8/22 Results

8/22/16:         

"Moka's WD from Grove Cup! Kris hosts 20 at C.G.!":                                          

GTA Monday Night Tennis only took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan, but with other results being sent in by both "Bravo" Brenda Jordan and "Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales). 

Earlier in the day, "Hollywood" Frank Samara had indicated he would be hosting the session at Cedar Grove starting around 7pm.  But around 6pm, he started not feeling well (very similar symptoms to the heat stroke he suffered just over a week ago).  At 6:55, Frank sent a text message to Kris stating that he would not be able to make it up there after all.

And the biggest news actually occurred via e-mail that afternoon as "Instant" Moka Pathan informed Samara with a copy to his would-be Grove Cup Quarterfinal opponent "Nate the Great" Nathan Fernandes that he would now have to withdraw from the match and the tourney.

The two had worked hard to find a mutually convenient time and place to play for the past week, but could never get together.  Now Moka will embark on a two week vacation.

We have been able to work around one week vacations, but two weeks vacations are just a bit too long and unfair to the rest of those remaining in the competition.

This is not considered a match forfeit, so Fernandes will not take the rank of Pathan.  Nathan just gets the chance to advance to the Semifinals via a bye. 

It is a very unfortunate set of circumstances as many were looking forward to the would-be encounter between Moka and Nate.

Fernandes now finds himself in the Semis waiting for the winner of the upcoming Quarterfinal Match between "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon and Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao.

On the other side of the draw, "Double R" Rob Ryan is also waiting in the Semifinals as there is still a remaining Quarterfinal to be played as "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas will face "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah.

We now turn this report over to Kris, but first go to the scores from Brenda and Jose in that order.

The Cedar Grove Results:

2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match:

Raj Shah/Dawn Peterson over Jordan Bachvaroff/Brenda Jordan, 6-4, 7-5, to successfully defend the # 9 Rank in the Mixed Doubles Division!  In the process, Bachvaroff/Jordan enters division as the New # 25 Ranked Team.  No Aces (apparently).

Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout over Jose Gonzales/Marie Salamon, 6-4!  No Aces.

Mike Kazlauskas/Matt Meillon over Jose Gonzales/Jorge Solano, 7-5!  Jose: 1 Ace on Matt (up the T)!

Samara's Notes: Thanks to both Brenda and Jose.  And now we let Papa K take it away!

It was almost perfect weather for tennis with the right temps and no humidity.  Quite a few of our players took full advantage of the great weather as all four courts were put to good use.  Matches were happening all over the place.

Mike Kazlauskas/Matt Meillon over Kris Srinivasan/Jorge Solano, 6-3!  No Aces.

After a great start leading 3-Love, we dropped our game as Mike got aggressive at the net and was supported well by Matt.

Sairaj Srinivasan/Rob Gawley over Jay Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-1!  No Aces (apparently).

It was good to see Jay in action. While his ground strokes were pretty good, he was wanting in the "serves" department. 

Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout over Kris Srinivasan/Laura Gawley, 6-4!  No Aces.

Kris Srinivasan/Laura Gawley over Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout, 7-5!  No Aces.

Chris Chiaro/Natalia Sout tied with Kris Srinivasan/Laura Gawley, 4-4 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.

We tired to make it a full match but couldn't complete.  In what would have been the deciding set, we were leading 4-2 and on Break Point to go up 5-2, but it was an amazing night for Chris as he had some of the best "gets" running all over the place and covering for Natalia.  We all had our moments of brilliance and sloppiness.  Overall, Chris played a key role in the score being where it was.

Samara's Notes: Kris had reported this to me as if it were an incomplete 2 out of 3 Sets Mixed Doubles Match.  It is better to have it broken down into two complete One-Setters and one incomplete one so as not to have the entire thing go to waste…officially.  We now go back to Kris.

Dino Celis didn't get to play, but did get to hit with Senthil Kumar and coach a bit with Brenda.

2 out of 3 Sets:

Senthil Kumar/Ryan Pienciak over Dennis Cabanatan/Marie Salamon, 6-3, 6-0!  No Aces (apparently).

The 1st Set looked tight as Dennis was playing freely and showing great finesse along with Marie attacking at the net, but still the Senthil-Ryan combo was a bit too much.  Instead of mixing up the teams for a better balance, they continued with the same sides and ended with a similar result.

Overall, there was plenty of action exclusively by GTA players on all the courts.  Cheers! 

Samara's Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for all he does on behalf of the GTA up at Cedar Grove.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

 

 

 

 

8/21 Results.

8/21/16:

"Norm-Tony ends in Montclair, Samara hosts 11 at AP!":

Before we even get to the full recap of how things transpired at Albion Park, let's first go to Mountainside Park in Montclair as it was the conclusion of the in-progress Grove Cup Round of 16 Match between "Stormin" Norman Taclob and Tony "Sure Shot" Shiao (they had previously split sets there over a week ago as Shiao had won the 1st Set, 6-3, and then Taclob took the 2nd Set, 6-1).

Norm reported to "Hollywood" Frank Samara almost immediately after the 3rd Set of this match concluded while Samara was already hosting the usual Sunday session (being played at Albion for the first time ever).  And Tony added details via e-mail a little later.

We now turn this report over to Norm and Tony.

The Mountainside Park Result:

Grove Cup Round of 16 Match:
Tony Shiao over Norman Taclob, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, to become the New # 11 Ranked Player in the Advanced Division while also advancing to The Quarterfinals of The Grove Cup Tournament!  Tony: 3 Aces (1 in the 1st Set and 2 in the 3rd Set…with the last one coming on Match Point)!

The Sure Shot from Shiao: We played our match at Montclair in the morning.  The courts were wet from the morning rain, but dried once we began our match.  Norm won the toss and took the first game easily at Love and that definitely screwed with my mental game.  I changed my strategy since the last time we played and came to the net a few times.  I took the next four games for a 4-1 lead.  Norm then battled back and then the score was 5-4 in my favor, but I was starting to get a bit nervous since Norm had the momentum and found the right formula to win some points.  I focused on serving to his backhand and was able to win Match Point with an Ace that kicked out wide.  This match could have easily gone either way as Norm is a strong and consistent player with agility, too (especially at the net)!  I look forward to playing him in the future.  

Norm's Notes: This continuation took place roughly from 8:30 to 9:45.  Tony was returning all of my shots and was playing very inspired tennis.  Congratulations to him and good luck on his next match!

Samara's Notes: I thank both Tony and Norm for their timely reporting (Norm also mentioned in a subsequent text that his "Tim Wong problem" came out again while still stating how well Tony played).  His "Tim Wong problem" was when he lost to Mr. Wong in the Grove Cup a few years ago.  Tim would seemingly get to everything and extend the rallies to a point where Norm started to lose aggression (rather than ramp it up) and start pushing would-be winning Overhead Smashes softly into the middle of the court only to allow Wong to eventually hit winners.

I also think Taclob did himself a disservice by continuing this match at a later date.  I know he had little choice as health was a concern for both competitors on such a hot and humid day (which is how it was the day they started this match) and that Norm was pressed for time as well.  But he had the momentum in his favor when they stopped.  Resuming a match with only the 3rd Set left to play is like taking a gamble on a One-Setter...if you get out of the starting blocks somewhat cold while your opponent takes off hot...you could find yourself left in the dust rather quickly.

I also offer congratulations to Tony who continues to build on what now has to be considered the most impressive season of all his years here in the GTA.  He looks to be a definite Nominee for Most Improved Player of The Year at season's end.

And now for how the session at Albion unfolded.

Samara pulled up to the curb across from the courts and saw three players already out on the North Court.  On one side, it was "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto and "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo hitting against a new face on the other side.

Levy had already notified Frank earlier in the weekend that he would be bringing his soon-to-be son-in-law (how's that for some hype hyphenation?), Chris Homick.  He also informed Samara that Homick was down from Boston visiting for the weekend and that he is also quite the player.

