On what was a hot, humid, and sometimes rain-stormed playoff weekend, it was also a weekend in which the best of the 3.0 best descended upon all of Akron, from the sorta east side of Akron (Springside) to slightly western side of Akron (Towpath), plying their 3.0 tennis skills for a one-time shot at 3.0 glory! And when all was said and done, 2021 ended much like 2020, which everyone can agree was an awesomely fantastic* year, not just for tennis but for the entire world!
So who played? Who won? And who stayed dry despite the constant humidity and rain? Find out here!
Wild-Card Monday
The 3.0 playoffs actually started up even before the District event as #3 seed Western Reserve, the Flight 1 champions, hosted Towpath, who had earned the wild-card entry thanks to a fantastic five match undefeated winning streak down the home-stretch of their Flight 3 season. The match started off with both teams going strength for strength, as undefeated 9-0 Captain Christopher took the home court against Towpath's undefeated 7-0 Jason! In a hard-fought match it was the road warrior Jason who was able to remain undefeated and get his team on the scoreboard first, but in second singles, Western Reserve's undefeated Steven remained just that - undefeated! - against hard-hitting rookie David. Thus, tied at 1-1 in the most important wild card playoff match in all of Cleveland history, doubles would be the determining factor, and one of the best 3.0 tag teams of all-time, Towpath's John and Craig, did what they've done six times before this season ... win! The home team bounced back, though, as Bob and Andrew evened the match at 2-2, meaning ... meaning ... MEANING ... THIRD DOUBLES FOR THE WIN! And in third doubles, the visitors came back from a bagel in the first set to rally as tournament tested Renier, using his tournament tested ability and his big city Chicago play, not only rallied his team back in the second, but, like the modern day tennis Al Capone that he is (minus the bad parts), ruthlessly rallied his team back to a playoff clinching victory in a dramatic third set SUPER TIE-BREAKER! [Editor's Note: As freelance D.F.O. reporter Erik Wasowski noted, D.F.O. actually has no idea if this match actually took place with the thrilling deciding factor of which we are writing, but in our defense, that's why we aren't paying Erik for any of his contributions to this organization] And with that, Renier had punched, like the perfect volleying he is known to do, Towpath's ticket to the District Championships! Congratulations Towpath on a fantastic result and congratulations as well to Western Reserve, who, in their season back after a hiatus, not only enjoyed a Flight title, but showcased some of the finest 3.0 players around, showing everyone they'll be back in a big way next summer!
Districts - Day One
Day one of the three day District Championships saw two of the top two seeds in the entire round robin - seed #2 and #3 (out of three, but still) - face off during the high-noon heat of the blistering Akron sun. Luckily, these 3.0 warriors were able to play at exactly the hottest time of the day which ... well ... that's actually not lucky at all. These two rivals, who had faced off in the District Championship finals just the year before, had gone 1-1 during the league season, and knew one another's games inside and out (sadly for both of them, as they are 3.0ers, they often hit the ball - wait for it - out more than in).
In a strange change of fate (at least to this website), #3 doubles actually wrapped up first, as the first time tag-team duo of Force's Anthony and Adam fought off a concerted effort by Towpath's Jeff and Chris to get Force on the scoreboard first. But Towpath's Captain Frank countered by throwing himself in at #2 doubles, a counter that worked to the tune of his 75th career 3.0 win (!) and more importantly tying up the match at 1-1!
Force's Jim, harnessing the power of America
The marquee match, though, was no doubt #1 doubles, as Towpath's John and Craig, one of the best doubles tandems in recent 3.0 history, took on Force's Jim and John, one of the best doubles tandems of 2021. Wait ... what?! TWO OF THE BEST?! HEAD TO HEAD!? Indeed! And in a back-and-forth match, these stalwarts of the 78' concrete jungle went head-to-head for the third time on the 3.0 season! In an intense match in which even the sideline officials wanted to partake, it was the Force duo, who, with John's consistency and Jim's all-American power, were able to win the day and give their club the slight 2-1 lead.
Jason, Wael, David, and Travis playing hard core rec league 3.0 tennis ... with the former all actually looking like actual tennis players!
Thus, it would come down to the singles courts to decide the fate of both club's playoff future! At #2 singles, renowned pusher Travis took on powerful Towpath rookie David, while at #1 singles undefeated Towpath singles specialist Jason faced off versus Force rookie Wael. While Jason and Wael went back-and-forth in a display of legit tennis skills, Travis did all he could to make his opponent David uncomfortable, including wearing a bright-white outfit that hurt David's eyes while also threatening, at various points, to make multiple outfit changes and possibly, to the dismay of the crowd, partially disrobe. No doubt disgusted, and thanks to the direction of the sun which seemed to always be in David's eyes, Travis was able to take the advantage in the first set, but in the second, David's serve, like the blazing sun that was blazing down upon them, came afire, and suddenly the match - and possibly the team result - came down to a third set SUPER TIE-BREAKER! And in said SUPER TIE-BREAKER, David ran out to a fast 4-0 SUPER TIE-BREAK lead in the first-to-10 point SUPER
TIE-BREAK, but at a crucial changeover Travis made a crucial move and threatened David with the time-tested strategy of the possibility of strip-tennis. And with that, David, the gentleman that he is, took one for the assembled crowd and let Travis have the SUPER TIE-BREAK, thus saving those in the stands from being forced to observe what would no doubt be worse than staring into the sun. And with that, Force clinched the match 3-1! That's not to say that the David versus Wael match wasn't a barn burner, as it went to three sets with David showing great resolve to come back from not only a set down and then four match points down in the SUPER TIE-BREAK! Wael, though, was able to hold on, thus giving Force the 4-1 victory on the day, which meant, after day one, Force was leading the round-robin format, but Towpath still had their fate in their hands as they would face off versus #1 seed LaTuchie the very next day!
Districts - Day Two
Saturday's marquee match saw Towpath, needing the win to stay in the District championship hunt, face #1 seed LaTuchie. And while Towpath was forced to play back-to-back days and no doubt tired, LaTuchie knew that they had two matches on this very day as they had both their 18+ match at noon (during the hottest and most humid part of the day, thank you very much) and then their 40+ match later that very same evening. BREAK OUT THE ICY-HOT EVERYONE!
The doubles warriors of 3.0 tennis!
As part-time D.F.O. sideline freelance reporter Erik Wasowski stated, "You know, every single match of the season doesn't actually come down to third doubles, you know that, right?" And it turned out that on this day - AND ONLY THIS DAY - he was correct! Indeed, he and teammate Brandon got LaTuchie on the scoreboard first as both enjoyed their first ever 3.0 playoff victories, making this all the more special to Erik as he enjoyed the 3.0 tri-fecta on the season - a league, tournament, and playoff victory!
But Towpath Captain Frank did what he's done 75 times before - win! - as he and Mike teamed up for the second time this season at second doubles to even up the match! Which meant, tied up at 1-1, both clubs would go strength for strength at #1 doubles as the legendary Towpath team of John and Craig would face off versus the undefeated tandem of LaTuchie's Jeff and Chris! In a back and forth match with QUITE LITERALLY EVERYTHING ON THE LINE these two team titans of the tennis courts threw everything that had to earn victory, including ... well ... tennis balls. In the end, it was the undefeated pairing that remained undefeated, as Jeff and Chris earned tag team victory number eight to give their club a seemingly insurmountable lead!
But it turns out that Towpath's David doesn't know the meaning of the word insurmountable (actually, we're pretty certain he does as he seems like a pretty smart guy), and harnessing all the power of all the gummi bears he could muster, he was able to outlast Ronald, one of the best singles players 2020 had seen in second singles to even the team score at 2-2!
Which meant, as freelance reporter Erik reminded us, this match actually would come down to NOT third doubles! Instead, first singles would be the deciding factor in determining the championship hopes of both clubs. And hoping to decide those hopes in their clubs' respective favor were two of the best 3.0 singles players this generation has ever seen - Towpath's Jason, undefeated in singles during the regular season, versus LaTuchie's Scott, also undefeated in singles during the regular season! WHOA! SO MANY WINS!
Jason versus Scott, two of the best facing off mano y mano, just like the tales of the ancient tennis gods of ancient Greek tennis mythology!
Towpath's David, looking to shake off the loss from the day prior, came out strong, with blistering serves on a blistering day, putting the heretofore undefeated Scott on his tennis heels. But Scott "Three Set" Hovey is called Scott "Three Set" Hovey for a reason, and in the second, Scott did just that by rallying back (with some tennis rallying, as it turned out) to take the second and push the match to a court - and team! - deciding third set SUPER TIE-BREAK! Jason, no doubt tiring from his efforts the previous day, put up an amazing effort, but like 15 others before him, he ultimately fell to the mighty forehand and sublime consistency that is Scott. And with that, LaTuchie had won the day, meaning that tomorrow's match versus Force would be for all the 3.0 marbles!
Districts Day One - 40+
(wait ... aren't we on day two?)
As it turned out, LaTuchie's celebration, while raucous, was short lived, for they had to immediately turn around (literally turn around as the indoor facility was behind them) and head inside to play their 40+ playoff match!
WHOA!
By virtue of their 40+ flight performance, LaTuchie had qualified to the playoffs versus Flight champions Paramount Westlake. Paramount Westlake, the feel good story of the season, was actually populated by former North Ridge tennis players, which made Paramount Westlake not like the story as much as North Ridge did, but at least the Paramount Westlake players didn't wear shirts that broadcast their love for North Ridge versus Par ... wait ... what's that? They did? Huh. Well, congrats Paramount North WestRidge!
Thanks to some odd rule changes that everyone* loved*, USTA had changed the playoff format for 40+ from two singles courts and three doubles courts to just one singles court and three doubles courts, meaning games won would be the tie-breaker if any match ended 2-2.
Which we are sure will never hap ... wait ... what's that? Oh, come on.
In singles, undefeated Scott started LaTuchie's championship charge with a convincing win versus doubles veteran Ben, and while the doubles veteran battled valiantly for much of the match to try to give his beloved Paramount West ... er ... North Ridge a chance, in the end, Scott earned singles victory sechzehn (as the Germans say) and, more importantly, got LaTuchie on the board first! But Paramount's Captain Robert, had one of the best 3.0 weapons at his disposal to try and even the match - himself! Indeed, the third winningest 3.0er in 3.0 history, Captain Robert called his own number, along with singles specialist Matthew, to try and even the score. But the undefeated pairing of Jeff and Chris stood in the way, and in the end, despite the hard hitting of Matthew and the all-around
great play of one of the all-around greatest players in 3.0 history in Robert, Jeff and Chris remained undefeated when the match was complete, giving LaTuchie a 2-0 lead!
Paramount now needed not just two wins to tie the match, but needed BIG wins to win the match as games won would be the ultimate tie-breaker if a match ended all square. Debabrata and Robert, two of the best doubles players around, got Paramount off to the big lead they needed, winning the first set 6-0, but LaTuchie Captain
Ronald and Chris, trying to seal the deal for LaTuchie while Robert and Debabrata try to unbreak the seal!
Captain Ronald, who had already played previously in the day and was running on tennis fumes, pushed, sliced, and rallied his team to push the second set to a tie-breaker, and while the combined skills (or skillz, as the kids say) of Debabrata and Robert won the day, Captain Ronald's no-holds-barred effort, sacrificing his body for each and every game won, helped his team earn valuable games despite the match loss. Meaning, that for Paramount to win the match, they'd not only have to win #3 doubles but would have to win by a score of 6-0, 6-0 (we think ... to be quite honest, we're having a tough time following this format, but 6-0, 6-0 sounds legitimate).
And win Paramount did, at least early on. James and Mike put on the pressure, going for each and every winner (we think, we weren't actually there, but we know James and Mike well enough to know they went for it all ... which is to say, we don't actually know them at all...), but DReddy and Dennis (or Double D as they like to be called), played their consistent brand of doubles to do what they needed to do - which was win a game! And not only did the win one game, but they won nine of them, pushing the match to a third set SUPER-TIE BREAKER! And while they ultimately fell to the powerful strokes of James and Mike, they did exactly what third doubles is always meant to do (no matter what roving D.F.O. sideline reporter Erik Wasowski says) - clinch the win for their team! And with that, LaTuchie could stand tall - and tired, as they had played twice that very day - as the greatest 40+ 3.0ers of the year! Congrats LaTuchie, and good luck at State!
Districts - Day Three
Heading into the final day of the District Championships, one thing was known for certain - it was really, really hot.
And, we also knew that whoever won the match between #1 seed LaTuchie and #2 seed Force would be able to tell their wives, "Honey, I'm a winner! And also ... I need to be gone all weekend ... again. Oh, and why are you calling an attorney?" So much on the line!
Force and LaTuchie, displaying a true rainbow of 3.0 tennis outfits
Force, the 2020 District Champions, got on the scoreboard first as pusher ex·tra·or·di·naire (it's a big word, so we needed to sound it out) Travis was able to outlast the no doubt exhausted DReddy, last night's 40+ doubles hero, in two sets, while Force's Jim and John showed that their slight by this very organization for Doubles Team of the Year Award had no doubt inspired them to greatness as they were able to take down the best - and undefeated! - doubles pairing of the season, LaTuchie's Jeff and Chris! Up 2-0, Force Captain Jeremy could seemingly rest easy.
OR COULD HE?!
LaTuchie's Captain Jeff, tutoring Ronald, while Force's Joe and Roger try to work through Roger's thick, thick, thick Canadian accent
No! For his opposing number, LaTuchie's Captain Jeff, had planned for this day, and had planned two things. One, he'd planned that the squad would be tired, so he moved players around so they'd play in their optimal physical positions and play to their optimal strengths,
and few have more optimal positional strengths than LaTuchie's very own Captain Jeff! That's right, Captain Jeff moved singles stalwart Ronald to doubles, and moved him not just to doubles, but to HIS court in doubles. WHOA! With Ronald's ability and Captain Jeff's leadership, it was a move that paid immediate dividends as Ronald's consistency, combined with Captain Jeff's swan like moves, left the Force tandem of Joe and Roger not just bedazzled, but confused as well! And while Joe and Roger were able to work through Roger's thick Canadian accent to take the lead in each set, Captain Jeff's leadership, combined with his gazelle-like movement, proved too much for the Force tandem, and just like that, LaTuchie was back in the match!
The second plan Captain Jeff utilized to perfection turned out to be harnessing the weather, and at a critical point, when all hope looked lost, he was able to summon the rains and delay the matches that were taking place on #1 singles and #3 doubles, a summoning that turned out to be critical as both courts were currently on the losing side of the 3.0 tennis ledger. Indeed, the great Scott Hovey was, while up a set, physically gassed and down 0-3 in the second to Force's Wael, while in third doubles, the Force tandem Anthony and Adam, were up a set and looking to clinch the match for Rocky River's favorite club (take that Rocky River Middle School)!
BUT THEN THE RAINS CAME! And thus, down 1-2, the match was delayed, and both teams huddled to figure out their next moves.
Force, LaTuchie, and Towpath huddling to strategize their next moves! Move one - get inside before the rain hits!
With the outdoor courts washed out, play was moved inside, and to make things all the more dramatic, the decision was made to keep #1 singles at Springside but move #3 doubles to Towpath, because nothing says 3.0 respect more than moving everyone around to different courts!
Thus, Scott and Wael stayed at Springside, and after a delay, got back to their one and only love - 3.0 singles! Wael, up in the second, soon found himself in the familiar position that most of Scott's opponents have been in during the 2021 campaign - on his heels, as Scott, now rested and rejuvenated, was able to use his consistency and his power to not just get back in the second set, but take a late lead as well. Wael, though, wasn't about to give in, and just when it looked like he was out for the count (a count to three, by the way), he broke back, forcing Scott to dig even deeper ... WHICH HE DID! When all was said and done, Scott did what he'd done more than 16 times before on the 78' concrete non-jungle that is 3.0 tennis - win, not only giving him another victory but evening up the winner-take-all team match at 2-2!
Thus, the entire fate of Districts would come down to - wait for it - THIRD DOUBLES! As roving part-time sideline D.F.O. reporter Erik noted, "Huh, for once something D.F.O. is writing about actually happened." Indeed!
Anthony and Adam, utilizing matching outfits, tags still on their tennis caps, and shoes from the 1970s to help secure the team's District Championship efforts.
After a nearly two-hour delay and a cross-Akron trip, the third doubles teams of Force's Anthony and Adam would try to wrap up their match versus LaTuchie's Alan and Brandon. But just like the previous match, Captain Jeff's plan worked to perfection, as all the 3.0 mojo that the Force duo had had during the first set evaporated as Alan and Brandon came back to not only take the second set, but crush their way to the second set as well! Thus, the individual match, the team match, and the District Championships would all come down to a 10 point SUPER TIE-BREAKER!
An actual video of championship point. Also, this is the first ever D.F.O. video. Which is probably more impressive than the point itself!
LaTuchie maintained their momentum, getting off to an early 2-0 lead, but Team Gandolf the Grey regained their tennis composure, and with a series of deft net plays, were able to poach their way back into the match. Indeed, while the assembled crowd watched on - and it was actually an assembled crowd this time (shut up, Erik) as almost the entire LaTuchie and Force looked on, sharing the same pavilion space to watch in a combination of nervousness and camaraderie and adult beverage sharing that truly is what 3.0 tennis is all about (mostly the last part). With the crowd cheering both sides on, it was Force that was able to get the lead, going up 7-2 before Alan and Brandon answered back multiple times, putting immense pressure back on their opponents and the nervous fans in the slightly crowded rafters! Finally, though, with match point on their serve, Anthony fired a strong serve that Adam was able to smash at the net, and with that, Anthony could return his hat that still had all the tags on it.
Oh, and also with that, Force had repeated their District Championship title in an epic three set SUPER TIE-BREAKER! And then helped themselves to all of LaTuchie's adult beverages. Like the champions they are!
Congratulations to all the participants, not just at Districts, but during the regular season as well, as it was truly a fun, entertaining, and enjoyable way to waste two to three hours of our time each and every time out on the court! And thanks to both Springside and Towpath for hosting as well as the local NEO USTA team for putting on a great event! More thanks - and congratulations - to all the participating teams, win or lose, as there was some truly impressie sportsmanship during the entire weekend.
Some of the best of the lowest-level rec league tennis players all of Ohio has to offer!
Finally, good luck to Force, Fallen Timbers, Quail Run, LaTuchie, and Towpath at next week's State Championships in 18+, 40+, and 55+ at CVAC this coming weekend! Catch us next week to give a small shout out regarding the State results and give just a little more love to all our local 3.0 teams! Until then, remember what roving sideline freelance reporter Erik says, "None of this is accurate, is it?" Indeed!
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