4/16 Results.

4/16/17:         

"Spin hosts 4 at AP, Ortega-Gero in Wayne, Kris hosts 6 at C.G.!":                                          

GTA Easter Sunday Tennis took place at three locations: Albion Park in Clifton ("Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli acted as the host as Samara took the day off from hosting), The Nellis Drive Courts in Wayne (outside of The Wayne Bubble…featuring a GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match between "Eddie O" Edwin Ortega and "Bee Gee" Brad Gero, reported by Edwin) and The Cedar Grove Courts (with usual host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan once again doing the duties…and "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon directly sending in his scores as well).

We first go to the man known as Spin for a couple of scores along with his commentary before we grab the scores from Edwin and Chazz and then turn this report over to Kris.

It was very mild and breezy.  I had promised Jen Elgart that I'd be there by 10:15.  She got there just moments before I did.  We hit and then Dino Celis arrived.  Next were Vinnie De Bendetto and then Mike Mole.  Dino brought breakfast and shared it with Jen while the three guys (Vin, Mike and Spin) starved to death…no breakfast for us!

The Albion Park Results:

Dan Martinelli/Vinnie De Benedetto over Mike Mole/Jen Elgart, 6-1!  Spin: 2 Aces (one on each, both very weak).

Mike Mole/Vinnie De Benedetto over Dan Martinelli/Jen Elgart, 6-0!  Mike: 1 Ace on Spin; and Spin: 1 Ace on Vin (not a cheap one at all)!

Marie Salamon showed up later and hit with Mike.  Jen, Spin and Vinny then left.  It got quite warm out before we left around 12:30.dmartinell@aol.com

Samara's Notes: I thank Spin for acting as host and providing us with his write-up.  Marie had reached out to me via text about the session while I was at church.  Perhaps my reply had reached her too late because she may have gotten there sooner and could have been a part of the official action.  I guess that's how the cookie crumbles…or how the Easter egg breaks.  Oh well!

Also, I brought my kids with me to Albion Park at 2:35 hoping to make a late cameo appearance as well as to go play in the park, but none of our "peeps" were still there by that time.

We now head to Wayne for the result (along with some additional commentary) sent in by Edwin.

The Nellis Drive Result:

GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:

Edwin Ortega over Brad Gero, 6-1, 6-2, to successfully defend both his # 23 Rank in the Advanced Division and his # 5 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 of The GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  In the process, Gero entered the division as the New # 37 Ranked Player.  Edwin: 2 Aces!

The Edwin Editorial: The length of the match was about 1 hour, 15 min.  Overall, it was a good match.  A few times, Brad and I had some good rallies.  Brad has a good swing, but coming from playing racquetball all these years and starting tennis again, he still has to adjust his swings.  A few more sets and he will be a prominent contender.  Thanks to Brad for coming out to play me at The Wayne Nellis Courts.

Samara's Notes: I thank Edwin for not only reporting the result, but providing some commentary as well. 

We now grab a couple scores from Chazz before we turn this report over to Kris.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Chazz Weldon over Jay Phoenix, 6-3!  No Aces.

Chazz Weldon over Jay Phoenix, 6-2!  No Aces.

Chazz said that the two One-Setters were played from 11:30 to 1:05.

We now let The K take it away!

We were out for the day, so I was a bit late to show.  It was good to see Spin and Dino on the sidelines.  I was happy to see John Rizzo in action here for the second time around this season.  He was playing Doubles with Janice Wang against Don Moya and his friend.

Samara's Notes: On the way back from attending the wake for Daniel Cooney in Caldwell, my kids and I did a drive-by cameo at The Cedar Grove Courts at 6:35.  At that time, John, Don, Janice and "the unknown friend" were just getting out of their cars in the parking lot.  I stopped to talk to John for just a bit.  Since John never got the name of the friend and also due to the fact that Rizzo was so sore from a recent workout, we have chosen to let that action remain as unofficial.

I now turn this report back over to Kris.

Later, we got to see Dan Hwang and Rafaelo Kazakov.  It kind of looked like the invasion of "The Bubble players" out in the open...:-).

We also had The Dwights here having a hitting session.  So did Andrew Truong as he hit with me first and then Natalia Sout.  The others in action here were Dennis and Minnie Cabanatan (his wife), Doinks (my wife) and Ryan Pienciak.

It was good to see Minnie playing with us and we hope to see more of her.  She missed out on some attacking shots, but the more she plays, her level is going to go up and the best way to do that is to make use of the good weather and play with different players.  Dennis was encouraging while mentoring her.

Ryan Pienciak/Doinks Srinivasan over Dennis Cabanatan/Minnie Cabanatan, 6-2!  No Aces.

Dennis Cabanatan/Doinks Srinivasan over Ryan Pienciak/Minnie Cabanatan, 6-3!  No Aces.

Dennis Cabanatan/Minnie Cabanatan tied with Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 5-5 (Incomplete)!  No Aces.

Dan Hwang over Ryan Pienciak, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

We did get to see some substantial GTA Tennis on this glorious Easter Sunday evening in Cedar Grove.  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: Always so appreciative of what Kris does for our league up at Cedar Grove.  It is just a shame (and not his fault) that things were not a bit more organized up there as we could have had many more players included in the official action.  But that is the way things go sometimes.

The day felt like a summer preview weather-wise, so I hope many got out to enjoy it no matter what they did.  The kids and I ended up having an impromptu field trip of sorts in between our time at Albion Park and then later heading to the wake as we took a trip to Lambert Castle and then drove up to Garrett Mountain where we were able to get inside of (and all the way to the top of) the Lambert Tower.  They had a great time and it was my first time inside of the tower (I had been to the castle before).

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

 

 

4/15 Results.

4/15/17:         

"Nik-Levy part of 13 at C.G. as Kris hosts later session!":                                          

There was GTA Saturday Morning Tennis and GTA Saturday Night Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts.  The earlier session featured another one of the GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Matches as it was "Nik@Nite" Nik Agharkar versus "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo (with Levy reporting the result) and the later session was hosted by the usual "Host with the Most" up at Cedar Grove, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan.

We first go to the score from Levy and then Kris will take over this report.

The Cedar Grove Results:

GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:

Levy Lorenzo over Nik Agharkar, 6-1, 6-4, to become the New # 28 Ranked Player in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to the Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  No Aces (apparently).  They got his match underway at 9am and it ended some time around 10:30.

