7/20

Samara hosts 4 at HP, then hosts 14 (incl. M2) at C.G.!":

               

GTA Wednesday Night Tennis took place at both Holster Park (hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara) and The Cedar Grove Courts (also hosted by Samara with assistance from usual host, "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan).  Frank needed to lean on Kris for extra assistance as Samara was involved in his M2 Men's Doubles Tournament Quarterfinal Match where he'd be teaming with "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto against "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia and "Big George" Jorge Solano. 

 

We will first recap how things went down at HP and then detail the big session up at C.G.

 

When Samara pulled into the parking lot down the hill from Holster Park at 5:50, he looked up the hill at the courts to see that Championship Court was already occupied.

 

Frank went uphill and held the Entrance Court as he saw Zoltar hitting against two of his buddies.  This was the first time seeing them at the Holster Park courts since that initial Sunday we played there.

 

Samara did not have to wait on the bench long as "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak stepped onto the court at 6pm and said that Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao was also on his way.

 

Frank and Ryan started hitting against one another.  Tony arrived at 6:15 and took Ryan's side in hitting against Frank.  Shiao and Pienciak were hoping to get some time teaming together to prepare for their match in the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament.

 

At the same time Tony arrived, two young guys took Center Court and they would soon be joined by two more.  And a little while later, two other young guys started waiting outside the fence.

 

During the hitting session, Samara thought he had seen "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues pull into the parking lot.  But then we did not see anyone else heading toward the courts.

 

Finally, Joe stepped onto the court at 6:45.  He only needed a little while hitting as we got the first of two Doubles One-Setters started at 6:48.

 

The HP Results:

 

Tony Shiao/Ryan Pienciak over Frank Samara/Joe Rodrigues, 6-1!  Tony: 2 Aces (one on each)!  It went like this: Ryan was broken (Love-15 and then point for point until 30-All as he hit an un-returned serve and Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash along the way, but then Ryan hit a roller over the net to set up Game Point, then it was Deuce where Joe unleashed a killer return for Break Point and then came the break), Frank was broken (Love-30 where Frank whipped a big-time volley for 15-30, but then Tony was equal to the task with a whopper of an Overhead Smash to make it Double Break Point and then Ryan hit another roller over the net for the break), but Tony was the first to hold serve (Tony hit a winner and then Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it 30-Love which was where Tony scored a corner Ace on Joe to set up Triple Game Point, but that was where Frank hit a winning drop shot return to cut it to Double Game Point which was where the hold came) to go up 2-1.  Joe was broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love, it shifted to 15-30 with an excellent extended rally along the way, then it went to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) and Pienciak held (un-returned serve for 30-Love, 30-15 and then a Double Fault for 30-All, but then came Game Point and the hold) to go up 4-1.  Samara was broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love, but then it went straight to Double Break Point as Ryan hit a net-cord winner along the way and then came the break) and Shiao held again, but this time in a struggle as he started off with a Double Fault and then Joe hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-30, it shifted to 30-All as Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash of his own, but then it was Break Point where Tony nailed Frank with a corner Ace for Deuce and then there was an un-returned serve to set up Game/Match Point, then 2^nd Deuce, Break Point, 3^rd Deuce, un-returned serve for 2^nd Game/Match Point, 4^th Deuce, another un-returned serve to set up the 3^rd Game/Match Point and then yet another un-returned serve to secure the hold and get the win!  We played this one on the Entrance Court from 6:48 to 7:13.

 

The Skinny: Tony and Ryan both seem to be in fine form as they head into the M2 Tournament.  We decided to play a rematch.  In this next one, Tony and Ryan switched their return of service sides.  That may have been a mistake.

 

Frank Samara/Joe Rodrigues tied with Tony Shiao/Ryan Pienciak, 5-5 (Incomplete, when Samara had to leave at 7:54 as he was already running late for his 8pm starting time of the M2 Quarterfinal Match set to be played up at Cedar Grove)!  Tony: 1 Ace on Joe.  Here's how it was going: Joe was broken (an awesome rally to get things started led to Love-15 where an un-returned serve made it 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Break Point as Frank blew an overhead along the way, but then another un-returned serve cut it to Break Point, but that was where Frank blew a volley to aid in breaking his partner) and Ryan held serve (Ryan hit a winner and a winning Overhead Smash on the way to Triple Game Point, but then that got cut to Game Point which was where Tony blew an overhead to make it Deuce, then it was Game Point again where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to get out to a 2-0 lead.  Frank held in a battle where winners could no longer be noted as it went from 15-Love to 15-30, 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2^nd Deuce, Game Point, 3^rd Deuce, Break Point, 4^th Deuce, Game Point, 5^th Deuce, Game Point and finally the hold to get his team on the scoreboard, but Tony also held (started with a T-line Ace on Joe, but then Ryan blew a volley for 15-All, but Ryan followed that with two successful and winning volleys to set up Double Game Point which is where the hold came) for 3-1.  Rodrigues held at Love with back-to-back un-returned serves at the end and Pienciak was broken (an un-returned serve for 15-Love, but then Joe hit a winning lob and the rally of the match ended with a well-placed winner by Frank to make it 15-30, another un-returned serve for 30-All, then it was Break Point where Frank hit an amazing return winner for the break) to level it at 3-3!  Samara was broken (Love-15 and then an un-returned serve for 15-All where Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash on the way to Double Break Point where Ryan hit a mammoth Overhead Smash that bounced over the fence for the break), but Shiao was also broken (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 as Tony hit a winner and an un-returned serve, but then Joe hit a blistering winner and Frank hit a winning volley to shift it to Break Point, it was Deuce where Joe hit a laser-like passing shot winner for Break Point where Joe then made an amazing get/winner combo for the break) to knot the score once more at 4-4!  J-Rod held (Ryan blew a gift of an overhead opportunity that cracked us up as he smashed himself with his own racquet on the follow-thru and then Joe hit a passing shot winner and Ryan blew another overhead to set up Triple Game Point which was cut to Game Point until an un-returned serve secured the hold) to go up 5-4.  At this moment, Frank knew he was already running late to head up to Cedar Grove.  So he struck a deal where the next game would be the last no matter what.  If Samara/Rodrigues took it, they get the win.  If Shiao/Pienciak got it, we end it in a tie.  The Lumberjack got to swinging as he scored with an un-returned serve and two winners on the way to Triple Game Point and a Love hold to end this one at 5-5!  This one was also played on the Entrance Court and it lasted from 7:16 to 7:54.  Samara felt really bad that he could not see this one through to its proper conclusion, but everyone understood and it still was a lot of fun.

 

Frank then sent a simultaneous text message to both Kris and Vin to inform them he would get to Cedar Grove at 8:05.

 

As promised, Samara pulled into the parking lot at The Cedar Grove Courts at 8:05.  Upon his arrival, he saw "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff and "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes playing Singles with one another on Court One. 

 

On Court Two, it was Kris teaming with his son Sairaj against "Killer Kat" Kathy Sheldon and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson.

