6/14/18:
"4 play at NTC, 4 play (1 New) in BP, Scott-Jordan part of 13 at C.G.!":
There were three sessions of GTA Thursday Night Tennis: an evening one at Nutley Tennis Club as "Hollywood" Frank Samara and "The Riz" John Rizzo teamed together in an effort to help another team qualify for the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament. That team, "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport and "The Lion Tamer" Andrew Ramer, was in the M2 last season (but last year we did not have the pre-qualification provision); there was a concurrent session at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield as "Del Brotro" Mike Mole and "The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis joined forces to aid in yet another team qualifying for the M2. This team is William "Bombs Away" Bobila and his new partner (making his official GTA Debut), "Uncle" Elmer Agapito (reported by both Mike and William); and the third session was an extended one which actually began before the previous two and ended after both...it was the usual evening one at The Cedar Grove Courts with no true host presiding over the festivities. There was a full Challenge Match between "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld and "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff (reported by Scott). We also received results from four other sources: "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon, "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli, "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar and Rizzo (who did double duty and went up to Cedar Grove after the NTC session had ended).
Let's first go to Nutley for the comprehensive match recap, then to Bloomfield and then finally to Cedar Grove for the full report of all the action there.
The NTC Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Dan Praport/Andrew Ramer over Frank Samara/John Rizzo, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 10-2 (STB), as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 74 and # 75 Ranked Teams respectively! It was the official GTA Return of Andrew Ramer. John: 2 Aces on Dan in the 2nd Set!
1st Set: John held serve (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point and the hold), Andrew held (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Game Point, 4th Deuce, Double Fault to Break Point, 5th Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Frank held (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Double Fault for Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold), but Dawn was the first to be broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) for 1-3. Rizzo was broken (30-Love shifted straight to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point again and then the break), but Ramer held again (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) to level the set at 3-3. Samara was broken (Love-30 shifted right to Game Point, but then came Deuce, Break Point and the break) to lose the lead for his team at 3-4. Praport was also broken again and this time around it was at Love to knot the score once more, this time at 4-4! The Riz held (Triple Game Point lead cut to Game Point, but then came the hold) to reclaim the lead for his team at 5-4, but then The Lion Tamer held a third straight time (a Love-15 start shifted straight to Double Game Point and the hold) to keep things alive at 5-5! Hollywood was broken a second straight time (15-Love went right down the tubes to Double Break Point and the break), but then The Speed Demon was broken a third straight time (Love-15, 15-All, then onto Double Break Point and the break) to take us to the Tiebreak! In the Breaker: John held his lone serve, Andrew held both of his and then Frank held his first, but hit a rare Double Fault on his second to make it 2-3! Dan held the first of his two serves for 4-2 at the changeover and then he held his second as well for a 5-2 lead. Rizzo held both of his serves to pull to 4-5, but then Ramer did the same to claim the set with a 7-4 TB score! We began this set on Court Two at 7pm. It ended at 7:45. After a two minute break, we were onto the next set.
2nd Set: John held (15-Love then point for point to 30-All where a sideline Ace against Dan set up Game Point and then came the hold) and then Andrew was broken for the first time (Double Fault set up Triple Break Point, it went to Double Break Point and then came the break) for a 0-2 start for his team. Frank held (30-Love shifted to 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) and Dan was broken yet again (and at Love for the second time) after getting things started with a Double Fault! Rizzo held yet again (15-Love, 15-All where another sideline Ace against Dan set up 30-15, it then went to Double Game Point, then got reduced to Deuce, but then came another Game Point and the hold) for a commanding 5-0 lead! Ramer held (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point and the hold) to get his team on the board in this set and then Samara was broken (15-Love went right to Double Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 5-2. But Praport still couldn't hold serve (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break/Set Point and the break) and suddenly the match was evened up as this set ended at 8:10 (a 23 minute set)! As we were rapidly losing daylight and a full match needed to be played in order to get Praport/Ramer ranked in the Doubles Division and qualified for the M2, we opted for the 10-Point Super Tiebreak (began at 8:11).