Samara's Notes: I thank Levy for submitting this result in a very timely manner…mere minutes after it ended via text.  And now we let The K take it away!

On a lovely Saturday evening, we had some spirited GTA Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts.  Given the Easter weekend, the turnout was relatively low but high in action.

Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Greg Swierczek/Mike Sindler, 7-5!  No Aces.

It was a close match, as it turned out along the way, after we had a decent lead in the beginning.  Mike was the standout with an almost perfect game.  His ground-strokes and placements were top-notch and, with solid support from Greg, they gave a good fight to keep the match in balance.  Chris stamped his authority with his signature shots packed with pace and I played as a reliable ally in this set.

Samara's Notes: In the discussion of possible Nominees for Most Improved Player of The Year at season's end, Mike Sindler also belongs in that conversation.  And now we go back to Kris.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Greg Swierczek/Nick Inciong, 6-1, 1-6, 10-6 (STB)!  Once they decided to go to the 10-Point Super Tiebreak to decide the match, the # 32 Rank of Chiaro/Srinivasan was no longer on the line.  This match enables them to remain active in the Doubles Division, however.  It also enabled Swierczek/Inciong to enter the division as the New # 57 Ranked Team.  Greg: 2 Aces on Kris (1 in the 2^nd Set and 1 in the STB)! 

It was a good match for us as we roasted the veterans before they could get a groove.  We sure took advantage of Nick who had not warmed up properly yet in the 1^st Set. 

It then turned out to be a solid 2^nd Set as we woke up the sleeping bears in Greg and Nick.  A ruffled-up Greg started serving great and playing an attacking game.  Nick had warmed up nicely and took his game to a totally different level, playing some attractive and penetrative shots.  The vicious topspin shots from both Greg and Nick had a decisive effect as Chris missed out on some of his attacking shots as the height of the ball coming into him was more elevated than to his usual liking.  The end result was an exact reversal of the 1^st Set.

As Nick had to leave in 20 minutes and, in order to make it a full match, we decided to play a STB.  It was a close one for the first half before Chris had the last laugh as he packed a few fast-paced shots right in the middle bisecting the two opponents.  It turned out to be a good match.

Dennis Cabanatan/Doinks Srinivasan over Jose Gonzales/Natalia Sout, 7-6 (7-4)!  No Aces (apparently).

It was a superb comeback by Dennis and Doinks from down 1-5 to pull off the Houdini act.

Jose Gonzales/Natalia Sout over Dennis Cabanatan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3!  No Aces (apparently).

Jose is a fierce competitor and doesn't like to lose.  He made sure this time around to hold on with an iron-clad grip from the get-go and with Natalia supporting him beautifully.

Levy Lorenzo/Chris Homick over Jose Gonzales/Dennis Cabanatan, 7-5!  No Aces (apparently).

This was a solid match that could have gone either way.  Chris has a solid game and Levy is such a gritty player, he keeps his opponents on their toes.

Dennis Cabanatan/Tito Castolo over Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan, 7-5!  No Aces.

Tito has gotten his "mojo" back and is back to his wily plays.  With Dennis serving well and playing freely, we gave it our best shot.  Some crucial double faults didn't help our cause, but it was good stuff overall.

Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Tito Castolo/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-4!  Tito: 2 Aces on Kris!

Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Tito Castolo/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3!  No Aces.

It was close in both sets, but Tito played an amazing game that was aggressive, attacking and with precise placements.  Doinks had great topspin shots that set Tito up for easy put-aways.  Chris played terrific for us.  There were some incredible rallies to make it that much more exciting.

All in all, it was a super Saturday treat for us.  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: As always, I thank Kris for all he does for the league up at Cedar Grove.  Not just the actual hosting, but the colorful and comprehensive reports that he provides us with as well.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

 

 

4/14 Results.

4/14/17:

"Samara hosts 16 at C.G.!":

GTA Friday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts after a sunny, but cooler day (with a peak temperature only around 62 degrees) which managed to avoid too much of a temp drop.  As such, it was a nice evening for tennis as the temps at least stayed in the mid-50 degree range.

Earlier in the day, "Hollywood" Frank Samara had promised the league that he would begin hosting the session no later than 7:30pm.  Happily, he was able to get there early as early as 6:25 after the usual Cedar Grove host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, had sent a text to Frank and an e-mail to the entire league that he was looking to get things rolling at 6pm.

When Samara pulled into the parking lot, it initially seemed like the GTA only had one of the four courts at its disposal as there was a Mixed Doubles One-Setter taking place on Court Four featuring couple versus couple - "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay going up against "CB" Chris Barbieri and "Amiable" Andrea Lim.

Court Three featured three guys that Samara had never seen before and Court Two had "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner hitting with his friend Miroslav Glavic.  Also known as Mirav, Mr. Glavic only likes to hit and never seeks to get involved in any official action with us.  Still, he is a nice guy nonetheless.

Kris was joined by his son, "The Silent Assassin" Jay Srinivasan, and also "The Art Font" Arthur Fontanilla.  They asked Samara, upon his arrival, if the two guys out on Court One were "with us" (i.e. part of the GTA).  Frank had to take a good look before he realized that they in fact were.

It was "The WB" William Bobila hitting against his good friend and usual Doubles partner, Fred Suba.  We asked them if they would mind playing some Doubles with us, but they then decided to give up the court entirely as they had already been there hitting for an hour and had played some additional tennis earlier in the day as well.

So they never became part of any official action.  Neither did young Jay as he only had an extended hitting session with Papa Kris on Court One before deciding to head home for the evening.  This was quite understandable as they had family visiting in celebration of his mom's (aka Doinks) birthday.

Had those three players competed, the count of official competitors would have been 19 rather than 16.  Anyway, not only have I digressed...but I have also jumped ahead somewhat.

The three unknown guys also soon left Court Three to play some basketball at the nearby court instead.  This enabled Samara and Fontanilla to have an extended hitting session on that court while Papa and Son Srinivasan did the same thing on Court One.

Jay "The Rising" Phoenix was the next to arrive at 6:55.  Frank called him over to Court Three to join their hitting session.