We soon agreed to have the regular tandem of Frank and Vin take on Levy and Chris.  Mr. Lorenzo did not lie when he said that Homick is a solid player.  Also, Levy displayed some of the fiercest return game that we have ever seen from him.  It would end up being a Doubles One-Setter for the ages (more on that later).

As that One-Setter officially got underway at 10:10, ten minutes later we had the arrival of "MC" Mike Carucci.  He waited alone on Center Court, but he would not have to wait long as we then saw "Chito" Nick Inciong arrive at 10:25.

We have not seen Nick for quite awhile as this has been a season of many various injuries and ailments for the man otherwise known as Chito.  It was good to see him again as he is always quite the gentleman.  He soon entered into a hitting session with Carucci.

At 10:35, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro arrived and he soon made his way onto Center Court where he would then go solo in hitting against Nick and Mike.

Ten minutes later, "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon made it a foursome on Center Court (this was a good thing as the action continued to rage on over on the North Court) and that enabled another Doubles One-Setter to get underway at 10:50.

After the first marathon One-Setter finished exactly at 11:13, De Benedetto, Lorenzo and Homick all had to leave.  Samara then stood alone on the North Court and watched the action continue on Center Court.

At 11:20, two outsiders (a young couple) arrived to take the South Court.  It was around this time that we heard a metallic crunch that actually turned out to be a crash...a head-on collision, in fact.

The two drivers took much time talking to one another with both vehicles still hood to hood on Maplewood Ave.  It seems that neither side called the police for an official report as they must have reached some sort of agreement.

Well, the guy in the pickup who then drove away must have felt foolish as the sounds emanating from under the hood and the vehicle itself sounded like big metal nails running down a chalkboard!  He ended up making a U-turn and coming back to the original area of the accident where the other vehicle had now pulled over to the curb.  Still, no police ever were involved...but I'd have to imagine them striking up a new deal as the damage was far worse than just a cracked grille and slightly raised hood.

The second Doubles One-Setter of the day concluded at 11:36, after which both Mike and Nick had to go.  But we were in luck as "Lean" Dean Delgado started making his way toward the courts at 11:40.

Once again, we had four players for Doubles.  The man long known as The Dean of Lean has found his winning ways to be quite lean as of late.  To put it bluntly, he has been on a long losing streak (in both Singles and Doubles). 

Samara and Chiaro decided to try to give Delgado's slump a sooner ending by allowing him to team with the tenacious Champ.  Dean was happy to hear this as he would align with Chris to face Chazz and Frank.  And it did seem as if that rut would finally be routed...at least for a little while...LOL!

Toward the beginning of that third Doubles One-Setter, the couple left South Court at 12:05.  Near the end of that same One-Setter, a father/daughter/son combo took South Court at 12:40.

That One-Setter (also quite lengthy, though not quite the marathon that the first one of the day was) finished at 12:42.  Chris had to leave immediately afterward and then Chazz was soon to follow.

But there was no reason to panic as earlier in the session (during this third One-Setter), "Holy Moly" Mike Mole had arrived at 11:55 only to soon be joined by "Coach" Dino Celis on Center Court just five minutes later.  They had a fairly lengthy hitting session before ending it to watch how the North Court comeback was taking place.

While Chiaro was still in attendance and we were trying to decide the teams for what would be the fourth and final Doubles One-Setter of the day, Chris joked that he wishes anyone who teams with Dean: "Good luck!"  At that point, Dino decided to team with Mike...leaving Frank to partner with Dean.  If Chiaro could not snap the Delgado slump, how could Samara be expected to do it?!?!  Ah, well, we shall see.

We ended up with a total of eleven official competitors...a decent amount given the fact that the conditions were still quite hot and sunny.  This was also the first official Sunday session at Albion Park and quite a few of those who arrived reported going to Holster Park first (where "Big George" Jorge Solano and "DC3" David Cardenas were having a hitting session).

Let's now get to all the Albion action!

The AP Results:

Levy Lorenzo/Chris Homick over Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto, 7-6 (9-7)!  No Aces.  It was the official GTA Debut of Chris Homick.  It went like this: Chris was broken at Love after Vin started things with a winner and then Chris hit a Double Fault on Triple Break Point, Frank was also broken at Love after he hit a Double Fault to make it Love-30 where an extended rally led to Triple Break Point and then came the break, Levy was broken (Vin hit a blistering return winner for Love-15, it was 15-All where a Double Fault made it 15-30, then it went to Double Break Point and then Break Point where Frank hit a winner for the break) and Vinnie was broken (Frank blew an overhead for Love-15, then it was Love-30 where Vin hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-30, but then he hit a Double Fault for Double Break Point and then Levy hit the winner for the break) as nobody could hold serve at 2-2!  Homick was the first to hold (Chris hit a winner and an un-returned serve on the way to Triple Game Point, it was then Double Game Point where he hit a truly un-returnable serve to secure the hold), but Samara held as well (15-Love where Chris hit a winning volley for 15-All, but then an un-returned serve and a drop shot winner from Frank led to Double Game Point, it was then Game Point where Frank hit a winning lob to secure his own hold) to tie things again, this time at 3-3!  Lorenzo also held (Love-15 where Vin blew a volley for 15-All, then it was 15-30 and a Double Fault for Double Break Point where Levy hit a winner to cut it to Break Point which was where Vin blew a volley to make it Deuce and then Chris hit a winning volley to set up Game Point and then came the hold), but so did De Benedetto (Chris blew an overhead for 15-Love, then a Double Fault for 15-All, but then Frank hit a winner on the way to Double Game Point which was where Frank hit a winning lob to secure his partner's hold) to knot the score once more at 4-4!  The Bostonian held again (un-returned serve for 15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All where Levy hit a winning Overhead Smash for 30-15, but then Vin hit a net-cord winner for 30-All, but then came Game Point and a winning volley from Levy to lock down the hold), but Hollywood also held again and it was at Love as the first point was an excellent and exciting extended rally that ended with a winner from Vin and then Vin would go on to hit a winning Overhead Smash and a winning volley along the way as we were leveled again, this time at 5-5!  Mr. 500 was then broken (Frank hit a winning lob for Love-15, but then Vin blew an overhead for 15-All and it then went point for point to Break Point and then the break), but The Vin Man was also broken (back-to-back winners from Levy and Chris made it Love-30, but then that shifted straight to Game/Match Point, Deuce, 2nd Game/Match Point, 2nd Deuce, 3rd Game/Match Point where Frank blew an overhead to make it the 3rd Deuce and then it was the 4th Game/Match Point where Vin blew a gift of would-be volley to make it 4th Deuce and then it was Break Point where Frank blew a volley to see his partner get broken) for a pair of sixes as we headed into the Tiebreak.  In the Breaker: Chris held his lone serve after what may have been the rally of the match led to a 1-0 lead where an un-returned serve from Frank made it 1-1 and then a winner by Vin made it 2-1 on Samara's second service.  Levy was broken on the first of his two serves after Vin hit a winning volley to go down 1-3, but then he held his second after Chris hit a winning volley for 2-3.  Vin hit a Double Fault to make it 3-3 at the changeover and then Chris hit a winning volley on Vin's second service to make it a 3-4 score.  Homick held the first of his two serves after he hitting a winning volley and then he held his second as well to go up 6-3 and have it be the first Match Point for his team (the 5th M.P. overall)!  Samara held the first of his two serves with an un-returnable one, but it was still 6-4 and the 2nd M.P. for the opposition.  The Wood then held his second service as well after Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash to pull to 6-5 and the 3rd M.P. for their friendly rivals.  Lorenzo was now on serve and the best rally of the match ended with a winning volley from Vin for 6-6 and the second changeover!  The Levitator was then broken on his second service as well after another awesome rally ended with a blown volley by Chris!  The Vin Man now had it as 7-6 and the 5th Match Point (the 8th M.P. overall) in favor of his team.  But he then hit a Double Fault to make it 7-All (aka 7-Up!) and then Vin was broken on his second service as well after Chris hit a winning volley to make it 7-8!  Service and the 4th Match Point for his team (the 9th M.P. overall) now returned to The Bostonian as he hit an un-returned serve to secure the hold and the victory)!  We played this one on the North Court from 10:10 to 11:13...one hour and 3 minutes long!