STB: John was broken on his lone serve while Andrew held both of his and Frank was broken on both of his as his team got off to a 0-5 start! Dan held the first of his two serves for 6-0 at the changeover and then he held his second for a commanding 7-0 lead! Rizzo held the first of his two serves to get his team on the board in the STB, but was then broken on his second for 1-8. Ramer held the first of his two serves to take a 9-1 lead and set up the first of what could have been many Match Points. He was broken on his second serve for 9-2 and the 2nd M.P., but then Samara was broken and it was over at 10-2! The match ended at exactly 8:16 as the STB lasted only 5 minutes (some recent ones have gone as long as 15 minutes).
The Skinny: Each team was like a "Tale of Two Cities," or more accurately, a "Tale of Two Players!" John and Andrew are both members of Nutley Tennis Club and regular players there. Frank plays there infrequently and irregularly (same thing, I guess...LOL!) and Dan was just outright rusty (the playing surface would not have mattered) as he had last played in The Wayne Bubble back in December. Rizzo and Ramer, "The Clay Boys," each carried the load for their respective teams while Samara and Praport were both erratic. Dan had the most unforced errors overall and never held serve, but it is interesting to note that he was able to hold when necessary in both the 1st Set Tiebreak and the Super Tiebreak. He was also quite the force at net as Andrew would serve big out wide to Frank's backhand (Samara was in his usual return position on the Ad court side) which would only allow a reach of a return to sail to Praport who was waiting at the net with the short put-away volley. This was their team's most effective play as it won just enough points for their team to eke by and get the win. Ramer has a solid game overall...a lot of height and reach which helps with overheads plus solid strokes from both sides (a very effective two-handed backhand is perhaps even more noteworthy than his forehand...though that shot is also very solid). If Praport can shake off the rust in time for the tourney, they will be a tough out in the M2.
And now we shift west (one town over) to Bloomfield.
The Brookdale Park Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
William Bobila/Elmer Agapito over Mike Mole/Dino Celis, 7-5, 6-4, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 76 and # 77 Ranked Teams respectively! It was the official GTA Debut of Elmer Agapito. No Aces.
The Mole Memo: We played from 7:30 to 9:30. It was a fun match with so many Deuce games! My serve failed me tonight...haha!
The Word from William: We played from 8pm to 9:40 (including the warm-up session). It was a very close match as the lead kept on changing. We thank Mike and Dino for playing with us on such short notice in order to allow us to qualify for the tournament.
Samara's Notes: I think Mike and William were looking at different clocks...LOL! Anyway, it is nice to have William back in the mix (same goes for Dan and Andrew above at NTC) and we now welcome Elmer to the league.
And now we shift west again, this time from Bloomfield to Cedar Grove.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Chazz Weldon over Jay Phoenix, 7-5! No Aces. This One-Setter was played from 5:30 to 6:30.
3 out of 5 Sets Challenge Match:
Scott Bergenfeld over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, to successfully defend his # 6 Rank in the Advanced Division! Jordan: 2 Aces (1 in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd Set); and Scott: 1 Ace in the 2nd Set!
The Skinny from Scott: It was a competitive match. A lot of unforced errors from both sides, as usual. We both need to stay focused and make the necessary shots.
Dan Martinelli/Natalia Sout over Joe Rodrigues/Sachiko Tokuda, 6-1! No Aces.
The Spin from Spin: Nat gets Spin a win! At first, it looked like the foursome was going to be Natalia, Sachiko, Joe and Syed Rashid. However, Court One needed another player. Joe and Syed discussed who would play and it seemed that they could not make up their minds. I did a quick "eeny, meeny, miney moe" and it was Syed who was sent over to Court One. With my ongoing disability, we paired Natalia and Spin against Sachiko and Joe. Everyone played well and it was a fun set. The duration was about 28 minutes. Natalia rose to the occasion and covered the court beautifully knowing her partner has limited mobility. I want to thank Natalia, Sachiko and Joe for playing with the "lame" one. Be sure it was much appreciated by yours truly. It was great to be back!
Nick Inciong/Tony Tokuda over Senthil Kumar/Syed Rashid, 6-2! No Aces.
Nick Inciong/Syed Rashid over Jordan Bachvaroff/Senthil Kumar, 7-5! No Aces.
Nick Inciong/Syed Rashid over Senthil Kumar/John Rizzo, 7-5! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank everyone for their very timely reporting. As always, it is greatly appreciated! It is also good to see that the man known simply as "Spin" was able to get back out onto the courts again.
