Team Mayfield and Team Force, NEO's Eastside and Westside, sharing wins, trips to Nationals, and the single most important 3.0er for all of Northeast Ohio, the one and only Double Duty Denis!
In a clean 3.0 sweep of epic 3.0 proportions, Northeast Ohio's very own Rocky River Force and Northeast Ohio's very own Mayfield Village Racquet Club took home their very own 3.0 gold ... and by gold we mean green ... as in gorgeous (?) green victory towels!
And cutting/charcuterie boards! AND BANNERS! SO MUCH WINNING!!!
So how did all this prize winning go down? How did these two titans of the (officially) lowest level of tennis possible emerge victorious as the undisputed kings of the (officially) lowest adult-level tennis possible? How did they make Northeast Ohio 3.0 history by becoming the first NEO tandem to qualify to Nationals at the same time? And how are these two clubs actually connected ... dare we say related? Read below to find out all you ever wanted to know ... if all you ever wanted to know 3.0 tennis!
Links
18+ Playoff Results
Ohio's Rocky River Force did it again ... District, State, and Midwest Champs, just like back during their glory days of 2021. But how? How did they achieve the banners? The towels? The glorious cutting/charcuterie boards!? Read below to find out!
Wild-Card Round
Force d. Towpath, 5-0
NCRC d. LaTuchie, 3-2
MVRC, enjoying the #1 seed, was able to relax while their future opponents had to sweat out the wild-card round to see who would join them at CVAC to represent the best of the 3.0 best at NEO Districts.
On the westside, two 3.0 captains of near-legendary status faced off, with Captain Frank's Towpath visiting Captain Jeremy's Force. These two 3.0 leaders, with well over 150 combined 3.0 captain wins between them, went at it with their strongest 3.0 lineups (which may sound like an oxymoron), with Towpath's lineup highlighted by two former Player's of the Year in Ron and William. Force countered with two former Player's of the Year of their own in Travis and Scott, and with Captain Jeremy, a former Captain of the Year, they seemed to have the slight edge heading into this winner-take-3.0-all match.
Despite that initial edge, the wily 3.0 veterans of Towpath got off to strong opening sets in each one of their matches, but the luxuries of home court, combined with the fact that one of Captain Frank's key players forgot to show up, gave Force an opening playoff win that was far closer than the score indicated!
On the eastside (or southeast side?), Flight One's LaTuchie was forced to travel to Flight Three's NCRC, a club that was enjoying a true underdog story, qualifying to the playoffs despite a newbie captain and youthful roster. Yet there was much fight in this youthful 'dog, and with NCRC's championship pedigree, it's no surprise they came out strong to impress their 3.0 role models, the 2022 National Championship qualifying squad of Timothy, Matthew, and Mel, who no doubt were all in the rafters providing their support (and even if they weren't there, their legendary 3.0 photo was there, proving they are always there ... or somewhere)!
Both clubs split singles with the 3.0 wrecking ball that was Neil and Eric taking 1st Doubles as they had all season long. But at 2nd Doubles, 3.0 vet William, a member of last year's NCRC championship squad, was able to get the win versus fellow vets Brandon and Geoff, meaning it would all come down to 3rd Doubles!
AS IT ALWAYS SHOULD!
At 3rd Doubles, NCRC's Captain Guy called his own number (what was that number? "3.0" of course!), and leading by example, like a George Washington of 3.0 tennis, he was able to eek out a closely contested two set victory to give NCRC the surprise upset victory and a well-earned repeat trip back to Districts!
NEO/Districts
Force 2-0 (Force d. NCRC, 4-1; Force d. MVRC, 3-2)
NCRC 1-1 (NCRC d. MVRC, 4-1)
MVRC 0-2
MVRC, the #1 seed, had enjoyed an undefeated 10-0 regular season and looked to be in prime 3.0 shape to make a 3.0 run at this event other than one small tiny little itty bitty hurdle that was oh so tiny and itty bitty ... that actually had the potential to completely derail all of their 18+ dreams. That is, as both their 18+ and 40+ teams had qualified to Districts, and as the USTA has a strict "we don't really care that you are that good" policy, there was an insignificant and completely unlikely chance that some of their 40+ Saturday matches could overlap with their afternoon 18+ matches, meaning that some of their players possibly wouldn't be available for the afternoon matches.
But that probably wouldn't happen.
Until it immediately happened.