Five minutes later, when the younger Jay (Srinivasan) decided to head home..."Holy Moly" Mike Mole was on his way toward the courts.  This led to Men's Doubles getting set up on Court Three as Kris joined Art to play against Marius and the elder Jay (Mr. Phoenix).

Meanwhile, Mike took the place of Marijus on Court Four as the teams switched things up in another Mixed Doubles One-Setter.  And Samara thought it best to head over to Court One to hold that one for any other players that may be on their way.

Soon enough, Natalia "Nitro" Sout arrived at 7:10 and soon entered into a hitting session with Frank on that very court.  Five minutes later, "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas joined them.  And yet another five minutes after that, "Big George" headed over to that court to make it a foursome.

At 7:35, just as "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli was arriving to make an extended cameo appearance, Herb and Miroslav left Court Two as they both decided to head home.  We now had all four courts at our disposal, but it would only end up needing that amount very briefly.

The four guys on Court Three decided to play a Rematch One-Setter while Pillay wanted to mix it up with some of the heavier-hitting guys.  So we set up a new Mixed Doubles One-Setter on Court Four as Solano and Sout would now take on Barbieri and Lim.

Meanwhile, Pillay would team with Kazlauskas to take on Samara and Mole on Court Two (we shifted away from Court One due to its damaged net).  This left Court One ripe for the taking.

And at 7:50, that was just what Dwight Thomas Sr. and Jr. (aka The Dwights) did.  Eventually, Kris extended an invitation to them to get involved in some Doubles with us and they ended up doing quite well against another impressive tandem once again.

The last two arrivals of the evening were "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales at 8:20 and "2 Tall" Dave Zhu ten minutes later.  Their late arrivals gave us a total of 16 official competitors for the evening.  The somewhat light turnout was to be expected given the slightly chilly conditions and the fact that it was Good Friday after all.

Let's get to the scores!

The Cedar Grove Results:

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Chris Barbieri/Andrea Lim, 6-2!  No Aces.  Not sure when this one got underway on Court Four, but it ended exactly at 6:52.  Afterward, Chris said that he and Andrea can't seem to get past that 6-2 score no matter which team they face.  Well, that would soon change a little later in the evening.

Chris Barbieri/Sally Pillay over Mike Mole/Andrea Lim, 6-3!  No Aces.  This one was also played on Court Four and only lasted from 7:03 to 7:32.  I say "only" because it likely would have taken longer had they decided to do the customary changeovers.

Marijus Kuzavas/Jay Phoenix over Kris Srinivasan/Arthur Fontanilla, 6-4!  Arthur: 1 Ace on Marijus.  This battle took place on Court Three from 7:07 to 7:35.

Marijus Kuzavas/Jay Phoenix over Kris Srinivasan/Arthur Fontanilla, 6-4!  No Aces. Same court as before.  Same score as before.  This one lasted from 7:37 to 8:12.

Chris Barbieri/Andrea Lim over Jorge Solano/Natalia Sout, 7-5!  No Aces.  Court Four hosted this one from 7:38 to 8:15.  Not only did Barbieri/Lim get further than two games in a losing set, they actually won their first One-Setter here in the GTA!  It was an impressive victory that displayed why we must consider Barbieri an early contender in the running for Most Improved Player of The Year at season's end.  He has always been a great get-maker...but now the consistency in his shot-making is starting to rise to the level of his overall athleticism.

Mike Kazlauskas/Sally Pillay over Frank Samara/Mike Mole, 7-6 (8-6)!  Sally: 1 Ace on Frank!  In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners where and when...so here is the basic breakdown: Mike M. was broken (Frank blew what should have been a sure-fire Windmill Overhead Smash and that made it Love-30, it then went 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and the break), Mike K. was broken (Love-15, 15-All, 15-30, Double Fault for Double Break Point and then another Double Fault for the break), but Frank was the first to hold serve (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold) for 2-1.  Sally also held (started with a Double Fault, Love-30, 15-30, a big Ace up the T against Frank for 30-All, Game Point and the hold) and then Mole was broken again (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point and the break) to fall to 2-3.  Kazlauskas was also broken again and this time it was at Love after starting off with a Double Fault!  But Samara was broken (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point and the break) to fall behind again, this time at 3-4.  Pillay was also broken (started with a Double Fault, 15-All and then another Double Fault for 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break) and then Holy Moly finally held (Double Fault for Love-30, then it shifted straight to Game Point and the hold) to finally reclaim the lead for his team at 5-4.  Big Kaz also managed to hold (15-Love, 15-All but then right to Double Game Point, Game Point, Double Fault for Deuce, Game Point and the hold) and then Hollywood was broken again (Triple Break Point got cut down to Break Point, but then came the break) to once again lose the lead for his team as they fell to 5-6!  But Spicy Sally was also broken after starting off with a Double fault, it was then 15-All before heading right to Double Break Point and then the break which brought about the Tiebreak!  In the Breaker: Mike M. held his lone serve while Mike K. was broken on the first of his two but then held his second for 1-2.  Frank held the first of his two serves for a 3-1 lead, but was then broken on his second for 3-2.  Sally was broken on the first of her two serves for 2-4 at the changeover, but then held her second to pull to 3-4.  Mole held his first for a 5-3 lead, but was then broken on his second for 5-4.  Kazlauskas was broken on the first of his two serves to fall to 4-6 and set up Match Point.  He then held his second, but it was still 5-6 and a second Match Point against his team with service returning to Samara.  The Wood was broken on the first of his two serves for 6-6 at the second changeover and then he was broken again to hand over a 7-6 lead to the opposition with Pillay coming up to serve.  And she then held on that winning point which was the 3rd M.P. overall, but the first Match Point in her team's favor...one was all they needed!  We played this one on Court Two from 7:40 to 8:26.

The Skinny: This was a tight roller coaster ride where all four players had many moments to be proud of, but also had some head-shakers which caused some of them to yell out and question themselves.  Yeah, with three of these four in the mix...things can get a bit noisy...except for Mole who takes it all in stride silently.  Kazlauskas doesn't get loud, but does get quite angry at himself when he hits those Double Faults.  Pillay can scream with the best of them and Samara can utter noises that seem to be from another world at times.  This early in the season, this certainly seems like it should be a Nominee for One-Set Specialty Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.

