The Midwest NTRP Championships return to CVAC, this time younger than ever before! That's right, last season it was the 40+ folks giving it a go. This season it's the 18+ folks. Time for new 3.0 blood (even though most of the participants are the same)! So what's the format? Who is playing? And who will walk away with a no-expenses paid trip to tennis-loving San Diego?! Read below to find out all that ... AND MO ... actually, no. That's all you'll learn. And possibly less.
Singles Draw and Predictions
Doubles Draw and Predictions
Format
It'll be an action-packed weekend as these 3.0 stars will be playing a best of three Fast Four sets! First to four games wins, with a tiebreak at 3 games all (tiebreak first to 5 points, win by 1). Adding to the dram? No Ad Scoring!
Singles Profiles
Group 1
#1 Seed - Matt Greenberg (3.00) ... CVAC ... 22 overall matches with a 15-3 mark in singles ... the 40+ champion last season, he also won the National NTRP event in 2022 as well! ... only 3.0 singles loss in his 3.0 career was to The Great Scott Hovey ... defeated Travis, Ron, and John to take the 40+ title in 2022! ... Pros: Experience and winning pedigree ... Cons: Playing dubs and singles ... will he have the energy?!
Kyle Schneider (3.0T) ... No Club Affiliation ... only 4-6 in all singles matches, but all took place in tournaments, and this is his fourth event! ... Pros: A young gun of 3.0 tennis, he has the stamina to make a difference! ... Cons: It's Fast Four, so stamina may not matter!
Scott Gold (3.0) ... CVAC ... seven total matches, including 2022 NTRP Quarterfinalist and Wooster Aspen Semifinalist ... fell to Brandon and John, but defeated Tony in last season's 40+ NTRP event ... Pros: NTRP experience will no doubt play a big role in having experience! ... Cons: As a fellow CVAC club member with Matt, will their match destroy their CVAC friendship?!
Group 2
Travis Haselswerdt (2.96) ... Bay Village ... 159 matches at the 3.0 level, was the 2022 NTRP Vice-Champion (i.e., he lost in the finals) ... an eight-time tournament champion, with six titles coming in singles, was demoted from 3.5 after one horrid 2022 season ... Pros: Most 3.0 tournament tennis experience of any human alive ... Cons: The fact he's been a 3.0 this long.
Sean Schulze (2.71) ... Paramount Westlake ... only one singles match in career as is predominately a doubles specialist ... is entering his first ever singles tournament at the nigh-highest level! ... Pros: A dark horse of the event, his game is an unknown ... Cons: Will the bright - but freezing - lights of CVAC in the dead of winter cause a case of tennis stage fright?!
Abdel Elmoubaraki (2.57) ... Illinois ... 10 overall matches, all in singles, all at nigh-professional 3.5 level ... fell to Steven in a tight one setter, 4-6 ... Pros: Bringing the urban Chicago style tennis to the CLE ... Cons: That's a long way to travel for Fast Four, will he warm up enough?
Group 3
#3 Seed - Aaron Work (3.00) .. Michigan ... 9-8 in his brief career, but 8-3 in singles ... first tournament event! ... Pros: Michigan players traditionally do quite well in this event, so he's got 3.0 tradition on his side ... Cons: Will Ohio State fans throw him off his game with their constant O-H-I-O chants?!
Scott Limestoll (2.76) ... MVRC ... 59 career matches, including 10 in singles ... first singles tournament appearance! ... Pros: Played dubs in 40+ event last winter, thus has big stage experience ... Cons: First singles event, so will he be able to remember he's out there all alone ... on his own ... alone?!
John Olenik (2.77) ... MVRC ... over 70 career matches, with an impressive 17-10 record in singles ... took 3rd in the 2022 40+ Midwest NTRP event ... fell to Matt in three but enjoyed a three-set victory over Scott, both taking place last season ... Pros: Taking 3rd last season in this event, he's played most the key players and thus knows their game like the back of his backhand ... Cons: In one of the tougher brackets, so he'll have to come out hot right away, which will be tough since it'll be freezing this weekend!
Group 4
#4 Seed - Tony Mazzarella (2.76) ... Perrysburg Tennis Center ... 53 career matches with 10 wins coming in singles ... fourth tournament event, highlighted by 2021 Northwest Ohio District title! ... Fell to Ron and Scott in three and Brandon in two in the 2022 40+ event, but six of his 10 career tournament matches have gone the distance! ... Pros: Tourney experience and title owning ways show he's got the swag to make a dent in this event ... Cons: A tough match against two-time D.F.O. Player of the Year Ron is in the waiting!
