The midway point of the season is here, and what do we have? AMAZING 3.0 tennis, that's what! In Flight #1, a second place showdown (if there is such a thing) took place between MVRC and Avon Oaks/Bay while in Flight #2, Paramount Medina and NCRC looked to climb the standings to challenge Towpath and La Tuchie for a top two spot. All the while, each and every single player had in the back of their minds one simple question - will I be selected for the 3.0 All-Star teams?! Will I play well enough to earn an invitation?! Do I even know such a thing as a 3.0 All-Star team exists?! So much on the line! Read about it ... here!
Flight #1 Recap
MVRC v. Avon Oaks/Bay, 2-1
Singles - Brian King 6-1, 6-3 v. David Karam
1st Doubles - Rick King/Rick King 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (8) v. Travis Haselswerdt/Charlie Post
2nd Doubles - Phil King/Karl King 6-4, 2-6, 0-1 v. Brian Chambers/Tony Slabicki
Notes - In a match that would determine Flight #1 runner-up status heading into the 3.0 All-Star halfway point (which is only slightly made up), Avon Oaks/Bay Captain Dave's group travelled east to invade MVRC and attempt to, ahem, dethrone the Kings of Mayfield. But with seven King's both in Mayfield and playing in Mayfield's MVRC (which has to be cumbersome, but that's democracy for you ... or monarchy ... or something ...), such a task was going to be difficult for Avon Oaks/Bay, but that task started on court numero uno as Captain Dave led his troops by playing singles for the first time in his 3.0 career! Dave, with consistent groundstrokes and a consistent serve, took on 3.0 rookie Brian, who's consistent baseline game matched Dave's consistency tit-for-tennis-tat. Rallies of 10, 15, and even 20 strokes were commonplace, and both players were gassed and sweating bullets (although, to be fair, the pristine MVRC courts aren't just nice but they're also nicely AC'd, and we're not just saying that because Captain Dave's mom plays there and we want to keep her happy). But rally after rally after rally took place, with each one more tiring than the next. And while the first set score seemed lopsided, each game was agonizingly close, with the common theme being that Brian's consistency was just a tad bit more consistent than Dave's consistency consistently throughout their oh-so-consistent match (I wonder how many times we can use the word "consistent" in one sentence?). But they don't call him Dave "Orange Theory" Karam for nothing, and Dave's marathon man-like endurance came into play in the second as he took early second set lead! Brian, though, was able to work his way past Dave's consistency and endurance and get back into the second set, and after a number of long long long rallies, eventually took a hard earned victory. Thus, perhaps the youngest of the King Family (we assume and don't know, because it's really hard to tell as there are something like 47 King family members just at MVRC alone), Brian gave his team an early 1-0 lead, but what he really gave was the fans (and Dave's mom, who actually left early because of the stress) a tennis treat of 3.0 proportions!
With Mayfield up 1-0, Captain Rick turned to 3.0 rookies, Phil and Karl, but Captain Dave countered the familial doubles bond with what is quickly becoming one of the best doubles teams in Flight #1, BFF's Brian and Tony. Best friends most likely because they are undefeated this season, Brian and Tony's friendship was tested as they once again found themselves down a set as Phil and Karl and their amazing beard (we're not sure which one had the beard, but as the King's are all related, we are going to assume it was a team beard growing effort), showed incredible resilience to claw back from 0-3 down to take the first set 6-4. But Brian and Tony aren't known as the Yoko and John of the Avon Oaks/Bay team for nothing, and they bounced back to take an early second set lead that they wouldn't relinquish, pushing yet another one of their matches to a SUPER tiebreak! These guys like each other so much they want to play as much tennis as possible together! In the tiebreak - whoops - in the SUPER tiebreak! - friendship trumped family, and as Brian and Tony limped away from the MVRC courts with another impressive three set victory, not only was their friendship on even more solid grounds, but so too was the status of their team, as the team score was now tied at 1-1.