Best wishes,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
"4 play at NTC, 4 play (1 New) in BP, Scott-Jordan part of 13 at C.G.!":
There were three sessions of GTA Thursday Night Tennis: an evening one at Nutley Tennis Club as "Hollywood" Frank Samara and "The Riz" John Rizzo teamed together in an effort to help another team qualify for the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament. That team, "The Speed Demon" Dan Praport and "The Lion Tamer" Andrew Ramer, was in the M2 last season (but last year we did not have the pre-qualification provision); there was a concurrent session at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield as "Del Brotro" Mike Mole and "The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis joined forces to aid in yet another team qualifying for the M2. This team is William "Bombs Away" Bobila and his new partner (making his official GTA Debut), "Uncle" Elmer Agapito (reported by both Mike and William); and the third session was an extended one which actually began before the previous two and ended after both...it was the usual evening one at The Cedar Grove Courts with no true host presiding over the festivities. There was a full Challenge Match between "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld and "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff (reported by Scott). We also received results from four other sources: "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon, "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli, "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar and Rizzo (who did double duty and went up to Cedar Grove after the NTC session had ended).
Let's first go to Nutley for the comprehensive match recap, then to Bloomfield and then finally to Cedar Grove for the full report of all the action there.
The NTC Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Dan Praport/Andrew Ramer over Frank Samara/John Rizzo, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 10-2 (STB), as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 74 and # 75 Ranked Teams respectively! It was the official GTA Return of Andrew Ramer. John: 2 Aces on Dan in the 2nd Set!
1st Set: John held serve (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point and the hold), Andrew held (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Game Point, 4th Deuce, Double Fault to Break Point, 5th Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Frank held (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, Double Fault for Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold), but Dawn was the first to be broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) for 1-3. Rizzo was broken (30-Love shifted straight to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point again and then the break), but Ramer held again (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) to level the set at 3-3. Samara was broken (Love-30 shifted right to Game Point, but then came Deuce, Break Point and the break) to lose the lead for his team at 3-4. Praport was also broken again and this time around it was at Love to knot the score once more, this time at 4-4! The Riz held (Triple Game Point lead cut to Game Point, but then came the hold) to reclaim the lead for his team at 5-4, but then The Lion Tamer held a third straight time (a Love-15 start shifted straight to Double Game Point and the hold) to keep things alive at 5-5! Hollywood was broken a second straight time (15-Love went right down the tubes to Double Break Point and the break), but then The Speed Demon was broken a third straight time (Love-15, 15-All, then onto Double Break Point and the break) to take us to the Tiebreak! In the Breaker: John held his lone serve, Andrew held both of his and then Frank held his first, but hit a rare Double Fault on his second to make it 2-3! Dan held the first of his two serves for 4-2 at the changeover and then he held his second as well for a 5-2 lead. Rizzo held both of his serves to pull to 4-5, but then Ramer did the same to claim the set with a 7-4 TB score! We began this set on Court Two at 7pm. It ended at 7:45. After a two minute break, we were onto the next set.
2nd Set: John held (15-Love then point for point to 30-All where a sideline Ace against Dan set up Game Point and then came the hold) and then Andrew was broken for the first time (Double Fault set up Triple Break Point, it went to Double Break Point and then came the break) for a 0-2 start for his team. Frank held (30-Love shifted to 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) and Dan was broken yet again (and at Love for the second time) after getting things started with a Double Fault! Rizzo held yet again (15-Love, 15-All where another sideline Ace against Dan set up 30-15, it then went to Double Game Point, then got reduced to Deuce, but then came another Game Point and the hold) for a commanding 5-0 lead! Ramer held (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point and the hold) to get his team on the board in this set and then Samara was broken (15-Love went right to Double Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 5-2. But Praport still couldn't hold serve (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break/Set Point and the break) and suddenly the match was evened up as this set ended at 8:10 (a 23 minute set)! As we were rapidly losing daylight and a full match needed to be played in order to get Praport/Ramer ranked in the Doubles Division and qualified for the M2, we opted for the 10-Point Super Tiebreak (began at 8:11).
