RECAP: WTT 3.5 18+ match, Sat., 11/28 BIG WIN, 35-18

Everyone contributed to this win!
L1: Felicia started and finished the line in due order, winning it 6-2. Felicia got her solid game going from the beginning with a high first serve percentage and consistent groundstrokes off both sides, occasionally coming to net to punch away volleys. At 3-1, her opponent Frances was replaced by Susan, who could only manage to get one game off Felicia. Both opponents hit several winning lobs but not enough to turn the tide against Felicia. Well done!

Saul used his great court coverage, flat serves and angled returns to put away his opponent at 6-4.

L2: Mindy started and got down 1-4 to Susan who got her game going after losing L1. Angie came in at that point and took the line to 5-all with excellent serving, deep groundstrokes and short angled volleys. That's the Angie we all know and she looked to be ready to close it out. Alas, it wasn't to be. Susan bore down, held both of her tiebreak service points and broke our Angie to take the TB 5-0. That big mo is so bloody fickle!

Eddy conquered his match nerves (must be left from baseball?) to leverage his low lefty ground strokes to keep his opponent deep at the baseline and then put him away at 6-3.

L3: April started and finished the line with an efficient, methodical game. It's hard to believe that she hasn't played the last few months, and maybe she couldn't believe it either. She took a 5-1 lead when her first opponent, Belinda, was replaced by Susan, but to no avail. April closed it out with a strong serve out wide to the deuce side that Suzanne was barely able to touch with her racket frame. That's an ace in my book.

Fun to watch Aris pit his big topspin serves and ground strokes against opponents with the same type game. However, Aris' persistence paid off as he forced more errors by his opponent to come away with a very satisfying 6-2 win! Yay!!

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RECAP: 4.0 WTT MATCH, SUN., 11/29 AT 12:00 AT NICHOLL VS. SCOTT'S TEAM, Won 28-27!!

Can you believe it!! The second time EVER we have had a tie score in games won at the end of regulation - forcing a 7 point super tiebreaker!!

Line #1: Dawn was at her calm and consistent best as she won her first WTT match, 6-4! Yay!

Yung was at his pressuring best as he forced Adam's hand, winning 1-6. Ouch!

Line #2: Clara exhibited some great ground strokes and angled returns, putting pressure on Sara's knees as Clara won 6-2.

Tenacious Tom kept Dil on his heels as Tom won it, 6-4 - but we are still 5 games behind in total - Argh.

Line #3: Tom has another go at Dil. I was over at the 3.5 match and couldn't witness it but Tenacious Tom must have had his serves working well and his ground strokes, too, as Tom wins this line at 6-2. We are now only 1 game behind!

Line #4: Keith tries taking on Yung to no avail as Yung builds up a 4-0 lead. Keith summons Adam - 'you give it a try'! Adam, as he is wont to do, starts wearing down Yung until he forces a tiebreak which, after a prolonged rally, Adam prevails at 6-5! Presto, we have a tie in games won at 27-27.

On to a super tiebreaker (first to 7 points wins). Nip and tuck as Adam pulls ahead but Yung catches up. Adam's patience and deep lobs seal the day as Adam wins the super tiebreaker. WOW, what a match!!

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RECAP: WTT 3.5 Senior match, Sunday, 11/29

Can you believe 4 tiebreaker lines and losing them all? That won't happen again as we dropped this match 34-27!

Special thanks to Dan Roberts and Paul Harkenz for stepping in and playing in their first WTT match when several of our stalwart regular men players were unavailable. !

L1: Dan got off to a great start as he used his steady ground strokes to build a lead. Unfortunately, his opponent gathered himself and saved just enough to force a tiebreak and then prevail for a 6-5 line win. Great effort, Dan.

Winnie started the line vs Barbara, a very tough opponent. Knowing that Barbara likes to come forward on short balls and put away deep volleys, Winnie kept her deep and went ahead early to 3-1. Barbara changed her game somewhat at that point, staying back more and hitting groundstrokes. Winnie seemed to lose her rhythm and Bo was tapped to replace her at 3-3. Bo took the line to 5-all at which point a tiebreak should be played. Barbara instead served a full game that Bo won at love. At that point, both captains told the players they should play a tiebreak. However, the issue was what are the WTT rules for correcting such an error? Under USTA rules the points played stand, which would give Bo a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak. The captains put their heads together and, not knowing WTT rules on this issue, decided to set aside the game that Barbara served. This decision rightly disturbed Bo and affected her play during the tiebreak, which she lost. Let's not let this happen again!

L2: Paul came up against our nemesis of the day, Andres. Andres's all around steady play and limited unforced errors stood him well as he emerged as 6-1 victor.

Bo stayed in to play Rose. The players know each other well. The emotional residue from the previous line led to some tense moments in this line. Despite that both players played well and had some very entertaining rallies. Bo won the line 6-4 with some excellent play. Well done, Bo.

L3: Bob's 'curveball' serve wasn't quite as effective as it can be but it along with some great forehands enabled him to tie up the line. Then, Andes came back in and continued his low error rate to come away with the 3rd of the day's 4 tiebreakers.

Felicia started the line vs Barbara. Felicia has the game to handle Barbara by hitting penetrating groundstrokes and coming forward to put away short balls. She played very well, but was running out of gas as the match went on. At 5-all, tiebreak time, she alerted the captain to her nearly empty tank. The captain replaced her with Winnie who came off the bench cold without a warmup. Not the best decision. Barbara took the TB 5-1.

Lots of lessons learned in this match.

wtt mATCH RESULTS FOR sENIORS MATCH ON 11-15-20

We posted a very satisfying win over Lyly's team on Sunday, winning 29-19.

Jon had previously sent along a recap of the women's lines which I will copy here:
We had an exciting outing yesterday against Lyly's 3.5 Sr team at Davie Stadium. Many thanks to all of you for showing up to play. It's great to see you with so much enthusiasm for this wonderful game.

L1: Mindy played the line and encountered a very challenging matchup in style. Mindy fought hard but found the mid-court game of her opponent too much, dropping the line 3-6.

L2: Bo started, got behind early, but soon got her all-court game going - and what a game it is! - to take the line easily 6-2.

L3: Winnie started with smart shot selections and consistent play to put us up 3-1. Belinda came in at that point and her strong groundstrokes overpowered her opponent to take us to 5-2. Wanting to give Mindy a chance to face her L1 opponent again, the captain brought her in. Alas, it went to a tiebreak at 5-all. BTW, it was 4:30p or so, the Davies lights were not on and getting darker and darker. In the TB, Mindy got down, 1-3 or 1-4, when she mounted a comeback with aggressive play and deep penetrating shots. Then came the deciding point at 4-all in the TB. Mindy chose to receive on the FH side. After a penetrating return and a long rally and great spurts of energy she forced her opponent to hit wide to seal the line and the match for the team. What fight she showed! Thank you, Mindy.

While the women played their lines at Davie, the men went to Nicholl to play their lines since there was only one playable court at Davie.

Mike Sommers set the tone as he systematically wore down his opponent, Robert, with accurate and error-free groundstrlies enroute to a 6-0 win.

Not to be overshadowed, Sergio duplicated the feat following suit with another 6-0 win as he hurried off to cheer on his wife, Belinda, at the Davie courts.

Bob Jacobs came up against a rejuvenated Robert, who built up a 3.0 lead. Then, Jean-Yves Charon entered in relief and won several games with strong round strokes and splendid dropshots before succumbing, 6-2.

Well played match all around!