The Skinny: What a great way for Chris to first experience the GTA!  Levy later let Frank know that Homick really enjoyed it and also likes reading the Results write-ups (and he has requested being added to our mailing list).  Hopefully, this will lead to the young man making more visits from Boston as he is quite the competitor, sportsman and gentleman.  Also, this looks to be a near certain Nominee for One-Set Doubles Match of The Year at season's end.

Chazz Weldon/Nick Inciong over Chris Chiaro/Mike Carucci, 7-5!  No Aces.  Chazz and Nick were up 5-4 when Inciong was broken for 5-5.  Mike was also broken (Game Point, Double Fault for Deuce, Break Point and the break) to go down 5-6.  And then Weldon held at Love when this one finished at Triple Game/Match Point at exactly 11:36 (they had begun this one on Center Court at 10:50).

Chazz Weldon/Frank Samara over Chris Chiaro/Dean Delgado, 7-5!  Dean: 1 Ace on Chazz.  Here's how it went down: Chris was broken (Triple Break Point cut down to Break Point, but then the break), Frank was broken (Dean made a great get/winner combo for Love-15 and then an un-returned serve made it 15-All and then it was point for point to 30-All where an extended rally led to Game Point, but then Dean hit a winning return for Deuce where Chris hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Break Point where Chris then hit a blast of a winner for the break), but Dean was the first to hold serve (Triple Break Point, Double Break Point where an un-returned serve set up Break Point, then it was Deuce and Game Point where Dean hit a winner to secure his own hold) for 2-1.  Chazz held (Chris hit a monster return for Love-15 and then it went point for point until 30-All where an un-returned serve set up Game Point and then another un-returned serve secured the hold) to level it at 2-2.  Chiaro held at Love as he started things with an un-returned serve and Dean hit a winner on the way to Triple Game Point where Chris hit a winning Overhead Smash and then Samara was broken in a battle (Chris hit a hellacious return winner for Love-15 and then it went point for point to Break Point as Chris hit another winning return and a winning Overhead Smash along the way, but then an un-returned serve made it Deuce, it was then Break Point where an excellent and extended rally made it 2nd Deuce and then it was all Break Points to 5th Deuce where it was Break Point yet again and then the break finally came) to fall to 2-4.  Delgado held again (un-returned serve for 15-Love, but then back-to-back Double Faults for 15-30, but then 30-All, Game Point and an Ace up the T against Chazz for the hold) for a commanding lead at 5-2.  Weldon also held again (Chris again hit a winning return to start things off, but then an un-returned serve led to 30-15, it was 30-All where another un-returned serve set up Game Point, then Deuce and Break/Match Point where Chris blew a volley to make it 2nd Deuce, it was then the 2nd Break/Match Point where an un-returned serve made it 3rd Deuce and then came Game Point and the hold) and King Crush was broken (Love-15, 15-All, but then straight to Double Break Point and the break) to have his team's lead cut to 5-4.  The Wood finally held (Frank hit a winner for 15-Love, 15-All but then right to Double Game Point and the hold) and Lean Dean was finally broken (Chris hit a winning Overhead Smash and Dean hit a winner for 30-Love, but then it shifted to Break Point where a Double Fault did him in) to hand the lead over to the opposition where The Legendary Chazz held (15-Love, 15-All and then a straight run to Double Game/Match Point and the hold) to earn an impressive victory!  We played this on the North Court from 11:48 to 12:42...just six minutes shy of an hour!

The Skinny: Yes, even the mighty Chiaro cannot overcome The Delgado Curse!  This may very well be the most prolonged slump (not counting "newbies" who had a long way to go before ever winning a match) in the entire history of the GTA!  Lean Dean looked so sure to get over the hump and out of the slump when they were up 5-2.  The fact that his partner Chris was looking for the exit as soon as possible as he needed to leave for other plans may not have helped Delgado's cause.  Also, some credit has to go to both Weldon and Samara who both played a combination of aggressive yet consistent tennis throughout the contest.

Dino Celis/Mike Mole over Dean Delgado/Frank Samara, 6-1!  No Aces.  The dirty lowdown: Mike was broken (Love-15 shifted to Double Game Point right after an un-returnable serve, but then Dino blew an overhead to make it Game Point where a Double Fault made it Deuce, another Double Fault brought it to Break Point where a third consecutive Break Point caused the break!), Frank was broken (15-Love then point for point to Game Point where the rally that led to the GP was an excellent one and then it led to Deuce, a Double Fault for Break Point and then the break), but Dino was the first to hold serve (a winning volley from Dean followed by another winner by Dean made it Love-30, but then it shifted straight to Game Point, Deuce, Break Point, 2nd Deuce where Dino hit a passing shot winner for Game Point and then came the hold) to go up 2-1.  Dean was broken (15-Love, Double Fault for 15-All, but then onto Double Break Point where Frank hit a drop shot winner for Break Point, it was then Deuce, Game Point, 2nd Deuce where Dino hit a passing shot winner for Break Point and then came the break), Mole held at Love after starting things off with an un-returned serve, Samara was broken (Love-15 then point for point to Break Point as Mike hit a winning return, there was an un-returned serve and another winner from Mike along the way, but then came an un-returned serve for Deuce, Break Point and the break) and Celis held again (back-to-back un-returned serves made it 30-Love, it was then Triple Game/Match Point where Dino hit a winning Overhead Smash for the win!  We played this one on North Court from 12:47 to 1:23.

The Delgado Slump lives on!  When will it end?  Who knows!  Regardless, this was the most fun a GTA Sunday Tennis session has been in quite some time. 

All the best,
Frank Samara

8/20 Results.

8/20/16:         

"Kris hosts 5 at C.G.!":                                          

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

We now turn this report over to Kris.

It was a quiet Saturday evening, but a good workout nevertheless.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Kris Srinivasan/Doinks Srinivasan over Greg Swierczek/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-4!  Sairaj: 1 Ace on Doinks!

It was a good match and Sairaj continued to serve well.  Our attacking game at the net gave us a slight edge to an otherwise evenly balanced match.  Greg was pretty good, but found it a little difficult on the backhand side with his heavy racquet.

2 out of 3 Sets:

Mike Kazlauskas/Doinks Srinivasan over Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-4, 6-3!  Mike: 1 Ace on Kris in the 2nd Set!

Mike was incredible with his kick serves and forehand.  He put added pressure at the net and his net play was unbelievable as he took some of our most aggressive shots so effortlessly and effectively.  I had given away quite a few free points on his serves, but Sairaj amazed me with his attacking returns on Mike's serves.  Sairaj was impressive in the rallies, but it was Doinks who held all her serves and that was reflected in the result.

It was relatively a quiet night by Cedar Grove's standards, but still the action was intense.  Mike owned the night, indeed.  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for all he does on behalf of the GTA up at Cedar Grove.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

 

 

 

 

8/19 Results

8/19/16:

"Capan-Toker part of 15 at C.G. as Samara hosts!:

"Hollywood" Frank Samara announced he most likely would be hosting GTA Friday Night Tennis at The Cedar Grove Courts (with some assistance from the usual host, "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan).

The original Main Event match was expected to be the W2 Women's Doubles Tournament Semifinal Match featuring "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan and "Bravo" Brenda Jordan facing "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan and "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker.

But somewhere along the way in the afternoon hours, Brenda reached out to the others involved in the match stating she did not feel well and would be unable to play the match later in the evening.