 

On Court Three, it was Vin hitting against both Lou and Jorge. 

 

And on Court Four were four of the Verona guys in a Doubles Match.  Thankfully, that crew only had one of the four courts as we needed a minimum of three to make the night a success…which it was.

 

Samara immediately got out onto Court Three and did not need a warm-up as he was already beyond warm due to the action he was involved in at Holster Park.  The match got underway at 8:10.

 

Tito "Touch" Castolo, "Coach" Dino Celis and Ryan Pieciak all made their arrivals along the way, but Frank was too busy to note them.  We ended up with a total of fourteen competitors.

 

We will first report the scores that took place prior to the M2 Quarterfinal (thanks to Nate and Kris for providing the details).  Then the results that come after that match just mean they were started at a time later then the kickoff of the M2 match.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan over Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson, 6-3!  Sairaj: 1 Ace on Kathy.

 

Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan over Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson, 6-2!  Dawn: 1 Ace on Kris.

 

Nathan Fernandes over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0!  Jordan: 1 Ace.

 

Kathy Sheldon/Dawn Peterson over Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan, 7-5!  Sairaj: 1 Ace on Kathy.

 

Nathan Fernandes over Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-0!  No Aces.

 

M2 Quarterfinal Match:

Lou La Forgia/Jorge Solano over Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto, 6-3, 5-7, 10-1 (STB), to advance to the Semifinals of The M2 Men's Doubles Tournament!  Once they entered into a Super Tiebreak to decide the match, the # 2 Rank in the Doubles Division of Samara/De Benedetto was no longer on the line!  La Forgia/Solano entered the division as the New # 39 Ranked Team (but still have the chance to end up as the New # 2 Team if they win the tourney)!  Jorge: 2 Aces (1 on Frank in the 1^st Set and 1 on Vinnie in the 2^nd Set)!  This one got started on Court Three at 8:10.

 

1^st Set: Jorge was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30, corner Ace on Frank for 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2^nd Deuce, Break Point and the break), Frank was broken (15-Love shifted to 15-30, 30-All, Break Point and the break), but Lou was the first to hold serve (started with a Double Fault, 15-All, it then went to Double Break Point, but then to Deuce, Break Point again, 2^nd Deuce where Lou made an incredible get/winner combo…and I wasn't even noting other winners to save time, but this deserved a special mention…to make it Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) to go up 2-1.  Vinnie was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point, Break Point and the break) to fall to 1-3, but Solano was broken again (30-Love shifted to Break Point, Deuce, Break Point again and then the break), but Samara held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point again and the hold) to tie it up at 3-3.  But from there, La Forgia held at Love and De Benedetto was broken again (15-Love shifted to 15-30 and then a shift again to Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) to fall to 3-5.  And then Big George had a Love hold as Lou shifted to Australian style to deal with Frank's return of serve and the strategy paid off as this game went straight to Triple Game/Set Point and the hold as this set concluded at 8:49.  The next set started a minute later.  In the next one, Lou and Jorge switch their service sides.

 

2^nd Set:  Frank held serve (15-Love, 15-All, then onto Double Game Point and the hold), Lou held (he made an equally impressive get/winner combo to another extreme drop shot return from Frank as he did the first time around and this set up 30-Love on the way to another Love hold), Vinnie held (Triple Game Point was cut down to Game Point, but then came the hold), but Jorge was the first one to be broken in this set (Love-15 then point for point to 30-All, Double Fault for Break Point and then the break) to go down 1-3.  Samara was broken (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 shifted to Break Point and the break) and La Forgia held again (30-Love to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) to level the set at 3-3.  De Benedetto held again (Triple Game Point was cut down to Game Point, but then came the hold) and Solano was broken again (Love-30 shifted to 30-All, Break Point, Deuce and then an Ace up the T line against Vinnie for Game Point and it would be all Game Points on the way to 4^th Deuce and then another Game Point, Double Fault for 5^th Deuce, Game Point again, 6^th Deuce, Break Point and finally the break!) to fall to 3-5.  Hollywood was broken again (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point and the break) and The Lethal Lefty held yet again (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game Point and the hold) to tie things up again, this time at 5-5!  The Vin Man held yet again (30-Love shifted to 30-All, Game Point and the hold) and Big George was broken once again (Love-15, 15-All and then straight to Double Break/Set Point and the break) to drop the set and level the match at 9:31!  With rapidly diminishing time as the concern (lights out at 10pm!), we all decided it better to play a 10-Point Super Tiebreak rather than a full 3^rd Set.  Vinnie said that even an STB can take long.  Frank then said half-kiddingly that maybe it would be a shutout (and he implied that to be in the other team's favor).  Well, it was almost a case of "Samaradamus" once again!

 

STB: Frank was broken on his lone serve, Lout made his third great get/winner combo off of yet another wicked drop shot return from Frank and then held his second serve as well and then Vinnie was broken on both of his serves to be down quickly at 0-5!  Jorge held the first of his two serves for 6-0 at the changeover and then he held his second as well for 7-0!  Samara was broken on the first of his two serves to fall to 0-8, but then managed to hold his second to get on the board in the STB at 1-8!  But La Forgia was unstoppable as he held his first for 9-1 and the very first Match Point of the contest which was all he would need as he held again on his second service to close this one out at 9:38 (we started the STB at 9:32…it only took six minutes to complete!) for a very impressive outing in a hard-fought victory!

 

The Skinny: Everyone played well and fought hard despite also having some head-scratching errors every once in a while.  Even Lou was not error-free.  But he was clearly a notch above the other three as he was never broken on serve and was also a force with his return game as well as he likely scored at least a half dozen winners in that regard alone.  Jorge was the one who scored a couple of Aces, but Lou does not need to score an Ace in order to hold serve as his wicked kick topspin serves coming from the angle of a crafty lefty are enough to give just about anyone fits.  He is also deceptively quick as one would not expect someone of his muscular frame to move as fast as he can when provoked.  The three get/winner combos that I noted were Chiaro-like in their impressiveness.  That is about as high a compliment as I can pay.  La Forgia and Solano will be a tough team to deal with as they move forward in this tourney.  I congratulate them on their victory!

 

Speaking of Lou, I neglected to mention in the News update that went out earlier in the day (though the brackets had it right…thanks to "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar) that La Forgia is now replacing "Rockaway" Ray Jalil in The Grove Cup Round of 32 Match against "Stormin" Norman Taclob as Jalil ended up booking some travel plans that would come into conflict with his participation in the tourney.

 

The Taclob-La Forgia match, a battle of the lefties, is likely to be the closest-contested Round of 32 Match of them all.  Already, many in the league are looking forward to seeing it.

 

Now let's get to the results of the matches that started after the M2 Quarterfinal did (though some finished earlier).

 

Jordan Bachvaroff/Nathan Fernadnes over Dino Celis/Ryan Pienciak, 6-3!  Ryan: 1 Ace on Nathan.  This was played on Court One (start and stop times are unknown).

