Club Championship Doubles Finals

A breezy and chilly Finals Day of the Club Championship Men’s & Women’s Doubles began at 9am with the Men’s and Women’s Court Crashers taking to the courts with approximately 50 spectators in attendance. Last year’s Finalists, No.1 seeds Sally Mellendorf and Sharon Bock were facing a very successful LCWTL League team in Jayme Lewis and Meg Jacobs. Knowing the competitive spirits of all of the participants, I was settling in for a long hard one in the umpire’s chair.

Sally and Sharon jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but true to form Jayme and Meg climbed right back in it, and took the lead at 4-3. Sally and Sharon then kicked it into high gear, winning 12 of the next 13 points to claim the first set 6-4. They jumped out to an early lead again in the second set, and although they fought valiantly, taking a number of games to multiple deuces, Jayme and Meg just couldn’t overcome Sally’s aggressive net play and Sharon’s consistency in the back court. The final set was 6-1.

In the Men’s Court Crashers, Tom VanWyk and Manny Lima took advantage of a slow start by Peter Malen and Tony Cupaiuolo to seize the opening set 6-1. Tom and Manny appeared to be on their way to a quick second set as well when they went up a break for 4-2. However, Peter and Tony didn’t get to the finals by giving up. They went on a three-game run to go up 5-4, but Tom and Manny would not be denied. They held serve twice to reach the tiebreak, and didn’t look back, winning the tiebreak 7-1.

The Men’s and Women’s Ball Bashers finals were not the competitive affairs that we expected. In the men’s final, Maxwell Thompson and John Hess put on a dominant display winning 6-2, 6-1 over Bill Wright and Tim Jones. Maxwell’s net patrol and ferocious forehand more than complemented John’s penetrating groundstrokes, and they both covered the court extremely well.

Bill and Tim had been dominant in their previous matches, playing aggressively and taking the match to their opponents. In the final, they appeared less aggressive, but it looked as though Maxwell and John got the aggressive jump on Bill and Tim and it was a bit much to overcome.

In the women’s final, the story was much the same. Lili Canfield and Judy Wilson came out as though their opponents, Lee Tice and Mary Harrington, had done them a disservice. Effective aggression would be an apt characterization of Lili and Judy’s play throughout the match, and it was punctuated by the ace Judy served up on match point. It was hard to determine whether it was the Champions’ play, the breezy weather and/or the big moment that influenced Mary and Lee’s play, but they never seemed to get their games going well enough to throw Lili and Judy off stride.

By the time the Men’s and Women’s All Aces rolled around at 1pm, a crowd of approximately 100 family members, friends, and other interested parties had gathered…and they were not disappointed. In the men’s event, All Aces Singles Club Champion Chip Graddy and Finalist Geoff Negin battled Alan Canfield and Arnie Wohl for bragging rights. In the women’s event, All Aces Club Champion Jemin Martinsen and Kathy Lanzalotta faced Carole Shapiro and Jane Heck for the honors.

The Champions and Finalists all gave the crowd something to cheer about. Case in point: At set point in the first set of the Men’s match, an up-and-back, side-to-side, to-and-fro affair that ended with a spectacular shot from Alan. The spectators erupted in delight. The women provided similar high-level entertainment, with players running down balls that appeared to be winners to keep points alive.

Early in the men’s final, there were murmurs in the crowd as Alan and Arnie brought their AA-games to the court and took the first set 6-2. It appeared as though Alan and Arnie would pull off their second upset in a row. It was not to be. As in their semifinal match, Chip and Geoff stormed back from the first set loss to take the next two 6-3, 6-1.

There was a similar buzz at the beginning of the women’s final as Carole and Jane jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set. Jemin and Kathy were unfazed by the deficit and ripped off the next five games. Carole and Jane made a momentary stand, breaking Kathy and Jemin as they served for the set at 5-3, but couldn’t hold serve to even the set, losing it 4-6.

Jemin and Kathy held the lead throughout the first half of the second set, but Carole and Jane came back from 1-3 to go ahead 4-3. Jemin and Kathy were resolute despite losing the lead and fought back from 4-5 and 5-6 to force and win the final set tiebreak.

It was a fitting end to a terrific weekend of tennis. The result of the final matches of the weekend means that there are four players with an opportunity to win all three phases of the Tennis Club Championships: Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Maxwell and Judy have won both the singles and doubles in the Ball Bashers division, and Chip and Jemin claimed both events in the All Aces division. All four plan to play mixed doubles, so the mixed ought to be a true climax of the Club Championship season.

