9/23/18:
"44 play (7 New, 2 Return) at NTC, Abhi-Dan K. at PAC, Scott-J'Rod at C.G.!":
There were three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis and one of them was a big one while the other two featured Singles Challenge Matches...one of which would have a major impact on the league!
The first one to get underway was "the big one" as it was the second tennis party/BBQ session at Nutley Tennis Club (aka NTC) this season (the first one was held back on August 5th). It was at the invitation of both "Bionic" Bo Folchi and "Dynamic Dee" Denise Savino (both NTC players and Board Members). As it was with the previous NTC event, the party was organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo. But before we get to all the details of how that event unfolded, let's first briefly address the other two sessions of the day.
Also in Nutley, but getting started in the early evening (just as the action was starting to wind down at NTC), "The Accelerator" Abhilash Gadi and "The Dark Knight" got together for their East-West Challenge Singles Match (with both reporting). Coming into this match, Team West held a 4-3 lead over Team East. The first collective to get to a total of seven points will win the series (though we will play it out to its proper 13 total points conclusion).
The other session was up at The Cedar Grove Courts as, during the day, "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld issued an Open Challenge to the league to try to motivate some players to go to Cedar Grove. One player answered the call and that man was "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues. It led to them playing an impromptu Challenge Match (with both reporting).
We will now detail how everything transpired at Nutley Tennis Club and we will repeat the description of NTC as we first reported it for the August 5th event.
NTC features five red clay courts and nice deck with two grilles for a BBQ. The deck is adjacent to (and connected to) the Clubhouse. To try to paint a mental picture for those who have yet to see or visit Nutley Tennis Club, there are a couple of steps down from the Clubhouse section of deck (almost like a big open porch) to Court One...so that is the "Show Court." Go up a slight incline of grass to Court Two. Courts One and Two are separated by a fence from Courts Three, Four and Five.
Court Three ramps down from Court Two. Court Four is between Courts Three and Five and the decline from Court Three to Court Four is fairly steep. Then, the decline from Four to Five is only slight. So, in essence, there is almost a circular pattern to the way the courts are laid out on the grounds of the Club. The setting is very private as it is at the end of a dead end street (Maple Place) and then there is a long driveway that leads to the property which borders a substantial section of trees which separate it from the park that runs just about the entire length of Nutley.
Of course, an event such as this cannot be one where we publicize it to the entire league in the form of a group-wide e-mail (i.e. a blanket invitation). It took careful planning and some list limiting because as John was inviting his usual invitees (those from his Night Owls groups at The Bubble and then those who were regular attendees of the Friday Night Bubble Parties), we also sought to include some NTC Members who have either had some past affiliation with the GTA or where they perhaps acquired knowledge (and perhaps some interest) of it. Some may have simply been more attracted to the BBQ aspect of it.
While John (with help from Bo and Denise) was the overall event host, "Hollywood" Frank Samara served as the host in the traditional sense of collecting all the scores along the way. Rizzo and Samara worked together in the setting of the matches. Unlike the APC event where we let some results (if they featured strictly APC members/players) fall by the wayside and go unrecorded, at this outing we collected every result along the way.
Much thanks to Bo and Dee for accommodating the event as it went along. The session ran from 1pm to almost total darkness (at Nutley Tennis Club, there are no lights there). Also, kudos to John who did double-duty by putting together the vast majority of the matches and manning the grille. He even managed to play a Doubles One-Setter near the end of the session (as was the case for Samara as well).
The previous session at NTC on August 5th featured 47 official competitors (just six of which were new and making their official GTA Debut). This time around, we had three less players overall (a total of 44), but one extra (seven) playing for the first time in our league!
We thank all those competitors who withstood the heat to be part of what was surely another epic session in the history of this league.
We now go to a lengthy list of results from the Nutley Tennis Club!
The NTC Results:
Tim Nguyen/Mike Sindler over David Wong/Vivian Lee, 6-0! No Aces. The first official action of the day got underway on Court Two at 1:20 and was over by 1:40.
Marty Goldstein/Nobuko Okabe over Denise Savino/Judy Quigley, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of both Marty Goldstein and Judy Quigley. This was an all-members (of the NTC) match played on Court Five from 1:25 to 2pm.
Edgar Inclan/Fadia Nicolas over Nick Caputo/Nicole Caputo, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Nicole Caputo. This Mixed Doubles action was worthy of "The Show Court" (aka Court One) and it lasted from 1:30 to 2:05. The Caputos jumped out to a 3-1 lead only to then drop five straight games to take a tough loss!
Bo Folchi/Pat McNamara over Paul Daddio/Jane McNamara, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of both Pat McNamara and Jane McNamara. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Four from 1:35 to 2pm. Pat is an NTC member, but I'm not sure if her younger sister Jane is (though I doubt it).
Frank Hohorst/Dolores Krazanowski over Laurie Boughton/Sagarika Ramanan, 6-1! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of Sagarika Ramanan. This one got going on Court Three at 1:45 and ended by 2:05. Dolores is an NTC member (as is Laurie). Sagarika (aka Saga) is a friend of Fadia's and will likely be playing more with us in the future.
