9/30 Results.

9/30/18:

"12 play (1 New) at PAC, Frank-Carl + 8 at AP, 5 at NTC, Mixed Dbls action at C.G.!":

There were four sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: the first one was at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley and was hosted by "TNT" Tim Nguyen; the second was "Hollywood" Frank Samara hosting the "usual" GTA Sunday Tennis session at Albion Park in Clifton as he also first handled the EWC Singles Match against Carl "Buster" Brownson who was representing Team East: the third was at Nutley Tennis Club hosted by "The Riz" John Rizzo.  And then the fourth was the usual evening session at The Cedar Grove Courts with both "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan and "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes reporting the Mixed Doubles action that took place there. 

Let's turn this report over to Tim right now!

We had another great Sunday morning at PAC, Nutley.  This time the weather was perfect for the season of fall - cool and breezy on a Sunday morning…..and the crew (12 of us) enjoyed GTA Tennis and took up three of the four courts on Park Ave.  One player is new to the league, Christian Rossi (introducing and welcoming Christian to the GTA).  This time we also had two of the ladies...Laurie Boughton and Vivian Lee...it was great fun!

The Park Ave. Courts Results:

Tim Nguyen/Vivian Lee over Tom Heidt/Laurie Boughton, 6-4!  No Aces.

Tim's Take: Tom's ankle was acting up toward the end of the games so we thought that we should stop, but he insisted to finish out the set.  We hope your ankle feels better, Tom.

Sam Wong/Santosh Reddy over David Wong/Christian Rossi, 7-6 (7-3)!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Debut of Christian Rossi.

Arunraj Nair/Matt Aery over Edgar Valencia/Joe Renga, 6-1!  No Aces.

Tim Nguyen/Santosh Reddy over David Wong/Christian Rossi, 6-1!  No Aces.

Tim Nguyen/Santosh Reddy over Edgar Valencia/Arunraj Nair, 6-4!  No Aces.

David Wong/Vivian Lee over Matt Aery/Joe Renga, 6-2!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: As I've said in the past, I really appreciate Tim stepping up as the host of these early Sunday morning sessions in Nutley.  I also thank him for his timely and comprehensive reporting.

We will now detail how the session unfolded at Albion Park in Clifton.

"Hollywood" Frank Samara pulled up to the curb on Maplewood Ave. overlooking the courts at Albion Park at 9:45am.  The agreed upon starting time for his East-West Challenge series match against Carl "Buster" Brownson was 10am, so Frank wanted to make sure to grab a court. 

 

Heading down the hill toward the three courts, he saw that "Z-Man" Dave Zapusek was already out on the North Court just starting a full match against the same mystery man he played two weeks ago (Dave never reported that result then and he didn't do it this time around either...quite likely due to the fact that their outings are so contentious...constant arguing over calls and negotiations as to what the score should be...unlike his matches against his buddy, "The Flax Machine" Mike Flax, which Dave usually does report).

 

Anyway, I got sidetracked a bit there.  The other two courts (Center and South) were still available, so Samara situated himself on the South Court to keep some distance from Dave and Mr. X.  While waiting for Carl to arrive, Frank flicked numerous acorns off the court with his racquet.  He also had much to think about as the day before he found out via text from "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan that she had lost her EWC Women's Singles Match to "M-Pact" Megan Reed.  Megan's win gave Team East a two match lead over Team West, six wins to four...just one more win away from a total series victory (as seven matches won takes a thirteen match series).  Samara knew as the Captain, he could not let his team down...he must lead by example!  He had already won his Men's Doubles Match a little more than a couple of weeks ago...now he had to do the same in Singles just to keep Team West alive in the competition...to give them the chance to play on to hopefully catch up with (and hopefully surpass) Team East.

 

But then there was another consequence to consider...because while winning would be great for Team West, it would actually not be the best thing for Mr. Samara himself.  With the September Rank Defense Review set to take place after all the weekend's results get reported, Frank would actually benefit more from losing to Carl rather than beating Brownson...as crazy as that sounds!  See, the rules of the Review were set up many, many seasons ago and their main purpose was twofold - one, to crack the whip on players who fail to put their rank on the line (and punish them for not doing so) and also to make sure that said players were putting their rank on the line against contenders worthy of the challenge.  With Brownson solely in the Intermediate Division and Samara exclusively in the Advanced Division, Frank winning over Carl does not meet with the requirements of the Rank Defense Review as Brownson is not a contender within fourteen ranks of him.  But, if Carl were to win the match, then he would have proven himself to be a worthy challenger in taking Samara's rank and thus Frank's loss would not qualify as a rank defense worthy of the monthly requirements.  Yes, it sounds screwy...and, in a way, it is...but there in no perfect system to be implemented here.

