7/11/18:
"2 in MP, Jay-Dan K. in RP, Adam-Tim at W.P., Janice-Doinks at VHS, Ryan-Joe and MXD2 plus 2 in BP, M2 plus 10 at C.G.!":
There were six official sessions of GTA Wednesday Tennis with the first one coming early in the morning and the rest of them over the course of the evening: the first one was at the Mountainside Park Courts in Montclair as "Samson of Seasons" Sam Wong and Carl "Buster" Brownson got together for what ended up being a couple of One-Setters (after they split sets, they had no time to play a third to make it a full Challenge Match…with Carl reporting); then in the early evening it was the "Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match between Jay "The Rising" Phoenix and "The Dark Knight" Dan Knitzer played at Riverside Park in Lyndhurst (with Jay reporting); another session in the early evening in Rose Park in Woodland Park as it was another "Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match featuring the Top Seed, "The Apex Predator" Adam Pienciak going up against "TNT" Tim Nguyen (with both reporting); another session that started in the early evening but went pretty late was the GAH8 Semifinal Match between "J-Wow" Janice Wang and "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan at the Verona High School Courts (with Doinks reporting); an evening session at the Brookdale Park Courts in Bloomfield that featured yet another "Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match – this one between "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak and "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues (with Ryan reporting) and also the MXD2 Semifinal Match between the teams, "Daddy O" Paul Daddio/"The Archetype" Arlene Hyde and "NC-17" Nick Caputo/Fadia "Finesse" Nicolas (with Nick reporting) and other action there as well (via Ryan and "The Riz" John Rizzo); and finally the usual evening session at The Cedar Grove Courts which featured the M2 Quarterfinal Match between the teams, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro/"Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar/Frank "Hydro" Hohorst (with Chris reporting) and other action there as well (via Chris, "Bravo" Brenda Jordan, "Dominant" Dawn Peterson and "The Icon" Nick Inciong).
As one can easily see, it was truly an epic day in the history of the GTA! Let's try to tackle all the above in that chronological order which I believe to be as true as can be based on how it was all reported to me.
First we go to Montclair in the morning.
The Mountainside Park Courts Results:
Sam Wong over Carl Brownson, 6-4! Carl: 1 Ace!
Carl's Commentary: I went up an early break for 2-0, but Sam stormed back to take it.
Carl Brownson over Sam Wong, 6-2! No Aces.
Carl's Commentary: Some fatigue (on Sam's part) may have played a role here. We decided not to play a 3rd Set as we were both a little worn out and pressed for time. So we'll call these two One-Setters instead of it being the start of a Challenge Match. Sam's got a fun, aggressive style, and it was fun to play him.
Samara's Notes: I thank Carl for his very timely reporting. Maybe he will get a chance to play a full Challenge Match this Friday before he leaves for his vacation.
We now head east (and into the evening) to Lyndhurst for the first of three "Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Matches played on this day.
The Riverside Park Courts Result:
"Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match:
Dan Knitzer over Jay Phoenix, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, to become both the New # 18 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division and the New # 2 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while advancing to the Round of 16 of the 21st Annual Grove Cup Men's Singles Tournament! Dan: 3 Aces; and Jay: 1 Ace!
Jay has his say: We played from 6:30 to 8pm.
Samara's Notes: I thank Jay for his timely reporting. It is greatly appreciated. I also congratulate Dan on a hard-fought and impressive victory.
We now head west to Woodland Park for the second "Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match.
The Rose Park Courts Result:
"Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match:
Adam Pienciak over Tim Nguyen, 6-0, 6-0, to successfully defend his # 2 Rank in the Advanced Division while advancing to the Round of 16 of the 21st Annual Grove Cup Men's Singles Tournament!
From the AP: It was a beautiful night despite it being a bit more humid than expected. We had a few great games with one going to six Deuces and another going to four.
Tim's Up: Adam is a strong opponent, has great serves and he played really well. He won all the games easily. Thanks, Adam, it was fun!
We now head south to Verona for an epic match in the GAH8 Women's Singles Tournament.
The VHS Result:
GAH8 Semifinal Match:
Janice Wang over Doinks Srinivasan, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, to successfully defend her # 2 Rank in the Women's Division while advancing to the Finals of the 8th Annual Gail-ann Hamilton Memorial Women's Singles Tournament! No Aces.
The Details from Doinks: The 1st Set was all Janice just hitting cleanly. I was making too many mistakes trying to hit the ball deep and the balls ended up going out all the time.
In the 2nd Set I tried to hit the ball a bit differently to put more topspin on it so it drops on the baseline. Janice also started getting more conservative with her strokes and started making more errors than in the previous set.