Dino Celis/David Wong over Senthil Kumar/Vivian Lee, 6-4! No Aces. Court Two hosted this action from 1:50 to 2:30.
Fadia Nicolas/Sagarika Ramanan over Pat McNamara/Jane McNamara, 6-2! Fadia: 1 Ace! This Women's Doubles action took place on Court Five and lasted from 2:10 to 2:40 as Fadia and Saga were just a bit too much for the McNamara Sisters.
Nick Caputo/Nicole Caputo over Bo Folchi/Denise Savino, 7-5! Nick: 1 Ace on Bo (a heater that kicked off the back edge of the service-line tape)! This excellent Mixed Doubles action (perhaps the best of the entire session) proved to be more than worthy of "The Show Court" (aka Court One). It lasted from 2:10 to 2:50.
The Skinny: It started to seem like a case of "The Mutual Admiration Society" as Nick marveled at the amazing 66 year old Bo (a former 7-Time GTA Champion) for his movement on the court and especially his shot-making ability (his inside-out forehand, in particular) while Bo went into recruiting mode as he salivated at the thought of having a player of Nick's caliber at NTC. Let's not leave out the ladies as Nicole was highly impressive considering the fact that she only played with us once earlier this season (many months ago) and then not for close to 20 years prior to that! And while Mr. Folchi certainly still lives up to the "Bionic Bo" moniker, Ms. Savino is also quite worthy to be "Dynamic Dee" as she is a veritable volley machine up at the net. Good stuff all around!
Sam Wong/Nobuko Okabe over Joe Renga/Marie Salamon, 6-2! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Four from 2:15 to 2:35.
The Skinny: Just an FYI, there is no relation between Sam Wong and David Wong.
Frank Hohorst/Mark Cipollini over Paul Daddio/Mike Sindler, 6-4! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Mark Cipollini. Court Three hosted this action from 2:15 to 3pm.
William Bobila/Edgar Inclan over Tim Nguyen/Sam Wong, 6-1! No Aces. They played this one on Court Five from 2:45 to 3:05.
Kyle Eng/Nicole Fredericks over Vinnie LaSalle/Sue Fredericks, 6-2! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of both Nicole Fredericks and Vinnie LaSalle. This Mixed Doubles action occupied Court Two from 2:45 to 3:20.
The Skinny: Nicole is the daughter of Sue and Rob Fredericks and Vinnie is their longtime friend...but he is also good friends with Nick Caputo and he is the brother of Mark LaSalle who had played with us one time (a "Bubblepalooza" event at The Wayne Bubble in early 2017). Both Vinnie and Mark are very likely to play more with us in the future.
Matt Fortunato/Marty Goldstein over Kevin Doyle/Robin Wilson, 7-5! No Aces. This took place on Court Four and lasted from 2:45 to 3:45...exactly one hour long! The last game went to 8 Deuces!
Arlene Hyde/Sagarika Ramanan over Laurie Boughton/Fadia Nicolas, 6-3! Saga: 1 Ace on Laurie! This Women's Doubles action stole the show on Court One from 2:55 to 3:25.
Senthil Kumar/Vivian Lee over Nick Inciong/Marie Salamon, 6-3! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Three and lasted from 3:05 to 3:50.
Dolores Krazanowski/Jane McNamara over Nobuko Okabe/Pat McNamara, 6-1! No Aces. Court Five hosted this Women's Doubles action from 3:15 to 4pm.
Dino Celis/Janice Wang over Frank Hohorst/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! Frank: 1 Ace on Doinks! This Mixed Doubles action occupied Court Two from 3:25 to 4pm.
Dan Hwang/Vinnie LaSalle over William Bobila/Edgar Inclan, 6-2! No Aces. The show must go on and on it did go on Court One from 3:35 to 3:55...basically the length of a sitcom with the commercials removed!
Tim Nguyen/David Wong over Sam Wong/Joe Renga, 6-2! No Aces. These four played on Court Four from 3:50 to 4:15.
Bo Folchi/Denise Savino over Rob Fredericks/Sue Fredericks, 6-2! No Aces. This all-NTC Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Three from 4pm to 4:35.
Janice Wang/Marie Salamon over Doinks Srinivasan/Vivian Lee, 6-4! No Aces. Women's Doubles had its say on Court Two from 4:05 to 4:45.
Nick Inciong/Arlene Hyde over Kyle Eng/Nicole Fredericks, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. Another excellent showing of Mixed Doubles action on display on Court One as this one got underway at 4:05. Not sure when it ended as I was already in action on Court Five at that time...meaning it ended sometime after 5pm. So it had to be close to an hour long if not longer!
Senthil Kumar/Vinnie LaSalle over Dan Hwang/Frank Hohorst, 6-4! No Aces. Court Five hosted this one from 4:10 to 4:45. Hwang/Hohorst were down 0-4 before tying it up at 4-All only to then drop the last two games for a tough loss, but a fine effort nonetheless.
Matt Fortunato/Laurie Boughton over Kevin Doyle/Robin Wilson, 7-5! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action got underway on Court Four at 4:20. Not sure when it ended as I was then in action on Court Five (just one court over, but our action was so intense...I did not want to take notes on the changeovers unless absolutely necessary), but it had to be yet another One-Setter close to one hour long!