Dwight Thomas Sr./Dwight Thomas Jr. over Marijus Kuzavas/Arthur Fontanilla, 6-2!  Marijus: 1 Ace on Sr.  Court Three hosted this one from 8:20 to 8:53.  After this, Art and Junior had a hitting session with one another that was both lengthy and hard-hitting.

Spin left a couple of minutes after this one ended as the chill was getting to him while he was sitting still on the bench (it was not so bad provided you were out on the court playing).

Jose Gonzales/Natalia Sout over Jorge Solano/Sally Pillay, 7-6 (7-2)!  Jose: 1 Ace on Sally.  Jose and Nat jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the Tiebreak.  From there, it went to 5-1 and 6-1 with a Match Point in their favor.  That one was saved to make it 6-2, but then they sealed the deal on the 2nd M.P.!  This foursome faced off on Court Four from 8:30 to 9:44...quite a one-set marathon, indeed!

Mike Kazlauskas/Kris Srinivasan over Mike Mole/Dave Zhu, 6-4!  No Aces.  This one was played on Court Two from 8:32 to 9:06.

Mike Kazlauskas/Dave Zhu over Frank Samara/Mike Mole, 6-3!  Mike K.: 2 Aces on Mike M.!  Again, this is the basic breakdown: Dave was broken (started with a Double Fault, 15-All then straight to Double Break Point and the break), Frank was broken (Triple Break Point, the break came on Double Break Point), but Mike K. was the first to hold serve (Love-30 shifted to 30-All and then a sideline Ace against Mike set up Game Point and then came the hold) to go up 2-1.  Mike M. was broken (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, then it went to Break Point, Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point and then another Double Fault to break himself) to fall to 1-3, but Zhu was broken again (15-Love shifted to 15-30, 30-All, Double Fault for Break Point and then the break) and then Samara held (15-Love then point for point until 30-All, then it went to Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold) to bring it back to 3-All.  Kazlauskas held again and this time it was at Love after starting off with another sideline Ace on Mike, but Mole was broken again (a 30-Love start shifted to 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and then the break) to fall to 3-5.  And then 2 Tall Zhu finally held serve (Love-15 went straight to Double Game/Match Point and the hold) to get the win.  We played this one on Court Two from 9:10 to 9:39.  After it ended, Big Kaz and 2 Tall Zhu had a hitting session with one another to finish off the evening.

Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354

4/13 Results.

4/13/17:               

"Tom-Tommy in Nutley, 6 play at C.G., 8 play at Bubble, 2 forfeits!":                               

GTA Thursday Night Tennis took place at three different locations: The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley featuring a GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match featuring "The Hitman" Tom La vs. "T-Rez" Tommy Reszkowski (as reported by La), The Cedar Grove Courts (with both "The A-Bomb" Andrew Truong and "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes sending in scores) and The Wayne Bubble (the final Night Owl session of the season with both "Sadistic" Syed Rashid and "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar sending in results with Senthil providing additional commentary).

And before we get to all the on-court action, there are two Tournament forfeits to report.  "The Mel Man" has been quite ill and feels he will not be well in time (by the deadline) to play his GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match against "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle.  As a result, he is withdrawing from the match.  Doyle will advance via a bye to The Round of 16 where he will face Truong.

And in the GTA W2 Women's Doubles Tournament, "Bravo" Brenda Jordan has sustained an injury that will keep her out of the tourney.  As "Dominant" Dawn Peterson did not have a replacement to be her partner, they have decided to withdraw from the event entirely.  Thus, this allows "Super Trooper" Sue Koziol and Gail "Storm" Schrimmer to advance to the Semifinals where they will have to await their next opponents.

We first go to Nutley for the result reported by Mr. La.   Then after that we go to Cedar Grove for the scores from Truong and Fernandes.  And then we close the report with the recaps from Rashid and Kumar.

The Park Ave. Result:

GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:

Tom La over Tommy Reszkowski, 6-0, 5-7, 6-2, as both players entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 34 and # 35 Ranked Players in the Intermediate Division while La also advances to The Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  No Aces (apparently).

Samara's Notes: I thank Tom for reporting that result in a very timely manner.  And now we head up to Cedar Grove for the scores provided by both Andrew and Nate.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Moka Pathan over Andrew Truong, 6-0!  Moka: 2 Aces!

Andrew Truong over Alex Roumi, 6-1!  Alex: 1 Ace. 

Andrew Truong over Alex Roumi, 6-1!  Alex: 1 Ace.

Samara's Notes: Andrew reported these last two One-Setters as if they were a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match…and it could have been under normal circumstances.  But as Truong remains active in the draw of the ongoing GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament, he is not allowed to take outside challenges.  So these have to be separate One-Setters instead.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Nathan Fernandes/Moka Pathan over Dennis Cabanatan/Levy Lorenzo, 6-1, 6-1, to successfully defend their # 12 Rank in the Doubles Division!  In the process, Cabanatan/Lorenzo entered the division as the New # 53 Ranked Team.  No Aces (apparently).

Samara's Notes: I thank both Andrew and Nate for their very timely reporting.  And finally, we head up to The Wayne Bubble for the comprehensive report from Senthil (but it should be mentioned that Syed had sent in his scores directly as well).

The Wayne Bubble Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Mike Sindler/Don Moya over Ryan Sherry/Syed Rashid, 7-5, 6-2, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 54 and # 55 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces (apparently).

Senthil Kumar over Ryan Pienciak, 6-4!  Ryan: 2 Aces.

The Untangled Web by Senthil: It was great to play Singles after such a long time.  Ryan is a defensive mastermind who had me gasping for air throughout the set.  I was up 4-1 and missed an easy volley on a Break Point.  Ryan then leveled the set at 4-4 before I could close it out taking the last two games. 

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Senthil Kumar/Ryan Pienciak over Tony Shiao/Dan Hwang, 6-3, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 27 Rank in the Doubles Division!  In the process, Shiao/Hwang entered the division as the New # 56 Ranked Team.  Tony: 1 Ace on Senthil; and Dan: 1 Ace on Senthil!

The Untangled Web by Senthil: The score doesn't justify how well the teams competed.  There were exciting tough rallies in both sets.  I was able to make unexpected winners at Set Point.  Set Point for the 1^st Set, the ball deflected at an unexpected angle.  Set Point for the 2nd Set, the ball hit the net and moved away from Dan.  There were a few points which brought laughter to all of us. 