Indeed, as their opening 40+ match immediately went overtime, they were unable to get their full complement of players on the 18+ courts for their opening 18+ match versus #3 seed NCRC. And even though NCRC, the 3.0 gentlemen that they are, offered to wait, rules are rules, and MVRC was forced to default their singles courts. Despite the setback, several key MVRC regulars took to the courts, but alas, NCRC's lead was too much to overcome, and the underdog was able to emerge victorious versus the top seed.
Force, meanwhile, who had actually played NCRC earlier in the event on Friday, were celebrating the clutch play of two of their doubles courts and breathing a 3.0 sigh of relief to even still be in the running for the District title. Indeed, the two deciding courts came down to THIRD SET SUPER TIE BREAKERS, and thanks to the heroics of Super Sub Denis and quad-lingual Ado, Team Force won 4-1 and found themselves with a chance to take their second District title in the last three years. And all they would need is to play well ... and hope the schedule would come to their aid!
Force, illustrating pinpoint perfect 3.0 form in both their tennis and their colorful outfits.
WHICH IT DID! MVRC had to play twice (again) on Sunday, once in 40+ and later in 18+, meaning the gods of 3.0 scheduling were certainly smiling upon the boys (and men) from Force (Sidenote: Earning the #1 3.0 seed seems more of a negative than a positive, doesn't it?)! MVRC, though, knew that despite these setbacks they could still win 18+ if they won the team match 4-1, meaning everything was still left to play for!
With that in mind, Captain Rob led with one of the top singles players in NEO, the one and only Sangyoon. Captain Jeremy, meanwhile, countered with one of the top singles players in NEO, the one and only Gunnar. WHOA! Two of the top singles 3.0ers in all of NEO thus went at it, with the latter jumping off to an early lead before the former adjusted his game and stormed back. Long baseline rallies ensued, but in the end it was the youngster in Gunnar who was able to celebrate the win while the vet Sangyoon suffered his first defeat of the season.
Until they reported the scores and Gunnar was immediately congratulated with a DQ and immediate promotion to 3.5 for being too good and Sangyoon was given the DQ win. Congratulations, Gunnar! Congratulations, Sangyoon! Congratulations everyone!
Congrats to Gunnar and Sangyoon, who scored the rare win/loss ... at the same exact time!
Force's Travis and Big Nate, meanwhile, thought they had it made as their opponents, Brandon and Roy, were tired after playing their 40+ matches and were barely able to make it to the 18+ courts in time. As it turns out, that was their best chance at victory, for Roy, the veteran, and Brandon, the most powerful player in the history of MVRC (no hyperbole!) found the inner 3.0 strength necessary to take out their overconfident opponents and crush their way to not just a third doubles victory, but a 2-0 team lead as well!
Congrats to MVRC's Roy and Brandon, who used their Hulk-like 3.0 strength to get the big third doubles win!
Up against it, and with the season (and his legacy) on the line, Force's Captain Jeremy went with the old reliable Force trio of Co-Captain Scott, veteran tri-lingual 3.0er Ado, and 2nd Singles star Nathan to bring home the gold (and by "gold" we obviously mean "plastic banner"). And bring it home they did!
Nathan bounced back from his first loss of the season the day before while at the exact same time (sorta) Co-Captain Scott and veteran Green Card Ado took care of their 3.0 business, meaning things were all tied up 2-2.
When Force needs wins, they go to the old reliable 3.0 trio of Nathan, Scott, and Ado (and thankfully the opposition hits the ball to the same side of the court each and every time!).
Which meant it should have been over and Team Force should have been celebrating!
But of course hardly anyone understands the tie-breaker for team matches, so still thinking their seasons were on the line, Captain Robert of MVRC called his own number (for the second time that day, mind you) while Captain Jeremy went with the doubles dream team of Anthony and Tyler, a tandem that had been undefeated all season long. In yet another THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAKER, the colorful Force duo were able to achieve a close victory that assured, team tiebreaker or no, that Force were finally - and forever (as long as "forever" means "2023") - 3.0 champions!
MVRC's John and Rob put on a valiant effort, but the gazelle-like form of Anthony, and the stoic "I Don't Really Want to Be Here" approach of Tyler, proved too much to take down.
And all it took was a little (or a lot) scheduling luck.
HUZZAH for the USTA's no-compromise scheduling!
