The 3.0er of the Year - Travis Haselswerdt
(Bay Village)
Singles Player of the Year - Travis Haselswerdt
(Bay Village)
Doubles Player of the Year - John Prince
(Force)
Doubles Team of the Year - Scott Mellino & John Prince
(Force)
Captain of the Year - David Diefenthaler
(Shadow Valley)
Captain David, Scott & John, and Travis (black), showing covid what's what!
In a covid plagued year that limited playing and participation, Travis, by virtue of ending the year with the most singles (23) and most overall wins (29) on the season earned his second straight 3.0er of the Year award and, thanks in part to his record-tying three tournament victories (Atahan Koymen, '11), also his first ever Singles Player of the Year award (which may explain the wins, the covid, that is). The tag-team partners of Scott and John, the only tandem to enjoy double-digit wins, with wins coming in league, tournament, and playoff play, were the overhead smash choice for Doubles Team of the Year while John, thanks to leading all doubles players in wins (14) took his first Doubles Player of the Year award as he helped lead his club to a District title. But it was David from NWO who took home the Captain of the Year honors, thanks to having the most league wins en route to a Flight and District team title for his beloved Shadow Valley!
Due to the pandemic, the USTA Midwest Ohio State Championships were unfortunately not held, which meant that there were no State team title holders, which meant one of the major pieces of criteria used to select the most unknown 3.0 award around was not available. Not to be deterred, we at the D.F.O. dug back to our roots - way back to the years 2000 and 2001 when the USTA started the NTRP system and there were no State Championships, only Flight Championships! Back then, the D.F.O. nominated the best of those best teams, and just like then, that's what the D.F.O. did now!
Although, it turns out it didn't matter.
The system works*!
Enjoying a fantastic 2020 season both in league and tournament play, trophy-chaser Travis enjoyed several D.F.O. firsts - the first to repeat a tournament title in the new decade (which is technically true, even if 2020 is the first year of the new decade), the first to win five singles tournament titles, the first to win seven total tournament titles, and with this award, the first since the great James Schulte to repeat a D.F.O. 3.0er of the Year award! Add it all up, and like an ambulance chasing self-aggrandizing attorney, Travis chased down every tournament accolade possible (and the low numbers of entries due to the health crisis surely had no* impact on the low numbers of entries in said tournaments ... ahem). In the end, with his four tournament titles, his 20+ wins, and his still winless record at the 3.5 level (currently standing in at an impressive 0-13), Travis' low-level 3.0 play in 2020, could only lead to one question - is he the perfectly imperfect 3.0 player of our time?!
Steamrolling their way to 3.0 tennis heights during the 2020 pandemic-packed 3.0 season, this tandem not only notched a tournament title but also led their Force team to a Flight and District team title! Undefeated in both league and playoff and tournament play, this terror of the 3.0 tennis courts has never - never! - been defeated when side-by-side! A perfect 9-0 in 2020 and a perfect 13-0 all-time, these best friends dominated all of Northeast Ohio with their BFF play, showing that you simply cannot spell the word "perfect" without the names Scott and John!
YOU JUST CAN'T!
So congrats to the the 2020 D.F.O. 3.0 Doubles Team of the Year, the perfecto-mundo Scott and John!
Captain David, meanwhile, led Shadow Valley to the most wins in all of O-H-I-O, clearly a sign he deserves the Captain of the Year award!
Player of the Year Nominees
* = Years at 3.0; Nomination Criteria
Robert Corts*8
Tournament: Senior 50 NTRP Men's Runner-up (3-1)
League: 12-3 Doubles
Travis Haselswerdt*5
Tournament: Paramount Winter Champion (3-0), Akron Open 3rd (4-1), Green Open Champion (2-0), Wooster Aspen Champion (2-0)
League: 12-1 Singles, 0-1 Doubles
Scott Hovey*2
Tournament: Akron Open 5th (3-2)
League: 7-1 Singles, 1-0 Doubles
Patrick Renz*3
Tournament: Paramount Winter Finalist (2-1)
Jeffrey Roach*2
Tournament: Wooster Aspen FMC Champion (0-2)
*From California
John Schuld*2
Tournament: Paramount Winter Consolation Finalist (1-2)
Abhishek Sreesaila*3
Tournament: Paramount Winter Consolation Title (2-1)
Benjamin Young*3
Tournament: Paramount Winter Quarter Finalist (0-2), Green Open Finalist (1-1), Wooster Aspen Finalist (1-1)
League: 0-2 Singles, 3-6 Doubles; Playoffs: 0-2 Doubles
Michael Fink*4 (Shadow Valley)
League: 3-1 Singles, 1-0 Doubles; Playoffs: 1-0 Singles
Claude Newton*9 (Shadow Valley)