Thus, it all came down to 1st Doubles! Captain Dave sent Travis, predominately a selfish singles player, to join forces with veteran doubles player Charlie, who was subbed in on late notice for an absent teammate. In response, Captain Rick sent himself and a secret weapon to the courts - another RICK! WHOA! RICK KING ... SQUARED! And just like an old math word problem from high school, when you double the Rick King Effect, we all know what we get - amazing comebacks and incredible shot making! Charlie and Travis stormed off to an early and impressive 5-2 lead as their serves and net play were making quick work of the Rick's. But at some point during the set, two things happened ... one, Rick the Elder changed up the team's strategy and focused on defense rather than offense, and as every Cleveland Brown's fan knows, you can't win without a good defense (you also can't win if you're the Cleveland Browns, but that's neither here nor there), and two, Charlie and Travis grew increasingly confused as to which Rick King was which Rick King, thus throwing off their pinpoint game with a mirage of Rick King's as far as the eye could seemingly see.
From that point forward, the match completely shifted, and the Rick's were in control, not only getting back in the set but winning the set with a combination of blistering first serves and amazing defense combined with all-out hustle as both Rick's sacrificed life and limb (but mostly limb), diving all over the court to get almost every ball back, forcing Charlie and Travis into mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake (hopefully you get the
idea, but we could go on, because so did they). Indeed, Rick the Elder, in one amazing play of hustle, threw himself at the ball in an effort to retrieve a shot, somersaulting like a majestic combination of a ballerina and a gazelle, sticking his landing ala an American gymnast in the 1984 L.A. Olympics (that was pretty much the last time I watched gymnastics, so that's as far as my gymnastics references can possibly go, so hopefully I didn't upset anyone who was interested in a blog about low-level gymnastics, which, by the way, would be quite a blog). In the second set, after another early Avon Oaks/Bay lead, it was more of the same as Charlie and Travis, shell-shocked at losing the first set, started to bicker as Travis was upset that Charlie didn't respond to his text earlier in the day about matching doubles outfits while Charlie began to question Travis' strategy of hitting everything into the net. Somehow, though, Charlie and Travis found their way - barely - to a second set win, which meant the match - and the entire fate of the team and of second place in Flight #1 status - rested upon this SUPER tiebreak!
In the SUPER tiebreak, Travis led the way ... by netting the first point after Charlie hit a great serve to set Travis up for an easy put away ... that he indeed put away ... into the net. Faster than you could say "Travis, please stop hitting the ball into the net," Charlie and Travis were down 1-4 as they simply couldn't handle the mobility and ability and hostility of the Rick's (ok, ok ... the Rick's weren't hostile, they were actually really nice ... fine), and before they knew it, they were down 4-9. But thanks to some uncharacteristic errors by the Rick's, Charlie and Travis somehow found themselves back in the SUPER tiebreak, down only 8-9! With everyone watching (and by everyone we clearly mean ALMOST seven people), Captain Rick had the match on his serve, and after another fine serve, he ignored Rick the Elder's advice and aggressively (and offensively!) slammed home the winning point to win both the match and, more importantly, the team victory as well!
ALL HAIL THE KINGS OF MAYFIELD! With their impressive win, MVRC goes into the break (that isn't really a break but we like to pretend that it is, but it is at least the halfway point of the season) with an even 2-2 record, and thanks to tiebreakers, currently stand in 2nd place in Flight #1! As Rick the Elder stated after one of his ballerina-like dives, "There's nothing quite as funny as a fat guy falling down." Avon Oaks/Bay Co-Captain Travis, though, could be heard, as he hightailed it back to the West Side, "We'll be baaaaaaaaaaaack," mostly because he forgot his ice pack in the MVRC refrigerator. AND that, my friends, is 3.0 tennis in a nutshell!