State/Regionals
Force/NEO 2-0 (NEO d. OHVA 3-2, NEO d. NWO 5-0)
NWO 1-1 (NWO d. OHVA 3-2)
OHVA 0-2
Teams NWO, OHVA, NEO ... the state-wide triangle of 3.0 greatness!
Travelling south to the friendly confines of OHIO VALLEY tennis just north of Cincinnati, many of the participating 3.0ers from all over Ohio were routinely confused with - and compared to - the professional players that were partaking in the Western & Southern Open that very weekend. But alas, only one set of these tennis players would go home with a fancy cutting/charcuterie board, and their names didn't rhyme with "I'm Probably a 3.5er Djokovic"!
Force, the #1 seed, was rewarded with having to play twice in one day (thanks USTA!), and opened up on Saturday morning against OHVA's Dayton, a team that looked loaded at singles and steady at doubles. And indeed, it was in doubles where OHVA drew first 3.0 blood, taking 1st Doubles despite the valiant efforts of fresh off the immigration boat Ado and another Force Super Sub, Big Joe.
Big Joe, as it turned out, was brought in to replace an ailing Big Nate (per Force rules, only "Big" players may replace other "Big" players to ensure that Ado, who doesn't know English, will still be able to communicate with his partner using "big" words). Big Joe played well, so well that despite the loss, his Mega Man shoes quite literally ripped apart, showing he would leave everything (at least his shoes, anyway) on the court! No doubt inspired, Co-Captain Scott, tag-teaming with the Super Sub Denis (stepping in for a distraught Big Nate who was taking Gunnar's promotion/DQ hard), and long-time Force star Anthony, teaming up with not-sure-he-wanted-to-be-there Tyler, were able to right the Force ship, with both earning big wins to give Force the early 2-1 lead.
With said lead, Captain Jeremy turned the results over to his singles players, the one-loss Nathan, who had been a rock at 2nd Singles all season long, and former 3.0 star Travis, who, after Gunnar's celebratory promotion to 3.5, had been forced back into singles service after taking most of the year off. Unfortunately for Travis, OHVA's Mason quickly realized that fact and even more quickly took the match, tying the team score, quite quickly, at 2-2.
Which meant it all came down to Nathan, who had but one loss during the entire 2023 season and would most likely never lose again.
Until Nathan lost to OHVA's Vlad. Big time.
As Nathan walked off the court with the score cards reading 1-6, 1-6, all hope seemed lost for the pouty group of players from NEO and the OHVA team, rightly, started to celebrate their round one win.
Until someone asked, "Um, Vlad just hit the last ball out ... so if he is winning ... why is the match over ... if he just ... um ... hit the last ball out?"
Huh.
As it turned out, both OHVA and Force were confused. And as it turned out, both Nathan and Vlad were confused. As it turned out, both had forgotten which color scorecard to use and thus, as it turned out, everyone in the entire facility was confused as well. As it finally turned out, it was Nathan who was winning all the while, and thus, just like that, exaltation for OHVA turned to exasperation while for Force, they went from pouting to celebrating.
Yay 3.0 tennis!
And with that, Force was in inexplicably in the driver's seat to - inexplicably - win the State Championship!
Doing so would be difficult, though, for facing them was a NWO team with not one but two Hall of 3.0 Famers - Captain James, the winningest 3.0 captain in 3.0 history, with well over 100 career 3.0 captaining wins AND his right hand man, his Gilligan if you will, fellow Hall of 3.0 Famer Jim Montgomery, he of over 90 career 3.0 doubles wins! WHOA!
Force had a key ingredient for their success though, and that was their very own leader, Force's Captain Jeremy! Indeed, while Captain James had the most playoff wins, Captain Jeremy had the second most playoff captaining wins in 3.0 captaining history, meaning a 3.0 chess match of epic 3.0 proportions was about to commence!
Force jumped out to the early lead as the undefeated duo of Anthony and Tyler did what they do (win) while Co-Captain Scott and Super Sub Denis did the same on their court, meaning Force was but one court away from a second State Championship in the last three years!
Captain James, though, had a few tricks up his 3.0 sleeve, especially on the singles courts, and he went with of the best singles players in NWO, Nathan, against one of the best singles players in NEO, Nathan.
WHAT?! TWO NATHAN'S?!
The cherry on the 3.0 sundae, though was pitting slice-and-dice expert Jim versus slice-and-dice expert Travis, in a match made in 3.0 heaven (if you like slice-and-dice'ing, that is). Meanwhile, NWO's best dubs tandem was taking on Ado and Big Joe, the latter of which was sporting a fancy new pair of pink shoes to ensure that Ado, who may be language-blind but certainly isn't color-blind, could follow his lead. Thus, with all three courts playing side-by-side-by-side, the entire fate of the Ohio 3.0 world was at stake!
And there was a lot of pink to look at!
While Travis and Jim, two veterans of the 3.0 wars, battled it out with a series of pushes, blocks, slices, and in some cases, rum, the two Nathan's actually hit the ball, and hit it hard, in a back-and-forth 3.0 singles foray. Meanwhile, Big Joe and Ado were quickly down a set, meaning things were looking good for NWO.
Travis, though, was able to withstand the expert singles play of Jim, who despite playing his first singles match in nearly four years, gave as good as he got (although he didn't give away much of his "special power beverage"), while Big Joe and Ado enjoyed an epic pink-shoe'd THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAK comeback to not just earn Big Joe's first ever playoff win, but to seal the 3.0 deal against one of the best teams in O-H-I-O!
And with that, Force, thanks to the contributions of their deep lineup, tactful leadership, and combined love of pink shoes, enjoyed their second State title in three years. But more importantly, were able to enjoy one of the fanciest prizes ever - a wooden cutting/charcuterie board!
Midwest/Sectionals
Force/Ohio 4-0 (Ohio d. Wisconsin, 4-1; Indian 3-2; Illinois 3-2; Michigan 3-2)
Illinois 3-1 (d. Wisconsin 3-2)
Indiana 2-2
Michigan 1-3
Wisconsin 0-4
Heading to Indianapolis for Team Force in 2023 were many of the same players who had headed to Indianapolis for Team Force back in 2021 (a fact that the Indiana captain noted when he saw the wall of Ohio pink walk by and asked "so, are you guys, like, forever 3.0"?). Clearly this meant Force enjoyed the experience advantage when it came to this Midwest championship event (which is both impressive and sad, all at the same time)!
Just like at Districts, Force enjoyed the Friday scheduling advantage as they opened up against a tired Wisconsin team, a team that had played earlier in the day and fell in a close 2-3 match to Illinois. Still missing the ailing Big Nate, Captain Jeremy was aided by the services (both literal and figurative) of a new sub, Big Eric (if you're keeping track at home, that makes THREE "Big" guys on Team Force!), who luckily happened to speak Ado's language (what is Ado's language? TENNIS!). With a relatively full, and rested roster, Captain Jeremy's boys (and men) were able to get off to a quick 4-1 lead thanks, once again, to the fair and noble USTA scheduling gods being eternally in their favor.
Those same scheduling gods once again smiled their 3.0 smile upon the pink-laiden lads from O-H-I-O the next day, and Team Force was able to take on another tired team, the hosts, Indiana. Such scheduling was no doubt fortunate, for the hosts, coming off a morning loss to Illinois but a Friday win versus Michigan, desperately needed the win to stay in the running, and thus threw out their bestest and brightest lineup despite the double-duty scheduling!
With the home crowd behind them, and despite their exhaustion, Indiana was able to take out Big Joe and Ado (surely tired due to just coming back from a trip to his native home of San Marino) and give super sub Denis, who had been riding an eight match playoff winning streak, his first loss of the 2023 playoffs! Thankfully for Force, the Stockholm Syndrome Dream Team of Anthony and Tyler were able to take care of their match, meaning Force's Midwest dreams would come down to the courts 'o singles!
Ohio versus Indiana, a Midwest showdown for the ages (if by ages you mean 3.0 tennis)!
And on said courts, the singles players did their job, albeit not without the requisite singles player drama! Nathan continued his 2nd Singles dominance, enjoying a relatively one-sided victory versus one of the best singles players in the entire Midwest with his trademark display of court consistency and sleeveless shirts. Travis, meanwhile, ran out to a quick 8-0 lead before completely blowing the second set as his opponent Declan figured out "oh, this guy can't actually play tennis." Luckily for Force, the aforementioned schedule gods came to their aid once again and Declan, who was entering his second THIRD SET SUPER TIE BREAK of the day, ran out of 3.0 gas, allowing Travis, and Force, to take a hard-fought, schedule-aided, 3-2 team win!
Huzzah for the schedule!
Which meant that all the 3.0 marbles were in play on Sunday as Illinois and Force would face off for the Midwest title! Illinois, who was 3-0 entering their final match versus Ohio, simply needed to win to punch their 3.0 ticket to Nationals. Force, meanwhile, needed the win to keep their 3.0 hopes alive!
Ohio versus Illinois, a Midwest showdown for the ages (again ... but different than the other one the day before!)
That hope took a beating quickly in the match as Travis lost almost before he started, winning one whole game en route to a strategic (?) blowout to save his energy for later. Nathan, meanwhile, won his third straight singles match of the event, giving up only two games in an effort to also save himself for later (clearly these two had different strategies for saving themselves for later).
Thus, doubles would be the decider, and all three doubles matches went to a THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAKER! WHOA! The Dream Team (patent pending) of Anthony and Tyler dropped more games than they had all event but were able to rally in the THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAK to give Force - and all of Ohio, really - the advantage. Illinois, though, was able to counter the comeback of Big Joe and monolingual Ado on the other doubles court, meaning the team match was tied at two wins a piece. Which meant everything was coming down to 3rd doubles.
AS IT ALWAYS SHOULD!
Leading the way for Ohio was veteran Co-Captain Scott and Super Sub Denis, both of whom were coming off their first losses of the playoffs the previous day, and who were no doubt ready to get back on the hardcourts to shake off the 3.0 dust!
Unfortunately the dust was thicker than anticipated, and despite a valiant first set comeback, Illinois was able to take the set in a tiebreaker. Co-Captain Scott, though, a veteran of the 3.0 wars for over a decade (!), steadied the ship and forced a THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAK thanks to some clutch service-breakage (i.e., the other team double faulting)! In said THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAK, the veteran moxy of Co-Captain Scott and the playoff experience of Super Sub Denis was able to shine through the bright Indianapolis sun, and the boys from Force were able to jump out to an early THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAK lead! Illinois, though, wasn't going down with a 3.0 level fight (Sidenote: what that would look like? A 3.0 fight? Do these guys fight like they play tennis? Hmmm...), and they fought off three match points to stay in the match. Alas, after a series of BLISTERING cross court shots, Co-Captain Scott used two CRUSHING volleys to put the match away, giving Ohio the team match and setting them up for 3.0 greatness!
Standing in their way, though, were both the scheduling gods AND Team Michigan, who at 1-2 were playing for pride and a chance, if they won 4-1, to derail Ohio's Midwest dreams! OH THE OHIO vs MICHIGAN RIVALRY! It's everywhere!
Adding to the intrigue, Super Sub Denis, who had been playing lights out for not just one Ohio team, but two (more on that later), needed to rest his fragile knee after the physically and emotionally exhausting THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAK match he had just wrapped up. And as this was the first double-header Force had to endure pretty much all year, some quick thinking was needed to bolster the Ohio lineup. Thankfully, Big Joe stepped in to play singles, Big Eric stepped in to play doubles with Ado, and One Game Travis moved to doubles with 3rd court specialist Co-Captain Scott.
Ohio versus Michigan, a 3.0 showdown for the ages (again ... but even more of a showdown than the previous two showdowns!)
With everything on the line for Ohio, all five courts went at it, and indeed, these were the final 3.0 matches of the entire weekend. Michigan, playing for nothing but 3.0 pride, got off to a quick start, taking first singles versus an ailing, but game, Big Joe, and doubles versus Big Eric and Ado "The Greek," to dent Ohio's chances Midwest chances.
But thankfully, Ohio had a final 3.0 tennis weapon on their side - Captain Jeremy! Thanks to his record setting playoff captaining record, Force enjoyed the ULTIMATE advantage - leadership! And thanks to said leadership, Ohio rallied, and all three of the remaining courts of Captain Jeremy's rag-tag lineup came through, no doubt thanks to his words of wisdom (i.e., "the lineup is in, I'm done with you all")! The 2nd and 3rd courts did just well enough to hold on while Nathan, despite exhaustion, harnessed his inner 2021 Wael to win win his fourth singles match of the weekend to seal the 3.0 deal for Team Ohio and win the Force Wael Rached Marathon Man Award (patent pending)!
AND OHIO WERE CHAMPS ONCE AGAIN!
Although, as it turned out, because Ohio had won the head-to-head tiebreaker versus Illinois they could have gone 0-5 and still won ... but how dramatic would that have been if the guys from Ohio actually read the rules and knew what they were doing?!
And with that, Team Force repeated (after a year off, anyway) their 2021 championship! And all it took was favorable scheduling all month long, some incredibly fortunate good luck, and so much pink their opponents' eyes could barely look at them!
Good luck in Arizona, Ohio!
40+ Playoff Results
Meanwhile, at the same exact time (sort of) the elder statesmen of 3.0 tennis, Mayfield Village Racquet Club, were attempting to make their own trip to Nationals ... and for the first time in MVRC history, MVRC did just that! Weathering the schedule and their opposition - and mostly the schedule. -they wrote their names into the MVRC 3.0 history books. So how did the history go down? Let's find out!
NEO/Districts
LaTuchie d. Paramount Westlake, 2-2 (4 sets lost to 5 sets lost)
MVRC d. LaTuchie, 3-1
MVRC d. Paramount Westlake, 2-2 (25 games lost to 38 games lost)
LaTuchie's Alan versus Paramount Westlake's John and Sean ... on the clay of CVAC!
Day one of 40+ Districts was a hard fought 2-2 team score as LaTuchie and Paramount Westlake led off the District event with a team result so close it had to be separated by tiebreakers! PW's Sean, one of the top singles players in all of NEO, continued his fantastic 3.0 play with yet another singles win, but the match evened up when LaTuchie's Neil, he of but one 3.0 loss all 3.0 season long, led his doubles court to something he's all too familiar with - victory! Following their captain's example, LaTuchie's 3rd doubles court followed suit and thanks to Kevin and Alan taking their match to three despite the loss, LaTuchie won the all-important tiebreaker (sets lost) to give LaTuchie the team victory!
Day two saw MVRC's loaded roster, the top seed in this entire event, face a quirky scheduling issue (described above in the 18+ section) that threatened to derail both of their top-notch clubs. Playing twice on day one, both in the heat and on clay, Captain Robert was forced to make a "Good Son"-like decision, and focused on the 40+ team which was scheduled earlier in the morning. Deciding to give all his attention and 3.0 love to the elderly 40+ gents of MVRC, Captain Robert took on the 1-0 LaTuchie squad, a team that could wrap up the title with a Saturday win!
At singles, though, Sangyoon, maintained his nigh-spotless singles streak while Doubles Team of the Year candidates Captain Robert and Brandon were able to get a huge win versus one of the best doubles players in NEO, Neil, in a THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAK! Needing one more court to seal the 3.0 deal, Super Sub Denis (the same one who played for Force's 18+ club) came through once again, helping to clinch the win for MVRC with yet another steady 3rd doubles performance.
Thus, it would all come down to the final match on Sunday, and in a tough match versus a very game Paramount Westlake, both clubs put their best out there, Captain Sean's club playing for pride and Captain Robert's side playing for shiny, shiny banners!
PW's Sean continued his torrid singles record, taking out hard-hitting Brandon in a super close two-setter in which Sean's touch went against Brandon's power. Ultimately it was touch that won the day, giving Sean two singles wins during the event! Meanwhile, Captain Rob, undefeated on the year, withstood a roaring Paramount Westlake second set comeback to maintain his spotless 40+ undefeated 3.0 tag-team record in a THIRD SET SUPER TIE BREAK of his own! Tied at 1-1, Super Sub Denis showed his 3.0 skills yet again (this guys is everywhere!), and won another solid outing, this time at second doubles. It thus all came down to 3rd doubles - AS IT ALWAYS SHOULD! - and thanks to MVRC's Roy and Alex forcing the match to three sets, MVRC, by virtue of the second tie-breaker (games lost!) were crowned District 40+ champions!
State/Regionals
MVRC/Ohio d. OHVA, 4-0
MVRC/Ohio d. NWO, 3-1
NWO d. OHVA, 4-0
Heading to the Queen City, MVRC was looking to keep their 3.0 momentum going and once again, had to play twice in one day. By now, though, these 3.0 warriors of the 3.0 courts were used to such one day marathon-like tennis and were ready and raring to go! But this time they were competing for more than just a banner - they were competing for State Championships and state shaped cutting/charcuterie boards!
Captain Robert's fellas were more than ready for the task, and despite a bare-bones roster, they came out 3.0 strong, sweeping OHVA in such an impressive display that MVRC lost only three games in four matches!
BAGELS FOR EVERYONE!