Overall, it was a fun evening to close out the Wayne Indoor Tennis season.  The Night Owl group is gaining in popularity as it has expanded into two groups for the first time in years.  As always, John Rizzo managed the group excellently.  Special thanks to him.

Samara's Notes: I thank Senthil for acting as a host and providing us with such a comprehensive write-up.  I also want to echo his sentiments in praising Rizzo for all of his efforts up at The Bubble as it has helped to expand the GTA's presence and also bring in new players…some of which now join us at our other locations as well. 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

862-596-3354

 

 

4/12 Results.

4/12/17:               

"Truong-Mingo part of 17 at C.G. as Spin hosts!":                               

GTA Wednesday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli, "The New Hottest Host on the East Coast") and it featured yet another GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match…this one between "The A-Bomb" Andrew Truong and "The Bronx Bomber" Steve Mingo.

We now turn this report over to the man known as Spin (comments and details were also provided by Mingo and "Tailor Made" Raj Tailor along the way).

After receiving e-mails and texts indicating that The Cedar Grove Courts were playable, I arrived at Cedar Grove around 7pm.  It was immediately noticed that the turnout would be lighter than the previous night.  As usually happens after a 20+ showing (that occurred on Tuesday night), a drop-off usually follows.  The plus side to this is no logjam.

Upon my arrival, Jordan Bachvaroff and Mike Mole were hitting.  Andrew Truong arrived at the same time to get ready for his Intermediate Invitational Match with Steve Mingo.  The injured Dino Celis arrived soon after with dinner in hand to get the rare "Mega Cameo" as he stayed until the lights went out.  

The next to arrive were Nathan Fernandes, John Rizzo, Mingo, Kris Srinivasan and Jorge Solano.  Moments later, the birthday girl, Doinks, arrived.  Recently returned from her visit to California and the great southwest, she must have been a little bit jet lagged as I asked her if her birthday was tonight or tomorrow (as I thought it was the 13th).  Doinks proceeded to say "yes."  So I guess she likes to spread the birthday celebration over 2 days.  

Later on, Natalie Guzman, Natalia Sout, Tito Castolo and Laurie Boughton also arrived.  Raj Tailor was last, but not least.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Nathan Fernandes/Mike Mole over Jordan Bachvaroff/Dan Martinelli, 6-1!  No Aces.

Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff over Nathan Fernandes/Mike Mole, 6-2!  No Aces.

The Spin from Spin: Looks like Spin was the weakest link here as Kris got a the "W" with Jordan in contrast to Spin bringing Jordan down with him in the previous set.  Also, at one point, Kris let out a very precise and clear, "I like that!"

GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:

Andrew Truong over Steven Mingo, 6-1, 6-2, to successfully defend both his # 24 Rank in the Advanced Division and his # 6 Rank in the Intermediate Division while also advancing to The Round of 16 in the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  In the process, Mingo entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 33 Ranked Player.  Steve: 1 Ace.

Mingo's mention: Andrew should highlight his achievements.  He is a tough opponent!

We now go back to Spin.

Jorge Solano/Natalie Guzman over John Rizzo/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-3!  No Aces.

Jorge Solano/Natalie Guzman over John Rizzo/Doinks Srinivasan, 7-5!  No Aces.

Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Mike Mole/Dennis Cabanatan, 7-5!  Mike: 1 Ace on Nate.

Kris Srinivasan/Dan Martinelli over Jordan Bachvaroff/Laurie Boughton, 6-2!  Jordan: 1 Ace on Kris.

The Spin from Spin: Jordan's Ace started the set off.  It was fast-paced and perfectly placed making it un-returnable.  Both Jordan and Laurie were game, but Kris and Spin were up to the task.

Andrew Truong over Steve Mingo, 6-0!  No Aces.

Andrew Truong over Raj Tailor, 6-1!  No Aces. 

Raj Tailor over Andrew Truong, 6-2!  Raj: 1 Ace.

Kris Srinivasan/Dan Martinelli over Tito Castolo/Laurie Boughton, 6-3!  No Aces.

The Spin from Spin: Laurie had some gorgeous cross-court winners and "The Line of The Night" was when she exclaimed, "Right church, wrong pew" when one of her shots sailed just wide.  Her attitude and wit are second to none.  Tito was his usually pesky self covering the net and spraying winners all over the place.  Kris' net play kept Tito at bay for the win!

Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout leading Dennis Cabanatan/Doinks Srinivasan, 5-3 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.

Kris Srinivasan/Raj Tailor leading Tito Castolo/Laurie Boughton, 3-1 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.

It would seem that, by the end of the night, Natalia was a little jet-lagged herself.  Upon leaving, Natalia made her way towards the entrance of the parking lot.  Dino was quick to point out that her car was, in fact, parked on the other side of the lot.  Natalia, in fact, did park her car at the entrance Tuesday night.  We did a quick sobriety test and then sent her on her way.  The always pleasant Natalia took our jesting in stride and it was a great way to end a great night!

dmartinell@aol.com

Samara's Notes: I once again thank Spin for stepping up as one of our most reliable and entertaining hosts as of late.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara, Gtasamara5@gmail.com, 862-596-3354

 

 

4/11 Results.

4/11/17:

"Hwang-Rajan in Lyndhurst, Samara hosts 25 (1 new, 1 return) at C.G.!":

GTA Tuesday Night Tennis took place at two locations: The Riverside Ave. Courts (perhaps also known as The Gallagher Field Courts) in Lyndhurst and The Cedar Grove Courts.  Like the day before it, it was once again a beautiful and sunny day (with a peak temperature of 85 degrees) and it led to an amazing evening for tennis as the temps stayed in the mild 70 degree range with no breeze whatsoever...absolutely perfect!

In Lyndhurst, it was yet another GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match as "The DH" Dan Hwang faced off against "Ragin" Rajan Shah.  Before we get to that result, let's first recap how everything unfolded up at Cedar Grove.  After all, the Hwang-Shah encounter was taking place at the same time anyway.

Earlier in the day, "Hollywood" Frank Samara had promised the league that he would begin hosting the session no later than 7:30pm.  Just like the night before, he was able to get there early at 7:10.

Upon getting out of his car, he saw a packed parking lot along with four courts full of players...some sitting out or watching while others were competing.