Sam Wong/Dolores Krazanowski over David Wong/Joe Renga, 6-3! No Aces. They played this one on Court Three from 4:40 to 5:10 (I had a moment to write down the time of the ending during one of our changeovers on Court Five).
Senthil Kumar/Dan Hwang over John Rizzo/Frank Hohorst, 6-4! No Aces. This one got going on Court Two at the same time our action was getting underway on Court Five (at 5pm), so I did not see when this one ended (but it was finished before ours was...which is coming next).
Frank Samara/Doinks Srinivasan over Dino Celis/Marie Salamon, 7-6 (10-8)! No Aces. I had every point in every game memorized until we got to the epic Tiebreak! And then it was like my mind's memory could not hold it all anymore and it just burst like a dam! Damn! Anyway, I was still able to recall the holds and breaks of each game and then every point of the Breaker. So, here now, is the basic breakdown: Doinks held serve, Dino held, but Frank was the first to be broken for 1-2. Marie was also broken to level it at 2-2, but then Srinivasan was broken while Celis held again to take a 4-2 lead for his team. Samara then held while Salamon was broken again to knot the score once more at 4-4. The Marathon Woman then held to take the lead for her team at 5-4, but then The Scorpion Dragon had his third straight hold to even it up again at 5-5! Then, Hollywood had a service game from hell as it went to 9 Deuces only to ultimately be broken for 5-6! But The Olympian had her third straight break and we were off to the Breaker! In the Tiebreak: Doinks held her lone serve while Dino was broken on his first but held his second for 1-2. Frank held his first but was broken on his second for 3-2. Marie held her first for 3-3 at the changeover, but was broken on her second for 3-4. Doinks was broken on her first but held her second to go up 5-4. Celis was broken on his first to set up Match Point at 4-6, but then he held to make it 5-6 and the 2nd Match Point with service returning to Samara. The Wood was broken on the first of his two serves for 6-6 at the second changeover and he was then broken again to go down 6-7 and hand a Match Point to the opposition (the third MP overall)! But Salamon was broken on both of her serves to then go down 7-8 and return the Match Point favor to her opponents as this was now the fourth MP overall (the third in favor of Samara/Srinivasan) with The Marathon Woman now ready to serve. She was broken on her first for 8-8, but then held her second for 9-8 and the 5th Match Point with service returning to The Scorpion Dragon. It was there that he was broken on the fifth MP overall to cap an amazing Mixed Doubles One-Setter on Court Five that began at 5pm and ended exactly at 6pm...precisely one hour long!
The Skinny: This was a lot of fun and we all had memorable moments both good and bad. In my opinion, Doinks was the MVP in this one as she came thru in the clutch more than the rest of us did. Marie also deserves props for the energy she brought to this One-Setter (especially considering how much she had already played that day...and she said she was finally getting warmed up!). I also think it should be a definite Nominee for One-Set Mixed Doubles Match of The Year at season's end given the TB score, the drama (a 9-Deuce game and later multiple Match Points) and the quality overall. Kudos to all!
Alfred Chen/Vivian Lee over Tim Nguyen/Denise Savino, 6-3! No Aces. More Mixed Doubles action on Court One as this particular show got underway at 5:05. Not sure when it finished, but it was before ours got done at 6pm...that's for sure.
Sam Wong/Janice Wang over Dennis Cabanatan/David Wong, 6-3! No Aces. They began this one on Court Three at 5:15 and it must have ended prior to 6pm as I was unable to note it due to being in action on Court Five. If it was Dan Hwang instead of Dennis playing in this one, that would have really been something last name-wise! It would only be better if we somehow got the 80's band Wang Chung out of retirement to sing "Everybody Wang Chung Tonight!"
Dennis Cabanatan/Alfred Chen leading Dan Hwang/Janice Wang, 4-2 (Incomplete when Chen had to retire due to calf cramps)! No Aces. Not sure when it got underway on Court One, but it was halted at 6:15.
Kyle Eng/Nicole Fredericks over Rob Fredericks/Vinnie LaSalle, 6-4! No Aces. This one got going on Court Four during the action I was still involved in on Court Five, but it ended at 6:25.
Nick Inciong/Arlene Hyde over Senthil Kumar/Sue Fredericks, 7-5! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Two. Not sure when it started, but it finished at 6:35.
Dan Hwang/Janice Wang over Dino Celis/Marie Salamon, 6-1! No Aces. Court One hosted this Mixed Doubles One-Setter from 6:20 to 6:45. Afterward, Marie was hoping to still play one more, but it was getting quite dark at the time. So Dino went solo in a hitting session against Dan and Janice until almost total darkness.
Samara's Notes: Again, this was a truly amazing session and I thank all the players who were a part of it. And we hope to see many of those new faces on the courts of the GTA again in the near future.
Speaking of "amazing," let's stay in Nutley but go slightly east to the Park Ave. Courts for a truly amazing match that took place there...as reported by Dan and Abhi.