As for this weekend, there were winners and losers according to the score, but although the matches were competitive, the event was characterized by great sportsmanship and even camaraderie amongst many of the opponents. It truly was as close as a club could come to the true spirit of a club championship.

Although special congratulations must go out to those who prevailed and are now Champions, kudos must also go out to all of the competitors who braved the conditions and gave it their all regardless of their statuses as favorites or underdogs. We truly are lucky to work with as great a group of members as any tennis pro is likely to encounter anywhere.

By the way, before we get to the Mixed Doubles event, let's not forget that the David and Goliath showdown is next Saturday and the Memorial Foundation event is the following Saturday. If you're looking for tennis, you don't have far to go.  Until soon, game, set, match...

Club Championships Doubles Day 2

Day 2 of the Club Championships Doubles began with most matches going according to form, and one unfortunate default. The default of Joy Jones and Mondee Breton, who missed their 10am start time, vaulted the team of Norma Schuyler and Bonnie Graham into the Women’s Ball Bashers semifinals without having struck a ball.

Without the benefit of a match played in the swirling winds, Norma and Bonnie did not have their A-games when they faced No.2 seeds Lee Tice and Mary Harrington in the semis. A-games were absolutely necessary, given the fact that Lee and Mary had soundly defeated a pretty good team in Joan Palermo and Karen Ackert, 6-1, 6-0 in the quarters, after Joan and Karen had defeated Caroline Cunningham and Helen Rogers in the previous round by the score of 6-3, 6-4. Lee and Mary advanced to the final by beating Norma and Bonnie 6-0, 6-1.

The other team in the Women’s Ball Bashers final, Judy Wilson and Lili Canfield had a much more difficult time reaching the final. After a good test in their first match of the day against Ann Tate and Daun Dessak (6-3, 6-4), they eked out a third set tiebreak in the semis against Angela Mitrisin and Anna Pitts.

Angela and Anna did not go quietly after losing the first set 3-6. They rallied to take the second set 6-4, and battled Singles Champion Judy and Lili all the way before dropping the breaker. Considering that Angela and Anna had not played together before this event, and had won a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 three-setter over Randy Thomas-Wohl and Sandi Hill earlier in the day, their effort against tomorrow’s finalists warrant major kudos. As with the other finals to be played, this one should be captivating.

In the Men’s Ball Bashers, Jake Keltner and Eddie Dance squeaked past Richard Edelman and Jim King 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 in the quarters, only to run into No.1 seeds Bill Wright and Tim Jones, who had little trouble dispatching Brian “The Hammer” Hammermeister and Jack “The Doctor” Noble, 6-0, 6-1 in their quarterfinal match. It’s safe to say that The Hammer didn’t do much pounding this time around.


First time partners Maxwell Thompson and John Hess outhustled the veteran team of Bill Cole and Bob Pleischl, 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals to setup a matchup with No.2 seeds Rich Fox and Tim Baldwin in the semis. Rich and Tim faced a strong challenge from Frank Kaplan and Jim Rollero in the quarters, but emerged with the 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Maxwell and John continued their stellar play in the semis, eliminating Rich and Tim in straight sets (7-5, 6-3). They will face Bill Wright and Tim Jones, the No.1 seeds, who continued to outpace the competition. Bill, last year’s Ball Bashers Singles Champion, and Tim beat Jake Keltner and Eddie Dance in straight sets as well, but Jake and Eddie made them sweat a little in the second set. Final score: 6-1, 7-5.

Thompson and Hess have youth on their side, but after observing a few amazing gets by Tim today, I’m not sure how much of a factor that youth will be. If you are a gambler, you can bet that this Ball Bashers Final is going to a third set.


In the Women’s All Aces, Sunni Hammermeister and Judy Schafft tried to pull off their second consecutive come-from-behind win to reach the final, but fell short. After coming back from a first-set deficit in the quarters (6-7, 6-2, 6-1) against Carlotta Clark and Bev Adams, Sunni and Judy fell behind 1-4 to Carole Shapiro and Jane Heck, who eliminated Diane and Wennie Johannes 7-5, 6-1 in their previous match.

From the point of the 1-4 deficit, Sunni and Judy reeled off five consecutive games to win the first set 6-4. However, Carole and Jane found their stride in the second set and never looked back. They advanced to the final winning the final two sets 6-1, 6-1.