In their second round match, but two hours later, MVRC was in for a much tougher test, as NWO had had time to scout out their competition. Indeed, NWO's Scott, one of the top singles players in all of O-H-I-O, threw MVRC for a loop when he defeated the previously undefeated Sangyoon, immediately putting MVRC's title hopes in question!
Captain Robert, though, knows this is a team game, and he led his team by example as he and Brandon teamed up yet again to get the win and even the team score in relatively comfortable fashion. His calm demeanor no doubt helped steady MVRC vets Roy, Bob, John, and multi-team playing Denis, who were tasked to bring home the gold (and by "gold" we clearly mean "cutting/charcuterie board").
Still, both matches got off to a rough start as NWO took the first set in both, but not to be dismayed (or to be dismayed if you are reading this from NWO), MVRC bounced back, and both courts took the second set to push both their matches to THIRD SET SUPER TIEBREAKERS! Inspired by Captain Rob, the cutting/charcuterie boards, and wanting to go home so they didn't have to stick around to see the results of the last match the next day, both courts pushed through, taking the tiebreakers to give MVRC a dramatic State sized cutting board win!
Midwest/Sectionals
MVRC/Ohio 3-0 (d. Mich 4-0; d. Ill 4-0; d. Ind 2-2, 1st Doubles Tie-Breaker)
Indiana 2-1
Michigan 1-2
Illinois 0-3
With two narrow but well-earned championships, the fellas from MVRC travelled west to ply their 3.0 trade in Indianapolis, an area quickly making a name for itself as THE location for low-level tennis!
Opening up against Michigan on Friday and then scheduled to play Illinois on Saturday, the boys (well, "men" actually as they were all 40+ years of age) from Mayfield dominated early, with Brandon and Captain Rob doing what they tend to do - win! - while Super Sub Denis did what he tended to do - appear! - getting MVRC off to an important 2-0 start!
Especially impressive, though, is that all-around players Ryan and Scott were back and playing in the playoffs for the first time in said playoffs, helping to cover for Sangyoon who was taking a well-deserved rest, and both did so expertly, with both earning big wins at both singles and doubles to help their club win the match 4-0 and run out to the early team lead.
The entire event would thus come down to the afternoon match on Saturday between two undefeated teams (states?), Ohio and Indiana. And though both clubs were tired from their earlier matches, both clubs gave their all to take home the title, the banner, and the sweet green victory tennis towels of glory!
MVRC found themselves in a familiar spot, even in the match, as Scott fell in singles to one of the best singles players around (Chris, who had gone 3-1 the previous weekend in the 18+ event) but as Captain Robert and season-long tag-team partner Brandon were able to even the score with their 15th tag-team win of the season. 15! Meanwhile, John and Super Sub Denis (him again?!), who had gone 2-1 the weekend before for Force's 18+ team, used their consistent consistency to get a big win on their doubles court. On third doubles, Hyundong, called in for support, and Ryan, battled hard, but ultimately fell to the skilled and sage playing style of their Indiana opponents.
As such, this one would come down to ... TIEBREAKERS! Which, at this point, MVRC was more than ready for. And as both teams won two courts, the next tiebreaker was ... sets lost!
But both teams had lost the same amount of sets - four! So the next tiebreaker was ... games lost!
But both teams had lost the same amount of games - 25!
HUBBA WHAT?!
So the next tiebreaker was ... the first doubles result! And thanks to Captain Robert and Brandon and their 15th win together, MVRC won the team match ... and thus the Midwest Championship!
HUZZAH!
And with that, NEO made O-H-I-O history as for the first time ever in O-H-I-O 3.0 history BOTH the 18+ and the 40+ 3.0 teams had qualified to Nationals!
WHOA! No wonder no one can spell OHIO and has to say it letter by letter!
O-H-I-O indeed!
And clearly, in the end, it was all thanks to the one big 3.0 connection that tied both of these amazing clubs together. No, not geography. Not even 3.0 ability*. But the one and only ... DENIS!
Who is the reason for the 3.0 season? You'll find him in every single one of these 3.0 photos - it's the 3.0 machine, the one and only (though he plays for every team out there) Denis!
Both clubs had amazing captains, amazing players, amazing translators, and amazing subs, but the one and only thing they had in common? Denis!
Good luck to both clubs as they head to their respective Nationals locations, Arizona for Force and San Diego for MVRC, to bring back more 3.0 tennis pride to their respective 3.0 tennis dojos!
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