Quite literally. Because it was hot. So, so, so hot.
Day two of the GOC 3.0 Championships was a blazing hot display of tennis (mostly because it was over 90 degrees all day with nary a cloud in the sky)! In both the 3.0 singles and doubles, matches took place and, in a shocking turn that usually isn't seen at the 3.0 level, they were also completed!
Doubles Recap
In the doubles Consolation Final, two of the better doubles tandems of the tournament (which is somewhat ironic, really, but that's 3.0 tennis for you), defending '19 GOC Champions Aditya and Shailendra, faced off against the family combo of Bob and Tim who were taking the summer 3.0 tour by storm. The defending champs came out strong, looking to add to their championship resume, and took the first set with their now well-known big shots, both on their serves and their ground strokes. Bob and Tim, however, after a tough match of their own the previous night, showed the mental 3.0 fortitude, combined with Bob's amazing reflexes and Tim's fantastic defense, to not just get back in the match during the second set, but win the second set as well. Thus, for both teams, another SUPER TIE-BREAK! Neither team backed off, and instead of tightening up, both continued to go for big winners, and even midway through the SUPER TIE-BREAK, it was anyone's game! But the familial connection of Bob and Tim paid dividends, as their father-son communication proved vital as they ran off to a seemingly insurmountable 9-5 lead. However, this is 3.0 tennis, and Aditya and Shailendra, the first ever GOC 3.0 Doubles champions ever, gave their all to get the match back to 8-9. WHOA! Then, on Bob's serve, and at match point #5, Bob unleashed a classic serve out wide to the ad court that stretched his opponent, and Bob angled a forehand juuuuuust out of Aditya's reach to not just win the SUPER TIE-BREAK and the match but also to enter their names upon GOC history as the first ever GOC 3.0 Doubles Consolation Title holders! Congratulations to both squads who put on quite a show over the two days of the event, as both gave the 3.0 fans over six sets of high quality 3.0 tennis!
In the championship match, two somewhat surprising teams faced off as the two doubles underdogs both enjoyed come-from-behind victories the night before. Travis and Benjamin, playing together for only the second time ever, faced off versus Chip and Timothy, who were playing together for a way more advantageous third time ever. WHOA! Advantage Chip and Tim! Also, Chip and Tim enjoyed home court advantage as these were their home courts while Benjamin lived so far away it almost took him double-figures minutes to arrive. WHOA AGAIN! Another huge advantage to Chip and Time! What also made this match all the more intriguing is that all four players had just finished up their singles matches ... against each other! WHOA! Not sure who has the advantage there, but that's something.
As the match began, Benjamin's serve was on point, pushing Chip and Tim consistently wide, while Travis' net play was the best he's ever played in a doubles match ... ever. From the back court, Benjamin was playing so well that he even made up for Travis continuously refusing to remember to listen to Benjamin's coaching tips and occasionally run around like a chicken with his tennis head cut off. That being said, Chip and Tim played well, with Chip's reflexes at the net and Tim's defense from the back earning them hard earned points, and as such the first set was a back and forth encounter with both teams trying to get the advantage in the most important match of their lives at this very specific and very particular time in their lives.
But like that well-known tennis documentary Armageddon, the moving tale of how a 3.0 tennis team single handedly saved the world (except you, Paris, sorry) from an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, Travis and Benjamin did all they could to prevent the asteroid that was Chip and Timothy from destroying their tennis glory, and as such, played the best tennis they've played all tournament long. Chip and Timothy, no doubt exhausted from their previous matches, put on a valiant effort, but Benjamin's serves combined with Travis' weakly hit returns that looked like drop shots but were actually just weakly returned shots, took their toll, and when all was said and done, Benjamin and Travis emerged, like Bruce Willis, victorious (wait ... what's that? His character didn't make it? Hmm ... never mind...).
Huzzah! And like that, history was made! Chip and Timothy enjoyed their first ever doubles championship final, while for Timothy, he enjoyed his second straight doubles runner-up finish at the GOC in as many years! As for Travis, his second career 3.0 doubles championship puts him in rarified air (mostly of his own making) while Benjamin, who led the team the entire tournament, enjoyed his first ever 3.0 championship ever! Congrats to all!