Ron Novak (2.80) ... Towpath ... over 400 career matches, including a 79-67 record at the 3.0 level with 37 of those wins coming in singles ... a two-time singles tournament champion, was last season's 2022 Midwest 40+ Consolation Champion! ... Pros: More tourney experience than almost anyone, he'll be prepared for anything ... and anyone! ... Cons: As the big man of his group, will the 3.0 target on his 3.0 back be too much to bare?!
Timothy Chervenak (2.51) ... Michigan ... 16 total matches including 1-2 in singles ... first tournament! ... Pros: An unknown, he can shake things up with his unknown style! ... Cons: In one of the toughest groups ever for his first ever tournament event!
Group 5
Erik Kauffman (2.67) ... CSC ... 49 career matches, going 5-9 in singles ... first career tournament! ... Pros: Vast court experience shows he knows his way around the court ... Cons: In perhaps the toughest group of them all!
Roger Lee (2.75) ... Wembley ... 62 career matches and 19-12 in singles ... a 2021 NTRP Semifinalist, he defeated two-time tournament champion Ron in two sets! ... Pros: Has the game, has the style, has the experience, and has the wins! ... Cons: The so-called "Group of 3.0 Death" is going to take out a big name player ... will it be him?!
Brandon Carrus (2.95) ... MVRC ... 127 career matches including 4-4 in tournament singles ... 2022 40+ Midwest NTRP Quarterfinalist and 2021 NTRP Semifinalist as well as Wooster Aspen Semifinalist ... fell to Travis in 2022 in three, but defeated Tony in three and Scott twice, once in two and once in three ... Pros: Vast tournament experience and vast Fast Four experience ... Cons: "Group of 3.0 Death" ... it's brutal!
Doubles Profiles
#1 Seeds - Robert Haught and John Olenik (2.99+2.77=5.76) ... 0-0 ... first event!
Brandon Carrus and Scott Limestoll (2.95+2.76=5.71) ... 1-0 ... first tournament together, the pair enjoyed a landmark victory over the 40+ 2022 Midwest NTRP Vice-Champions, Timothy and Matthew, during league season! ... Pros: Hard-hitting Brandon plus crafty Scott makes for a great tandem ... plus, unlike everyone else, they've actually played together ... Cons: Being the #1 seed means everyone will be amped up for them!
Matt Greenberg and Travis Haselswerdt (3.00+2.96=5.96) ... 0-0 ... first event together, finished 1-2 in singles last winter ... Travis' third attempt at doubles in the NTRP's with his third different partner ... will the third time be the charm?! ... Pros: Both are great singles players ... Cons: Do they know this isn't singles?!
Michael Goldberg and Erik Kauffman (2.67+No Rating) ... 0-0 ... first event together! ... Pros: No Rating means "no expectations," they can play free and loose! ... Cons: No Rating means "no expectations," they have no idea what's up!
Singles Draw
The singles event will consist of five groups of three players each, with each group playing a round-robin format. Once round robin play is complete, players will be grouped into single-elimination brackets based on order of finish!
In Group 1, numero uno seed and 2022 40+ National NTRP champ Matt will have to take on the veteran Scott and relative newbie Kyle, who may be new but earned much tourney experience during the summer of 2022! In Group 2, 2022 40+ Midwest NTRP runner-up Travis returns to 3.0 with a bucket full of 3.0 records, but will they be enough against the 3.5 experience of Abdel and the rising play of Sean? Group 3 has it's own intrigue, as John, who took 3rd place last winter and narrowly fell to eventual Midwest title holder Matt, lost the top group seed to Michigander Aaron ... will that fire him up to take his group?! Speaking of fired up, Group 4 has two former tourney champions in Tony and Ron who actually faced off last winter ... will Tony get 3.0 revenge this time around?! Finally, Group 5 looks to be the most wide open as tourney tested Brandon and Roger have loads of experience to lean on!
Doubles Draw
The doubles event will play a round robin format for a total of three matches!
Robert and John rightly earned the #1 seeds, thanks in large part to Robert's vast doubles experience (over 50 matches!) and his vast knowledge experience as he's played with both Brandon and Scott in the past! That being said, the hard-hitting Brandon and the crafty Scott, who took 3rd in a similar event last winter with former partner John (ON THE INTRIGUE!), bring an intriguing set of skills to the courts. Meanwhile, the #1 and #2 singles players from last winter look to prove they can team up as well as compete, but ... can they?! Finally, they may be dark horses, but Michael and Erik surely know that once horses start racing, no one knows how that race is going to end ... especially if they're 3.0 level horses!