In other Women’s All Aces action, Sandy Gebara and Amy Ciarrocchi put the finishing touches on their quarterfinal match against Monica Robb and Pam Lemon (6-2, 6-4), before taking on the No.1 seeds, Jemin Martinsen and Kathy Lanzalotta. Sandy and Amy cruised through the 6-2 first set, but Jemin and Kathy stepped it up in the second, winning it 6-4. The third set stayed close until 3-3, before Kathy and Jemin pulled away to win it 6-3 in the third.

The match was terrific and it offered an illustration of how important it is to keep score in your matches. In the second set, Kathy was serving at 2-3, 30-30, and she and Jemin lost the next two points, which should have resulted in Sandy and Amy winning the game to get back on serve at 3-3.

Apparently no one realized that the game had ended, and Kathy produced a service winner on the next point, and she and Jemin won the game to go up 4-2. Whether accurate keeping of the score in that game would have affected the outcome no one can know. However, most players would rather be at 3-3 as opposed to 2-4. Keep and call your score after every point!


The first upset of the day occurred in the Men’s All Aces. No.2 seeds Pete McElroy and Ed Bonkowski fell to Alan Canfield, Jr. and Arnie Wohl in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). The No.1 seeds in the All Aces, Chip Graddy and Geoff Negin received a scare from Greg and Grey Pilant, but were able to meet the challenge. Greg and Grey got the jump on Chip and Geoff, winning the first set 6-2, but weren’t able to hold off the Singles Champion and Finalist, who took the final two sets, 6-1, 6-3.

The Women’s Court Crashers provided two terrific comebacks, and two serious candidates for “Match of the Day” honors. Jayme Lewis and Meg Jacobs came back after losing the first set at love, to win the final two 6-4, 6-2 over April Burkholder and Ilona Starr.

Jayme and Meg will face Sally Mellendorf and Sharon Bock, who beat Ann Wright and Stephanie Freeman in another three-set war that was over two and a half hours long. Sally and Sharon lost the first set in a tiebreak after a seesaw battle throughout the set, took the second set 6-3, and were neck and neck with Ann and Stephanie through 4-4 in the third before prevailing 6-4.

The Men’s Court Crashers didn’t produce the level of drama experienced in the other divisions, but you will not find a more diverse final as far as games go. On one side of the net you have the gentle giant in Tom VanWyk (not so gentle on the court), who is teamed with Manny Lima, the former professional soccer player who one might call “altitude challenged.” On the other, you have Tony Cupaiuolo, “The Running Professor” with his self-crafted game who partners with the Peter Malen, a former accomplished NCAA swimmer.

Tom and Manny, the No.1 seeds, downed the volatile Jim Masiello and his stoic partner George Olsen 7-5, 6-2 in the semis, while Peter and Tony upset No.2 seeds Bill Crouch and Ron Jones 7-6, 6-3 to make the final.

The finals start at 9am tomorrow (Sunday) and for a full review of the draws and starting times, go to the Tennis page of the Club Website.

Club Championship Doubles off Wet but Good Start

The Women’s Ball Bashers got the Club Championships Doubles ball rolling with Randy Wohl and Sandi Hill prevailing over the spunky team of Nancy Davis and Marvel Jones. According to Mrs. Jones (with whom I do not have a thing going on), her game wasn’t as “Marvelous” as it was during their league match win yesterday. The only other Women’s Ball Bashers match completed on schedule today was Joy Jones and Mondee Breton’s 6-2, 7-5 win over the always fiesty, former Singles Champion Martha Deleeuw and her partner Linda Gardiner.

One other match in the Women’s Ball Bashers got underway but soon was under water and rescheduled for tomorrow morning (see tennis page of Club website for scheduling details). Newcomers Sadie Forchelli and Sophia Phelps (who is regretting having to give up her tee time tomorrow) had won the first set 6-1 and were up 3-2 before the deluge dropped on them. The winner will face No.1 seeds Judy Wilson and Lili Canfield (Happy Birthday Lili!) next.

The Men Ball Bashers also managed to complete two matches, with one of those matches taking home “Match of the Day” honors. First-time participant Brian "The Hammer" Hammermeister teamed with "The Doctor," Jack Noble, to claim the 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Chuck Klucka and Len Ciarrocchi, after falling well behind. The Hammer and The Doctor will meet top seeds Bill Wright and Tim Jones next.