 

Well, never let it be said that Samara is not truly a team player...because going into this match, his only true thoughts with regard to both possible scenarios were on the former and not the latter...even though the latter would ultimately help propel him up the ladder (i.e. the rankings of the Advanced Division).  He knew he had to put on his proverbial Captain's cap and be steely in his resolve to win this one...even though it would be only his third full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match of the season.

 

Carl arrived at 9:55 (meeting Frank in person for the very first time) and the two competitors hit for just over five minutes before officially starting the match.  During the contest, "The Great Wall" Muhammad Haque (also on Team East) arrived at 10:10 and then held Center Court while waiting for others to hopefully arrive (by the way, Zapusek and guest would hold the North Court until 11am, their usual exit time).  Muhammad had to wait for a while until "Lucky" Leo Victor finally made his way down to the courts at 10:45.  The two of them soon started hitting with each other.

 

Five minutes later, "The Scorpion Dragon" Dino Celis also arrived (at 10:50) and he took the bench alongside the South Court to witness the last seven minutes of the match.  Just three minutes later at 11am, three more competitors arrived - "The Shade Shark" Suzanne Bujara, "Hurricane" Jose Gonzales and "Sensei Sachi" Sachiko Tokuda.  At the same time, Zapusek and his pal were heading off of the North Court.  Brownson felt the need to leave as he was not sure if he may be coming down with a cold or not...plus he later admitted Samara's style of play gave his legs a good workout (i.e. a lot of running needed to be done to stay in the rallies).

 

It led to Frank briefly hitting with the ladies on the North Court until he overhead the fact that Dino wanted to practice his serve alone on the South Court.  With just three guys hitting on Center Court, Samara asked the gals if they wouldn't mind hitting with each other one-on-one (they didn't mind...in fact, they seemed to be happy to be rid of him...just kidding) while he made his way over to Center Court to enable some Men's Doubles to occur.

 

So that Doubles One-Setter got underway at 11:15.  Just five minutes later, "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon made his way down to the courts.  As Samara did before him, he went solo in hitting against the ladies on the North Court.  Around 11:30, a rather rotund interloper made his way onto the South Court and asked Dino (who was taking a break on the bench at the time) if he was still using the court.  Celis allowed him to take it and, five minutes later, "Double B" (aka "Beer Belly") was soon joined by his buddy (also, a portly fellow...though not as big as his pal...perhaps his secret code is BOSCO!).  The two of them had the court until 12:30, I believe.  Not sure if they played a full match or not...or maybe they just hit. 

 

And even though I am being somewhat of a ball buster as I write this, they were actually both nice guys.  The only reason I even weigh in with the weight issue of these guys is the fact that the first one was wearing a shirt that looked to be about three sizes too small...so his gut was constantly revealing itself as a result.  So, I am not a "weight-ist"...I'm just a guy who thinks properly fitting attire would be proper!

 

The next player to arrive was "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli at 11:40.  When Samara asked why he was sans racquet, Spin said he could go back and get it if he was needed.  Well, he was needed...to join Chazz and the gals on the North Court for some Mixed Doubles.  As the Doc is still slightly limpy and gimpy, he suggested that they do it "Battle of The Sexes" style and the ladies were game for the challenge!

 

Once Dino later became part of a Doubles One-Setter, we got to a total of ten official competitors for the session.  On such an amazing day weather-wise (sunny and in the low 70 degree range), that turnout may have been somewhat low...but, then again, given the inconsistency of this "regular session" due to all the wet weekends we had this season...I guess we should be happy we even got up to ten players! 

 

All those in attendance had a lot of fun.  And even though all the official action ended by 12:40, Frank, Spin and Dino had a bull session that ran all the way to 2:10...just like the old days.  Good times!

 

The Albion Park Results:

 

EWC Singles Match (2 out of 3 Sets):

Frank Samara over Carl Brownson, 6-1, 6-3, to earn a point for Team West in the East-West Challenge Series!  This was not a rank defense for Samara as he is solely in the Advanced Division while Brownson is strictly in the Intermediate Division.  No Aces.

 

1st Set: Carl was broken (15-Love then point for point to Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and then a Double Fault to break himself), Frank held serve (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold), Brownson was broken again (a Double Fault set up Love-30, 15-30 and then another Double Fault to set up Double Break Point and then came the break) and Samara held again (Love-15 shifted to 30-15, then came 30-All, Game Point and the hold) to go up 4-0!  Buster held to get onto the scoreboard (a Triple Game Point lead was cut down to Game Point, but then came the hold), but Hollywood held yet again (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point, 3rd Deuce, Game Point and the hold) to go up 5-1.  And then Carl was broken (Love-15, 15-All, Double Fault for 15-30, Double Break/Set Point and the break) to drop the set at exactly 10:27 (we began it on the South Court at 10:02)!  Three minutes later, the next set would be underway.

 

2nd Set: Frank was broken for the first time as a 15-Love lead then went straight to Double Break Point and the break, but Carl was also broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point and then the break).  Samara then held (a Love-30 lead then launched directly to Game Point and the hold), but so did Brownson (30-Love shifted to 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) for 2-2.  The Wood was broken for the second time (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point, but then came Deuce, Break Point and the break) for 2-3, but Buster was also broken (15-Love dropped directly to Double Break Point and the break) to tie things again, this time at 3-3!  And from there, Frank held (a Triple Game Point lead was cut down to Game Point, but then came the hold) while Carl was broken again (15-Love shifted to 15-30 and then a Double Fault set up Double Break Point and then came the break) only to have Samara hold once more (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game/Match Point and the hold) to get the win at precisely 10:57 (the entire match was 55 minutes long)!

 

The Skinny: Coming into this match, I had only heard good things about Carl...and they all proved to be true as he is just that...a true gentleman and sportsman on the court.  There were a couple of line calls where he called my shots in and I would have also believed him had he said otherwise (both were close calls).  He has a big forehand and also has great variance on his serve (sometimes coming with pace and other times emphasizing more topspin).  He sometimes hits a one-handed topspin backhand a la Federer (Dino is also quite adept at hitting this shot) that crushed a couple of my short and weaker serves to become winning returns.  But the slice backhands that I hit deep to his backhand side were harder for him to handle as he often sent them back wide off the court as it was hard for him to get around them.  Considering the fact that I have played very little as of late (and especially Singles), I had an "on" day today for the most part.  It would be a pleasure to give Carl a rematch somewhere down the road.

 

The Consequences: This victory brought Team West one win away from tying Team East's total (it is 6-5 in favor of the East).  There are just two matches to be played - the Men's Doubles Match featuring the "A" Teams of "The Accelerator" Abhilash Gadi and Chazz Weldon going up against "SWAT" Rich Liu and "Ravishing" Randy Doran, and then William "Bombs Away" Bobila (now taking the place of the injured "Macho Man" Tom La) to face "The Art Font" Arthur Fontanilla.  Both of these matches could go either way and it may very well come down to the last one to be played to break a 6-6 tie to take the ultimate seventh point for the overall team victory!

 

Frank Samara/Muhammad Haque over Jose Gonzales/Leo Victor, 6-3!  Jose: 1 Ace on Frank!  It went like this: Muhammad was broken (Triple Break Point, Double Break Point and the break) and Jose held serve (started with an Ace up the T against Frank, but then dropped right down to Double Break Point only to rebound to Deuce, Game Point and the hold) for 2-0.  Frank held (Triple Game Point, Double Game Point and the hold) and then Leo was broken in a lengthy struggle (15-Love shifted to 15-30 shifted again to Game Point, then came Deuce and all Break Points until 3rd Deuce, Game Point, 4th Deuce and then all Break Points until 6th Deuce, Game Point, 7th Deuce, Break Point and finally the break) to level things at 2-2!  Haque was broken again (started with a Double Fault, Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and then another Double Fault to break himself), but Gonzales was also broken (Love-15, 15-All then onto Double Break Point and the break) to even it up again, this time at 3-3.  Samara held again (Love-15 went straight to Double Game Point, Game Point and the hold) and then Victor was broken again (Love-15, 15-All, a Double Fault for 15-30, then Double Break Point and the break) and then The Great Wall finally held (a Double Fault to set up Love-30, but then it shifted straight to Game/Match Point, Deuce, the 2nd Game/Match Point and the hold) to earn the victory!  We played this one on Center Court from 11:15 to 11:59.

 

Chazz Weldon/Dan Martinelli over Suzanne Bujara/Sachiko Tokuda, 6-0!  No Aces.  They played this "Battle of The Sexes" One-Setter on the North Court from 11:50 to 12:13.  Afterward, Suzanne said she would need to leave by 12:30.  The four of them then decided to start another just to see how many games they could complete.

 

Chazz Weldon/Dan Martinelli leading Suzanne Bujara/Sachiko Tokuda, 3-1 (Incomplete when Bujara had to leave at 12:30)!  Spin: 2 Aces (one on each and back-to-back in the same game)! 

 

Dino Celis/Jose Gonzales over Frank Samara/Muhammad Haque, 6-3!  Jose: 2 Aces on Frank (in the same game)!  The dirty lowdown: Dino held (30-Love, a Double Fault for 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold), Frank held (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and then a rebound to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Jose held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold), but Muhammad was the first to be broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30, 30-All, Break Point and the break) to fall to 1-3.  Celis was then broken (15-Love, 15-All, Double Fault for 1-30, Double Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 3-2, but then Samara was also broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) for 2-4.  Despite two Aces in the same game, Gonzales was broken (started with a T-line Ace against Frank, but then that brief lead shifted straight to Double Break Point as the rally to set up that DBP was the best of the match as they ran Muhammad all over the place, but he had the answer when he made a great get/winner combo to end the lengthy point, but then Jose scored with an even faster Ace up the T-line against Frank to make it Break Point and then it went to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 4-3.  But from there, Haque was broken again (30-Love, a Double Fault for 30-15 and then the hard shift occurred all the way to Break Point and the break) while The Scorpion Dragon held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game/Match Point and the hold) for the victory!  We played this one on Center Court from 12:05 to 12:40.

 

We now head back to Nutley, but this time around it is The Riz Report from the Nutley Tennis Club!

 

The NTC Results:

 

Ryan Sherry/Frank Hohorst over John Rizzo/Ryan Pienciak, 7-5!  No Aces.

 

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Ryan Sherry/Frank Hohorst over Ryan Pienciak/Abhilash Gadi, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 66 and # 67 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: As always, I thank John for his very timely reporting.  I do believe this action took place on Court One.

We now head into the evening and move west to Cedar Grove for the dual report from Gen and Nate.

The Cedar Grove Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Challenge Match:

Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Mike Mole/Genalin Capan, 6-0, 6-1, to become the New # 6 Ranked Team in the Mixed Doubles Division!  Mike: 1 Ace on Nate in the 2nd Set!

Gen's Notes: Nate and Natalia challenged us to play a match.  This match was fairly quick (lasted only 40 minutes).  Nate and Natalia played really well and didn't miss much.  We just had way too many errors on our part.  Congrats to them on a very impressive win!

We played one more set and mixed up the team.

Nathan Fernandes/Genalin Capan over Mike Mole/Natalia Sout, 6-1!  No Aces.

Gen's Notes: Despite the score, it was a lot of fun.  We had some really good rallies.

We ended this "mini" session by 7:25.

Samara's Notes: I thank Gen and Nate for their timely reporting (Nate reported the same scores as Gen, just without any commentary).  It is greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

9/29 Results.

9/29/18:

"Gen-Megan at PAC, Riz hosts 6 at NTC, Mixed Dbls action at C.G.!":

There were three official sessions of GTA Saturday Tennis…and perhaps there were actually four, but there were no results reported from the Cedar Grove morning session that "Dominant" Dawn Peterson said she would be hosting (I even followed up on it and never heard back from her).  Perhaps it never happened…and, if it did, it will all just have to remain unofficial at this point.  Maybe the tone of exclusivity in promoting the session scared some potential players away…who knows!

Anyway, getting back to the three sessions for which we do have official results…the first one was at the Park Ave. Courts in Nutley and it featured the East-West Challenge series Women's Singles Match as it was "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan (representing Team West) going up against the lady for Team East, "M-Pact" Megan Reed (as reported by Gen).  Coming into this match, Team East had a 5-4 lead over Team West.  Seven matches won will earn total victory in the series. 

The next session was also in Nutley, but it was at the Nutley Tennis Club as "The Riz" John Rizzo hosted a session there that featured six players (including John) in various Mixed Doubles One-Setters.

And speaking of Mixed Doubles, there was a full Mixed Doubles Challenge Match in the final session of the evening at the Cedar Grove Courts (as reported by "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes) followed by a One-Setter.

So we will now let Gen get this report started.

The Park Ave. Courts Results:

 

EWC Women's Singles Match (2 out of 3 Sets):

Megan Reed over Genalin Capan, 6-2, 6-4, to become the New # 9 Ranked Player in the Women's Division while also earning a point for Team East in the East-West Challenge Series!  Megan: 1 Ace in the 2nd Set!

Gen's Notes: We played from 4:15 to 5:20 at Nutley.  It was a pretty competitive match.  Megan has a wicked topspin forehand.  She also got me with a few well-played drop shots.  We had some really nice rallies.  I enjoyed playing our match and it was a lot of fun.  Congrats to Megan on her win and she has earned another point for Team East in the EWC series!

Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for reporting this result in a very timely manner.  And I congratulate Megan on a very impressive victory!

 

The Consequences: This win gives Team East a 6-4 lead over Team West in the East-West Challenge series...just one more match win from a total victory in the series!

 

We now head just slightly west to Nutley Tennis Club for the scores from John.

 

The NTC Results:

 

Mike Mole/Sally Pillay over John Rizzo/Pat McNamara, 6-3!  No Aces.

 

Mike Mole/Sally Pillay over Marijus Kuzavas/Pat McNamara, 6-3!  No Aces.  

 

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Mike Mole/Janice Wang, 7-6 (7-4)!  No Aces.

 

The Riz Report: Mike and Janice led 5-1 and had 3 Match Points along the way.  Down 0-6 in the Tiebreak, they saved 4 Match Points before just falling short!

 

Mike Mole/Janice Wang over John Rizzo/Sally Pillay, 6-3!  No Aces.

 

The Riz Report: The last half of this set was played in the dark!

Samara's Notes: I do thank John for his very timely reporting.  Also, that one One-Setter that went to the Tiebreak may have a chance at being a Nominee for One-Set Mixed Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.  And I do believe that all this action took place on Court Five at NTC.

We now head further west to Cedar Grove to get the news from Nate. 

The Cedar Grove Results:

GTA Mixed Doubles Challenge Match:

Nathan Fernandes/Natalia Sout over Jeff Rozner/Louise Bysiek, 6-0, 6-0, to successfully defend their # 7 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division!  In the process, Rozner/Bysiek entered the Mixed Doubles Division as the New # 38 Ranked Team.  No Aces.

Nathan Fernandes/Louise Bysiek over Jeff Rozner/Natalia Sout, 6-2!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: I thank Nate for his very timely reporting…much appreciated. 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com  

 

 

 

 

9/28 Results.

9/28/18:

"Just 4 play at PAC!":

It was a light Friday night in terms of GTA Tennis as there was only one session featuring four players at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley as reported by both "The Great Wall" Muhammad Haque and Arunraj "Air" Nair.  So let's go to their report now. 

The Park Ave. Courts Results:

 

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Santosh Reddy/Arunraj Nair over Rich Liu/Muhammad Haque, 6-2, 6-3, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 64 and # 65 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces.

 

The Arun Rundown: In both sets we were able to maintain our lead from the beginning.  Rich and Muhammad played well, with Rich's strong forehand shots and Mohammad's serves.  In return, Santosh countered their attack with his forehand and cross-court shots and I was more than happy to be the one guarding at the net.

 

The Muhammad Memo: Santosh played very well and his forehand bamboozled Rich a couple of times.

 

We then switched the teams to play a One-Setter.

 

Muhammad Haque/Arunraj Nair over Rich Liu/Santosh Reddy, 7-5!  No Aces.

 

The Arun Rundown: Santosh and Rich were too good for us in the beginning and they easily took the lead to 3-1.  We then came back into the set to tie it up at 3-3.  But again they took the lead, up 5-3.  In the 9th game, they were leading 40-15, but our fight was still not over.  We won that game and then took the next three games for the comeback to win the set at 7-5.

 

The Muhammad Memo: At one time they were leading 5-3 with Double Match Point, but we came back and won.

 

Samara's Notes: I thank both Muhammad and Tim for their timely and comprehensive reporting.

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com  

 

 

 

 

9/27 Results.

9/27/18:

"Phoenix-Ortega at C.G.! WD from Monk Memorial Final!":

There was just one session...just one match for GTA Thursday Night Tennis.  And, thankfully, they got it in early as the rain came unexpectedly early...earlier than predicted!  Never before has there been a season of GTA Tennis where the majority of the meteorologists have been more wrong more often...moronic!  Anyway, getting back to the match, Jay "The Rising" Phoenix and "Salsa Picante" Edwin Ortega got together at the Cedar Grove Courts early enough to play a full Singles Challenge Match (as reported by Jay).  So we will go to his report now...and then address a situation that developed later in the evening.

The Cedar Grove Result:

2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match:
Jay Phoenix over Edwin Ortega, 7-5, 6-3, to successfully defend both his # 21 Rank in the Advanced Division and his # 1 Rank in the Intermediate Division!  No Aces. 

Jay has his say: Edwin Ortega challenged me to a full match.  We played at CG from 5:10 to 6:30.  In spite of the score, I feel we are evenly matched.  Most of the games went to Deuce.  Over the last four years, we have played dozens of times and our matches are pretty much split down the middle.

Samara's Notes: I thank Jay for his very timely reporting of this match and I congratulate him on the win.

The Consequences: With this rank defense, Jay has guaranteed himself a place in the match to determine a New GTA Intermediate Champ.  After the September Rank Defense Review is conducted at the end of the month (just a couple of days away), we will know who his opponent will be.  If nobody else in The Top 10 of the Intermediate Division has defended their rank this past month, Phoenix may very well be facing Ortega once again.

Speaking of consequences, later in the evening Tom La sent a couple of text messages to Frank Samara to inform him that he has aggravated his tennis elbow situation quite significantly...so much so that he will not be able to play tennis for at least a few weeks.

As such, La has to bow out of the Monk Memorial Final.  The rules of the GTA do not allow for substitutions to be made in tournaments where there is advancement/progression (unless it was in the Opening Round before the match was played).  Tim Nguyen did allow a substitution to take place in this very same tourney in order to keep the Nutley portion of the event moving forward as he did not know the rules of the league in that moment and was doing his best to keep the tourney afloat at that location.

Given that and the fact that the winning team that emerged from Nutley was Edgar Valencia/Arunraj Nair, that decision was allowed to stand as it was of no consequence anyway.  And now since Valencia/Nair is the team in the Finals of the Monk Memorial Tournament, they benefit from La's withdrawal (which is most unfortunate for Tom's partner, William Bobila) as Edgar and Arun are now the 2018 Monk Memorial Champs!  This makes them the New # 2 Ranked Team in the Doubles Division as well as the Top Contenders entitled to the next shot at the GTA Doubles Championship currently held by Nick Caputo and Ryan Pienciak.

Again, it would be unfair to allow someone new to come in to take La's place as Bobila's partner and step right into a Final that everyone else had to earn their way into...so this is the only appropriate course of action to take.

Tom La was also committed to be involved in an East-West Challenge Singles Match against Arthur Fontanilla.  Since that is a series of separate matches and not an ongoing tournament of advancement/progression, substitutions are allowed in that situation.  Tim Nguyen and Rich Liu have already given their stamp of approval for such a substitution, but we are still waiting to hear back from the Team Captain for Team East, Keith Lewkowitz.  Also, Nguyen feels it would be appropriate to consult with Fontanilla as well.  We will have more on this situation as it develops.  It would be unfortunate for Team West to have to lose a point (especially with the EWC series so closely contested at this point) due to an injury.

9/26 Results.

9/26/18:

"Reszkowski/Toker-Caputo/Nicolas at FLTC!":

There was just one session of GTA Wednesday Night Tennis and it was indoors at the Fair Lawn Tennis Club as evening rains scared away any outdoor sessions from occurring.  The session featured a Mixed Doubles Challenge Match as "Tireless" Tommy Reszkowski and "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker put their rank on the line against "NC-17" Nick Caputo and Fadia "Finesse" Nicolas (with both Fernanda and Nick reporting). 

Let's go to their dual report now.

The FLTC Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match:

Nick Caputo/Fadia Nicolas over Tommy Reszkowski/Fernanda Toker, 6-4, 6-3, to become the New # 3 Ranked Team in the Mixed Doubles Division!  No Aces.

 

Tommy Reszkowski/Fernanda Toker over Nick Caputo/Fadia Nicolas, 6-2!  No Aces.

 

Toker's Take: We had a half hour to spare since we paid for two hours, so we played a One-Setter afterwards.  I love playing with them.  We had a lot of fun points.

The NC-17 Screening: It was a great match with many awesome points.  Fernanda and Tommy are fun to play and great competitors. 

Samara's Notes: I thank both Fernanda and Nick for their timely reporting.  It is much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

9/24 Results.

9/24/18:

"EWC Mixed Dbls at PAC, Women's Dbls at C.G., Men's Dbls Titles at GCPl!":

There were three sessions of GTA Monday Night Tennis and they pretty much ran at the same time to varying degrees.  The first was at The Park Ave. Courts in Nutley as the EWC Mixed Doubles Match took place with "Del Brotro" Mike Mole and "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan representing Team West and going up against "Kaptain" Keith Lewkowitz and "M-Pact" Megan Reed playing for Team East (with both Gen and Keith reporting).

The next was the usual session at The Cedar Grove Courts, but it only featured some Women's Doubles action as reported by "Dominant" Dawn Peterson.

And the last of the three sessions was at Grover Cleveland Park in Caldwell and it featured the long-awaited GTA Doubles Championship Match as the GTA Doubles Champions: "NC-17" Nick Caputo and "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak put their Titles on the line against the 2018 M2 Champs: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro and "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes (with Ryan reporting…and then they switched the teams up for a couple of One-Setters afterward).

So we start in Nutley, then go to Cedar Grove and then finish this report in Caldwell.

The Park Ave. Courts Result:

EWC Mixed Doubles Match:

Mike Mole/Genalin Capan over Keith Lewkowitz/Megan Reed, 6-4, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 6 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division while earning one point for Team West in the East-West Challenge series!  In the process, Lewkowitz/Reed entered the division as the New # 37 Ranked Team.  Mike: 1 Ace on Megan in the 2nd Set!

Gen's Notes: We got started at 7pm.  It was windy and cool evening.  The total time of the match was 54 minutes.  It was nice to meet Megan and Keith.  Both are pretty good players.  We had some really nice competitive plays during the match.  Mike was serving well and his forehand was just on.  My net game was consistent tonight.  Glad we got a win for Team West. Thanks to all for a good match.

The Kaptain's Commentary: Simply put, the better team won!  They both played legitimate tennis and this was just an old fashioned ass whooping.  They were kind enough to come to Nutley.  Mike served great and had a few nice drop shots.  Genalin was amazing at the net. I want to say Mike had two Aces on me (Gen only reported the one on Megan), but that doesn't tell the whole story.  Admittedly, when he hit to me there were many times that his serves were so good that I barely got the racquet on it and avoided what would have been Aces.  I'd say there were at least a dozen of those occurrences.  The ball may have gone over, but immediately someone on their team would then put it away because of my weak shots.  I hit a lot of lollipops back and that's because Mike and Genalin forced it.  Megan, to her credit, deserved better and if paired with a more competent player she would have had a better result. She showed her typical strong game.  Kudos to the winners!

Samara's Notes: I thank both Gen and Keith for their very timely, detailed and comprehensive reporting.  It is very much appreciated. 

The Consequences: Team East still has the lead over Team West, but now it has been cut to 5-4 as this EWC series continues to grow more interesting as it evolves.  Still, the East only needs two more wins to claim an overall victory.

We now go to Cedar Grove.

The Cedar Grove Result:

2 out of 3 Sets Women's Doubles Match:

Dawn Peterson/Diane Raum over Brenda Jordan/Michele Panzitta, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, to become the New # 10 Ranked Team in the Women's Doubles Division!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: I thank Dawn for her very timely reporting…much appreciated!   

And now it is time to take it to Caldwell to close out this report!

The Grover Cleveland Park Results:

GTA Doubles Championship Match:

Nick Caputo/Ryan Pienciak over Chris Chiaro/Nathan Fernandes, 6-4, 6-1, to complete their fourth successful GTA Doubles Championship defense of their first reign!  Ryan: 1 Ace on Chris in the 2^nd Set!

The Ryan Report: We played from 7pm to exactly 8:21.  We were serving at 5-1 in the 1^st Set, but it took us a few games to close it out as they came back strong.  

Then we switched up the teams and played two One-Setters. 

Ryan Pienciak/Nathan Fernandes over Chris Chiaro/Nick Caputo, 6-3!  No Aces.

Chris Chiaro/Nick Caputo over Ryan Pienciak/Nathan Fernandes, 6-4!  Chris: 1 Ace on Nate!

 

Samara's Notes: I thank Ryan for his timely contributions to this report.  And I congratulate the Champs on such a dominant victory…very much unexpected!

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

Gtasamara5@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/23 Results.

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