 

Kris Srinivasan/Tito Castolo over Raj Shah/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-2!  Raj: 1 Ace on Kris.  This was contested on Court Two (do not know the start and finish times).

 

Jordan Bachvaroff/Nathan Fernandes over Dino Celis/Ryan Pienciak, 6-4!  No Aces.  This one concluded on Court One at 9:55.

 

Sairaj Srinivasan/Tito Castolo over Kris Srinivasan/Raj Shah, 6-1!  Tito: 1 Ace on Kris.  This one got done on Court Two at 9:57.

 

All in all, it was a very exciting session and we were fortunate to have three of the four courts at our disposal.

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

7/19

"Dean-Joe at HP, Samara hosts 22 (2 New) at C.G.!":

               

GTA Tuesday Night Tennis took place at both Holster Park (hosted by "Hollywood" Frank Samara and featuring the first of the Grove Cup Round of 32 Matches to be played…this one was between "Lean" Dean Delgado and "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues) and The Cedar Grove Courts (also hosted by Samara with some assistance from the usual host there, "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan). 

 

We will first recap how things went down at HP and then detail the big session up at C.G.

 

When Samara pulled into the parking lot down the hill from Holster Park at 5:35, Rodrigues was already there in his car getting ready for his match with Delgado.

 

Frank went uphill first and held the Entrance Court as two outsiders (a teenage boy and teenage girl) were playing on Center Court (they would leave at 6:10).  Joe soon got on court as well and Samara and Rodrigues entered into a hitting session with one another around 5:40.

 

Ten minutes later, Delgado arrived and Samara stepped off to let the two of them hit instead.

 

At 5:55, "The Hitman" Tom La arrived and made his way toward the courts.  Frank and Tom then went over to Championship Court to hit together.

 

The Delgado-Rodrigues match got underway at 6pm.  Ten minutes later, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro arrived and headed over to Championship Court to hit against both Frank and Tom.

 

This hitting session alternated between that two on one scenario and then rotating one on one hitting while the other would sit out to take a breather.  The weather was nice, sunny and around 80 degrees.  But it was also surprisingly windier than expected.

 

Chiaro, Samara and La never got a fourth player to enable any Doubles action.  At 7:15, Tom decided to leave.  Chris and Frank had one more one on one hitting session before Chris decided to leave for Cedar Grove (which he ended up doing at 7:30).

 

At 7:20, Uni and Dora Mendoza took Center Court for a hitting session together.  Once Chiaro and Samara got off of Championship Court, the Mendozas shifted over to it so as not to bother the epic Deladgo-Rodrigues match.

 

At 7:40, three kids and a father (a guy who looked to be close to 300lbs.!) took Center Court.  The battled between Dean and Joe ended just one minute after that.

 

Samara left the park at 7:50 (same time that Delgado did while Rodrigues was still recovering on the bench) to head up to Cedar Grove.  And we will get to all of that later.  But first we have…

 

The HP Result:

 

Grove Cup Round of 32 Match:

Dean Delgado over Joe Rodrigues, 7-5, 6-4!  No Aces.  This was not a rank defense for Delgado as Rodrigues is solely in the Intermediate Division.

 

The score does not do this match justice!  Joe saved 9 Set Points in the 1^st Set before ultimately going down to the tenth!  That set started at 6pm and ended at 7:02 – one hour and two minutes long!  The 2^nd Set started much like the first…an exchange of breaks and then each player holding serve as the set grew older.  But on the second go-round, that additional break of serve came a little bit sooner.  Still, it was a very hard-fought match.  And even though it ended in straight sets, it may possibly be a Nominee for Singles Match of The Year at season's end.

 

Congratulations to Dean on a hard-fought victory, but also kudos to Joe on a spirited effort.  Every year, Rodrigues comes so close to finally making the leap into the Advanced Division.  I truly hope that one of the "bridge" players (i.e. those simultaneously ranked in both the Advanced and the Intermediate Divisions) gives him a shot at their rank (once they are also no longer in the Grove Cup) as Joe truly is at that level as well.  He has been for quite some time now, actually.

 

When Samara pulled into the parking lot at The Cedar Grove Courts at 8:05, he saw Court One filled with four non-GTA players (the usual Polish guys, I think).  On Court Two, it was Kris teaming with "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo against "Coach" Dino Celis and "The Natural" Natalie Guzman.

 

On Court Three, it was Chiaro teaming with "The Secret Weapon" Sairaj Srinivasan against Dwight Thomas Sr. and Dwight Thomas Jr. (aka The Dwights…though it really should be The Thomases). 

 

And on Court Four were two more gentlemen that we had not seen before at the courts (we will end up seeing more of them as you will soon see).

 

Riding the bench alongside Court One were "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas, "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas and "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff.  They reported an earlier score to Samara.

 

And sitting on the bench alongside Court Four were "The Lethal Lefty" Lou La Forgia, "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes and "Bravo" Brenda Jordan.

 

So we already had a packed house with just two of the four courts being used for GTA play…and more were still on the way!

 

"Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli arrived at 8:10.  "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan made her way across the street just five minutes later.  Tito "Touch" Castolo pulled into the lot at 8:30.

 

And the last two arrivals of the evening were "Instant" Moka Pathan and "2 Tall" Dave Zhu at 8:50.  This gave us a total of 22 official competitors throughout the entire session…very impressive!

 

Speaking of impressive, that is a good word to describe the talents of the two men who were playing each other on Court Four.  La Forgia approached them on a changeover to ask if they would be open to the idea of playing some Doubles.  They were gracious enough to accept the proposal…provided they were given the time to finish their Singles action…just a couple more games.

 

They went onto play a set against Lou and Nate.  At the end, their info was collected and this One-Setter served as their official GTA Debuts.  Their names are Guy Dupoux and Cliff Pierre-Louis.  Both are highly skilled players.  Guy said he hasn't hit in about a year…so he will really be scary once he shakes off the rust.  His serve is truly a sight to behold.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

Jordan Bachvaroff/Nathan Fernandes over Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas, 6-4!  Mike: 1 Ace on Nate.  This one took place on Court Two (not sure of the start and stop times).

 

2 out of 3 Sets:

Kris Srinivasan/Levy Lorenzo over Dino Celis/Natalie Guzman, 6-2, 6-4!  No Aces.  Not sure when this one got underway on Court Two, but it ended exactly at 9:01.

 

Chris Chiaro/Sairaj Srinivasan leading Dwight Thomas Sr./Dwight Thomas Jr., 4-2 (Incomplete, when Jr. had to stop playing due to a very bad blister that had developed on his foot)!  This was on Court Three.  Sr. decided to continue on in a fashion where it was Canadian Doubles style rules (i.e. he hit to them utilizing the entire court to the Doubles lines while they had to hit back to him within the Singles lines). 