Next up - MVRC v. Wembley, Avon Oaks/Bay @ CVAC
CVAC v. Force, 1-2
Singles - Jimmy Heiman 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (4) v. James McGlone
1st Doubles - Paul Olson/Greg Marthe 2-6, 0-6 v. Andrew Payerl/Anthony Kulka
2nd Doubles - John Fenner/Chris Ciavarro 4-6, 3-6 v. Chris Sorensen/Adnan Kazazic
Notes - Force, looking to maintain their lead in Flight #1, took on a young and hungry CVAC team looking to log their first team win of the season. Due to injuries on his typically deep roster, Force's Captain Jeremy had exercise his well-known talent-finding skills, and combing through the Force youth academy roster, what a talent he found - 39 year old 3.0 singles specialist James! Coming off the bench to aid his team, the youngster James was set to take on CVAC's Jimmy, who is quietly crafting a fantastic, undefeated season, but was set to play his first singles match of the season. And what a singles match it turned out to be! Playing upon the historic clay of CVAC, James came out en fuego (there's that tennis lingo for you), storming off to an early lead. But Jimmy's season-long experience and home-court advantage soon came into play, and he answered back with a resounding second set win of his own to even the match. In the SUPER tiebreak, Jimmy's home-court advantage upon the storied clay of CVAC ("storied" is technically an accurate way to describe it because, well, we are writing a "story" about it right now) proved to be the difference, and despite a valiant effort by the young James, Jimmy and CVAC jumped out to the early, and possibly surprising, 1-0 team lead. Not one to panic, though, Captain Jeremy calmly inserted 3.0 Rookie of the Year candidate Andrew in with doubles 3.0 veteran Anthony in at 1st Doubles against newbie Greg and rookie Paul. The raw talent of Andrew combined with the experience of Anthony proved to be the difference as the two ran out to two early leads in their sets to take 1st Doubles and even the team match at 1-1. And while Paul and Greg may have fallen, they no doubt gained valuable doubles experience that will surely aid them as the second half of the season starts up after the (pretend) All-Star break. Thus, the match came down to 2nd Doubles, AS IT ALWAYS SHOULD, and in 2nd Doubles, Captain
Jeremy once again was as calm as a cucumber (that's the saying, right?), especially because he had veteran 3.0 doubles star Adnan on his side. Undefeated on the season, Adnan teamed with rookie Chris, and there can't be a much better teacher than a guy who is 3-0 on the season! CVAC countered with Captain John and newbie Chris, and in
a tight match, Adnan once again emerged victorious, winning the match for himself and for his team with his veteran 3.0 doubles moxy. Perhaps the bigger story, though, is that Captain John's tandem showed they're here to play and rapidly improving as they pushed Adnan to the most games he's given up all season long! Thus, while Force won the team match 2-1, CVAC showed they are going to definitely play a role in the season standings as the season goes on!
Next up - CVAC v. Avon Oaks/Bay, Force Bye
Flight #1 Standings/Records
Force 4-0
MVRC 2-2
Avon Oaks/Bay 2-2
Wembley 2-2
CVAC 0-4
Flight #2 Recap
Fairlawn v. Towpath, 0-3
Singles - Douglas Leohr 1-6, 1-6 v. Jason Dzik
1st Doubles - Dustin Fox/Timothy Sheahan 1-6, 2-6 v. John Consilio/Craig Warner
2nd Doubles - John Chlebina/Mickey Remen 1-6, 2-6 v. Mike Devine/Tim Trombetta
Notes - Looking to rise up the standings, Fairlawn's Captain Mike put out one of his best and most experienced lineups to take on one of the best teams not just in Flight #2, but in all of
Northeastern Ohio (which consists of TWO WHOLE Flights!). In singles, undefeated Douglas took on undefeated Jason in a battle of undefeated players who only knew winning, but it was Jason who continued his en fuego season (again, tennis lingo), by earning his fourth 3.0 singles win of the season! In doing so, not only did Jason best one of the better singles players in his Flight, but he also earned a Northeastern Ohio tying fourth overall victory, leading to some major 3.0 chatter that he is making a strong case for the potentially real (but probably not) 3.0 M.V.P. award! With a 1-0 team lead, Towpath's Captain Frank teamed up two of the best doubles players in recent memory (and our memory is super long), John and Craig, against Fairlawn doubles specialist Timothy and potential 3.0 Rookie of the Year candidate (also probably not a real award), Dustin. With John and Craig's history of nearly 90 combined doubles matches, Timothy and Dustin were in a tough spot, and while they put up a valiant effort, John and Craig's experience was just too much, and as such, they won the match and the team victory for Towpath as well. However, in a Flight as tight as this one, Captain Frank knew he couldn't let up and needed even more wins, but rather than going with experience in 2nd Doubles, he instead played the hot hand of some relatively new but unquestionably en fuego (there it is again!) players. Fairlawn 3.0 veterans John and Mickey put up a good fight, though, but Mike and Tim, undefeated on the season going into this match, continued that streak, and indeed, Tim, starting the season 2-0 after an 0-8 season prior, is making some noise for 3.0 Most Improved Player status! LOUD NOISE AT THAT! Thus, with the 3-0 win, Towpath looked to stay atop the Flight standings heading into the (pretend) mid-season break (which isn't real) while Fairlawn and it's raw group of up and coming 3.0ers could take solace in taking on one of the best teams not just in their Flight, but in the area, and gaining valuable 3.0 experience!