League: 5-0 Singles, 1-1 Doubles; Playoffs: 0-0
Byron Reed*4 (Shadow Valley)
League: 5-0 Singles, 2-1 Doubles; Playoffs: 1-0 Singles
Chase Clark*2 (QRC)
League: 3-0 Singles; Playoffs: 1-1 Singles
Michael Lee*5 (QRC)
League: 5-0 Singles; Playoffs: 1-0 Singles
Andrew Payerl*2 (Force)
League: 12-2 Singles; Playoffs: 2-0 Singles
Doubles Team of the Year Nominees
Tournament Qualifiers
Chip Bond*2/Timothy Griffith*4
Tournament: Green Open Finalists (1-1)
League: 1-0
Robert Corts*7/Debabrata Ghosh*2
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles Champions (5-0)
League: 2-0
David Gann*5/Travis Haselswerdt*5
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles Runners-up (4-1)
Travis Haselswerdt*5/Benjamin Young*3
Tournament: Green Open Doubles Champions (2-0)
Scott Mellino*6/John Prince*3
Tournament: Senior 50 NTRP Men's 3.0 Doubles (2-0)
League: 5-0; Playoffs: 2-0, District Championship
Robert Schneider*4/Tim Schneider*3
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles 3rd (3-2), Green Open Consolation Title (1-1)
Chad Duff*5/David Garofoli*6 (QRC)
League: 1-1; Playoffs: 2-0, District Championship
Jansen Meyers*4/Greg Haack*3 (QRC)
League: 2-0; Playoffs: 2-0, District Championship
Scott Mellino*6/John Prince*3 (Force)
Tournament: Senior 50 NTRP Men's 3.0 Doubles (2-0)
League: 5-0, Flight Champions; Playoffs: 2-0, District Championship
Adnan Kazazic*9/Roger Godin*5 (Force)
League: 4-1, Flight Champions: Playoffs: 2-0, District Championship
Voting Notes
Thanks to the pandemic and the quarantine, almost every tournament of the season was limited in entries, meaning opportunities a plenty for someone desperate enough for a chance at tournament victory. And no one reeks of desperation more than the beloved* 3.0 star, Travis! Thanks to unique historical circumstances, and thanks to entering every possible event possible, Travis set several 3.0 records en route to a truly historic (and bizarre) season, becoming the first 3.0er since the great Atahan Koymen (yes, the Atahan!) back in 2010 to win three singles 3.0 tournaments in a single calendar year! BUT WAIT, there's more! He was also the first 3.0er since the equally great Adrian Fatu (yes, the Adrian!) back in 2006-2007 to defend a singles championship. In doing so, Travis earned what might be a lifetime 3.0 achievement award in winning a record 5th career 3.0 singles championship and, when added to his two doubles 3.0 championships, a record 7th overall 3.0 championship. WHOA! So many low-level trophies! When it's all said and done, thanks to the pandemic and few players playing as much as he did, he continued to show when it comes to lousy 3.0 play, no one is historically as lousy as is he.
In doubles, Travis almost enjoyed even more self-aggrandizement, as his doubles championship with Benjamin and his runner-up status (or Vice-Championship as the Germans call it), certainly put him in the running. But that running didn't last long, for the tag-team duo of Robert and Debabrata not only won the biggest event of the 3.0 doubles season, but also teamed up during the league season and won together on that stage, as well. Yet, only one team won both a tournament and a District team title, and that team was none other than Scott and John, the most perfect doubles team of 2020 ... and possibly ever!
The captain voting was a bit tighter, as several captains enjoyed fantastic District championship-type seasons. But only Jeff enjoyed double-digit league wins, and with the most wins of any captain of 2020, he was rightfully named the D.F.O. 3.0 Captain of the Year!
Ineligible Nominees
Sanjay Beach
Tournament: Senior 50 NTRP Men's Champion (4-0)
*3.5
Notes: One of the greatest 3.0 players around, Sanjay is now tearing up the 3.5 courts!
Aaron Reuben*
Tournament: Akron Open Finalist (5-1)
*Unrated; From Kentucky
Notes: Travelling North to find tennis gold, Aaron did just that ... if by "tennis gold" you mean a vice-championship at the Akron Open!
H. Michael Wiant*, **
Tournament: Akron Open Champion (6-0)
*Unrated
Notes: Initially a 3.0 but then self-rated/bumped to a 3.5, H. Michael enjoyed an amazing one-and-done 3.0 tournament before also winning the 3.5 Akron Open, 3.5 Green Open, and 3.5 Wooster Open Singles Championships, showing, when you add it all up, he's around a 10.5!
Whoa whoa whoa! How dare - HOW DARE! - anyone besmirch the voting process of the D.F.O.! It’s a fair* and democratic** process unlike any other (which is true)!
Surprise, surprise. Player of the Year winner the last 2 years just happens to be DFO's sole owner, author, and Player of the Year judge. Where is the firestorm of Trump fraud tweets when we really need them!?
And I can't believe Cali Boy J-Roach got his mug shot in the PoftY pic! The audacity!