The Park Ave. Courts Result:
EWC Singles Match (2 out of 3 Sets):
Dan Knitzer over Abhilash Gadi, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to become the New # 7 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division while earning a point for Team East in the East-West Challenge series (giving Team East a 5-3 lead)! In the process of entering The Top 10 of the Advanced Division, Knitzer is now deemed to be overqualified for competition in the Intermediate Division. He will now relinquish the GTA Intermediate Title to solely compete in the Advanced Division. No Aces.
The TDK Replay: This was a bloodbath...we left if all out on the court! Getting spanked by Abhi in the Grove Cup was a wake-up call for me - I need to expand my game and try to win with topspin and not just slice. So that was my mentality coming into this match. From the get-go it was clear that this was going to be a tough win for either one of us. We must have had several 10-shot-plus rallies in each GAME! And there were multiple rallies that had to reach 20 strokes or more.
I took an early lead in the 1st Set, breaking Abhi to go up 3-1. He then won the next three games to take a 4-3 lead before I took his example and did the same to win the set at 6-4. In this set I was letting my forehands fly, mostly to good success. My only mistake was trying to drop shot Abhi. He got to everything and seemingly hit great forehands on every approach! Later in the match, I was only hitting drop shots to his backhand side!
In the 2nd Set, Abhi ran around his backhands and strategically brought me to the net, then pushed me back to the baseline and then around the sides to his advantage. That along with my serve completely falling apart allowed him to take the set at 6-2. The only two games I won were breaks of his serve.
Fortunately, my serve returned in time to start the 3rd Set. We both held serve for the first five games before I broke him to go up 4-2. He broke me to pull to 3-5. At this time, we were both just trying to keep the ball in play...we were not swinging. I was then up 5-4, but Abhi was serving. He was down 15-40, Double Break/Match Point only to erase that MP and the next one to rebound to Deuce! It then went back to Ad Out...the 3rd Break/Match Point. It was in this point where Abhi hit a passing shot that I had to look twice at before definitively calling it out to end the match!
Abhi's speed makes me feel slow! He won a heartbreaking point where I pulled him in with a drop shot, then pushed him back to the baseline and made him then run across the baseline only to then botch an Overhead Smash! Djokovic-esque plays! Thanks for giving me a topnotch workout, Abhi!
And Frank, thanks for organizing this EWC series along with Tim, Rich and Keith!
The Accelerated Report: Dan explained it beautifully...it was a war, indeed! After the defeat in the Grove Cup, Dan came back with a very good game plan as he curbed his aggression to play a much more controlled game. We started at 6:30 and completed the match at 9pm! Although it was a 3-Setter, it felt more like a 5-Setter! Both of us were not ready to give up any easy points and even the drop shots were effectively countered.
All in all, well-played by Dan. It is a thoroughly deserved victory. I look forward to playing each other once again.
Samara's Notes: First, I thank both for their timely, detailed and entertaining reporting. I also appreciate the kind words from Dan. I must congratulate him as well on a highly impressive victory! If I've been saying that Abhi has been in the lead for consideration in terms of being the Most Improved Player of The Year this season...then what does that make Dan? There is still a good amount of season left, so anything is still possible. Also, kudos to Abhi for a fine effort here. After what happened between these two in the Grove Cup, this has to be considered as somewhat of an upset...even if it is a minor one and not a major one.
The Consequences: Ah, there are so many! Let's start with the fact that Team East is now up 5-3 and just two more match wins away from total victory in the East-West Challenge series (though we will play out the series to the 13th and final match to determine the ultimate margin of victory for either collective). That will be the major upset if it does indeed happen. Also, this win rocks the Intermediate Division as we now must once again find a New Champ for that division. And, quite obviously, this match has impacted the Top 10 of the Advanced Division as more and more new talent continue to crash that party. This season has likely featured the most flux in that regard.
And now we head west to Cedar Grove for yet another Challenge Match...as reported by both Scott and Joe.
The Cedar Grove Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Scott Bergenfeld over Joe Rodrigues, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 11 Rank in the Advanced Division! Scott: 1 Ace in the 1st Set!
The Skinny from Scott: In the 1st Set, Joe was on his game! I also made a ton of unforced errors and hit five Doubles Faults in that one set alone (though I also had the lone Ace in this set). In the 2nd Set and 3rd Set, I found my game and made Joe run a lot more. He grew tired and the 3rd Set became tough for him. All in all, it was a good night of tennis and a great workout!
A Cup of Joe: It was a solid match, a good run for both of us. We both had our moments and also made many unforced errors. In the end, the difference was that Scott was able to punish my short returns.
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely and detailed reporting. I congratulate Scott on his solid victory, but also offer kudos to Joe for a fine effort. So many people in the league (myself included) always say how Joe should be ranked higher than he is. He has had several close calls and heartbreaking defeats in what were opportunities to do just that. This one did not play out so dramatically as those others have done in the past. Hopefully, the right match-up will come for Rodrigues to move up in the near future.
Wow! It certainly was an epic Sunday of GTA Tennis! Again, hats off to all those who were a part of it!
All the best,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
"44 play (7 New, 2 Return) at NTC, Abhi-Dan K. at PAC, Scott-J'Rod at C.G.!":
There were three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis and one of them was a big one while the other two featured Singles Challenge Matches...one of which would have a major impact on the league!