Samara walked past Court Four as he headed toward the bench alongside Court One.  As he passed, the opponent of Ted Cedroski seemingly shot him a dirty look.  It was quite obvious that their action was not to be intended for the GTA (in all fairness, Ted was friendly to us out on the bench as he and his buddy were leaving at 8:05).

Over on Court Three, "Holy Moly" Mike Mole was hitting with someone that Samara did not initially recognize.  It later turned out to be "CB" Chris Barbieri (featuring a new, tight buzz cut) while his lady, "Amiable" Andrea Lim would soon join them in that hitting session.

Court Two featured the first official action of the evening as a Mixed Doubles One-Setter was already underway.  On one side, it was "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson.  And on the other side, it was "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner and "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon.

And then on Court One, Frank saw three familiar faces and one new one.  On one side of the court, it was "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli.  And on the other side, it was GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro and a new player.  It should also be noted that "Coach" Dino Celis was standing at one of the net posts.

The new face is a new recruit that comes to us via both Celis and Martinelli.  Her name is Jen "Elegant" Elgart.  Like many who come into this league, she was happy to meet some new people who play tennis as it gives her the chance to shake off the rust and return to a sport that she loves.

At 7:20, "Big George" Jorge Solano and Natalia "Nitro" Sout both arrived separately.  Around that same time, the usual Cedar Grove host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, made his way across the street.

Samara and Srinivasan both suggested to Sout that she go out on Court Three to enable some more Mixed Doubles to take place there.  Meanwhile, Solano would have to wait with the guys on the bench until the backlog situation cleared itself.

Five minutes later, another face that Frank did not initially recognize (while Kris did) made his way toward the gents on the bench.  Once he grew closer, it was Samara who got the name out before Srinivasan could - "True Drew" Andrew Kroessler.  This was going to be his first outdoor outing of the season.

At 7:40, both "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia and "Teej" T.J. Shah arrived separately.  They also would have to briefly endure the logjam dilemma. 

Five minutes after that, "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo was soon followed in by both "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay. 

And still another five minutes later, "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak and "The Hitman" Tom La arrived separately.  The mass of people representing the GTA continued to grow larger...and felt left out of the action!

The nearly full moon soon smiled upon us as Cedroski and his hitting partner left Court Four at 8:05.  Samara kept directing traffic, so four players were able to take Court Three after Mole/Sout and Barbieri/Lim were ready to take a break and then another four players were able to gather on Court Four once it was freed up by Ted and friend.

At this moment, it was pretty much just Samara as the odd man out (by choice) and Celis to soon accompany him on the bench (due to injury).

Tito "Touch" Castolo, like the night before, was a late arrival at 8:45.  His timing was good as Court Three was ripe for the taking.  Castolo teamed with his fellow Filipino, Levy Lorenzo, while Samara would pair up with T.J. Shah.  Little did they know what type of One-Setter lied ahead of them!

The last and latest arrival was "Rowdy" Rob Gawly at 8:50.  He had to sit for a bit before finally getting a chance to become a part of the official action.

His late arrival gave us a very impressive total of 25 official competitors for the evening (one of them, Elgart, making her official GTA Debut while Kroessler was making his official GTA Return).  The weather was absolutely perfect!  It was like a mild summer night where you never feel hot or cold...it was just right!

Let's get to the scores!  We first go to Lyndhurst for what turned out to be a fairly epic encounter.  And then we will get all the rest that Cedar Grove had to offer.

The Riverside Ave. Result:

GTA Intermediate Invitational First Round Match:
Dan Hwang over Rajan Shah, 6-1, 6-7 (7-3), 6-3, as both entered the Intermediate Division as the New # 31 and # 32 Ranked Players respectively while Hwang also advances to The Round of 16 of the GTA Intermediate Invitational Tournament!  Dan: 5 Aces; and Rajan: 2 Aces!

At Bat with The DH: Rajan is a great competitor.  He always exhibited fair play and fair line calls.  It really was a pleasure playing with him...and I thank you for the opportunity.

Samara's Notes: I am glad to hear they both enjoyed the match.  It sounds like it could be a possible Nominee for Intermediate Singles Match of The Year at season's end.  Hwang looks to be dangerous as he moves forward in the draw of this tourney.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Herb Reiner/Kathy Sheldon over Joe Rodrigues/Dawn Peterson, 6-3!  No Aces.  Not sure when this one got underway on Court Two, but it finished at 7:30.

Nathan Fernandes/Dan Martinelli over Chris Chiaro/Jen Elgart, 6-3!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Debut of Jen Elgart.  Like the match above, we do not know when it got started on Court One...but it ended exactly at 7:31.

Mike Mole/Natalia Sout over Chris Barbieri/Andrea Lim, 6-2!  Mike: 2 Aces (one on each).  This one took place on Court Three roughly from 7:25 to 7:55.

Jorge Solano/Andrew Kroessler over Kris Srinivasan/Jen Elgart, 6-3!  Jorge: 1 Ace on Jen.  It was the official GTA Return of Andrew Kroessler.  Court One hosted this one from 7:40 to 8:20.

Chris Chiaro/Lou La Forgia over Nathan Fernandes/Joe Rodrigues, 7-6 (7-3)!  No Aces.  Court Two was the place to be as this hard-hitting battle went the distance.  It got started at 7:45 and finished at 8:35.

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over T.J. Shah/Levy Lorenzo, 6-3!  Marijus: 3 Aces (2 on T.J. and 1 on Levy)!  This one took place on Court Three and lasted from 8pm to 8:42.

Ryan Pienciak/Andrea Lim over Chris Barbieri/Natalia Sout, 6-2!  No Aces.  Court Four hosted this foursome from 8:10 to 8:32.

Kris Srinivasan/Dan Martinelli over Jorge Solano/Tom La, 6-0!  No Aces.  A bagel was shockingly served on Court One as it took 33 minutes to get done (8:25 to 8:58)!

Ryan Pienciak/Natalia Sout over Chris Barbieri/Andrea Lim, 6-2!  Ryan: 1 Ace on Chris.  The same four, but different teams, faced off again on Court Four and it lasted from 8:33 to 9pm.

Chris Chiaro/Lou La Forgia over Nathan Fernandes/Mike Mole, 6-3!  No Aces.  This one took place on Court Two.  It started at 8:38 and ended at 9:13.