Singles Recap - SemiFinals
In singles, a whopping 80% of the entry field still remained on day two (which sounds super impressive until you realize there were only five total entries, but hey, 80% is still a big number)! On Court 1, hometown Green hero Chip took on a fellow USTA league captain, Benjamin, as both veteran 3.0 players looked to use their leadership skills to move on from the SemiFinals to make their first Championship final ever! In the first set, Benjamin's serve and ground stroke placement kept Chip on the defensive, but in the second, as Benjamin went for more and more on his forehand, Chip found himself back in the match as several games went the distance. The long come-from-behind doubles match from the previous night, an epic three setter that took place less than 24 hours earlier, though, took its toll on the Green Captain, and as such, Benjamin took the match and with it, his first ever trip to a singles championship appearance!
On Court 4, clearly not the marquee court (because Chip and Benjamin were the marquee 3.0 match of the SemiFinals), tournament veterans Timothy and Travis took to the hard courts (which, by the way, were flipping hot). Both players were looking to make quick work of their opponent as they both had two more potential matches left on the day, a day that was approximately 17,000 degrees.
So of course this match went almost two hours and three sets. Oy vey.
As the match progressed, it became clear that Timothy and Travis were essentially the same player. Both had consistent serves. Both had very good backhands. Both played good defense. Both attacked the net. Both had goatees. The comparables were too striking to ignore! And since both players were nearly identical, it's no surprise that the score of the match was nearly identical. Travis came out first with a 2-0 lead but Timothy immediately equalized before Travis was able to win the set 6-3 as the latter's backhand and approach shots were making the winning difference. However, in set two, Timothy's more impressive forehand and overhead smash proved the difference as he rolled out to a 3-0 lead. Travis was able to get back to 2-3 with some attacking play, but just like a mirror image of the first set, Timothy took advantage of Travis' weak serve, combined with his own fine attacking play and defensive lobs, to take the second 6-3 ... and force a deciding third set SUPER TIE-BREAK!
Thus, for each player, it was their second consecutive SUPER TIE-BREAK in consecutive matches! Which is ... not ideal considering how hot it was (and also considering Travis forgot his water about 45 miles away and was resorting to drinking public bathroom faucet water, which, well, is probably how most professional players probably deal with dehydration). But 3.0 tennis warriors are 3.0 warriors for a reason (take that for what it's worth), and in the SUPER TIE-BREAK, Timothy took the first point to get the deciding SUPER TIE-BREAK started. But the points were even until around 4-4 when Travis rolled off to a 7-4 lead. But Timothy, a tournament veteran with multiple consolation titles to his name, had already invested about two hours into this match, and wasn't going to go out without the 3.0 tennis version of a fight (which is probably not so much of a fight as it is a gentle disagreement), and immediately won the next two points. Travis, though, playing super defensively, forced two uncharacteristic errors from his otherwise consistently reliable opponent, and somehow, magically, enjoyed three match points. Which he immediately blew thanks to a double fault and some great defensive play from Timothy. Thus, with Travis up 9-8, the entire match rested on Timothy's serve, which Travis blocked back like the unaggressive seven year old that he is and Timothy, most likely due to the heat the exhaustion and the annoyance of playing Travis, hit wide.
WHOA! And with that, Travis won his second consecutive three set nail biter and advanced to his first ever GOC 3.0 final. Timothy, meanwhile, ended his tournament run with an impressive 1-1 mark, which, combined with his previous showings, put him at the top of most of the GOC Leader Boards and showed once again why he's one of the best 3.0 tournament players around, leading Travis to say after their nearly two hour match, "I never want to play you ... ever again." Indeed!
Singles Recap - Finals
In the Consolation Finals, long time 3.0 tournament veteran Paul sought his first ever Consolation Title, hoping the third time would be the charm, but he would be facing off against Chip, who had enjoyed a great Green tournament run and was also trying to take his first ever Consolation Title! Chip, though, due to injury had to bow out, but Paul didn't want his first ever title to simply be handed to him, so GOC Tournament Director Keith found him a worthy opponent - Green native David Ginnetti! And like that, the two went at it, with Paul's soft hands and David's doubles acumen taking Center Court! Paul, playing inspired tennis despite the heat, enjoyed a fine match, as his lobs and drop shots kept David on the defensive, eventually wearing him down and giving Paul not just the match, but his first career Consolation Title in three tries!