 

Unfortunately, once Junior bowed out…we could no longer count this as an official result.  We hope his injury is not serious as this father/son duo is scheduled to face Chiaro and "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah in the Quarterfinals of the M2 Men's Doubles Tournament.

 

Lou La Forgia/Nathan Fernandes over Guy Dupoux/Cliff Pierre-Louis, 6-0!  Guy: 1 Ace on Lou (a big one)!  It was the official GTA Debut of both Guy Dupoux and Cliff Pierre-Louis.  This was played on Court Four from 8:31 to 8:56.

 

Do not let this lopsided score fool you.  Both Guy and Cliff have very big game and the rallies were intense.  This duo just needs to shake off some rust and gain more consistency.  At that time, they will become dangerous.  And they do seem interested in playing more with us in the future.  So we gladly welcome them to the league.

 

Tito Castolo/Brenda Jordan over Sairaj Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-1!  No Aces.  This one took place on Court Three and lasted from 8:44 to 9:07.

 

Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas over Jordan Bachvaroff/Dave Zhu, 6-3!  No Aces.  They got this one underway on Court Two at 9:02 right after the four Polish guys left the court.  Not sure when this one finished as they went into another one that would end up as incomplete (that score will finish this report).

 

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Moka Pathan/Nathan Fernandes over Chris Chiaro/Lou La Forgia, 6-4, 0-6, 10-5 (STB)!  Once they entered into a Super Tiebreak to decide the match, # 19 Rank in the Doubles Division of Chiaro and La Forgia was no longer on the line!  Chris: 1 Ace on Moka in the 2^nd Set!  This one got started on Court Four at 9:05 and it was finished at 9:57.

 

Dino Celis/Frank Samara over Kris Srinivasan/Levy Lorenzo, 6-1!  No Aces.  It went like this: Levy was broken (15-Love then point for point to Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break) and Frank held serve (Love-15 then straight to Double Game Point and the hold) to go up 2-0.  Kris held to get his team on the scoreboard (30-Love to 30-All, Game Point and the hold), but Dino also held (started with a Double Fault, but then it went right to Double Game Point and the hold) to go up 3-1.  Lorenzo was then broken again (Love-15, 15-All, then onto Double Break Point and the break) and Samara held again, but this time at Love for a commanding 5-1 lead.  Srinivasan was then broken and it was at Love as it came on Triple Break/Match Point!  We played this one on Court Two from 9:09 to 9:29.  In the interest of saving time, I did not note who hit what winners and when as I usually do.  We decided to enter into a rematch…which we will get to in just a bit, but first…

 

Sairaj Srinivasan/Tito Castolo over Doinks Srinivasan/Brenda Jordan, 6-2!  Tito: 2 Aces on Doinks!  This "Battle of The Sexes" style One-Setter took place on Court Three and lasted from 9:10 to 9:35.

 

Dino Celis/Frank Samara over Kris Srinivasan/Levy Lorenzo, 6-2!  No Aces.  Here's how it went down: Frank held serve in a crazy battle (30-Love to 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Game Point, 2^nd Deuce and then all Break Points until 5^th Deuce, Game Point and the hold), Kris was broken at Love and Dino held (15-Love, 15-All then onto Double Game Point and the hold) to get off to a 3-0 lead.  Levy held (Love-15 then shifted straight to Double Game Point, the hold came on Game Point) and Samara was broken (Love-30, 15-30, Double Break Point, the break came on Break Point) to have his team's lead cut to 3-2!  But Srinivasan was broken again (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All, Game Point, Deuce, Break Point and the break), Celis held at Love and Lorenzo was broken at Love as this one ended on Triple Break/Match Point with Dino and Frank taking the last ten straight points to race to the finish line!  This one was also contested on Court Two and it lasted from 9:30 to 9:58.

 

Kris and Levy switched up both their sides of service and their return of service sides.  It did seem to make a difference as this was definitely a closer contest.  Mr. Lorenzo is quite the player and he is another recent welcome addition to the league.

 

Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas leading Jordan Bachvaroff/Dave Zhu, 3-2 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)!  No Aces.  Not sure when they went into this one on Court One, but they did not have the time to get it done.

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

7/18

Kris hosts 8 at C.G.!”:

               

Despite the storms that rolled through our area in the late afternoon/early evening, GTA Monday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by “Papa K” Kris Srinivasan). 

 

Let’s now go to Kris.

 

It was a relatively quiet night in terms of number of players, but GTA Tennis was in full swing.  We needed only two courts that were put to good use.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

Nathan Fernandes/Tito Castolo over Greg Swierczek/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-3!  Sairaj: 1 Ace on Tito!

 

As we had 5 players at the start of the game, I sat out. We did hit a bit earlier. While the first Doubles One-Setter of the day already in progress, Jay Phoenix turned up to play a singles One-Setter with me.

 

Kris Srinivasan over Jay Phoenix, 6-2!  No Aces.

 

It was a question of who was making the most Unforced Errors...:-) 

 

Greg Swierczek/Tito Castolo over Nathan Fernandes/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-1!  No Aces.

 

Apparently, it was an off-day for the kiddo and it looked like it put his partner under pressure...:-)

 

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Kris Srinivasan/Lou La Forgia over Norman Taclob/Jay Phoenix, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 37 and # 38 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces.

 

Jay wanted the lefties against the righties, but I thought it may not be balanced.  It was a bit unusual for

Norman to face a left handed player, but it turned out to be great for all.

 

This was an excellent match with all the players doing fantastically well. One could say that Lou stole the show with his superb serves and brutal shots.  To Jay's credit, he handled Lou's serves very well and had a few nice points at the net.  Norman served well and displayed exquisite shots.  It was good for me to face Norman, but I need to work on getting his serves more effectively.

 

It was a very competitive match. With our nose out in front in the 1st Set, we were under relatively less pressure.  In the 2nd Set, it was a different ball game.  A renewed Norman and Jay upped their game and we were down 1-4.  Lou was the rescuer for us time and again as we leveled the scores, but from then it was Norman and Jay in the lead until the Tiebreak where we swept them aside comfortably.  It was a good match that lasted an hour and a half!

 

A thunderstorm in the early evening had potentially kept the bulk of players off the tennis courts.  Tuesday looks like it will be a great day for plenty of action on the tennis courts in the evening.  Cheers!

 

Samara’s Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for being the catalyst for GTA Tennis up at Cedar Grove. 

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

7/17

Samara hosts 15 at HP, Riz hosts 5 at NTC, Scott-Andrew part of 20 at C.G.!":

On a hot and sweltering Sunday, it turns out there were three sessions of GTA Sunday Tennis: Holster Park in Clifton (with "Hollywood" Frank Samara acting as host), The Nutley Tennis Club (with "The Riz" John Rizzo acting as host) and The Cedar Grove Courts (earlier in the day it was a full 2 out of 3 Set Challenge Rematch between "Ice Berg" Scott Bergenfeld and "Drew True" Andrew Truong and then later in the day with "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan acting as host).