Tito Castolo/Levy Lorenzo over Frank Samara/T.J Shah, 7-6 (7-2)!  No Aces.  In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners where and when.  So here is the basic breakdown: Levy held serve (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point, bounced back to Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point, 3rd Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Frank held (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 and then it shifted again to Break Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point and the hold), but Tito was the first to be broken (15-Love went straight to Double Break Point and the break) to fall to 1-2.  T.J. was also broken (he hit a Double Fault which set up Triple Break Point and then he hit another Double Fault for the Love break) and then Lorenzo held again (Double Fault for Love-30, but then it went straight to Game Point and the hold) to take the lead for his team at 3-2.  Samara also held again (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point was cut down to Deuce, but then came another Game Point and the hold), but then Castolo also held (Love-30 went right to Game Point and the hold) to reclaim the lead at 4-3.  Shah then held (started with a Double Fault, but then went straight to Double Game Point and the hold) and then Mr. 500 was finally broken in quite the tussle (30-Love shifted to 30-All, Game Point, Deuce and then all Game Points until 4th Deuce, Break Point, 5th Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point and then the break) to fall behind at 4-5.  And then came a game even more epic and certainly more pivotal as Hollywood was on serve (got off to a Love-30 start only to go straight to Game/Match Point, Deuce and then all Break Points until 3rd Deuce, it was then the 2nd Game/Match Point where Tito hit a roller that held to the net so tightly that it could have painted a line down it had it first been rolled in wet paint...so frustrating as this now make it the 4th Deuce and then all Break Points until 6th Deuce and then a 3rd Game/Match Point, 7th Deuce, Break Point and then the big break) to tie things up at 5-5 as the opposition had just saved 3 Match Points!  Tito Touch then held again (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, 30-All, Game Point and the hold), but then so did Teej (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 and then it went to 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold) to force the Tiebreak!  In the Breaker: Levy held his lone serve, then Frank held his first but was broken on his second for 1-2.  Tito was broken on his first but held his second for a 3-2 lead.  T.J. was broken on his first to make it 2-4 at the changeover and then he was broken again to fall to 2-5.  Lorenzo then held his first serve to set up 6-2 and the first Match Point in his team's favor and then he held again to end it right there on the 4th M.P. overall!  We had begun this one on Court Three at 8:47 and it ended exactly at 9:58 with just two minutes to spare before lights out at 10pm!

The Skinny: Even though it does not have the most impressive Tiebreak score, this has a solid chance at being a Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end due to the three saved Match Points, all the drama, solid action throughout and a duration of 1 hour and 11 minutes!  Plus, it truly was an epic comeback made by Tito and Levy...the two crafty and cagey veterans!  The Filipino Express almost went off the rails, but instead righted itself and rolled right over Samara and Shah!  Good stuff!

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Rob Gawley/Tom La, 6-3!  No Aces.  This one got underway on Court One at 9:05.  Not sure when it ended as it went right into another one (with a change of one player) while I was preoccupied in the previous preposterous predicament!

Ryan Pienciak/Andrea Lim over Chris Barbieri/Natalia Sout, 6-3!  No Aces.  Despite the fairly competitive score, this was a quick one on Court Four as it lasted just fifteen minutes (9:07 to 9:22).  From there, Natalia and Andrea had a hitting session with one another for a while until Ryan came back out on Sout's side while Chris did not have to go out on a limb to choose Lim's side in a four-way hitting session that lasted the rest of the evening.

Chris Chiaro/Lou La Forgia over Nathan Fernandes/Kris Srinivasan, 6-2!  Lou: 1 Ace on Kris.  Court Two hosted this one from 9:18 to 9:45.

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay leading Jorge Solano/Rob Gawley, 4-1 (40-15, but Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.  Not sure when they had begun this one on Court One as it came right after that other one.  ;-)

All in all, it was an amazing session of GTA Tennis at Cedar Grove where everyone seemingly left happy no matter what their results ultimately were.  The weather was amazing...a true summer preview...and it made everyone thankful for the opportunity to play tennis after what had been a rather lousy stretch of weather for more than a month or so...awesome!

Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354

4/10 Results.

4/10/17:

"Samara hosts 15 (2 return) at C.G.!":

GTA Monday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts after a beautiful and sunny day (with a peak temperature of 82 degrees) gave way to a very nice evening for tennis as the temps dropped into the lower 70 to upper 60 degree range with just a bit of a breeze.

Earlier in the day, "Hollywood" Frank Samara had promised the league that he would begin hosting the session no later than 7:30pm.  Happily, he was able to get there early at 7:10.

Upon getting out of his car, he saw an unfamiliar couple on Court One while Court Two was completely vacant.  Court Three featured some of our younger players (both members of the Cedar Grove High School Tennis Team), Peter Corso and Matias Dioses hitting against one another.

And on Court Four, Frank was quite shocked to see "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld back on the courts so soon after his recent injury (more on that in just a bit) as he was aligned with "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales in hitting against "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes while "The Bulgarian Bull" Jordan Bachvaroff was still lacing up his sneakers and getting ready to join them.

Scott explained that his recent injury was not a torn meniscus as once feared, but rather a bad cyst on his knees.  His mobility is still somewhat limited and he is shaking off a bit of rust from the longer winter's break.  He does not regret the decision that was made to remove him from both the Advanced and Intermediate Divisions as it will take him some time to get back to playing full Singles Matches.  Plus, he would have soon been eliminated for inactivity anyway.  He looks forward to returning to the ranks of both divisions in a proper, competitive manner.

At 7:20, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro arrived.  Samara suggested that Fernandes go hit with Chris while Frank would join the other three for Doubles on Court Four.  Chris and Nate were going to take the vacant Court Two, but then the two young guns left Court Three...so that was where Chiaro and Fernandes went instead.

It was also at this same time that usual Cedar Grove host, "The K Man" Kris Srinivasan, made his way across the street...ready for some action.  So Samara decided to let him take his place in the coming Doubles One-Setter instead.

When "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas arrived at 7:30, Samara joined him in heading toward Court Three for some Doubles with Chiaro and Fernandes (as Mike would team with Chris and Frank would do so with Nate).  Within five minutes, they had the official action underway.

At 8pm, Dwight Thomas Sr. and Jr. (aka The Dwights) took over Court One just as that previous couple was leaving it.  Kris extended an early invitation to them to get involved in some Doubles with us, but they stated they wanted first wanted to just hit with one another for awhile.

