In a reprise of the Men's and Women's Doubles Championships, the first day of the Mixed Doubles Championship featured multiple layers of clothing, and spectators ducking around corners to escape "The Hawk." In Southwest Florida? Yep, and it's getting to be old hat...really old hat.
In any event, the event got underway today, featuring a number of new members who entered the fray, and actually challenging for bragging rights as Club Champion. In fact, if this were a teenie-bopper movie, we’d have to call it “New Blood.”
In the Ball Bashers A Division, newcomer Angela Mitrisin joined with Maxwell Thompson to defeat Richard and Ruth Edelman, the 2008-2009 Champions of the Ball Bashers B Division who had moved up to challenge for the Ball Bashers A Division crown. As noted elsewhere, Maxwell is working on the triple-crown this year.
Also still in the hunt for the triple in the Ball Bashers A group is Judy Wilson, another recent addition to the Gulf Harbour tennis fold, who teamed with Greg Pilant to oust Jim King and former Ball Basher Singles Champ, Martha DeLeeuw. Fresh faces also upended last year’s Finalists, as Bruno Glavich and Gina LaManna took out Eddie Dance and Pam Lemon.
Among the matches that could be considered candidates for “Match of the Day,” honors, Bob and Tania Pleischl came back from a first-set loss to pick up the win in a third-set super-tiebreak against their good friends Bill and Marsha Cavinder. Jake Keltner and Monica Robb bounced one of the newcomer teams, getting by T.A. and Bev Auda in straight sets.
Rounding out the Ball Bashers action was Rich Fox and Norma Schuyler's win over Len Ciarrocchi and Sandy Gebara, and Tim Baldwin and Bonnie Graham's victory over John and Connie Hess. Rich and Norma are up against the Defending Champions and No.1 Seeds, Bill Wright and Lili Canfield, in one of tomorrow’s quarterfinal matches.
In the Court Crashers Division, tourney neophytes Chuck Beagan and Bill Otey both got wins in their first tournament matches at Gulf Harbour. Chuck partnered with April Burkholder to beat Rick and Meg Jacobs (Rick’s first tourney ever), and Bill teamed with veteran Wennie Johannes to defeat Bernie and Penny Klotz. The two newcomers play each other tomorrow in one semifinal, so one will have wrapped up his first foray into the Club Championships.
In other Court Crashers action, top seeds Tom VanWyk and Ann Wright advanced against Roy and Val Steigerwald, and will meet Jim Masiello and Teressa Crocker in the other semifinal. Jim and Teressa outlasted Peter Malen and Liz Byck in the first of two third-set super-tiebreaks. Teressa’s recovery from recent heart surgery makes the win against quality players like Peter and Liz that much more remarkable.
In the Ball Bashers B Division, the team of Tim and Carol Carr eased past Don and Anna Pitts and will face No.1 Seeds Bill Cole and Sandi Hill, who will be seeing their first action of the event. Sandi is physically questionable for tomorrow’s match, but will give it a go. In her return to tournament action after a victorious bout with cancer, Linda Gardiner teamed with Bryan Schwartz to down Mark Davis and Jackie Jewel, and will face Jim Hynden and Joan Palermo.
Erstwhile event photographer and Club DJ, Jim Rollero, partnered with Court Crashers Doubles Champ Sally Mellendorf to defeat Preston Clark and Nancy Davis. Preston came out of semi-retirement at the last minute, despite a shoulder in need of surgical attention, to replace Sy Davis, Nancy’s intended partner, who came up lame for the competition. Jim and Sally will take on Bill Donegan and Sharon Bock tomorrow morning. Wrapping up the Court Crasher matches, Ron and Marvel Jones eliminated Bob and Laurie Watson in straight sets, and will meet the No.2 Seeds, Gabe Gebara and Bev Adams in their next match.
The opening day opened and closed with matches in the All Aces Division, the top division of the Club Championships. Earlier in the day, Pete McElroy and Judy Schafft eclipsed another pair of talented first-timers in Brian and Sunni Hammermeister. Pete and Judy have the task of getting past No.2 Seeds, Chip Graddy and Jemin Martinsen, both of whom are trying to accomplish the Club Championship trifecta in the top division.
In the final match of the day, ending well after darkness and the temperature had fallen, Arnie and Randy Wohl escaped a third-set, super-tiebreak thriller against former Singles Champion Geoff Negin, who was partnered with Amy Markovich. As the diehard Gulf Harbour tennis members huddled together to forestall the night’s chill, the foursome exchanged rousing rallies that prompted both cheers and groans from the chilled crowd. Arnie and Randy will battle Defending Champions and No.1 Seeds, Gary Delanois and Diane Johannes in the early morn.
Other matches on tap in the top division tomorrow morning include Ed Bonkowski and Marcia DeVries against Tim Jones and Kathy Lanzalotta, Kathy being one half of last year’s Mixed Doubles Finalist team and current Doubles Champion; and Alan Canfield and Amy Ciarrocchi versus Joe Schwartzel and Carole Shapiro. All of the action promises to be worth braving the morning chill, and Club Manager Mike Snyder has even agreed to come in early to provide hot coffee for our hardy tennis fans. What-a-guy!
In closing, after the incredible display of support tonight with the wind-chill factor making a mockery of the actual temperature, I must say that I know of no more supportive tennis members anywhere in the land! Thanks for making the event what it is folks! Game, set, match…
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