STB: John was broken on his lone serve while Andrew held both of his and Frank was broken on both of his as his team got off to a 0-5 start! Dan held the first of his two serves for 6-0 at the changeover and then he held his second for a commanding 7-0 lead! Rizzo held the first of his two serves to get his team on the board in the STB, but was then broken on his second for 1-8. Ramer held the first of his two serves to take a 9-1 lead and set up the first of what could have been many Match Points. He was broken on his second serve for 9-2 and the 2nd M.P., but then Samara was broken and it was over at 10-2! The match ended at exactly 8:16 as the STB lasted only 5 minutes (some recent ones have gone as long as 15 minutes).
The Skinny: Each team was like a "Tale of Two Cities," or more accurately, a "Tale of Two Players!" John and Andrew are both members of Nutley Tennis Club and regular players there. Frank plays there infrequently and irregularly (same thing, I guess...LOL!) and Dan was just outright rusty (the playing surface would not have mattered) as he had last played in The Wayne Bubble back in December. Rizzo and Ramer, "The Clay Boys," each carried the load for their respective teams while Samara and Praport were both erratic. Dan had the most unforced errors overall and never held serve, but it is interesting to note that he was able to hold when necessary in both the 1st Set Tiebreak and the Super Tiebreak. He was also quite the force at net as Andrew would serve big out wide to Frank's backhand (Samara was in his usual return position on the Ad court side) which would only allow a reach of a return to sail to Praport who was waiting at the net with the short put-away volley. This was their team's most effective play as it won just enough points for their team to eke by and get the win. Ramer has a solid game overall...a lot of height and reach which helps with overheads plus solid strokes from both sides (a very effective two-handed backhand is perhaps even more noteworthy than his forehand...though that shot is also very solid). If Praport can shake off the rust in time for the tourney, they will be a tough out in the M2.
And now we shift west (one town over) to Bloomfield.
The Brookdale Park Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
William Bobila/Elmer Agapito over Mike Mole/Dino Celis, 7-5, 6-4, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 76 and # 77 Ranked Teams respectively! It was the official GTA Debut of Elmer Agapito. No Aces.
The Mole Memo: We played from 7:30 to 9:30. It was a fun match with so many Deuce games! My serve failed me tonight...haha!
The Word from William: We played from 8pm to 9:40 (including the warm-up session). It was a very close match as the lead kept on changing. We thank Mike and Dino for playing with us on such short notice in order to allow us to qualify for the tournament.
Samara's Notes: I think Mike and William were looking at different clocks...LOL! Anyway, it is nice to have William back in the mix (same goes for Dan and Andrew above at NTC) and we now welcome Elmer to the league.
And now we shift west again, this time from Bloomfield to Cedar Grove.
The Cedar Grove Results:
Chazz Weldon over Jay Phoenix, 7-5! No Aces. This One-Setter was played from 5:30 to 6:30.
3 out of 5 Sets Challenge Match:
Scott Bergenfeld over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, to successfully defend his # 6 Rank in the Advanced Division! Jordan: 2 Aces (1 in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd Set); and Scott: 1 Ace in the 2nd Set!
The Skinny from Scott: It was a competitive match. A lot of unforced errors from both sides, as usual. We both need to stay focused and make the necessary shots.
Dan Martinelli/Natalia Sout over Joe Rodrigues/Sachiko Tokuda, 6-1! No Aces.
The Spin from Spin: Nat gets Spin a win! At first, it looked like the foursome was going to be Natalia, Sachiko, Joe and Syed Rashid. However, Court One needed another player. Joe and Syed discussed who would play and it seemed that they could not make up their minds. I did a quick "eeny, meeny, miney moe" and it was Syed who was sent over to Court One. With my ongoing disability, we paired Natalia and Spin against Sachiko and Joe. Everyone played well and it was a fun set. The duration was about 28 minutes. Natalia rose to the occasion and covered the court beautifully knowing her partner has limited mobility. I want to thank Natalia, Sachiko and Joe for playing with the "lame" one. Be sure it was much appreciated by yours truly. It was great to be back!
Nick Inciong/Tony Tokuda over Senthil Kumar/Syed Rashid, 6-2! No Aces.
Nick Inciong/Syed Rashid over Jordan Bachvaroff/Senthil Kumar, 7-5! No Aces.
Nick Inciong/Syed Rashid over Senthil Kumar/John Rizzo, 7-5! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank everyone for their very timely reporting. As always, it is greatly appreciated! It is also good to see that the man known simply as "Spin" was able to get back out onto the courts again.
Best wishes,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
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