The GOC 3.0 Championship singles finals would see at least two firsts - one, a new champion, as neither Travis nor Benjamin had ever graced the Green championship courts, and two, a two-time winner would emerge, as both Travis and Benjamin had just wrapped up the GOC 3.0 Doubles championship! Wait ... a third first would also take place ... partners becoming opponents ... friends but now foes! A 3.0 tennis version of a civil war! But ... wait again ... a fourth first would take place ... Travis, with his fourth shirt change would set some kind of GOC record for the most Beyonce-like outfit changes in a single event! So many firsts!
As it was approximately 30,000 degrees by this point and both players had played upwards of three hours of tennis and their match was scheduled to take place during the apex of the heat of the day, it's no surprise that the match began a bit, ahem, sluggish. Both players, running low on tennis energy, tried to rally their amazingly 3.0 level athletic bodies and minds toward their ultimate goal - a championship that neither of their children would care about. Travis, who's serve was clocking in at about 7 mph at this point, gave up on any kind of actual tennis, and instead flailed about with slices and dices and attacking serve and volley play to end the points as soon as possible. Benjamin, for his part, attempted to counter with strong serves and baseline play, but as the set went on, Travis' attacking play was able to gain the early advantage and an early set lead.
Not that the set was over quick. Indeed, both 3.0 combatants, while not playing great tennis, did play solid 3.0 tennis (which aren't always the same thing), and both tried to end the points as quickly as possible ... so they could sit down and rest as much as possible. Indeed, much of the match involved both players sitting on the bench begging Tournament Director Keith for more water until he told them to get back to playing.
But alas, the match had to go on, and go on it did. In the second set, running low on energy reserves, Benjamin countered Travis' soft serves and attacking style with an intriguing strategy change that brought immediate results. First, Benjamin went for every forehand, giving up on consistency to go for winners, blistering them back at amazing pace, leading to several point ending shots that zipped by - and sometimes through - his opponent. Second, Benjamin, channeling his inner Michael Chang circa 1989 at the French Open, started to crowd the service line, standing literally inches away, to force Travis to do something - anything - with his serve. The change-up brought immediate results, as Travis dropped the first game of the second set in large part to this brilliant tactical shift!
Travis, though, wanting to end this match as soon as humanly possible, continued to attack and continued to serve and volley, continuing to put Benjamin under continually consistent and constant pressure. Continually! Thus, the points went quick (although the rest periods did not), as Benjamin either lasered a forehand for a winner or Travis put away a volley at the net. And despite some awesome forehands from Benjamin, Travis played just enough defense and put away just enough volleys to take a 5-1 lead to serve out for the match. But of course, this being 3.0 and this being Travis and Travis having a serve that maybe a four year old would relish, Travis was immediately broken as Benjamin put together two great games of strategery to get back in the match! But with luck on his side, Travis was able to finally break through Benjamin's swashbuckling go-for-broke approach, and thankfully for all involved, the match was finally over.
But what a match it was! While more a battle of tennis attrition than classic tennis, this championship bout had it all - if by "all" you mean long rest periods, tactical changes, classic baseline play versus classic serve and volley play, and even more outfit changes by Travis "The Cher of 3.0 Tennis" Haselswerdt. Not only that, but history was made, as Travis and Benjamin became the first doubles tandem to meet in the singles finals!
Congratulations to both and congratulations to all! From Paul enjoying his first ever Consolation Title to Timothy and Chip entering the championship finals for the first time, to the Schneider Clan earning their first 3.0 hardware to Benjamin claiming his first ever 3.0 championship, to Travis showing everyone how many tennis polo's he owns, congratulations to all on a fantastic 2020 Green Open Championships tournament!
(For those of you who can't get enough - and how could you?! - check out ALL our Green Open Championship information ... here!)
“DFO” may soon be named changed to “TravisFO” if this keeps up, yes. And NO ONE wants that! Congrats on the 3.5 Championship, btw! Making the 3.0 world proud!
Congratulations to all! I thought I was hallucinating from the blistering heat when I saw Travis carrying around what appeared to be actual tournament-winning hardware and not the fake trophies he likes to carry around from time to time.
I think I might play 3.0 next tournament just so I can get my pic on doublefault again. Too many pics of Travis on here.