A disappointed Toker contacted Samara to let him know, but he turned lemons into lemonade once he suggested that Fernanda play her GAH6 Women's Singles Tournament Quarterfinal Match against Gen instead.  From there, Toker reached out to Capan and the match was eventually agreed upon for later that evening.

Samara pulled into the parking lot at Cedar Grove at 6:50.  On Court One, he saw the usual sparring partners "The Ambidextrous Machine" Herb Reiner and Miroslav "Mirav" Glavic having a hitting session.  Courts Two and Three were vacant (though not for long).

And on Court Four, Capan was having a hitting session with "Kevlar" Kevin Doyle (Brenda's steady Mixed Doubles partner).  Kevin explained that he felt she perhaps came down with heat stroke from playing too much tennis the night before.

At 6:55, Kris and his son Sairaj came across the street.  At the same time, "J-Bach" Jordan Bachvaroff and a buddy of his arrived and took Court Three.  Perhaps Kris suggested that the four of them play Doubles, but Jordan made it very clear that this was a Singles match that he had planned with his friend.  If there would be any attempted interference with that plan, Bachvaroff would just prefer to leave the league.  Kris took a laidback approach and said something along the lines of "no worries."

But now once again (after a similar experience earlier in the week), we feared a logjam situation was about to rear its ugly head as now two of the four courts were devoted to Singles action.  As it turned out, it was never that much of a problem.

At 7pm, Doinks made her way across the street just as "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo made his arrival.  The two of them took Court Two as soon as they could.

Five minutes later, both Natalia "Nitro" Sout and Toker arrived separately.  Natalia made her way to Court Two as did Kevin since now Fernanda could take his place in hitting against Gen in the warm-up session.  the foursome on Court Two would get a Mixed Doubles One-Setter going at 7:10.

At that same time, father and son duo Rick and Ryan Pienciak arrived and had to sit on the bench outside Court Four along with Samara.  Ten minutes later, "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli made his arrival and then did the same.

It was around this time that we had a drive-by cameo from another father/son duo, Dwight Thomas Sr. and Jr.  They were hoping to find their M2 Men's Doubles Tournament Quarterfinal opponents, GTA Champion: "King Crush" Chris Chiaro and "The Sultan of Swing" Raj Shah in attendance, but there was no such luck.  This match has been another one of those problematic pairings in terms of scheduling.

At 7:35, Sairaj and Ryan took the place of Herb in the hitting session with Miroslav as Mr. Reiner made an early exit.  Once Daddy Rick realized there was room for him over there, he joined the action on that court as well.

At 7:45, pals "The Hitman" Tom La and Dennis "The Menace" Cabanatan both arrived.  They sat briefly with Samara and Martinelli.  When Papa Pienciak shifted over to Court Two to replace Doinks in the next One-Setter there, Dennis made his way to Court One.  Five minutes later, Tom replaced Sairaj on Court One, too.

At 8pm, "2 Tall" Dave Zhu arrived solo as his wife, Jane "Fun" Fan, is still recovering from her fairly recent wrist injury.  Dave joined Frank and Spin on the sidelines.

"Latino Heat" Jose Gonzales seemingly had perfect timing as he showed up at 8:20 and was able to become the fourth player on Court Two just when that second Doubles One-Setter finished there.  He took the place of Doyle who would soon depart at 8:30.

Just as Kevin was leaving, "Coach" Dino Celis was arriving.  Ten minutes later, Bachvaroff called out to those waiting on the sidelines to let them know his match was finished.  Kris, Doinks and Spin quickly stepped out onto Court Three while Jordan did some post-match stretches.  They invited him to be their fourth, but he was already too sore from the previous action and said he had another Singles Match set for the following night.

Jordan left soon after while Kris was inviting Dino to be their fourth.  But Celis got caught up in watching the final stages of Capan-Toker on Court Four.  That match ended exactly at 8:48.

From there, Dino and Kris had a hitting session on that court that lasted the rest of the night while Frank and Fernanda would team to take on Spin and Doinks on Court Three.

Meanwhile, Court One ended up hosting a full 2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match as Cabanatan and La teamed to face the makeshift team of Zhu and the younger Pienciak while the elder Pienciak took the bench outside of Court One to watch that one.  After that match finished at 9:34, father and son had a brief hitting session with one another before deciding to call it a night.

So we ended up with a total of 15 official competitors (not counting Sairaj, Herb, Miroslav and Dino who were only involved in hitting sessions) at this session.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Levy Lorenzo/Doinks Srinivasan over Kevin Doyle/Natalia Sout, 6-2!  No Aces.  This one got underway on Court Two around 7:10 and finished at 7:40.

GAH6 Quarterfinal:
Fernanda Toker over Genalin Capan, 6-0, 6-2, to become the New # 4 Ranked Player in the Women's Division while advancing to the Semifinals of the 6th Annual Gail-ann Hamilton Memorial Women's Singles Tournament!  No Aces.

1st Set: Fernanda held serve at Love after hitting an un-returned serve on Triple Game Point, then Gen was broken (Fernanda hit a winning Overhead Smash for Love-15, then it went 15-All, 15-30, Double Break Point and then the break), Toker held again at Love after hitting a winning lob to set up Triple Game Point,
Capan was broken again (Fernanda made a great get only to set up Gen for the winning volley for 15-Love, it then went to Triple Game Point, but that was cut down to Deuce, Break Point and the break) as Genalin fell to 0-4 in a game that she seemed to have in hand!  The Argentine Machine held yet again, but got off to a shaky start this time around after Gen hit a winner for Love-30, then an un-returned serve made it 15-30, it was then 30-All where Fernanda hit a winning lob to set up Game Point, but then Gen hit another winner to bring it back to Deuce and then there was another great get by Fernanda only to be answered at the net by a winning volley from Gen for Break Point, it was 2nd Deuce where an extended rally led to Game Point which was where Gen hit another winner to make it 3rd Deuce, then came Game Point and finally the hold to go up 5-0!  And then The S Bomber was on serve in an even more dramatic struggle as she initially blew a volley to make it Love-15, it then went to 15-All, 15-30 and Double Break/Set Point, Break/Set Point where we once again saw Fernanda make an awesome get only for it to be a setup from Gen as she put it away with a winning volley to now make it Deuce, then it was the 3rd Break/Set Point where Gen hit a winner for 2nd Deuce and then an un-returned serve set up Game Point, but then it was 3rd Deuce where Fernanda hit another winning lob to set up the 4th Break/Set Point only to have Gen hit another winning volley to bring it to the 4th Deuce, but then came the 5th Break/Set Point where Gen blew the volley to break herself and end the set!  This set started on Court Four at 7:31 and ended at 8:05.  They took a brief break as the next set got underway just two minutes later.

2nd Set: Fernanda held (15-Love where Gen hit a winner for 15-All, it then went straight to Double Game Point where an un-returned serve secured the hold) and Genalin was broken (she blew a volley for Love-15 and then came a truly extended rally of at least 30-plus strokes to make it 15-All where Gen then hit a wicked winner for 30-15, it then went to 30-All, Break Point where another lengthy rally led to Deuce followed by an equally long rally, but also a more aggressive one and that made it Break Point again and then came the break) and Toker held again (Gen hit an excellent passing shot winner for Love-15 where an un-returned serve made it 15-All and then another extended rally led to 15-30, then 30-All, Game Point and the hold) for a 3-0 lead and nine straight games!  But Capan finally got herself onto the scoreboard with her first hold of serve as she got off to a 15-Love start which is where Fernanda made a great get/winner combo for 15-All, but then Gen hit a winner of her own for 30-15, it then went to Double Game Point, then Game Point where Gen hit another winner to secure her hold for 1-3.  Then, The Machine held again and it was at Love and The Bomber was broken (extended rally for 15-Love, another extended rally for 30-Love, 30-15, 30-All, Break Point where what may have been the longest rally of the match...close to 40 strokes...ended with a great get from Fernanda for the break) to go down 1-5!  But Fernanda was then broken for the first time (Gen hit a passing shot winner for Love-15 and then she hit a drop shot winner for Love-30, it was then Triple Break Point where Fernanda made her greatest get/winner combo to cut it to Double Break Point and then it went down to Break Point where Gen hit another passing shot winner to get the break) to have her lead cut to 5-2!  And then Gen was broken yet again (this time around it was Gen making the great get only to see Fernanda put it away with a winning volley at the net for Love-15, but Gen replied with a winner for 15-All, but then it went to 15-30, Double Break/Match Point where Fernanda had one more winner up her sleeve to take the set and the match) to take a tough loss at exactly 8:48!