The first one to get underway was "the big one" as it was the second tennis party/BBQ session at Nutley Tennis Club (aka NTC) this season (the first one was held back on August 5th). It was at the invitation of both "Bionic" Bo Folchi and "Dynamic Dee" Denise Savino (both NTC players and Board Members). As it was with the previous NTC event, the party was organized by "The Riz" John Rizzo. But before we get to all the details of how that event unfolded, let's first briefly address the other two sessions of the day.
Also in Nutley, but getting started in the early evening (just as the action was starting to wind down at NTC), "The Accelerator" Abhilash Gadi and "The Dark Knight" got together for their East-West Challenge Singles Match (with both reporting). Coming into this match, Team West held a 4-3 lead over Team East. The first collective to get to a total of seven points will win the series (though we will play it out to its proper 13 total points conclusion).
The other session was up at The Cedar Grove Courts as, during the day, "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld issued an Open Challenge to the league to try to motivate some players to go to Cedar Grove. One player answered the call and that man was "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues. It led to them playing an impromptu Challenge Match (with both reporting).
We will now detail how everything transpired at Nutley Tennis Club and we will repeat the description of NTC as we first reported it for the August 5th event.
NTC features five red clay courts and nice deck with two grilles for a BBQ. The deck is adjacent to (and connected to) the Clubhouse. To try to paint a mental picture for those who have yet to see or visit Nutley Tennis Club, there are a couple of steps down from the Clubhouse section of deck (almost like a big open porch) to Court One...so that is the "Show Court." Go up a slight incline of grass to Court Two. Courts One and Two are separated by a fence from Courts Three, Four and Five.
Court Three ramps down from Court Two. Court Four is between Courts Three and Five and the decline from Court Three to Court Four is fairly steep. Then, the decline from Four to Five is only slight. So, in essence, there is almost a circular pattern to the way the courts are laid out on the grounds of the Club. The setting is very private as it is at the end of a dead end street (Maple Place) and then there is a long driveway that leads to the property which borders a substantial section of trees which separate it from the park that runs just about the entire length of Nutley.
Of course, an event such as this cannot be one where we publicize it to the entire league in the form of a group-wide e-mail (i.e. a blanket invitation). It took careful planning and some list limiting because as John was inviting his usual invitees (those from his Night Owls groups at The Bubble and then those who were regular attendees of the Friday Night Bubble Parties), we also sought to include some NTC Members who have either had some past affiliation with the GTA or where they perhaps acquired knowledge (and perhaps some interest) of it. Some may have simply been more attracted to the BBQ aspect of it.
While John (with help from Bo and Denise) was the overall event host, "Hollywood" Frank Samara served as the host in the traditional sense of collecting all the scores along the way. Rizzo and Samara worked together in the setting of the matches. Unlike the APC event where we let some results (if they featured strictly APC members/players) fall by the wayside and go unrecorded, at this outing we collected every result along the way.
Much thanks to Bo and Dee for accommodating the event as it went along. The session ran from 1pm to almost total darkness (at Nutley Tennis Club, there are no lights there). Also, kudos to John who did double-duty by putting together the vast majority of the matches and manning the grille. He even managed to play a Doubles One-Setter near the end of the session (as was the case for Samara as well).
The previous session at NTC on August 5th featured 47 official competitors (just six of which were new and making their official GTA Debut). This time around, we had three less players overall (a total of 44), but one extra (seven) playing for the first time in our league!
We thank all those competitors who withstood the heat to be part of what was surely another epic session in the history of this league.
We now go to a lengthy list of results from the Nutley Tennis Club!
The NTC Results:
Tim Nguyen/Mike Sindler over David Wong/Vivian Lee, 6-0! No Aces. The first official action of the day got underway on Court Two at 1:20 and was over by 1:40.
Marty Goldstein/Nobuko Okabe over Denise Savino/Judy Quigley, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of both Marty Goldstein and Judy Quigley. This was an all-members (of the NTC) match played on Court Five from 1:25 to 2pm.
Edgar Inclan/Fadia Nicolas over Nick Caputo/Nicole Caputo, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Nicole Caputo. This Mixed Doubles action was worthy of "The Show Court" (aka Court One) and it lasted from 1:30 to 2:05. The Caputos jumped out to a 3-1 lead only to then drop five straight games to take a tough loss!
Bo Folchi/Pat McNamara over Paul Daddio/Jane McNamara, 6-3! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of both Pat McNamara and Jane McNamara. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Four from 1:35 to 2pm. Pat is an NTC member, but I'm not sure if her younger sister Jane is (though I doubt it).
Frank Hohorst/Dolores Krazanowski over Laurie Boughton/Sagarika Ramanan, 6-1! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of Sagarika Ramanan. This one got going on Court Three at 1:45 and ended by 2:05. Dolores is an NTC member (as is Laurie). Sagarika (aka Saga) is a friend of Fadia's and will likely be playing more with us in the future.
Dino Celis/David Wong over Senthil Kumar/Vivian Lee, 6-4! No Aces. Court Two hosted this action from 1:50 to 2:30.
