8/3/18:
"Shiao-Celis at VP, W2 and Toker-Wang part of 8 at C.G.!":
There were two official sessions of GTA Friday Night Tennis: there was one at the Verona Park Courts featuring a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match between Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao and "The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis (with both reporting); and then there was the usual one at the Cedar Grove Courts and it featured the second of the two W2 Round of 6 Matches between the teams of Former GTA Women's Champ: Laura "The Aura" Gawley/Natalia "Nitro" Sout and "The Shade Shark" Suzanne Bujara/"The Olympian" Marie Salamon (with Suzanne, Marie and Laura all reporting) and then the GAH8 Final/GTA Women's Championship Match between "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker and "J-Wow" Janice Wang (with both reporting). "The Riz" John Rizzo was the other contributor to this report from that session.
Rains earlier in the day likely diminished turnout at the Cedar Grove session…and also likely curtailed plans for other sessions…still, it was an epic night of GTA action…so let's get down to business right now!
The Verona Park Courts Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Tony Shiao over Dino Celis, 6-0, 7-5, to successfully defend his # 6 Rank in the Advanced Division! No Aces.
The Sure Shot from Shiao: Dino and I met at Verona Park at 8pm to play a match. It was extremely humid and we probably were weighed down by 5 additional pounds playing in wet clothes. In the 1st Set I went hard on my forehands and I had to take advantage as Dino was still getting into the groove. The 2nd Set we were trading games up until 5-5 and Dino's one-handed backhand was on point and with great pace. We both played hard and it is always a fun and competitive match against Dino. Looking forward to playing a rematch soon!
The Details from Dino: We played until 9:45. Despite the score, it was a very long match...and it was very hot and humid that night!
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their very timely and detailed reporting. I also congratulate Tony on an impressive victory.
Time to move one town north to Cedar Grove for the rest of what took place on Friday night!
The Cedar Grove Results:
W2 Round of 6 Match:
Natalia Sout/Laura Gawley over Suzanne Bujara/Marie Salamon, 6-0, 6-0, to advance to the Semifinals of the W2 Women's Doubles Tournament as both teams entered the Women's Doubles Division as the New # 17 and # 18 Ranked Teams respectively! No Aces.
The News from The Suze: Thanks to Marie for partnering with a novice and unknown player (me). And, thanks to our opponents, Laura and Natalia for sweeping the rain and debris from the courts prior to the match. That's super dedication!
The Memo from Marie: Suzanne, likewise, I thank you for being my partner. I liked your shots. The form is good and the shots are pure and natural. I see you becoming a good player once you get experience and play more often. We will do better next time and have more fun.
To Laura and Natalia, congratulations on your win! And, Laura, you were lethal at the net and actually a solid server and a good all-court player. It's always a pleasure to play with you. And, as Suzanne mentioned it, ladies I thank you also for sweeping the courts. They looked to be in mint condition. Good luck in your next rounds!
The Lowdown from Laura: Thanks, Suzanne and Marie, you both played some great points! It was a lot of fun! Thanks to Suzanne for coming early for the puddle removal.
Samara's Notes: I thank all three of the ladies above for their very timely and even more comprehensive reporting. Despite the lopsided score, it seems all involved had much fun. And that is the main reason (or, at least it should be) why we all play tennis.
GAH8 Final/GTA Women's Championship Match:
Janice Wang over Fernanda Toker, 6-2, 6-4, to become both the New GTA Women's Champion and the 2018 GAH8 Champ! No Aces.
Toker's Take: In the 2nd Set, I was up 4-2 and 30-Love, but I couldn't hold my lead. The match was a lot closer than the score indicates. We had tons of Deuces in most of the games and the match lasted 2-1/2 hours. The first game of the 2nd Set had about 15 Deuces!
I just want to congratulate Janice. She played awesome! I'm so proud of her. She barely missed a shot. She improved a lot from last year and that's why I chose her as my partner! I knew this would be a hard match for me...and, before we started, I asked her to take it easy on me but she had no pity for me! LOL!
The Gist from Janice: So humid a night! We started a little bit after 7:30 and finished around 9:45.
Samara's Notes: First, I thank Fernanda and Janice for their very timely and detailed reporting. I offer Fernanda kudos on a fine effort. I must now join Fernanda in congratulating Janice on this very impressive victory! And I concur with Fernanda when she talked about Janice's improvement...because as of right now she's the lead candidate for Most Improved Women's Player of The Year at season's end. And if she can hold onto the GTA Women's Championship, she will be the Women's Player of The Year as well.
Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over John Rizzo/Laura Gawley, 7-5! No Aces.
The Riz Report: We led 4-Love before Nate and Natalia made a great comeback! The set lasted 90 minutes and was a lot of fun!
Samara's Notes: I thank John and everyone else again who contributed to this report in such a timely manner. As always, it is greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Frank Samara
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