The Skinny: It always sounds cliche' when we say this, but it is true that this one was closer than the score indicates.  There were many lengthy rallies, but the majority of them fell in favor of Fernanda as that is unfamiliar territory for Gen.  The match started out in somewhat contentious fashion (perhaps due to its last-minute scheduling) as Capan and some of those in attendance felt that Toker made a few bad baseline calls early on (the third one came as early as the first point of Fernanda's second service game).  In Toker's defense, it seemed she may have truly had trouble seeing those shots near her feet as she was very fair with many sideline calls that were out in front of her.  Gen is quite good at hitting lines and cutting sharp angles.  So maybe she felt this part of her game was being taken away from her.  On the fourth potential occasion for such a baseline call (right before it went to Deuce on Fernanda's third service game), Toker looked to the crowd on the sideline for the call.  They all felt it was in and Gen said: "They can't all be out."

From there, Fernanda seemed to leave it to those in attendance to call any further questionable shots.  To her credit, Capan actually adjusted her style of play anyway so as not to put herself in many more tough spots where a call could possibly negate her shot.  She started to play with more aggression and pull Toker from side to side where the speedy Argentine Machine would make a great get only to see her shot greeted at the net by a waiting Genalin as she put it away with a winning volley.  But for as many times as this strategy paid dividends for Capan, she also failed to convert many more such opportunities by pushing back safer and softer volleys only to see Fernanda roar back to make another get, extend the point and often go on to win it.  And kudos also go to Toker who often answered Capan's aggression with some aggression of her own as Fernanda is usually satisfied to keep the pace of the shots slower while extending the rallies longer.

Even as she continues to recover from a serious leg injury, Toker is quite likely to be the fastest player in the GTA Women's Division.  At the very least, she is both the most patient and the most determined when it comes to get-making.  Ultimately, it just became too much for Capan to overcome.  But Gen walked away from the match feeling like she utilized a strategy that could be effective against Fernanda in the future.  Meanwhile, Toker was happy to get through this match rather quickly as she later admitted that she started it off quite nervously. 

There was an embrace between the two competitors after the match as they now will have to switch gears and go back to being Doubles partners in the ongoing W2 Women's Doubles Tournament (Semifinal Match against Doinks Srinivasan and Brenda Jordan still pending).  And on top of all that, Fernanda now looks forward to facing Doinks in the Semifinals of the GAH6.

Levy Lorenzo/Natalia Sout over Kevin Doyle/Rick Pienciak, 6-3!  No Aces.  This one got underway on Court Two somewhere around 7:45 and it ended at 8:20.

Rick Pienciak/Levy Lorenzo over Jose Gonzales/Natalia Sout, 6-4!  Rick: 2 Aces (not sure on whom).  This one began on Court Two not long after 8:20 and I'm not sure when it was finished.

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:
Dave Zhu/Ryan Pienciak over Dennis Cabanatan/Tom La, 6-2, 6-1, as both teams entered the Doubles Division as the New # 48 and # 49 Ranked Teams respectively!  No Aces.  This match occupied Court One from 8:38 to 9:34.

Frank Samara/Fernanda Toker over Dan Martinelli/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-2!  No Aces.  It went like this: Doinks was broken (Frank blew an overhead for 15-Love, then it was a Double Fault for 15-All, a great rally that led to 30-15, but then it shifted to Break Point where Frank hit the winner for the break), Frank held (un-returned serve for 15-Love, 15-All where another extended rally led to 30-15, then it was Double Game Point where a drop shot from Frank led to the hold) and Spin was broken (Love-15 shifted to 30-15 as there was an un-returned serve and a drop shot winner from Spin along the way, but then it was 30-All where Frank hit a passing shot winner to set up Break Point where Fernanda hit a net-cord winner for the break) to get off to a 0-3 start.  Fernanda was broken (un-returned serve for 15-Love where Spin hit a winning return for 15-All, 30-15 where Spin hit another winning return for 30-All and then Spin hit another drop shot winner to set up Break Point and then came the break) to allow the opposition onto the scoreboard, but then Srinivasan was broken again (Love-15 then point for point until 30-All where she had two un-returned serves against Frank along the way and then Spin hit a passing shot winner to make it Game Point, but then there was a Double Fault for Deuce, then Break Point and the break) to fall to 1-4.  Samara held again and it was at Love as he got things started with his most impressive winner of the match and then he hit an un-returned serve on Triple Game Point to lock down the hold for 5-1, but Martinelli held as well (15-Love where Doinks made one of the silliest Unforced Errors we had ever seen...it was good for a laugh from all of us...including herself...and that made it 15-All and then it went to 15-30 before shifting gears to Game Point as Frank blew a gift of an overhead opportunity along the way) to pull to 2-5.  But then Toker held (30-Love, 30-15, Double Game/Match Point and the hold) to get the win!  We played this one on Court Three from 9pm to 9:30.  We agreed to a rematch.  But there was what would prove to be a costly six minute delay between One-Setters while Fernanda had to check her phone and Frank needed to meet with Levy...this would cost this team dearly!

Frank Samara/Fernanda Toker leading Dan Martinelli/Doinks Srinivasan, 5-0 and 30-All (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces.  Here's how it was going: Doinks was broken (Doinks hit a winner for 15-Love, Fernanda hit a winner for 15-All, then it was 15-30 where an extended rally made it 30-All and then Frank hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Break Point where Frank then hit a passing shot winner for the break), Frank held (Love-15 shifted to Double Game Point as Frank hit a drop shot winner and then an even more impressive winner along the way), Spin was broken (Frank hit a drop shot winner to make it Love-15 which was where Spin made a great get/winner combo for 15-All, but then it went right to Double Break Point and the break), Fernanda held (15-Love then point for point to Game Point as what may have been the rally of the night between these two teams ended with a winner from Frank to set up that GP after which came the hold), Srinivasan was broken again (Love-30 where Frank blew an overhead to make it 15-30, then Double Break Point where Frank blew another overhead to cut it down to Break Point, but then he redeemed himself with a sizzling winner for the break) as his team was now up 5-0, but with just three minutes to go before lights out at 10pm as they rushed to change sides of the court at the changeover.  Frank was on serve where he got things started with another missile-like winner for 15-Love, but then he made a foolish Unforced Error where he drilled it into the net for 15-All, then it was 30-15 where Frank did the same stupid thing again to make it 30-All and then he tossed his would-be serve into the air only to have it enveloped in darkness as the lights called it a night!

The Skinny: Doinks and Spin then celebrated like she had just won the NYC Marathon while he just earned a free upgrade for what would be his 41st smart phone!  I've never seen two people so happy to avoid an official bagel.  They exhibited the glee of a couple of teenagers who got away with playing "hookie" for the day.  We can blame the delayed start for the inconclusive conclusion of this one, but Frank should also question why he dumped two would-be winners into the net. 

Oh well!  I would say all's well that ends well, but that certainly is not the case here.  Still, it was a lot of fun (as was the previous complete One-Setter) and a great way to end an exciting session of GTA Tennis at Cedar Grove.