Fadia Nicolas/Sagarika Ramanan over Pat McNamara/Jane McNamara, 6-2! Fadia: 1 Ace! This Women's Doubles action took place on Court Five and lasted from 2:10 to 2:40 as Fadia and Saga were just a bit too much for the McNamara Sisters.
Nick Caputo/Nicole Caputo over Bo Folchi/Denise Savino, 7-5! Nick: 1 Ace on Bo (a heater that kicked off the back edge of the service-line tape)! This excellent Mixed Doubles action (perhaps the best of the entire session) proved to be more than worthy of "The Show Court" (aka Court One). It lasted from 2:10 to 2:50.
The Skinny: It started to seem like a case of "The Mutual Admiration Society" as Nick marveled at the amazing 66 year old Bo (a former 7-Time GTA Champion) for his movement on the court and especially his shot-making ability (his inside-out forehand, in particular) while Bo went into recruiting mode as he salivated at the thought of having a player of Nick's caliber at NTC. Let's not leave out the ladies as Nicole was highly impressive considering the fact that she only played with us once earlier this season (many months ago) and then not for close to 20 years prior to that! And while Mr. Folchi certainly still lives up to the "Bionic Bo" moniker, Ms. Savino is also quite worthy to be "Dynamic Dee" as she is a veritable volley machine up at the net. Good stuff all around!
Sam Wong/Nobuko Okabe over Joe Renga/Marie Salamon, 6-2! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Four from 2:15 to 2:35.
The Skinny: Just an FYI, there is no relation between Sam Wong and David Wong.
Frank Hohorst/Mark Cipollini over Paul Daddio/Mike Sindler, 6-4! No Aces. It was the official GTA Return of Mark Cipollini. Court Three hosted this action from 2:15 to 3pm.
William Bobila/Edgar Inclan over Tim Nguyen/Sam Wong, 6-1! No Aces. They played this one on Court Five from 2:45 to 3:05.
Kyle Eng/Nicole Fredericks over Vinnie LaSalle/Sue Fredericks, 6-2! No Aces. It was the official GTA Debut of both Nicole Fredericks and Vinnie LaSalle. This Mixed Doubles action occupied Court Two from 2:45 to 3:20.
The Skinny: Nicole is the daughter of Sue and Rob Fredericks and Vinnie is their longtime friend...but he is also good friends with Nick Caputo and he is the brother of Mark LaSalle who had played with us one time (a "Bubblepalooza" event at The Wayne Bubble in early 2017). Both Vinnie and Mark are very likely to play more with us in the future.
Matt Fortunato/Marty Goldstein over Kevin Doyle/Robin Wilson, 7-5! No Aces. This took place on Court Four and lasted from 2:45 to 3:45...exactly one hour long! The last game went to 8 Deuces!
Arlene Hyde/Sagarika Ramanan over Laurie Boughton/Fadia Nicolas, 6-3! Saga: 1 Ace on Laurie! This Women's Doubles action stole the show on Court One from 2:55 to 3:25.
Senthil Kumar/Vivian Lee over Nick Inciong/Marie Salamon, 6-3! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Three and lasted from 3:05 to 3:50.
Dolores Krazanowski/Jane McNamara over Nobuko Okabe/Pat McNamara, 6-1! No Aces. Court Five hosted this Women's Doubles action from 3:15 to 4pm.
Dino Celis/Janice Wang over Frank Hohorst/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3! Frank: 1 Ace on Doinks! This Mixed Doubles action occupied Court Two from 3:25 to 4pm.
Dan Hwang/Vinnie LaSalle over William Bobila/Edgar Inclan, 6-2! No Aces. The show must go on and on it did go on Court One from 3:35 to 3:55...basically the length of a sitcom with the commercials removed!
Tim Nguyen/David Wong over Sam Wong/Joe Renga, 6-2! No Aces. These four played on Court Four from 3:50 to 4:15.
Bo Folchi/Denise Savino over Rob Fredericks/Sue Fredericks, 6-2! No Aces. This all-NTC Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Three from 4pm to 4:35.
Janice Wang/Marie Salamon over Doinks Srinivasan/Vivian Lee, 6-4! No Aces. Women's Doubles had its say on Court Two from 4:05 to 4:45.
Nick Inciong/Arlene Hyde over Kyle Eng/Nicole Fredericks, 7-6 (7-4)! No Aces. Another excellent showing of Mixed Doubles action on display on Court One as this one got underway at 4:05. Not sure when it ended as I was already in action on Court Five at that time...meaning it ended sometime after 5pm. So it had to be close to an hour long if not longer!
Senthil Kumar/Vinnie LaSalle over Dan Hwang/Frank Hohorst, 6-4! No Aces. Court Five hosted this one from 4:10 to 4:45. Hwang/Hohorst were down 0-4 before tying it up at 4-All only to then drop the last two games for a tough loss, but a fine effort nonetheless.
Matt Fortunato/Laurie Boughton over Kevin Doyle/Robin Wilson, 7-5! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action got underway on Court Four at 4:20. Not sure when it ended as I was then in action on Court Five (just one court over, but our action was so intense...I did not want to take notes on the changeovers unless absolutely necessary), but it had to be yet another One-Setter close to one hour long!