Samara's e-mail to the league had originally stated that he would be at Holster Park somewhere in the10am to 10:30 area.  Instead, he pulled into the parking lot at 9:35, fielded a phone call and then headed up to the courts at 9:40.

Upon his arrival, he saw that two of the three courts were already taken.  On the Entrance Court, there were a group of five players (an older man, three young guys and one younger gal...all either Polish or Russian...and all quite good...especially one of the younger guys).  And on Championship Court, a grandfather was giving a hitting lesson to his eleven year old granddaughter.

So Samara took Center Court and waited.  He did not have to wait all that long as "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto arrived at 9:50.

The two of them started hitting and they also discussed wanting to team together in order to get ready for the action they will face in the upcoming M2 Men's Doubles Tournament. 

Another five minutes later, we had the surprise arrival of "Mr. G" Mark Grossman...who we have not seen in action in quite some time.  Soon, he entered into the hitting session.

And then at 10am, we first had "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales heading toward the courts...but not far behind was "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues.

Under normal circumstances, Samara would have bowed out to let the other four play first.  But Frank really wanted to get some court time with Vin.  Jose said he was only going to play a One-Setter and then have to leave anyway.  So we decided upon Samara/De Benedetto versus Gonzales/Grossman with Joe sitting it out in the cool shade outside the fence.

Just a few minutes later, "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon came through the gate and he took the bench alongside the Entrance Court.

And then I could not even note the times of all of the next arrivals: "MC" Mike Carucci, "Lean" Dean Delgado and "The Webmaster" Senthil Kumar.  Suddenly, we had a logjam situation on our hands!

At 10:35, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro made his arrival.  Just as he did, the grandpa and the granddaughter left Championship Court.  But there were four players already ahead of Chris in the wait for courts.  So while those four took the court, Chiaro found himself becoming the first of the next waiting party.

Another five minutes later, "Coach" Dino Celis joined him.  And still another five minutes after that, "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli hit the courts.

Now we had a bunch of guys on the bench alongside Championship Court.  Spin proposed taking a foursome over to the new courts at Albion Park since that renovation was completed on Friday.  But at 10:46, the first Doubles One-Setter of the day ended on Center Court.  Samara offered up that all four would clear that court for the next four that had arrived (Gonzales was leaving entirely).

And that was what happened as Frank, Vin and Mark stepped outside the gate and sat down in the grass in the shady tree-covered area just outside the courts.  Just minutes later, they were joined by "Holy Moly" Mike Mole.

So now we had a third foursome...we just needed a court as the other eight players were already on two of the three courts.

Thankfully, the party of five on the Entrance Court left at 11am.  The four that had been outside the fence took that court and that led to two Doubles One-Setters with it being Samara/De Benedetto against Mole/Grossman.

Carucci left at 11:20 after his Doubles One-Setter had concluded.  Five minutes later, Tito "Touch" Castolo arrived and was able to take Mike's place on Championship Court.

At 12:05, "RK Fire" Rafaelo Kazakov hit the courts and took the bench as he had to wait a while to play.  Half an hour later, he finally had the chance to start hitting with Mole on Championship Court.

And when Jay "The Rising" Phoenix was the last and fifteenth arrival of the session at 12:55, Mike let Jay take his place in hitting against Rafaelo.  This would eventually lead to a full 2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Match.

Mole joined Samara, Martinelli, Celis and Rodrigues in a bull session that was taking place in the shady area outside the fence.  That quintet ended up calling it a day at 1:10 as they all headed home separately.

The additional result of Phoenix-Kazakov was sent in by Rafaelo and he is thanked for their efforts.

The HP Results:

Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto over Jose Gonzales/Mark Grossman, 6-4!  Vinnie: 1 Ace on Mark.  It was the official GTA Return of Mark Grossman.  It went like this: Jose was broken at Love after Frank hit a winning drop shot return, Frank was broken (winners by Jose then Mark made it Love-30 where Frank hit an impressive winner that almost went around the post as he ended up nearly running onto Championship Court in the process of the get...it was now 15-30, but then Mike hit a winning return for Double Break Point where then there was a great rally that led to Break Point, but then came the break), Mark was broken (a winner by Jose made it 15-Love, but then Frank hit a winning return for 15-All, but then Jose hit a winning Overhead Smash for 30-15, it then was 30-Al where a Double Fault set up Break Point and then came the break), but Vinnie was the first to hold (back-to-back winning Overhead Smashes by Vin made it 30-Love, then it was Triple Game Point where Mark hit a winning lob for Double Game Point, but then came the hold) to go up 3-1.  Gonzales held (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All where Mark hit a winning Overhead Smash for Game Point and then came the hold), but so did Samara (15-Love shifted to 15-30, then it was 30-All, Break Point, Deuce, Game Point and the hold...did not note the winners in that game so as not to keep the opposition standing and waiting in the sweltering heat...and the same holds true for the next two games) to go up 4-2.  Grossman also held (15-Love, 15-All and then straight to Double Game Point and the hold) and De Benedetto was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point where he hit a short drop shot style Ace against Mark to bring it to Deuce, then it was Break Point again and on 2nd Deuce it was Frank who blew a gift of an overhead to make it Break Point yet again and then came the break) to knot the score at 4-4!  Latino Heat was broken at Love for the second time this One-Setter as Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Love-30 and then Hollywood held again (Jose hit a winning return for Love-15, but then it went straight to Double Game/Match Point after Vin hit a winning volley and Frank made a very nice get/winner combo to set up that D.G.M.P.) to get the win!  We played this one on Center Court from 10:12 to 10:46.

The Skinny: It is a shame I did not note the winners in those three games as they were very likely the three most exciting games of this One-Setter.  And there were many winners in those games.  Jose scored some drop shot winners against Vin.  Vin was successful with his usual volleys and Overhead Smashes.  Frank was in get-making mode on this occasion and while Mark was not hitting as many winners as the other three, he was very steady with his solid forehand shots.

Joe Rodrigues/Mike Carucci over Chazz Weldon/Dean Delgado, 6-4!  Joe: 1 Ace on Dean.  This one was contested on Championship Court from 10:45 to 11:20 and it was definitely the "Upset of The Day!"  In the beginning just after the hitting session had ended, Joe asked Dean somewhat incredulously: "These are the sides you want to stay with?"  It had been Chazz and Dean lined up against Joe and Mike all along in the hitting session...but that seemed like a mismatch for actual competition.  Delgado just shrugged his shoulders and away they went into the contest.  Well, it looks like Carucci decided to "pull a Costanza" and go out on a high note after this stunning victory...LOL!

Chris Chiaro/Dan Martinelli over Dino Celis/Senthil Kumar, 6-2!  No Aces.  They played this on Center Court from 10:55 to 11:25.

Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto over Mike Mole/Mark Grossman, 6-2!  Mark: 1 Ace on Vin.  Here's how it went down: Vinnie held (Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-Love, then there was a Double Fault for 15-All and it continued on point for point to Game Point as Mike hit a winning return along the way and then it went to Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce, Game Point and the hold) and Mike was broken (Love-15 and then an un-returned serve for 15-All, but then right to Double Break Point where Mark hit a winning Overhead Smash for Break Point, but that was where Vin hit a winning volley for the break) to go down 0-2.  Frank was broken at Love to allow the opposition onto the scoreboard, but then Mark was also broken (Vin hit a drop shot winner for Triple Break Point and then that was cut to Break Point where Frank hit a highly impressive winning return for the break) to fall to 1-3.  De Benedetto held again (Frank hit a drop shot winner and then there was an un-returned serve for 30-Love, it then went to 30-15 and Double Game Point where Vin hit a drop shot winner for the hold) and Mole was broken again (Frank hit a winner for Love-15, then it was Love-30 where a Double Fault set up Triple Break Point, an un-returned serve cut that to Double Break Point, but another Double Fault caused the break) to fall to 1-5.  Samara was broken again in a seesaw game as he got out to a Triple Game/Match Point lead only to have Vin blow an overhead to cut it to Double Game/Match Point and then that was where Mark hit a winning return to make it Game/Match Point and then it went to Deuce where Mark hit another winning return to set up Break Point and then came the break!  His team's lead was now cut to 5-2, but Grossman was also broken again despite starting with a formidable sideline Ace against Vin, it then shifted to 15-30 after Vin hit a winning Backhand Volley, then at 30-All came the rally of the match that led to Break/Match Point and then came the second best rally of the match which was finished with a volley by Vin that hit off of the net-cord and that was all that was needed to make it an unreachable shot!  We played this one on the Entrance Court from 11:05 to 11:44.  We took a two minute breather before launching into a rematch.  But first...

Dino Celis/Senthil Kumar over Chris Chiaro/Dan Martinelli, 6-4!  No Aces.  This rematch took place on Center Court from 11:28 to 12:09.

Joe Rodrigues/Tito Castolo over Chazz Weldon/Dean Delgado, 6-4!  No Aces.  This one got underway on Championship Court at 11:30 and it also ended at 12:09.

Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto over Mike Mole/Mark Grossman, 6-4!  No Aces.  The dirty lowdown: Vinnie was broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love, 15-All, Double Fault for 15-30, Mike blew an overhead to make it 30-All, then Break Point where Mike hit a scorching winner for the break), Mike was broken (an un-returned serve for 30-Love and then back-to-back winning Overhead Smashes by Vin made it 30-All, but then Mark had a winning Overhead Smash of his own for Game Point, but that was where Frank hit a high-quality winning return to make it Deuce and then on Break Point it was Vin once again with a winning Overhead Smash to cause the break), but Frank was the first to hold serve (a winning Overhead Smash by Vin and an un-returned serve blazed the path to Triple Game Point which was where Mike hit a monster of a winner to make it Double Game Point, but then came the hold) to go up 2-1.  Mark was broken (Vin blew a volley to make it 15-Love, but then that went straight to Double Break Point as Frank hit a winning drop shot return along the way and then Frank hit a winner for the break) and De Benedetto held (Mike hit another big winner and Vin blew an overhead to make it Love-30, but then that went right to Game Point as Vin hit a winner and Frank hit a winning lob along the way and then it was an un-returned serve that earned the hold) to go up 4-1.  Mole held (un-returned serve for 15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All which was where Mark hit a winning Overhead Smash for 30-15, but then Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash of his own to make it 30-All, but then it went to Game Point where another un-returned serve secured the hold) to pull to 2-4, but then Samara had a Love hold as he started off with an un-returned serve, Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash on the way to Triple Game Point where Frank hit a winner of his own to lock it down at Love to go up 5-2!  Grossman held as well (un-returned serve for 15-Love, it shifted to 15-30 as Frank hit a screen-shot winner along the way, but then it shifted to Game Point as Vin blew a volley along the way, but then Vin hit a successfully winning volley for Deuce, but that was where Mike made an amazing get/winner combo to set up Game Point again and then came the hold) to pull to 3-5.  And then came the craziest game of the match and the day with service returning to The Vin Man.  All but one winner was forgotten about in this one as concentration had to be kept on the number of wasted Match Points that went by as Vin got out to a Triple Game/Match Point lead only to have it go to Double Game/Match Point, Game/Match Point, Deuce, Double Fault for Break Point, 2nd Deuce where Frank made a very nice get/winner combo to set up the 4th Game/Match Point, but then 3rd Deuce, 5th Game/Match Point, 4th Deuce, Break Point, 5th Deuce, Break Point and then the break to have his team's lead cut to 5-4!  But Holy Moly was also broken and it would happen at Love in rather anti-climatic fashion (when considering the previous game) as Frank hit a drop shot winner and a winning volley and then Vin hit a winning volley of his own to set up Triple Break/Match Point which was where the break occurred on the 6th M.P. overall!  We played this one on the Entrance Court from 11:46 to 12:32.

From there, Vin had to go as he was already running late to return home.  Mike invited Rafaelo over to Championship Court for a hitting session over there while the rest of the guys still in attendance had a rowdy bull session outside the fence and in the shade. 

As stated earlier, when Jay made his arrival...it allowed Mike to finally leave the court and join the B.S.  The hitting session between Phoenix and Kazakov eventually led to the following... 

Jay Phoenix over Rafaelo Kazakov, 6-0!  No Aces.

Jay Phoenix over Rafaelo Kazakov, 7-5!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: Even though the Bergenfeld-Truong rematch up at Cedar Grove took place earlier in the day, let's first go to John for his recap from NTC.  Then, we will have Scott start the report from Cedar Grove which Kris will finish.

The NTC Results:

Alfred Chen/Dan Hwang over John Rizzo/Nick Inciong, 7-6 (8-6)!  No Aces.  We saved 5 Match Points down 4-5 and then we led 6-4 in the Tiebreak only to lose the last 4 points!

Samara's Notes: That sounds like a possible Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.  Let's grab a couple more scores from John before we take it up to C.G.
 
Alfred Chen/Dan Hwang over John Rizzo/Tom La, 6-4!  No Aces.

Alfred Chen/Dan Hwang over John Rizzo/Tom La, 6-2!  No Aces.

Samara's Notes: I thank John for sending in those scores.  Now we go to Scott, to be followed by Kris.

The Cedar Grove Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Challenge Rematch:
Scott Bergenfeld over Andrew Truong, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, to successfully defend his # 35 Rank in the Intermediate Division!  Andrew: 2 Aces!  Scott: 1 Ace (a self-described cheap second serve one). 

The Great Scott Report: I played Andrew at The C.G. courts early in the morning.  The match started at around 9am.  He won the 1st Set, 6-3, as he was on his game early.  I came back and won the 2nd Set, 6-1, and the 3rd Set, 6-2.  The heat was definitely a factor.  We were both laboring late in the match. All in all, it was a great workout!  The match was over around 10:30.

Samara's Notes: I thank Scott for providing us with that report.  We now let Papa K take it away!

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Scott Bergenfeld/Doinks Srinivasan, 7-6 (7-4)!  No Aces (apparently).

A very close and well-contested match that could have gone either way.  Scott was incredible with his shots. Full credit goes to Marijus and Sally for excellent serving and rallies.  Doinks got back some confidence, but it still is not fully there yet.

Mike Mole/Sairaj Srinivasan over Jordan Bachvaroff/Brenda Jordan, 6-3!  No Aces (apparently).

Dan Martinelli/Brenda Jordan over Kris Srinivasan/Natalia Sout, 6-4!  No Aces.

Hats off to Spin for serving and playing brilliantly after playing in the morning and mowing his lawn.  He was a bundle of energy and sprinted like a kid.  Both Natalia and Brenda played great and it sure was fun.

Tony Shiao/Doinks Srinivasan over Ryan Pienciak/Fernanda Toker, 7-6 (7-4)!  Ryan: 2 Aces (one on each)!

Tony Shiao/Doinks Srinivasan over Ryan Pienciak/Brenda Jordan, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

Marijus Kuzavas/Jordan Bachvaroff over Scott Bergenfeld/Dave Zhu, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

Dino Celis/Mike Mole over Sairaj Srinivasan/Joe Rodrigues, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

Mike Mole/Sally Pillay over Sairaj Srinivasan/Joe Rodrigues, 7-5!  No Aces (apparently).

Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay over Jordan Bachvaroff/Dave Zhu, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

Dan Martinelli/Brenda Jordan leading Kris Srinivasan/Natalia Sout, 5-3 (Incomplete)!  No Aces.

Overall, it was an exciting weekend of full-blown GTA Tennis at CG.  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: I always sound like a broken record here, but we really can't thank Kris enough for all he does up at Cedar Grove to benefit the GTA.  Kudos!

All the best,
Frank Samara

7/16

Kris hosts 9 at C.G.!”:

               

GTA Saturday Night Tennis took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by “Papa K” Kris Srinivasan). 

 

Let’s now go to Kris.

 

First, I must say that I neglected to mention the extended cameo appearances of both “The S Bomber” Genalin Capan and “Spin Doctor” Dan Martinelli at the Friday night session as both came to watch the entire M2 Men’s Doubles Quarterfinal Match.  It was much appreciated.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

Greg Swierczek/Sairaj Srinivasan over Kris Srinivasan/Dan Martinelli, 6-4!  No Aces.

 

It was a good match that saw every one playing well.  I probably was a bit casual in a couple of games, resulting in a loss.  But the credit should go to Sairaj for his attacking shots that were winners.

 

Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Greg Swierczek/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-3!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Both Rob and Laura were brilliant, especially Laura with her overheads, serves and solid shots.

 

Dwight Thomas Sr./Dwight Thomas Jr. over Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley, 6-1!  No Aces (apparently).

 

It was a very tired Rob and Laura, but the score certainly is deceptive.  And let me also say how good it was to see The Dwights back in action.  Chris Chiaro and Raj Shah may very well have their hands full in the M2 Quarterfinals.

 

Kris Srinivasan/Dan Martinelli over Dave Zhu/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-1!  No Aces.  Simply put, it was Spin at his best!

 

Samara’s Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for being the catalyst for GTA Tennis up at Cedar Grove. 

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara  

7/15

Gen hosts 3 at HP, Kris hosts 12 at C.G. as M2 begins!":

               

GTA Friday Night Tennis ended up taking place both at Holster Park in Clifton (with "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan acting as host) and The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan with an additional score also being sent in by Laura "The Aura" Gawley). 

 

Let's first go to the recap from Gen and then Kris will finish the balance of this report.

 

Mike Mole and I agreed to meet at 3pm at HP despite the weather being hot and humid.  We started hitting at 3:15.  After 30 minutes of hitting, I was already exhausted and needed to get a drink of water.  Of course Mike didn't seem bothered by the heat and told me this is just a "warm-up".  We proceeded to start a One-Setter.  Chazz Weldon sent me a text earlier and said he would be joining us, too.  Chazz arrived 5 minutes after we started the set. 

 

The HP Results:

 

Mike Mole over Genalin Capan, 6-0!  Mike: 3 Aces!  This set took just 14 minutes for Mike to put away! 

 

Chazz Weldon over Mike Mole, 6-2!  Mike: 1 Ace.  This set lasted 50 minutes. 

 

It started with an exchange of breaks.  Mike was broken on his service game.  Chazz's first service game was a battle.  It went to at least 5 Deuces and lasted 10 to 12 minutes (close to the time my previous set lasted).  Then finally Mike converted his 3rd Break Point to get the break back for 1-1.  Mike was broken on his service game again.  Chazz held his serve on the 4th Game Point after another 5 Deuce battle on his service game.  Chazz took the lead at 3-1.  Mike was broken on serve.  Chazz held for 5-1.  Mike was on serve at Break Point 30-40.  He took next 3 points to get it to Deuce, Game Point and then scored an Ace to get another game for 2-5.  Chazz held again to close out the set. 

 

There were some really good exchanges and extended rallies throughout their entire set.  Chazz is consistent and a very patient player.  Mike likes pace and at times ended up rushing the points.  There were moments when Mike hit some nice put-away cross-court winners, but inconsistency in his game today was a factor.  Chazz was only broken once in his service games. 

 

Mike Mole over Genalin Capan, 6-3!  No Aces.  This one lasted 32 minutes...much better than the bagel set.  Mike had the lead at 5-1.  I saved 2 MPs to get it to 2-5.  Mike was broken on his service game to extend the set.  Then he broke back to close out the set on the 3rd MP.

 

Chazz had to leave after our set.  Mike and I ended up hitting for another 20 minutes.  We ended the session by 6:20.

 

We got in a lot of tennis played despite the scorching heat.  It was fun.  Thanks to both Mike and Chazz for playing today. 

 

Samara's Notes: And thanks to Gen for hosting and providing us with such a comprehensive report.

 

We now head up to Cedar Grove to let Papa K take it away!

 

The courts were buzzing with action and the close matches added a feverish tempo to the atmosphere as the players were thrilled even in the humid conditions.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

M2 Quarterfinal Match:

Moka Pathan/Nathan Fernandes over Kris Srinivasan/Senthil Kumar 6-1, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, to successfully defend their # 30 Rank in the Doubles Division while advancing to the Semifinals of The M2 Men's Doubles Tournament!  In the process, Srinivasan/Kumar entered the division as the New # 36 Ranked Team.  No Aces.

 

The first of the M2 Quarterfinals matches took place on Friday evening.  After the initial outlook of what appeared to be a one-sided affair turned out to be an exciting and competitive match that went to three sets to be decided.  We were up against two solid players in Moka and Nate.  That didn't deter us, but only inspired us to do as well as we could.  Unfortunately, we fell short so badly in the 1st Set as Nate and Moka overpowered us with a combination of some amazing overheads by Nate, plenty of unforced errors on our part in contrast to almost none by our opponents.  In no time, we lost the set 6-1.