Making their debut in the Ball Bashers were Jim Rollero and Frank Kaplan. After cruising to a 6-1 first set, they held on to beat last minute entrants, Bill Otey and Ron Graham, 6-4 in the second. They have their work cut out for them next round as they face the crafty duo of Rich Fox and Tim Baldwin.

An interesting match-up in this division will be Singles Champion Maxwell Thompson and Singles Finalist John Hess, teaming up to face the experienced team of Bill Cole and Bob Pleischl. Both Maxwell and John have improved their games considerably this year, Bill appears to be almost fully recovered from his shoulder injury, and Bob has played more tennis than anyone over the past several months. It ought to be fun!

Still in the Men's Ball Bashers, no match is likely to be any more competitive than the Rich Edelman and Jim King pairing taking on Jake Keltner and Eddie Dance. With Eddie and Rich patrolling the net, Jim bashing groundstrokes and Jake counterpunching, a three-setter would be no surprise here.

The Women’s All Aces had two matches halted by the rain. Carole Shapiro and, yet another newcomer, Jane Heck, led 6-5 in the first set over Diane and Wennie Johannes (our only mother-daughter team) before the stoppage. They are on-serve, however, with Wennie serving to stay in the set. Equally tight was the match between No.2 seeds Sunni Hammermeister and Judy Schafft, who were locked in a fierce skirmish with Carlotta Clark and Bev Adams. The score was 5-5 with Carlotta’s serve on tap.

One other Women’s All Aces match was in progress before suspension of play. The rain may have provided last year’s Ball Bashers Champions who moved up, Monica Robb and Pam Lemon, a much-needed reprieve, as they were trailing Sandi Gebara and Amy Ciarrocchi 2-6, 3-4. However, they were on serve in the second set, so perhaps the stoppage was not welcomed. We shall see tomorrow as Monica and Pam try to push the match into a third set, while Sandi and Amy try to finish strong.

The Court Crashers men and women saw their first action today as well. In a match that was perhaps even closer than it sounds, Jim Masiello and George Olsen edged Charlie Beagan and Rick Jacobs, 6-3, 7-5. Charlie and Rick can feel very good about this loss, because we are certain that Kathy Masiello will have a much nicer evening due to the result. Of course, we suspect Meg might suggest that Rick visit the couch tonight, because she doesn’t want any losing vibes to rub off on her before she plays her first match tomorrow.

In other Men’s Court Crashers action, Peter Malen and Tony Cupaiuolo encountered a stiff first-set challenge from “The Dons,” Don Mattcheck and Don Pitts, before solving the riddle in the second set and finishing off a 6-4, 6-0 victory. Always the gracious in victory and defeat, Tony remarked, “If we could put together Don Mattcheck’s strokes and my legs…” Malen and Cupaiuolo take on No.2 seeds Bill crouch and Ron Jones tomorrow afternoon.

The Women Court Crashers played one match today with Stephanie Freeman and Ann Wright squeaking by Linda Riedl and Jean sanders 6-4, 6-4. Stephanie and Ann were down 0-40 at 4-4 in the second set, with Linda and Jean threatening to push it into a third, before coming back to hold serve, and breaking to wrap up the win. Their match against No.1 seeds Sally “No Mercy” Mellendorf and Sharon Bock ought to be a candidate for "Match of the Day" tomorrow.

Taking to the courts for the first time on the same side of the net will be All Aces Club Champion Chip Graddy and All Aces Finalist and former All Aces Club Champion Geoff Negin. They will trade heavy blows across the net with Greg and Grey Pilant, our only father-son team. There’s a rumor going around that the mother-daughter team of Johannes-Johannes issued a challenge to the Pilant-Pilant duo, but have yet to receive a response.

In any event, the winner of the Graddy/Negin-Pilant/Pilant battle will take on the winner of the match featuring the team of Alan Canfield, Jr. and Arnie Wohl against Pete McElroy and Ed Bonkowski. They say that styles make fights in boxing, and this contest will certainly involve contrasting styles. The attacking game of Pete and Ed versus the counterpunching techniques of Alan and Arnie will be on display tomorrow at noon if the weather holds.

We anticipate some excellent matches tomorrow through the finals on Sunday, so if you are a lover of the game, we look forward to seeing you at Gulf Harbour’s tennis center this weekend. Until next, game, set, match…