courts as that location's action got underway early and featured two more of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Matches: "The Tempest" T.J. Shah versus Umang "Ash" Jain (with Ash reporting) and then "Stealth" Omar Santos versus "J-Kat" Jeremy Katzeff (with both reporting)...plus there was plenty more action from this session as reported by Laurie "Suge Boogie" Boughton, "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan and Former GTA Champion: Timothy Wong, aka "The Legend Killer," who made his surprise return to the league.
The fifth was a late afternoon session at The Brookdale Park Courts in Bloomfield as "The Mel Man" Melvin Hyman and "Diver Down" Muhammad Haque got together for their GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match (with both reporting).
And the sixth session got underway at the Albion Park Courts in Clifton as "Del Brotro" Mike Mole and "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan had an extended hitting session with one another there (with Gen reporting), but then it became the impromptu location of the GTA Women's Doubles Championship Match as the reigning Champions: Laura "The Aura" Gawley and Sally "The Smackdown" Pillay put their Titles on the line against their Top Contenders (the 2017 W-Dub Champs): "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker and Louise "Queen B" Bysiek (with Laura reporting).
In terms of meaningful matches that have an impact on the GTA Rankings, this had to be the most monumental day in the entire history of the league! And it is definitely the greatest amount of locations for GTA play in a single day! This, I'm sure, is only a sign of things to come as the GTA continues to grow to unprecedented proportions.
Doing our best job to keep everything in relative chronological order, we first head out to Weehawken.
The Weehawken Waterfront Sports Complex Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Nick Caputo over Alex Gero, 6-1, 6-1, to become the New # 24 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational! No Aces.
Nick's Notes: We met at 9:30am and started the match soon after. It was a great, hard-fought match with Alex. He is a great guy and a tough competitor. Even though he hasn't been playing tennis all that long, he is very quick on his feet and is like a brick wall in the way he gets everything back. He has also become a true lob expert!
Samara's Notes: I thank Nick for his very timely reporting also and congratulate him on an impressive victory.
We now go to Ridgefield Park for the dual report from Brad and Tim.
The Overpeck Park Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Brad Gero over Tim Nguyen, 6-4, 6-3, to successfully defend his # 26 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Nguyen entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 43 Ranked Player. No Aces.
Brad's Breakdown: We played from about 10am to 12noon. Tim was good competition, but I managed to hold him off and win in straight sets.
Tim's Take: Yes, it was a good match.
Samara's Notes: I thank both of them for their timely reporting and congratulate Brad on his victory.
We now take this report to Nutley.
The Park Ave. Courts Result:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Rich Liu over Keith Lewkowitz, 6-0, 6-4, to successfully defend his # 29 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! No Aces.
The Rich Report: The 2nd Set was very competitive as Keith started to get his groove back. He stepped up his serving and forehand game and the result was a very competitive set with some long, sustained rallies. We had a great time and got in some good exercise on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon. Frank, I thank you for all your efforts in setting up this tournament and running the league.
Samara's Notes: Rich, I thank you for those kind words and also for reporting the result in such a timely fashion. I also congratulate you on a hard-fought victory. I also offer kudos to Keith for a fine effort. The 2nd Set shows that he just started shaking off the rust a bit too late.
We now head up to Cedar Grove for many matches being reported by multiple sources!
The Cedar Grove Results:
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Umang Jain over T.J. Shah, 7-5, 7-5 (T.J. retired while up 5-4 in the 2nd Set due to cramping...here in the GTA, you forfeit the balance of the games in that set), to become both the New # 27 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division and the New # 8 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational! Umang: 2 Aces (one in each set)!
Annotations from Ash: We hit for 10 minutes. We started the match at 11:30 and finished at 1:10. Going into the 1st Set, T.J. won the toss and asked me to serve first. He broke me straight away and then held his serve for a quick 2-0 lead. I then held my serve with an Ace along the way and then broke him to get back on serve at 2-2. From there, it continued on serve until 5-5 where I then held again for 6-5 and then broke T.J. to take the set.
It was very hot, so it took a lot of endurance to then play a second set. In the 2nd Set, T.J. started off aggressively as he broke me twice and held his serve twice to go up 4-0. Then, with the help of another Ace, I held my serve to make it 1-4. He held again for a 5-1 lead. Then, by holding twice and breaking him once, I reduced his lead to 5-4. He was then serving for the match, but got off to a Love-30 start. It was in that second point where picking up a volley, he got really bad cramps in his abdomen and could not continue after that.
Again, it was very hot, so I understand his decision to retire...but I would have loved to finish the match. T.J., it was great to play against you.