I was down 2-4 in the 3rd Set and managed to hold my serve for 3-4. I then broke Janice's serve to level the score at 4-All. I had several chances to break her serve again, but couldn't convert them. Janice was just more consistent. She broke my serve to win the match.
I think we played from 6:20 to 8:42 (just shy of 2-1/2 hours)! Congratulations to Janice for a well played match! She was definitely a level better than me on this night.
Samara's Notes: I thank Doinks for her very timely and very comprehensive reporting. Despite the loss, I believe Doinks to be in the lead thus far this season for Most Improved Women's Player of the Year. And major kudos to Janice on a hard-fought and impressive victory! This very well may end up being a Nominee for Women's Singles Match of The Year at season's end. Janice now waits in the Finals for the winner of the other Semi – "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker versus "Automatic" Anna Mazur.
We now go north just a bit to Bloomfield for all the epic action from Brookdale Park, starting with the third and final "Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match of the night.
The Brookdale Park Courts Results:
"Grove Cup 21" Round of 32 Match:
Ryan Pienciak over Joe Rodrigues, 6-1, 6-3, to successfully defend his # 11 Rank in the Advanced Division while advancing to the Round of 16 of the 21st Annual Grove Cup Men's Singles Tournament! No Aces.
The Ryan Report: We started at 7:45. It was really humid and hard to breathe. Joe really stepped it up in the 2nd Set. He hit many wicked-angled forehand winners. I was really struggling for a bit. Then, at 3-3, I finally held serve to pull ahead.
MXD2 Semifinal Match:
Nick Caputo/Fadia Nicolas over Paul Daddio/Arlene Hyde, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-4, to become the New # 3 Ranked Team in the Mixed Doubles Division while advancing to the Finals of the MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament! No Aces.
The NC-17 Screening: We started around 7:30 and finished just before 10pm. I really enjoyed playing some great tennis with these fine people. Fadia and I got out of the gate quickly cruising to a 6-2 win in the 1st Set. Paul and Arlene then turned it up in the 2nd Set, winning it in a Tiebreak (7-5)! We were at 3-3 in the 3rd Set when Fadia held and we were able to break Arlene to go up 5-3. I was serving for the match, but was broken to make it 5-4. We were then able to break Paul to secure the 3rd Set. Hot, humid, great points and a lot of fun!
Adam Pienciak/John Rizzo over Ryan Pienciak/Joe Rodrigues, 6-1! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank Ryan, Nick and John for the results. I wholeheartedly congratulate the winners, but also offer major kudos to their opponents who all mustered a fine effort. And as we speak of fine effort, this MXD2 Semi looks like a likely Nominee for Mixed Doubles Match of The Year at season's end. Caputo/Nicolas now wait in the Finals for the winners to emerge from the other Semi – Chris Chiaro/Laura "The Aura" Gawley versus "The Adonis" Don Moya/Janice Wang.
We now head just slightly west to Cedar Grove for a combo of results from Brenda/Dawn, Chris and Nick Inciong.
The Cedar Grove Results:
2 out of 3 Sets Women's Doubles Match:
Brenda Jordan/Dawn Peterson over Kathy Sheldon/Michele Panzitta, 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 17-15 (STB)! Once they went to the Super Tiebreak, the # 4 Team Ranking of Sheldon/Panzitta was no longer on the line. No Aces.
The Bravo Breakdown: It was a very long Super Tiebreaker and it was a lot of fun!
Samara's Notes: The bad news for Brenda and Dawn is that they do not move up in the ranks. The good news for all involved is that they may have very well have participated in a future Nominee for Women's Doubles Match of The Year with an epic STB score like that!
M2 Quarterfinal Match:
Chris Chiaro/Nathan Fernandes over Senthil Kumar/Frank Hohorst, 6-0, 6-0, to successfully defend their # 12 Rank in the Doubles Division while advancing to the Semifinals of the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament! No Aces.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Chris Chiaro/Mike Sindler, 6-3! No Aces.
Kyle Eng/Nick Inciong over Abhilash Gadi/Tito Castolo, 6-3! No Aces.
Kyle Eng/Nick Inciong tied with Abhilash Gadi/Tito Castolo, 5-5 (Incomplete when lights went out at 10pm)! No Aces.
Samara's Notes: I thank everyone for their very timely reporting. As always, it is greatly appreciated. And major congratulations to Chris and Nate on such a dominant win! Senthil and Frank H. are certainly no pushovers…so a double-bagel is quite the accomplishment, indeed! Next up for Chiaro/Fernandes in the Semis will be Adam Pienciak and "Teej" T.J. Shah.
What a monumental day of GTA action it was! Again, I thank all those that were part of it. And when they send in their results in the timely manner in which they did (along with all the great details), it makes my job that much easier. Kudos to all involved!
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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