All the best,
Frank Samara

8/18 Results

8/18/16:         

"WD from W2, Kris/Doinks host 15 at C.G.!":                                          

GTA Thursday Night Tennis only took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (co-hosted by "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan and "The Marathon Woman" Doinks Srinivasan).  But most of the drama occurred earlier in the day via e-mails (some read too late) which led to a miscommunication situation (reminds me of "Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin).

Early in the day, "Automatic" Anna Mazur informed those in the as scheduled W2 Women's Doubles Quarterfinal Match with her that her proposed partner, Teresa Peski, was being uncooperative in the negotiations for setting a time and place for said match.

At this point, she said she would be willing to forfeit the match (actually, it would simply be a withdrawal from the tournament) due to the delays that this situation had caused.

"Hollywood" Frank Samara tried to save the match by finding a new partner for Mazur.  He put out feelers to two players, Natalia "Nitro" Sout and "The Natural" Natalie Guzman.  Both replied, but Natalia was the first to respond by just a bit (about half an hour or so).

So Samara was now trying to schedule Mazur/Sout against "C.A.T." Christine Toth and "Dominant" Dawn Peterson via a Reply to All e-mail type situation.

The problem was that along the way, some were replying to all while others were just replying to Samara.  Dawn showed up twice at Cedar Grove thinking the match was scheduled.  Meanwhile, Natalia wasn't sure if it was at 7pm.  Anna wasn't even ready for a match to be scheduled yet.

The bottom line is that Mazur already offered up the withdrawal and that is what we will have to run with at this point…especially given the fact that the first of the two W2 Semifinal Matches is set to be played on Friday night.  That would leave this side of the draw woefully behind schedule-wise.

So now Toth/Peterson will advance via a bye to face GTA Women's Champion: Laura "The Aura" Gawley and "Spicy" Sally Pillay in the other W2 Semi.

We now take this report up to Cedar Grove where we will first get the results reported by Doinks (it should be noted that Christine sent in the same…the ones that she was involved in, of course) and then have Kris take it from there.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Doinks Srinivasan/Brenda Jordan over Christine Toth/Natalia Sout, 6-1!  No Aces (apparently).

Doinks Srinivasan/Brenda Jordan over Christine Toth/Natalia Sout, 6-0!  No Aces (apparently).

Samara's Notes: They had played this as if it were a full match, but since Doinks and Brenda are still an active team in the W2 Tournament…it had to be split into two One-Setters.  It seems that Srinivasan and Jordan wanted to get some time together as a team before they face "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan and "The Argentine Machine" Fernanda Toker in the W2 Semi on Friday night.

Brenda Jordan/Christine Toth over Doinks Srinivasan/Natalia Sout, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

Dan Martinelli/Doinks Srinivasan over Rick Pienciak/Natalia Sout, 6-1!  No Aces (apparently). 

Rick Pienciak/Doinks Srinivasan leading Dan Martinelli/Natalia Sout, 5-4 (Incomplete with Doinks serving up at 15-Love when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces (apparently).

Samara's Notes: I thank Doinks for sending in those scores and also thank Christine for doing the same.

We now let Papa K take it away!

It was a beautiful night for tennis and our GTA players took advantage of both the weather and the availability of the courts.  It was good to see Greg Swierczek back in action as he has been busy on some exotic fishing expeditions this summer.  

It was also great to see Christine Toth who thought she may be playing the W2 Women's Doubles Quarterfinal Match against Anna Mazur and her new partner, but it never came to fruition.  She did get to play couple of sets with Natalia, Doinks and Brenda.

My son Sairaj went ahead to hit a bit with Greg, followed by Jordan Bachvaroff, myself, Senthil Kumar, Mike Kazlauskas, Marijus Kuzavas and Levy Lorenzo.  Later, we got to see Spin (aka Dan Martinelli), Rick Pienciak and Dino Celis who all got the chance to play on this night.

Greg Swierczek/Jordan Bachvaroff over Kris Srinivasan/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-2!  Sairaj: 1 Ace on Greg!

The highlight of the match was the lovely serving by Sairaj.  I also got to play with a heavy racquet of Greg's that he personally had strung and maintained superbly.  It was a joy to play the rallies with this racquet, but serving and the return of serves were the tough part.  Greg had some amazing shots that gave us very little time to react.  It was a warm-up session for Jordan.

Kris Srinivasan/Levy Lorenzo over Greg Swierczek/Sairaj Srinivasan, 6-4!  No Aces.

Sairaj did very well as he got very encouraging support from Greg except for the last game where he completely lost it.  That made the difference for what could have been a set that went the distance.  Levy was brilliant in his efforts and he is enjoying his tennis playing with us.  Full credit goes to him for running around to get every ball and his net play was quite aggressive.  Greg's serving is a pleasure to watch, especially the kick serves. 

2 out of 3 Sets Doubles Match:

Marijus Kuzavas/Mike Kazlauskas over Senthil Kumar/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2, 6-2, to successfully defend their # 5 Rank in the Doubles Division!  In the process, Kumar/Bachvaroff enters the division as the New # 47 Ranked Team.  No Aces (apparently).

M&M were playing so freely that they appeared to be bombarding the other side.  Senthil was pretty calm and efficient in handling the barrage of shots coming his way, but Jordan was having a torrid time. With attacking shots coming in at jet speed, he couldn't react quickly and ended up with a bunch of mishits and forced errors.  Both the big men were serving superbly and completed the proceedings with aggressive net play as well.  If Mike had played at this level against Moka, he could have seriously posed Moka some tough questions!  Well, that's what happens when a tournament match gets under our skin sometimes.  Needless to say, M&M were dominant the entire match brandishing their knives…I mean their racquets…to a helpless Senthil and Jordan.

Senthil Kumar/Mike Kazlauskas over Marijus Kuzavas/Jordan Bachvaroff, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).

With Mike serving hot and playing attacking shots, Senthil was a happy camper as he was able to play his shots freely.  Jordan continued to have an off-day and put pressure on Marijus.  One of those days!

Kris Srinivasan/Senthil Kumar over Dino Celis/Levy Lorenzo, 6-1!  No Aces. 

It was a good match…especially for me to keep the rallies engaged against Dino.  It was good to express myself freely against Dino who plays lovely shots without worrying about the result. 

Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff leading Senthil Kumar/Levy Lorenzo, 4-3 (Incomplete when the lights went off at 10pm)!  Jordan: 2 Aces (one on each)!

After the initial hiccups, it was good to see Jordan get back some of his confidence and play more to his potential.  His serves started coming in and he began to believe in his game more.  There were nice overheads by Senthil who made very few errors and Levy kept the lid tight as well.

Spin was all action even though he came late and a constant bellowing of the scores kept the atmosphere electric and enthusiastic.  It was a great night for M&M playing their best in tandem.  Rick has started getting back his game and enjoying the sessions here.

All in all, we sure can say that we all had fun ensuring a lively atmosphere.  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: As always, thanks to Kris for all he does on behalf of the GTA up at Cedar Grove.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

 

 

 

 

8/17 Results

8/17/16:         

"2 play at RHP, 6 play at AP, MXD2 Semi part of 17 at C.G.!":                                          

GTA Wednesday Night Tennis took place at three locations: Robin Hood Park in Clifton (hosted by "The S Bomber" Genalin Capan), Albion Park in Clifton (hoste by "Hollywood" Frank Samara and The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan, but also with some earlier scores sent in by "The Legendary" Chazz Weldon and it later featured the MXD2 Semifinal Match featuring "Super Mario" Marijus Kuzavas and "Spicy" Sally Pillay taking on The Gawleys ("Rowdy Rob" and "Laura the Aura") with Laura sending in additional details).

So we first go to the brief RHP recap from Gen, then detail the comings and goings at Albion and then head up to C.G. for all the details from there via Chazz, Kris and Laura.

The RHP Result:

Mike Mole over Genalin Capan, 6-0!  Mike: 1 Ace.