Predictions with D.F.O. Math's Expert Jeff
Pouring over this just following my PT, this will be the healthiest my body AND mind will be all week. And although I know it sounds sarcastic, there’s very little I enjoy more than pouring over 3.0 tennis. This is actually a true statement. Let’s get to it:
Singles
Group 1: Easy peasy. Matt will advance.... Clearly the least experienced competition and he will show Scott and Tony what the extra time on the court can do. Scott will finish 2nd and Kyle will be one of the major players in the Consolation Bracket!
Group 2: In what probably is the ugliest group in the tournament, TRAVIS will show he the UGLIEST of the ugliest and take the group 2-0. Scott will fall in second and Abdel 3rd. Sorry, buddy. Illinois is UGLY! [Editor's Note: Jeff, while renowned for his numbers expertise, has held a grudge since 9/9 against anyone with a "T" in their name, so apologies to Abdel and Sean for being caught in the bagel-fueled collateral damage]
Group 3: I actually changed my answer on this one. Finally settled on John coming in first with his experience on the hard court being the difference. Aaron will bring with him his Michigan swagger, but O.H.I.O. will treat him like Illinois. See ya, UGO Michigan tennis! Speaking of see ya, bye bye Scott. You’re 3rd. Not your year. But YOU WILL make a major splash in the Consolation Championship!
Group 4: I like Ron here. He’s coming off YEARS of HoF snubs and he’s ready to prove to Travis and Jeffrey that he belongs. He’s entering this tourney with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. He’s going to win a tough match over Tony who will earn 2nd and Tim will be the unfortunate 3rd, looking for 3.0 glory in the ultimate bracket, the Conso Bracket!
Group 5: Ouch! Not a friendly bracket. I’m actually taking Roger in this one, as I think slicing and dicing, as he is a master of, is the key to 3.0 success? Hard hitting Brandon will find a lot of the net and fence like some other beautiful tennis player I know and fall just barely. JUST BARELY! Erik, who would assuredly advance if in another bracket will have to wait until next year…
So, advancing to the Championship Bracket is Matt, Travis, John, Ron, Roger, Brandon, Tony and John
But it is going to be Aaron over Kyle in consolation bracket!
And Matt over Travis in finals (again, sigh). And Roger over John for 3rd!
Doubles:
This cracks me up and makes me happy, as Travis and Jeffrey and maybe Austin, all key members of D.F.O., may find themselves in San Diego because of this Round Robin and the fact that 75% of the Round Robin will qualify. It’s quite beautiful.
1: Robert and John: Hard to figure as this is their first match in dubs. I like the pairing of an experienced doubles player with a strong singles player. Sounds like a winning pedigree, and they will win this tournament. Punch your ticket to sunny San Diego.
2: Travis and Matt. Although Travis is ugly, so is the rest of the competition as far as tennis goes. HEY OH! But I like the singles experience here and they could definitely give Robert and John a tough match? Question is, will Travis and Matt be able to be friends/teammates/partners/tennis lovers after locking horns in the singles finals? Will ego interfere? Too many questions leads to too many lost games, sets and matches. However, plenty of time to work it all out before San Diego. See ya there, Hermano!!!
3: Brandon and Scott: I don’t think they’re going to be that bad, tbh. Problem is, they’re also not going to be good. Because I've never seen them play, and THUS I KNOW! But they’re good enough to finish 3rd and a none expenses paid trip to So. Cal. Grab some experience before you go and we will see ya there!
4: just missing out on the trip of a lifetime* is Mike and Erik. Singles and doubles, it’s just not your tournament. But considering the other three teams probably won't want to spend the money to go to San Diego in a couple of weeks ... PUNCH YOUR TICKETS, FELLAS! EVERYONE WINS!
Doubles Results
The opening matches Friday saw the veteran team of Brandon and Scott ("veteran" as they had played one whole match together!) face off versus the newbie team of Travis and Matt in what turned out to be a contrast in styles - doubles players versus singles players. And while Travis and Matt fought (not literally, for both are quite friendly) back into the match, the combined doubles prowess of teammates Brandon and Scott proved to be too much to handle, and despite taking the match to a third-set tie-break, it was the vets who were able to achieve the all important first victory! Meanwhile, #1 seeds Robert and John took on the darkhorse tandem Michael and Erick, and while the darkhorses rallied in the second, Robert and John showed they were the #1 seeds for a reason, taking the match in two!