Five minutes later, both Natalia "Nitro" Sout and "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia arrived separately but at the same time.  They decided to wait a while to see when an opportunity would arise for each to get involved in some Doubles.

At 8:35, a lone man and his "Rock Lobster" took over Court Two for a solo hitting session.  And then five minutes after that, Tito "Touch" Castolo had also arrived...and the logjam was building.

The good news was that the loner left Court Two at 9:05.  The timing was perfect as "Automatic" Anna Mazur and Stan "The Man" Selwa arrived just five minutes later.  Within another five minutes, they had a "Battle of The Sexes" One-Setter underway against one another.

Their late arrival gave us a total of 15 official competitors for the evening (two of them, Bergenfeld and Selwa, making their official GTA Returns).  The turnout may have been somewhat disappointingly light given the fine conditions, but it still was a solid session nonetheless.

Let's get to the scores!

The Cedar Grove Results:

Jose Gonzales/Scott Bergenfeld over Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2!  Jose: 1 Ace on Kris.  It was the official GTA Return of Scott Bergenfeld.  This one got underway on Court Four at 7:30 and it ended at 8:05.

Chris Chiaro/Mike Kazlauskas over Nathan Fernandes/Frank Samara, 6-3!  No Aces.  In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners where and when...so here is the basic breakdown: Nathan was broken (30-Love shifted straight to Break Point and the break) and Chris held serve (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) for a 2-0 lead.  Frank held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) and then Mike was broken in an epic struggle (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point was cut down to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Break Point, 4th Deuce, Game Point, 5th Deuce, Game Point, 6th Deuce, Break Point, 7th Deuce, Break Point and finally the break!) to level the set at 2-2!  Fernandes was broken again (15-Love then went right to Double Break Point, the break came on Break Point) while Chiaro held again (15-Love then point for point to Game Point, Deuce and then all Game Points though to 3rd Deuce, one more Game Point and then the hold) for 4-2.  Samara was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and then the break) as his team fell behind 2-5, but Kazlauskas was broken again and this time it was at Love after starting off with a Double Fault.  The score was now 5-3 in favor of Chiaro/Kazlauskas with service returning to Nate the Great for a third time.  He, too, was broken at Love as this one ended on Triple Break/Match Point!  We played this on Court Three from 7:35 to 8:13.

The Skinny: Afterward, we said it did not feel like a 6-3 set as it was quite competitive.  We all had many moments to be proud of while also offering up a couple of head-shaking errors.  But, for the most part, we were all pretty much on our game.  Kazlauskas was serving big, but that did not lead to service holds.  Fernandes did just about everything right except hold serve.  Chiaro was crushing the ball as usual...as his "King Crush" moniker implies.  Samara came off perhaps somewhat stronger than expected and more than held his own with a mix of slices and gets.  Still, it was not enough.

Nathan Fernandes/Jordan Bachvaroff over Chris Chiaro/Mike Kazlauskas, 6-4!  No Aces.  Nate and Jordan jumped out to a 3-0 lead only to have it get cut down to 3-2.  They went up 4-2, but then it went to 4-3 and 5-3.  Up 5-4, Jordan was on serve and looked like he may hold at Love as it went straight to Triple Game/Match Point.  Instead, his team closed it out on Double Game/Match Point.  Fernandes cleaned up his game even more in this one while Bachvaroff was pretty much on the money with aggressive play.  At the same time, the errors accumulated for Chiaro and Kazlauskas.  Mike was just happy to finally get his first service hold game in this one.  This also took place on Court Three and it lasted from 8:16 to 8:57.

Lou La Forgia/Kris Srinivasan over Jose Gonzales/Natalia Sout, 6-2!  Jose: 1 Ace on Kris.  Court Four hosted this one from 8:25 to 8:50.

Dwight Thomas Sr./Dwight Thomas Jr. over Lou La Forgia/Tito Castolo, 6-3!  No Aces.  Another battle waged on Court Four.  It lasted from 9pm to 9:29 to be exact.  Kris was the matchmaker on this one and it turned out to be a tighter contest than the score indicates.  The Dwights are such a tough tandem that one can very easily see them rising to the top of our Doubles Division if they ultimately desire to do so.

Chris Chiaro/Mike Kazlauskas over Frank Samara/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0!  No Aces.  Again, this is the basic breakdown: Chris held (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point, shifted to Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Jordan was broken (Triple Break Point, Double Break Point, Double Fault), Mike held at Love, Frank was broken (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point, cut down to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break), Chiaro held again (30-Love shifted straight to Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold) and Bachvaroff was broken again (Double Fault to set up Triple Break/Match Point, the break came on Double Break/Match Point) to eat a late night bagel!  We played this one on Court Four from 9:03 to 9:23.

The Skinny: Yes, it was a bagel...a doughnut...a goose egg...insert any other cute synonym for zero here.  And, yes, it did end it twenty minutes.  Still, there were opportunities to convert in both of Chiaro's services and also in Samara's lone one.  The difference was that Chris and Mike cleaned up their mutual games from the One-Setter before and came out on fire in this one.  Jordan lost the spark and the touch he had in that previous one.  And Frank had gotten cold (not due to the weather...just due to sitting for so long) while being relegated to the sidelines for a while there...which now seems like where he should have stayed!

Anna Mazur over Stan Selwa, 6-4!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Return of Stan Selwa.  These two faced off on Court Two from 9:15 to 9:42 (after which, they continued to play on...but a partial score was not collected).  Selwa has improved greatly since last seen in the GTA...and this was his very first time out on the court in 2017.  They decided to forego the changeovers in the interest of saving time. 

Chris Chiaro/Kris Srinivasan over Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout, 6-3!  No Aces.  Down 3-5, Nate was on serve when it went straight to Triple Break/Match Point, then Double Break/Match Point and then finally it was Break/Match Point where the break ultimately occurred!  Court One hosted this one from 9:26 to 9:55.  Nate and Nat more than held their own against Chris and Kris.  Sout continues to show why she was such a worthy winner of last season's Most Improved Women's Player of The Year award.  One last note - they also opted not to do the changeovers in order to save time.

Sincerely,
Frank Samara
gtasamara5@gmail.com
862-596-3354