Samara's Notes: I thank Ash for his timely and very comprehensive reporting...and also congratulate him on his win. The league is growing so fast, he is another one of several players I've yet to meet in person. I also offer up kudos to T.J. for a spirited effort and hope the cramping situation is a temporary issue and not a prolonged injury.
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Omar Santos over Jeremy Katzeff, 6-0, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 6 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament! In the process, Katzeff entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 45 Ranked Player. Jeremy: 2 Aces in the 2nd Set; and Omar: 1 Ace in the 2nd Set!
The Stealth Report: We played from 1pm to 2:15. Jeremy had the proper form and shots. He just had too many unforced errors and double faults to make it a closer contest. The lone game that he won was when he broke my serve to start the 2nd Set.
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely reporting (Jeremy offered no additional commentary, but had the same score and Ace details as Omar had) and I congratulate Omar on a highly impressive victory!
We now go to Laurie, Doinks and Timothy for the additional results from Cedar Grove.
Nick Inciong/Rose Inciong over Kris Srinivasan/Laurie Boughton, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of Rose Inciong!
The Latest from Laurie: A good time was had by all. Short and sweet and to the point! : -)
Kris Srinivasan/Natalia Sout over Nick Inciong/Rose Inciong, 7-6 (7-5)! Kris: 1 Ace on Rose!
Kris Srinivasan/Muhammad Haque over Jeff Rozner/Louise Bysiek, 7-6 (7-3)! Kris: 1 Ace on Louise; and Jeff: 1 Ace on Muhammad!
Timothy Wong/Vinci Wong over Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay, 6-2! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of both Timothy Wong and Vinci Wong.
Samara's Notes: Proof positive on how it pays to keep GTA Alumni on the mailing list. Timothy was in NJ visiting his friend Vinci and they had some time to play tennis. Timothy knew where we would be and they seized upon the opportunity. Unfortunately, Timothy was only visiting...so any future appearances from him will remain sporadic. Vinci, however, still works and resides in Clifton...so we hope he will now feel free to join us for more tennis without Timothy in tow.
And that was a very impressive One-Set victory over our reigning GTA Mixed Doubles Champions. The Wongs (not related) did not fare quite as well in the rematch which follows.
Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Timothy Wong/Vinci Wong, 6-4! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank everyone involved for their contributions to this report. We now go to Bloomfield for the result from Brookdale Park.
GTA Intermediate Invitational Round of 32 Match:
Muhammad Haque over Melvin Hyman, 6-4, 6-3, to become the New # 21 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational! No Aces.
The Mel Man delivers: It was not exactly ideal tennis conditions, but it was a great match. I gave it my all, but Muhammad was just too fast and too strong. Hats off to this good guy and solid young player!
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely reporting (Muhammad offered no additional commentary, but had the same score that Mel had).
We now go to Albion Park in Clifton where we will first hear from Gen about her hitting session with Mike Mole and then we will go to Laura for the lone official result from that session.
Take it away, Gen!
It felt like summer...this is crazy weather! Mike Mole and I hit for a little over an hour (1:45 to 3pm). There was no official action. The park was busy with all the Little League teams getting ready for the season.
Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for that update. And now we turn this report over to the GTA Women's Champion: Laura Gawley for the official action at Albion!
The Albion Park Result:
GTA Women's Doubles Championship Match:
Laura Gawley/Sally Pillay over Fernanda Toker/Louise Bysiek, 6-0, 6-1, to complete their third successful GTA Women's Championship defense of their first reign! No Aces.
The Lowdown from Laura: We were happy to finally get this match scheduled. Fernanda held her serve when they were down 0-4 in the 2nd Set. The wind was a little tricky!
Samara's Notes: I thank Laura for her timely reporting and congratulate her along with Sally on a very dominant victory. I believe that the ladies saw the logjam at Cedar Grove and then changed their plans and moved the match to Albion. I also think it got underway somewhere in the 4 o'clock hour.
The Women's Doubles Champs have now faced the lone obligation they had (which was carried over from last season) and are now free to defend their Titles against any team ranked in the Women's Doubles Division (but are not obligated to do so until May as they have now met their April Rank and/or Title Defense Requirement...so now it is up to them if they choose to once again put their prize on the line).
Meanwhile, the reigning GTA Doubles Champions: Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas and the reigning GTA Mixed Doubles Champions: Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay both have to meet their April requirements.
Each set of championship teams is free to take on any teams provided the challenging team is ranked in their respective divisions as Kuzavas/Kazlauskas are no longer expected to wait for a potential winner to emerge from the still in-progress 2017 Tinseltown Memorial Tournament this month. If and when a winner emerges (and provided it is the Men's Team and not one of the two Women's Teams left in the draw), only at that time would we have a new Top Contender situation.
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
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