Gen's Notes: They started hitting at 4:40.  They hit for 25 minutes.  So the One-Setter began somewhere around 5:05 and ended sometime before 5:47 (when Gen sent the text message to Frank).

Samara's Notes: I thank Gen for reporting that score in a very timely fashion.

Samara pulled up to the curb at Albion Park along with his daughter and son in the car.  Parked ahead of him already waiting there were "The Vin Man" Vinnie De Benedetto and "C.A.T." Christine Toth.  Both found the location rather easily.

Except for a recent appearance at Cedar Grove, we have not seen Christine in action for a while.  Frank had just assumed it was because she was helping her ailing mother more (as she told us she would).

As it turns out, her mom passed away a few weeks ago after finally relenting to a ten year struggle against Parkinson's disease.  I believe Christine said her mother was only 70 years old.

On behalf of the entire GTA, I offer Christine our condolences.

While my children ran off to the playground area, the three of us headed toward the courts.  Two young guys (named Jack and Anthony) shifted over from the North Court to the South Court (and I'll call the one in the middle Center Court).  As there are entrance gates at opposite corners of the facility, it does not make sense to call any of them the Entrance Court.  And none of them has a "Championship Court" history in our league.  So we then took the North Court.

Just five minutes later, both "The Lumberjack" Ryan Pienciak and "Lucky" Leo Victor made their way downhill toward the court.  Samara opted out of participating in the first Doubles One-Setter as he instead chose to hold Center Court while watching his kids play out in the park and playground area.

A few minutes later, Jack's dad (never got his name) joined his son and his son's friend Anthony out on the South Court.  By the way, this is the best court to avoid the late-day glare of the sun setting (live and learn!).  Jack saw the pen and pad in Frank's hand and asked him what it meant.

Samara briefly explained the league (and its history at Robin Hood Park) to Jack's dad, but fell short of inviting them to the group.  Their hitting session reflected the fact that Jack's dad is experienced but rusty while the two young guys (likely still in their late teens) are athletic but inexperienced.

Then another young guy approached Frank while he was on Center Court just to confirm that he was holding the court.  Samara was willing to part with it, but the young guy was a gentleman and said that Frank had it first and he should continue to hold it.

Everyone we met at Albion Park seems very nice.  Samara's two children were able to play with a couple of other kids in the park.  The only minor complaints were the glare of the setting sun (though not as bad as RHP as the trees on the west side of the courts are much taller and closer and block most of it) and the slant of the courts (intentionally done for drainage purposes and not nearly as bad as the true slope that exists at the courts at Ravine).

Victor willingly sat out of the second One-Setter to allow Samara into it.  During it, "J-Rod" Joe Rodrigues arrived at 6:40 and would soon start hitting with Leo on Center Court.  Also around this time, Jack's dad, Jack and Anthony left the South Court.  They were quickly replaced by that other young guy who had approached Samara along with two other guys.

So we will have some other tennis players to deal with at Albion…at least on weekdays.  "Spin Doctor" Dan Martinelli maintains that all the courts have been available there on Sunday mornings.

When that second One-Setter finished at 7:05, Samara got set to depart (along with his kids) as did De Benedetto.  Joe and Leo shifted over to the North Court to get a Doubles One-Setter going against Ryan and Christine.

At the same time, Jack, Anthony and another young guy named Rob took over Center Court while Jack's dad talked to some people out in the park.  They are very friendly and if they are truly regulars there, they will likely get involved with us at some point.

The third and final One-Setter got underway exactly at 7:07.  The Samaras left the park at 7:10.  Joe and Christine sent in the score and details of that last encounter at AP.

The AP Results:

Vinnie De Benedetto/Christine Toth over Ryan Pienciak/Leo Victor, 7-5!  No Aces.  Here's the basic breakdown: Serving at 2-1, Leo hit a Double Fault to break himself and level it at 2-2.  Christine was then broken, but so was Ryan for 3-3.  Vin was broken at Love and then Victor held for a 5-3 lead.  Then came the game of the match with Toth on serve as it went to multiple Deuces (too many for the competitors to count and Samara dealt with repeated distractions) and it also saw De Benedetto/Toth save two Match Points (in a battle where they mostly had Game Points) before finally getting the hold to make it 4-5!  Pienciak was then broken again to tie it up at 5-5, De Benedetto held again and then it was an Unlucky Leo who was broken to take the loss!  They played this on the North Court from 5:50 to 6:32.

Frank Samara/Vinnie De Benedetto over Ryan Pienciak/Christine Toth, 6-2!  Ryan: 2 Aces (one on each); and Christine: 1 Ace on Vinnie!  It went like this: Frank was broken (Vin blew a volley for Love-15, then it was 15-All until Christine hit a winner and then Ryan hit a winner to make it Double Break Point and then came the break), Ryan was broken (Frank hit a guided missile-like passing shot winner for Love-30 and then it was Triple Break Point where Ryan hit an impressive Ace up the T against Frank to cut it down to Double Break Point, but then came the break), but Vinnie was the first to hold serve (Frank hit a winning Backhand Volley for 15-Love and then an excellent and extended rally led to 15-All, but then it was straight to Double Game Point and the hold) for 2-1.  Christine was broken (Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash for 15-Love, but then it was right to Double Break Point where Ryan hit a winning volley for Break Point and then it was Deuce where Frank hit a whopper of an Overhead Smash that found Ryan as its unintended target which brought it back to Break Point, then it was 2^nd Deuce where Ryan hit another winning Overhead Smash of his own for Game Point, but then Frank hit a winner for 3^rd Deuce where Vin hit a blistering winning return for Break Point and then Frank hit a winning volley that he seemed to have on a string to curve it around the constantly poaching Ryan to get the break) and then Samara held (Love-30 shifted to 30-All as Frank hit an un-returned serve and then another monster of an Overhead Smash, but then Christine hit a winning Backhand Volley for Break Point which was where Vin hit a winning Overhead Smash for Deuce and then Christine blew a volley for Game Point where Frank finished things off with an impressive winner down the middle) to go up 4-1!  Pienciak held (Ryan made a great get only to have Vin send it back as a winning volley for Love-15, it was then 15-All where Ryan nailed Vin with a corner Ace for 30-15 and then Ryan hit a winning Overhead Smash to make it Double Game Point where he got the hold) to pull to 2-4.  But from there, De Benedetto held again (15-Love shifted to Double Break Point as Ryan hit a winning return along the way, but then it shifted again to Deuce as Frank hit a winner along the way and then Ryan blew a volley to make it Game Point and then Ryan blew another volley to allow the hold) and Toth was broken again (she started off with a slow and short Ace up the T against Vin, but that shifted right to Double Break/Match Point as Frank first hit a winner in one point and then scorched a return winner behind the poaching Ryan to get to the DB/MP which was where the break came) to take the loss.  The action was closer than the score indicates.  We played this on the North Court from 6:35 to 7:05.

Ryan Pienciak/Christine Toth over Joe Rodrigues/Leo Victor, 6-2!  No Aces (apparently).  They got this one underway on the North Court exactly at 7:07 (not sure when it ended).  Joe reports that Ryan was strong at the net and Christine had some nice shots as well.

Samara's Notes: We now head up to Cedar Grove where we will first get a couple scores that were sent in by Chazz and then the full report from Kris along with some additional details added by Laura.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Chazz Weldon over Edwin Ortega, 6-2!  No Aces.  This one was played from 4:30 to 5:14.

Chazz Weldon over Edwin Ortega, 6-2!  Chazz: 1 Ace.  This one was played from 5:20 to 6:08.  Chazz said it was great fun and Edwin had some good topspin shots.

We now let Papa K take it away!

The night started out quietly before the avalanche of our players were sidelined due to a lack of tennis courts.  Marijus and Sally were probably the first to arrive for their MXD2 Mixed Doubles Semifinal Match that they had rescheduled… or perhaps it was Jordan Bachvaroff who came first.