Sam Wong/Dolores Krazanowski over David Wong/Joe Renga, 6-3! No Aces. They played this one on Court Three from 4:40 to 5:10 (I had a moment to write down the time of the ending during one of our changeovers on Court Five).
Senthil Kumar/Dan Hwang over John Rizzo/Frank Hohorst, 6-4! No Aces. This one got going on Court Two at the same time our action was getting underway on Court Five (at 5pm), so I did not see when this one ended (but it was finished before ours was...which is coming next).
Frank Samara/Doinks Srinivasan over Dino Celis/Marie Salamon, 7-6 (10-8)! No Aces. I had every point in every game memorized until we got to the epic Tiebreak! And then it was like my mind's memory could not hold it all anymore and it just burst like a dam! Damn! Anyway, I was still able to recall the holds and breaks of each game and then every point of the Breaker. So, here now, is the basic breakdown: Doinks held serve, Dino held, but Frank was the first to be broken for 1-2. Marie was also broken to level it at 2-2, but then Srinivasan was broken while Celis held again to take a 4-2 lead for his team. Samara then held while Salamon was broken again to knot the score once more at 4-4. The Marathon Woman then held to take the lead for her team at 5-4, but then The Scorpion Dragon had his third straight hold to even it up again at 5-5! Then, Hollywood had a service game from hell as it went to 9 Deuces only to ultimately be broken for 5-6! But The Olympian had her third straight break and we were off to the Breaker! In the Tiebreak: Doinks held her lone serve while Dino was broken on his first but held his second for 1-2. Frank held his first but was broken on his second for 3-2. Marie held her first for 3-3 at the changeover, but was broken on her second for 3-4. Doinks was broken on her first but held her second to go up 5-4. Celis was broken on his first to set up Match Point at 4-6, but then he held to make it 5-6 and the 2nd Match Point with service returning to Samara. The Wood was broken on the first of his two serves for 6-6 at the second changeover and he was then broken again to go down 6-7 and hand a Match Point to the opposition (the third MP overall)! But Salamon was broken on both of her serves to then go down 7-8 and return the Match Point favor to her opponents as this was now the fourth MP overall (the third in favor of Samara/Srinivasan) with The Marathon Woman now ready to serve. She was broken on her first for 8-8, but then held her second for 9-8 and the 5th Match Point with service returning to The Scorpion Dragon. It was there that he was broken on the fifth MP overall to cap an amazing Mixed Doubles One-Setter on Court Five that began at 5pm and ended exactly at 6pm...precisely one hour long!
The Skinny: This was a lot of fun and we all had memorable moments both good and bad. In my opinion, Doinks was the MVP in this one as she came thru in the clutch more than the rest of us did. Marie also deserves props for the energy she brought to this One-Setter (especially considering how much she had already played that day...and she said she was finally getting warmed up!). I also think it should be a definite Nominee for One-Set Mixed Doubles Match of The Year at season's end given the TB score, the drama (a 9-Deuce game and later multiple Match Points) and the quality overall. Kudos to all!
Alfred Chen/Vivian Lee over Tim Nguyen/Denise Savino, 6-3! No Aces. More Mixed Doubles action on Court One as this particular show got underway at 5:05. Not sure when it finished, but it was before ours got done at 6pm...that's for sure.
Sam Wong/Janice Wang over Dennis Cabanatan/David Wong, 6-3! No Aces. They began this one on Court Three at 5:15 and it must have ended prior to 6pm as I was unable to note it due to being in action on Court Five. If it was Dan Hwang instead of Dennis playing in this one, that would have really been something last name-wise! It would only be better if we somehow got the 80's band Wang Chung out of retirement to sing "Everybody Wang Chung Tonight!"
Dennis Cabanatan/Alfred Chen leading Dan Hwang/Janice Wang, 4-2 (Incomplete when Chen had to retire due to calf cramps)! No Aces. Not sure when it got underway on Court One, but it was halted at 6:15.
Kyle Eng/Nicole Fredericks over Rob Fredericks/Vinnie LaSalle, 6-4! No Aces. This one got going on Court Four during the action I was still involved in on Court Five, but it ended at 6:25.
Nick Inciong/Arlene Hyde over Senthil Kumar/Sue Fredericks, 7-5! No Aces. This Mixed Doubles action took place on Court Two. Not sure when it started, but it finished at 6:35.
Dan Hwang/Janice Wang over Dino Celis/Marie Salamon, 6-1! No Aces. Court One hosted this Mixed Doubles One-Setter from 6:20 to 6:45. Afterward, Marie was hoping to still play one more, but it was getting quite dark at the time. So Dino went solo in a hitting session against Dan and Janice until almost total darkness.
Samara's Notes: Again, this was a truly amazing session and I thank all the players who were a part of it. And we hope to see many of those new faces on the courts of the GTA again in the near future.
Speaking of "amazing," let's stay in Nutley but go slightly east to the Park Ave. Courts for a truly amazing match that took place there...as reported by Dan and Abhi.
