The 40’s semis were played today. On court 1, Renata Marcinkowska and Fran Chandler played different styles, but were equally exemplary sports. The racquet never left their hands in anger (though Fran did pull off her hat once or twice), and the match was played in good spirit. Renata’s spins and dropshots (we don’t know how many drops Renata hit…maybe 50?), and aggressive play kept Fran moving all over the court. Renata won 62 63.
On court 2, top seeded and defending champion Mariana Hollman faced the 4th seed, Hyacinth Yorke. This was the drama queen court. No racquets went flying, but the reaction to a missed shot or bad bounce was not a poker face, and frequently was accompanied by a theatrical comment on the shot (or a scream). Yorke, normally known for her grass court play, used her superb athleticism and creativity to oust Hollman 62 64. Yorke also made extensive use of the drop shot, to great effect.
Interestingly, the 4 semifinalists were originally citizens of 4 different countries, Trinidad (Yorke), Cuba (Hollman), Poland (Marcinkowska) and USA (Chandler). They are all now US citizens. Hollman and Yorke became US citizens in 2005.
In doubles Marcinkowska and Mary Dailey, the 2nd seeds, took out Yorke/Stacy Williams 62 75. In the other semi, Chandler and Susan Boyer reached the final with a straight set win over the indoor champions, Hollman/Anna Zimmerman. Boyer and Chandler, though not known for their volleys, have great hands and cover the court very well, and rarely miss. They frustrated their opponents with their consistency and court coverage.
In the 50’s, there weren’t any upsets, they all occurred yesterday apparently. Bronson plays Mary Morgan, the 6th seed, who edged Sue Sprague 63 76. Nichols plays Elizabeth Froehling who took out Elizabeth Bohac 75 26 60.
The doubles also went according to the seeding, though the #3 seeds, Rita Anderson/Morgan had to go thet distance to beat Lois Woodard and Janice Simpson 76 (2) in the third. They face Bezmalinovich/Nichols in the semis. Bronson/Wheatley play Bohac/Sasser in the other final.
There were a number of good consolation matches as well. The longest may have been Ellen Markowitz and Michelle dePalmer Williams who played for 3 sets and over 3 hours. Markowitz won 26 64 62. Anna Zimmerman and Myke Bodish also played a long 3 setter, with Bodish prevailing in the thrid. Markowitz plays Tiina Smith and Bodish plays Boyer in the consolation semis.
Carolyn