It was good that Jordan grabbed Court One as The Wednesday Ladies occupied Court Two.  The Verona Crew, much to my chagrin, took both Courts Three and Four for most of the night.

Samara's Notes: As we have already found out from "Mr. 500" Levy Lorenzo (who is also part of The Verona Crew), this is a situation that is likely to continue right into October.  So it is somewhat silly for so many of us to keep scheduling important matches there and/or arriving at Cedar Grove on Wednesday nights and then be surprised to find we have to sit out for so long. 

This is why I have not made it a priority to get up there on a Wednesday night.  I suggest we follow up on the lead given to us by "Stealth" Omar Santos and investigate the nearby courts on Paterson Ave. in Little Falls as they are also lit into the night.  At least this can be an alternative location on Wednesday nights.  Because there is nothing we can do about the presence of The Verona Crew except to either like it or lump it…LOL! 

I now turn this report back over to Kris.

When The Gawleys came minutes after 7:30pm, their Mixed Doubles Match took place on Court Two. That meant there was just one court available for the other players.

So, instead of a jam-packed session, it was a case of a logjam of players…but we did well to get most of our players to at least get some action.

Spin didn't get to play and after an irritated tiff with the Verona folks, Sairaj got to play one at least one set with them.  When I introduced Sairaj to them as their fourth player, they wanted to see if he could hit the ball.  We did get the use of Court Three for the last 30 minutes.

Nathan Fernandes/Jordan Bachvaroff over Kris Srinivasan/Joe Rodrigues, 6-4!  No Aces.

It was the first match of the session (not counting the earlier action between Chazz and Edwin).  Just as soon as we started, players started coming and had no choice but to wait.  With two points in our favor to go up 5-2, we lost that game and the next three!  Nate's input was the key.

MXD2 Semifinal Match:

Rob Gawley/Laura Gawley over Marijus Kuzavas/Sally Pillay, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, to become the New # 3 Ranked Team in the Mixed Doubles Division while advancing to The Finals of The MXD2 Mixed Doubles Tournament!  Marijus: 1 Ace on Laura (up the middle). 

The Lowdown from Laura: We had some amazing rallies and many Deuces during the match.  The 1st Set couldn't have been any closer and it could have gone either way.  We took a 3-1 lead, but they came back to make it 4-4.  It was back and forth until 6-6 and the Tiebreak.  We won that set and then I served first in the 2nd Set.  My serve was broken, but we came back and were leading 4-1.  Then they won a few games to make it 4-4.  I held serve to make it 5-4 and Marijus served out a very long game.  We played at least 6 or 7 Deuce points.  We had one Match Point against them, but his serving was too strong.  Rob then held serve and, with Sally serving, we won the final game to win the second set 7-5. 

It really could not have been much closer.  Marijus has a great first serve and is very steady at the baseline.  Sally made some great volleys at the net.  Marijus seemed to have a slight back problem, which helped us a bit!  Time to ice up!

The Say from Papa K: It was a solid and close match that could have gone either way.  Despite all the noise buzzing around, the players were focused and they played one helluva match!  It was compelling enough for a shot at being a Nominee as a fiercely contested Mixed Doubles Match of The Year!  Full credit goes to all the players for their valiant attempt, irrespective of the results.  Congrats to The Gawleys, but Marijus and Sally can feel proud of their efforts.

Samara's Notes: I thank both Laura and Kris for the details and commentary.  I congratulate The Gawleys on a very impressive victory, but also offer kudos to Marijus and Sally who are always a tough team to deal with and proved that once again here.  And I agree with Kris that this is a likely Nominee at season's end.  Even though it ended in straight sets, that is about as close as a straight-setter can get.

We now go back to Kris for the rest of the scores.

Raj Shah/Senthil Kumar over Lou La Forgia/Dino Celis, 7-5!  No Aces (apparently).

Raj got to play just one set, but went out on a satisfying note ably assisted by The Webmaster.

Nathan Fernandes/Dinesh Viswanathan over Rick Pienciak/Doinks Srinivasan, 6-4!  No Aces (apparently).

Nate continued to have his say and Dinesh was able to enjoy some good tennis after the initial wait.

Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff over Lou La Forgia/Dino Celis, 6-1!  No Aces.

This was the last full match of the night and an exciting one…especially going toe to toe with Dino.  Lou couldn't execute as well as he is known for, usually.

Nathan Fernandes/Dinesh Viswanathan tied with Rick Pienciak/Doinks Srinivasan, 3-3 (Incomplete when the lights went out at 10pm)!  No Aces (apparently).

Samara's Notes: As always, all Kris does on behalf of the GTA up at Cedar Grove is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara

 

 

 

 

8/16 Results

8/16/16:         

"Moka-Kaz part of 6 at C.G. as Kris hosts!":                                          

GTA Tuesday Night Tennis only took place at The Cedar Grove Courts (hosted by "Papa K" Kris Srinivasan and it featured the Grove Cup Round of 16 Match between "Instant" Moka Pathan and "Big Kaz" Mike Kazlauskas, with Moka sending in additional commentary as well).  The session was cut short due to the severe rains and thunder that rolled through the area.  Thankfull, Pathan-Kazlauskas concluded just before those storms hit.

So we now head up to C.G. for all the details from there via Kris and Moka.

The Cedar Grove Results:

Grove Cup Round of 16 Match:

Moka Pathan over Mike Kazlauskas, 6-2, 6-4, to successfully defend his # 4 Rank in the Advanced Division while advancing to The Quarterfinals of The Grove Cup Tournament!  No Aces.

A Drop of Moka: We met up at 6pm, warmed up for about 10 minutes and then promptly started the match.  Mike was still finding his game in the 1st Set, but towards the end of the 2nd Set (after getting down 2-5), he really started to get a better feel for the court.  He cut my lead to 5-4 before I was able to break him to close out the match at 6-4.

It felt like a race against the rain.  Throughout the match, we could hear the thunder and knew a storm was coming.  I want to thank Mike for playing the match under the uncertain weather forecast and look forward to playing him again in the near future.

The Say from Papa K: Moka took charge of the match as he ensured getting a good leading in both the sets, putting Mike under pressure right through the match.  The result was Mike's inability to play his shots freely.  Moka had his own good shots and a beautiful lob to an aggressive Mike at the net seemed to work in his favor.  Kaz did fight hard in the 2nd Set while down 2-5 to win couple of games, but then it was a bridge too far to cross.  It was a good win For Moka and a tough loss for Kaz who unfortunately couldn't execute his "A" game.

Samara's Notes: I congratulate Moka on an impressive victory, offer kudos to Mike on a fine effort and thank both Moka and Kris for the details.  We now turn the rest of this report over to Kris as to the rest of what happened (and what did not happen) up at Cedar Grove.

It was a curtailed session last night as the rains took charge of the proceedings early evening.  At least we had one full match and a critical one at that.  Moka and Kaz had planned to play their Grove Cup match and an early start helped them complete it.

Senthil Kumar/Sairaj Srinivasan tied with Kris Srinivasan/Jordan Bachvaroff, 1-1 (Incomplete once the rain rolled in)!  Sairaj: 1 Ace on Jordan!

The small satisfaction for the night was the hitting session prior to our game (and for Sairaj getting an Ace on Jordan in the very first game).  Senthil got to serve, but the game remained incomplete after multiple Deuces, thanks to the rains.

Marijus Kuzavas and Sally Pillay were there ahead of us waiting to play their MXD2 Mixed Doubles Semifinal Match against Rob and Laura Gawley, who came just as the Singles Match between Moka and Mike concluded.  Nathan Fernandes was the last player to arrive, but the rain ultimately had its say. C'est la vie!  Cheers!

Samara's Notes: As always, the way Kris hosts at (and reports from) Cedar Grove is much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Frank Samara