The Park Ave. Courts Result:
EWC Singles Match (2 out of 3 Sets):
Dan Knitzer over Abhilash Gadi, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to become the New # 7 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division while earning a point for Team East in the East-West Challenge series (giving Team East a 5-3 lead)! In the process of entering The Top 10 of the Advanced Division, Knitzer is now deemed to be overqualified for competition in the Intermediate Division. He will now relinquish the GTA Intermediate Title to solely compete in the Advanced Division. No Aces.
The TDK Replay: This was a bloodbath...we left if all out on the court! Getting spanked by Abhi in the Grove Cup was a wake-up call for me - I need to expand my game and try to win with topspin and not just slice. So that was my mentality coming into this match. From the get-go it was clear that this was going to be a tough win for either one of us. We must have had several 10-shot-plus rallies in each GAME! And there were multiple rallies that had to reach 20 strokes or more.
I took an early lead in the 1st Set, breaking Abhi to go up 3-1. He then won the next three games to take a 4-3 lead before I took his example and did the same to win the set at 6-4. In this set I was letting my forehands fly, mostly to good success. My only mistake was trying to drop shot Abhi. He got to everything and seemingly hit great forehands on every approach! Later in the match, I was only hitting drop shots to his backhand side!
In the 2nd Set, Abhi ran around his backhands and strategically brought me to the net, then pushed me back to the baseline and then around the sides to his advantage. That along with my serve completely falling apart allowed him to take the set at 6-2. The only two games I won were breaks of his serve.
Fortunately, my serve returned in time to start the 3rd Set. We both held serve for the first five games before I broke him to go up 4-2. He broke me to pull to 3-5. At this time, we were both just trying to keep the ball in play...we were not swinging. I was then up 5-4, but Abhi was serving. He was down 15-40, Double Break/Match Point only to erase that MP and the next one to rebound to Deuce! It then went back to Ad Out...the 3rd Break/Match Point. It was in this point where Abhi hit a passing shot that I had to look twice at before definitively calling it out to end the match!
Abhi's speed makes me feel slow! He won a heartbreaking point where I pulled him in with a drop shot, then pushed him back to the baseline and made him then run across the baseline only to then botch an Overhead Smash! Djokovic-esque plays! Thanks for giving me a topnotch workout, Abhi!
And Frank, thanks for organizing this EWC series along with Tim, Rich and Keith!
The Accelerated Report: Dan explained it beautifully...it was a war, indeed! After the defeat in the Grove Cup, Dan came back with a very good game plan as he curbed his aggression to play a much more controlled game. We started at 6:30 and completed the match at 9pm! Although it was a 3-Setter, it felt more like a 5-Setter! Both of us were not ready to give up any easy points and even the drop shots were effectively countered.
All in all, well-played by Dan. It is a thoroughly deserved victory. I look forward to playing each other once again.
Samara's Notes: First, I thank both for their timely, detailed and entertaining reporting. I also appreciate the kind words from Dan. I must congratulate him as well on a highly impressive victory! If I've been saying that Abhi has been in the lead for consideration in terms of being the Most Improved Player of The Year this season...then what does that make Dan? There is still a good amount of season left, so anything is still possible. Also, kudos to Abhi for a fine effort here. After what happened between these two in the Grove Cup, this has to be considered as somewhat of an upset...even if it is a minor one and not a major one.
The Consequences: Ah, there are so many! Let's start with the fact that Team East is now up 5-3 and just two more match wins away from total victory in the East-West Challenge series (though we will play out the series to the 13th and final match to determine the ultimate margin of victory for either collective). That will be the major upset if it does indeed happen. Also, this win rocks the Intermediate Division as we now must once again find a New Champ for that division. And, quite obviously, this match has impacted the Top 10 of the Advanced Division as more and more new talent continue to crash that party. This season has likely featured the most flux in that regard.
And now we head west to Cedar Grove for yet another Challenge Match...as reported by both Scott and Joe.
The Cedar Grove Result:
2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Scott Bergenfeld over Joe Rodrigues, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, to successfully defend his # 11 Rank in the Advanced Division! Scott: 1 Ace in the 1st Set!
The Skinny from Scott: In the 1st Set, Joe was on his game! I also made a ton of unforced errors and hit five Doubles Faults in that one set alone (though I also had the lone Ace in this set). In the 2nd Set and 3rd Set, I found my game and made Joe run a lot more. He grew tired and the 3rd Set became tough for him. All in all, it was a good night of tennis and a great workout!
A Cup of Joe: It was a solid match, a good run for both of us. We both had our moments and also made many unforced errors. In the end, the difference was that Scott was able to punish my short returns.
Samara's Notes: I thank both for their timely and detailed reporting. I congratulate Scott on his solid victory, but also offer kudos to Joe for a fine effort. So many people in the league (myself included) always say how Joe should be ranked higher than he is. He has had several close calls and heartbreaking defeats in what were opportunities to do just that. This one did not play out so dramatically as those others have done in the past. Hopefully, the right match-up will come for Rodrigues to move up in the near future.
Wow! It certainly was an epic Sunday of GTA Tennis! Again, hats off to all those who were a part of it!
All the best,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment