Thursday was a very long day on the court for me…Susan Wright and I were both scheduled for 10, so planned an 8:15 warm up. I called the club at 7am (since it rained hard on Wednesday night, I wanted to make sure the courts were dry). The woman answering the phone said the courts looked playable…so we arrived about 8:15 and the courts were….wet. However, a couple were ok for warming up and we did successfully warm up….and then waited for a court. Diane Barker played Sherri Bronson and was quick…done by 10…then another quick match (Ros Balodis-Lisel Prechtel-Koot went on, then Frances Candy, the British #1 (whom I seem to play at every World Championship at which we are both present and in the same age division), took the court about 11am. And we monopolized it….finishing about four hours later. It was a grinding match, 63 36 62. Frances started slowly, overcame a slew of set points at 3-5 down before I finally won the game on a missed volley, then played an aggressive, solid second set. The third set was long…lots of high balls punctuated with forays to the net and later on, drop shots. Again, Frances held off about half a dozen match points and even earned a couple of game points in the last game before finally netting a ball. Then I had doubles…then Diane at 9am! Meanwhile, Susan Wright advanced over Pat Wire and Patricia Medrado held off the always tough Tina Karwasky 64 61Again, warm up with Susan at 8…then we both lost, Susan in a tough match to Medrado 64 63 and me to Barker 63 61. However, considering that Diane had only lost 4 games in San Diego in 7 matches, winning 4 in one match was a moral victory of sorts. She played very consistently and yet more aggressively than I did.
While I was playing Frances, Tracy Houk, USA, fell to Chris French in 3 sets, winning the first before fading; and Fran Chandler held off a match point or 2 in a tough match with Leona Matzenauer, also from the USA, winning 36 76 (5) 63. Leona is a great ball striker, reminiscent of Helena Mandlikova I think. Roz Nideffer held off Judy Newman to complete the semis in the women’s 50s (with Balodis being the 4th to the party). Today Fran beat Chris French 63 64 and in the battle of the “Ros”, Nideffer held off Balodis, with her penetrating backhands, and overcame the jitters on her serve, winning 63 64.
And then there was doubles. Robin Harris and I played Karwasky/Mary Ginnard first in twilight, then under the less than optimally illuminating lights at the club…they won 61 63…every game was a battle, but they just played better than we did. It was their second match of the day and they played much better than they had earlier…or so we thought! They played Joanne Russell and her sister today and won in a match tiebreak to reach the final. Interestingly, the other half of the draw is only out to the semis…Lyn Mortimer/Ann Stanley face Susan Wright/Kathy May Fritz.
In the 50s, Tracy Houk and Judy Newman took out the #4 seeds, Erin Boynton/Terry Holladay in a match tiebreak…and won again today…now they face Balodis/Leanne Swaysland. Chris French/Brenda Foster, unseeded, took out the 3rd seeds, Carolyn Lane/Tracey Thompson today and face the top seeds, Ingrid-Gutmann-Resch and Prechtel. Both the semis and final are scheduled for tomorrow.
Today, the men’s 45 and women’s 40s moved over from Morgan Run to San Diego T & R Club. Jurate Hardy advanced easily to the final and Isabelle Tyrell was too steady for Debbie Higa, winning 62 62. In doubles, Jami Jones/Higa held off their friends Jenny Rens Keller and Wendy Carragher in a marathon, 76 in the third, rallying from 25 down to win the breaker. They play the winners of a Russian pair and Jennifer Lyons/Julie Shapiro (the sisters in pink) in the final.
Jeff Greenwald, USA advanced to the men’s 45 final. Brian Cory and Art Hernandez edged the #1 seeds out of the 45 doubles, winning the breaker in the third 75 (only one point won against serve in that tiebreaker!). He plays Carl Clark, also from the USA, in the final. Clark took out Mario Tabares and Martin Barba en route to the final.
Jennifer Dawson, USA, beat Leslie O’Halloran from Ireland, the #2 seed, 62 61 in the semis and now takes on top-seeded Klarjte Van Baarle, Belgium for the 45 title. Jennifer’s husband Steve is in the semis of the 45 mixed with Debbie Spence Nasim and they take on Jennifer Lyons/Glen Barton, who upset the top seeds tonight. Debbie is in the 35 doubles final too, with Cammy MacGregor.
Kelly Wilson, USA, is in the 35s final; In the mixed 40s, it’s an all American affair with Gretchen Magers/Jeff Tarango facing Tracie Currie/Rick Leach. Tarango is also in the men’s 40 singles semis; Leach is in the men’s 40 doubles final with Mickey Maule (they take on Ellis Ferreira/Roger Mills in the final, an all American final);
The 8 players remaining in the men’s 45 doubles are American;
The men’s 50s have 3 USA players: Val Wilder, Mike Fedderly and Mike Tammen (who is in the mixed still with Tracey Thompson).
Mark Vines is the sole American though in the 55 singles; playing in the 55s for the first time, he’s cruised to the semis.
Everyone left in the men’s 55 doubles is from the USA…the USA in other words is doing really well in doubles and well in singles.
Here’s the list of times for tomorrow’s matches; all matches are at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club tomorrow and Sunday: http://itfseniors.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/matches.aspx?id=A12C2DB8-FF61-492E-85E2-17A07434345E