 

The 2nd Set turned out to be a fiery one as we mounted an ultra-aggressive attack at the net keeping continuous pressure on Nate and Moka.  I should thank Senthil for teaming up with me at short notice. He was brilliant at taking on Moka's brutal shots at the net and, more importantly, set up nicely for me to close some handsome points at the net.  Still, it was a doggone fight as even points that we should have won or so we thought were brilliantly overturned.  Nate's incredible move to take Senthil's superb drop shot was out of this world.  Moka's down-the-line shots and his aggressive cross-court shots were simply marvelous.  So we had absolutely no freebies whatsoever.  We had to earn our points and we did in one helluva mindset that upped the pressure on our opponents and cracked the nerves.  Thus, it was a completely different set as we rolled up our sleeves and put a premium on our skills.  Senthil is a steady hand with a calming effect.  As we kept our nose in front, we were able to create the pressure we couldn't in the 1st Set.  The set went the distance and after being down 0-3 in the TB, we did well to earn a bunch of points at the net to win the set dramatically.  This was after saving a Match Point prior to the TB at 4-5, thanks to a superb serve by Senthil, that almost aced Moka.

 

We lost the plot in the final set with some terrible unforced errors that resulted in a quick 5-1 lead for Nate and Moka.  This was after we missed a hold and also an easy break.  This is when we showed the play that got us going in the 2nd Set.  We won the next two games, but lost the momentum and the match in the next game.  It was a poor day for me in the "serve" department as the ball felt heavy in the humid conditions.

 

It turned out to be a fascinating match.  Kudos to Nate and Moka on a well-deserved victory!  They played beautifully, fully in control for most of the match.  We did well to give them a scare and make it an interesting match.

 

Samara's Notes: That was a great way to get the M2 Tournament started.  We now go to Laura for the lone score that she sent in before we go back to Kris.

 

Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Jose Gonzales/Jorge Solano, 6-2!  No Aces.

 

Samara's Notes: I thank Laura for sending that one in directly and in a very prompt manner.  And now we go back to Kris.

 

Sairaj Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan over Santosh Reddy/Marie Salamon, 7-5!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Apparently, the kiddo's return of serves was brutal and red hot.

 

Jose Gonzales/Jorge Solano over Sairaj Srinivasan/Marie Salamon, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Jorge Solano/Santosh Reddy over Sairaj Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

 

After leading 3-1, Sairaj and Doinks blew some of the games with double faults and unforced errors.

 

Samara's Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for being the host with the most up at Cedar Grove. 

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

7/14

Washout at HP, Kris hosts 15 at C.G.!":

               

GTA Thursday Night Tennis ended up being one ill-fated session followed by one successful session.  The washout was at Holster Park in Clifton as "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan attempted to host a session there, but Mother Nature had other plans.  Still, Gen provided a brief report of how it all went down.

 

The successful session was at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan with scores also sent in by "Dominant" Dawn Peterson and "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes). 

 

Let's first go to the recap from Gen and then Kris will finish the balance of this report.

 

We tried to get a session in at Holster Park in the afternoon…hoping the rain would hold off until later.  Mike Mole and Tony Shiao got there by 3:30 and then I joined them.

 

We got to hit until 4pm when dark clouds, wind, thunder and lightning rolled in and we had to leave.  Norman Taclob was also going to attend the session and I think he got there just as I was driving away.

 

Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for that recap.

 

And now we head up to Cedar Grove to let Papa K take it away!

 

It turned out to be a brisk and active night of GTA Tennis here despite the availability of just two courts as Sairaj was pushed out of one court (he was holding one waiting for me).

 

I did come late after 7:45 pm.  There was a match going from the early evening between Joe Rodrigues/Dawn Peterson and Jay Phoenix/Natalie Guzman on Court Three.

 

Samara's Notes: Dawn sent in that result directly and we will go to it right now.

 

The Cedar Grove Results:

 

Joe Rodrigues/Dawn Peterson over Jay Phoenix/Natalie Guzman, 7-5!  No Aces (apparently).

 

Samara's Notes: I thank Dawn for sending in that result in a very timely fashion.  We now turn this report back over to Kris.

 

Nathan Fernandes and Dan Martinelli (aka Spin) were pitted against Dino Celis and Levy Lorenzo on Court Four.

 

With Marijus Kuzavas, Sally Pillay and Sairaj all waiting on the sidelines and soon to be joined by Lou La Forgia, Moka Pathan and Doinks…it took some patience before they could express themselves out on the tennis courts.

 

Nathan Fernandes/Dan Martinelli over Dino Celis/Levy Lorenzo, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

 

It was a well-contested match with Spin making the most noise...:-)  Boy was he enjoying himself!

 

On the adjacent court, Phoenix was the man to make the noise over there…:-)

 

Kris Srinivasan/Lou La Forgia over Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay, 7-5!  No Aces.

 

It was an exciting and close match that saw brilliant plays by Sally, Marijus and Lou.  The stand out was the exquisite backhand slices by Lou that were literally un-gettable.  Sally had an outstanding night playing her best tennis at the moment.  Marijus loaded up on his serves and his ground strokes were top notch.  It was some of his misses at the net that marred his aggressive play.  With Lou playing an attacking game, I had only to give a steady hand to keep the pressure on the opponents.

 

Dino Celis/Tito Castolo over Moka Pathan/Nathan Fernandes, 7-6 (7-4)!  No Aces.

 

It was a rollicking start for Nate and Moka as they were cruising 4-1 at one time before we saw the resilient Tito and Dino displaying a superb comeback to keep the match competitive and then to be decided in the Tiebreak.  It was a solid match that went down to the wire and wrapped up on time.

 

Nate's Notes: We actually were up 4-0.  Kudos to Dino and Tito for clawing their way back into it!

 

Lou La Forgia/Sairaj Srinivasan over Marijus Kuzavas/Levy Lorenzo, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

 

It was a terrific win for Lou and Sairaj, coming from behind 1-4 when Lou had a great chat with kiddo to be focused for the ultimate fight back!  They went on to win the next five games, but it wasn't an easy finish as the last game stretched an eternity going to multiple Deuces (8 maybe).  To kiddo's credit, he kept cool and got his first serves in for the most part, to stay in the hunt for the finish line.  It was a commendable win indeed.

 

Dan Martinelli/Sally Pillay over Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-4!  No Aces.

 

It was almost one-sided for the most part as both Spin and Sally were firing on all cylinders.  Sally was one fiery player all night and played some exciting and aggressive tennis.  Spin was serving superbly for the first part of the match with his team leading 5-2 and they were ready to brush us off in quick time. Doinks started to get back some of her lost "mojo" to get us back on track before we succumbed on her serve. 

 

It turned out to be a fun night as all the players played their heart out in humid conditions.  Cheers!

 

Samara's Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for being the host with the most up at Cedar Grove. 

 

Sincerely,

Frank Samara