On day two, needing a big win to get back in the event, Travis and Matt faced the daunting task of taking on the undefeated (1-0!) #1 seeds and initially, played out of their minds to not only take the first set, but to also be up 40-0 in the all important fifth game of the second and third set. But, facing possible defeat, the top seeds rallied (an important skill in tennis as it turns out) not just in the second but the third as well and won four straight points to break their opponents' serve and, possibly more importantly, their spirit, and just like that, they were on the verge of a 40+ NTRP Midwest title! ESPECIALLY after the darkhorse team of Michael and Erick shocked the 3.0 establishment (all four of them!) with a three-set come-from-behind victory over Brandon and Scott. WOW!
Thus, it would all come down to the final round robin match, which Travis and Matt helped ruin by calling it quits and conceding their next match.
What are you gonna do? They're singles players. This is how they act!
Thus, out of seemingly nowhere, the darkhorse pairing of Michael and Erick were now 2-1 and if Brandon and Scott could take down Rob and John, they'd end up as champions. WHOA!
In two hard-fought, tie-breaking matches, the power of Brandon, the consistency of John, the craftiness of Scott, and the focus of Rob went at it, and in the end, the #1 seeds were able to - just barely! - hold on and win the match, win the event, and win a no-expenses paid trip to San Diego!
Singles Results
Early on, all the groups went according to plan (Jeff's plan, anyway) to start the tournament with all the top seeds getting early wins to start their 3.0 run while Brandon, in Group 5, got off to a great start with a victory over the spry Erik. Perhaps the biggest match of the opening round was no doubt the Tony vs. Ron rematch from 2022, where Tony was able to hold on in two hard fought tie-breaking sets!
The second matches mostly went according to plan as Matt and Tony punched their tickets to the Championship Bracket with perfect 2-0 records. Michigander Aaron, meanwhile, showed he meant business by taking down 2022 3rd place finisher John in straight sets in Group 3, thus putting the draw on notice that maybe he'd bring some glory back to Michigan just like the 2021 champion! The second matches, did however, see the tennis version of a curveball (or slice perhaps?) being thrown, as Paramount Westlake's Sean was able to take down 2022 runner-up Travis, the #2 seed mind you, in three hard fought, serve-and-volley sets! Meanwhile, hard-hitting Brandon was able to, in two tight tie-breaks, defeat the human wall that is Roger to advance to his second Championship Bracket in as many NTRP events!
With day one and two complete, day three would be the Championship Round! And the Consolation Round! As well as a rarely seen Consolation Consolation Round.
Huh?
Anywho, everyone made the playoffs, and that's what's important! In the Consolation Consolation Round, Scot ran the gamut, defeating Timothy, Kyle, and then finally Erick - in a come-from-behind three set barn burner! - to be named Consolation Consolation Champ!
In the Consolation Round - which clearly isn't as impressive sounding as the aforementioned Consolation Consolation Round - the slice-and-dice machine that is Roger took down 2022 Vice-Champion Travis before hoisting the (non-existent) trophy with a win over 2022 Vice-Vice-Champion John, doing so in three grueling sets in each match!
In the now super-not-impressive sounding Championship Bracket, where three of the top seeds had advanced, #1 seed and defending(ish) champion Matt earned a well-earned bye, while two hard-hitters, Brandon and Aaron, went at it on the center court (of the back courts, anyway), and both crushed the tiny little tennis ball so much that when all was said and done, and Aaron had advanced, all that remained of the poor tennis ball were some yellow fuzzy memories. On the other side of the bracket, first time tourney entrant Sean serve-and-volleyed his way past one of Northwest Ohio's best, winning in two, before falling to Matt in the semi's, a fantastic first-ever tourney run!
In the Championship match, Matt, the NTRP Midwest 40+ Champ from last year, faced off against the younger, stronger Michigander Aaron! And if the player from the "state up North" had 3.0 stage fright, he certainly didn't show it, as his power baseline game took CVAC's very-own Matt by surprise to the tune of a first set victory. Matt, however, has never lost a singles match in a tournament, and wasn't about to start now, coming back in the second with his trademark baseline consistency! Thus, all tied-up at one set a piece, these two stars of the 3.0 hardcourts, one a (relative) grizzled veteran and one a (relative) kid, gave the crowd exactly what they wanted - MORE TENNIS! Back and forth they went, but needing a critical break (probably a break as in "rest" as well), the veteran Matt was able to earn just that, and, with his now powerful serve, was able to serve his way to his third straight tournament championship ... this time the NTRP 18+ Midwest Championship!
Congrats to all the participants who participated for this fantastic event, and good luck the rest of your 3.0 season!
And want more? OF COURSE YOU DO! Check here for detailed results!
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