Next up - Fairlawn v. NCRC, Towpath @ Green
La Tuchie v. Green, 3-0
Singles - Scott Hovey 7-6, 6-3 v. Timothy Griffith
1st Doubles - Jeff Sterling/Timothy Adkins 6-1, 6-0 v. Rob Gonsor/T Bortz
2nd Doubles - Chris Thompson/Nicolas Savelieff 6-3, 6-2 v. David Ginnetti/Chip Bond
Notes - La Tuchie, needing a victory to stay near the top of the Flight #2 standings, took on a
cagey and veteran laden Green squad looking to play spoiler! In singles, La Tuchie's 3.0 Rookie of the Year candidate Scott looked to continue his fantastic undefeated run. As for Green, the smallest roster in the Flight needed some reinforcements, and Captain Chip knew exactly where to turn, to a 3.0 tournament tested singles veteran known simply as ... Timothy (because, well, that's his name, Timothy). In a closely contested match, Scott's energy took on Timothy's experience, experience that included several 3.0 tournament runs, and while Timothy gave everything he could and did quite well in his first ever league match, Scott eeked out a close, close, close opening win for his team, giving him his third overall win on his season, showing once again that his name may in fact be engraved on the (imaginary) 3.0 Rookie of the Year Award/Medal/Certificate/Text Message of Congrats.
Timothy, meanwhile, earned his first match experience and first league experience after a late season call up to bolster the Green team, and will no doubt work into league shape as the season progresses, showing that Green, and Timothy, will no doubt see a much improved second half of the season! Now up 1-0 on the scoreboard, Captain Mike turned to a pair of veteran 3.0 doubles stars (mental note - there should be a walk of fame with 3.0 stars kinda like there is a walk of fame for Hollywood stars ... I'm not sure where we would put this but come on, who wouldn't like to see a star for someone like, oh, I don't know, Clem Kissling, who has 94 career 3.0 wins? Am I right? AM I?! Probably not, but still...). Jeff, with over 30 career 3.0 doubles wins, and Timothy, with over 10, were certainly a pair few other tandems would want to see across the courts, but Rob and T, two doubles veterans of their own, certainly weren't scared (or maybe they were, we weren't there, but Rob and T are pretty big guys, so we doubt they were intimidated, and yes, we are kissing-up right now to prevent the Green team from giving us what-for when we play at their Green tournament in August ... love you guys!). In a match of doubles specialists, Jeff and Timothy's 3.0 tennis star was just a bit brighter as they sealed the deal for their team with a two set victory. And while the team match may have been clinched for La Tuchie, any good captain knows there comes a time to guide and to teach and to help the younger generation learn, and Captain Mike is just that kind of captain! Teaming rookie Nicolas with veteran Chris was just that kind of move, and Chris was able to help guide Nicolas to his first career 3.0 win, surely a moment he shall never forget, which was no doubt especially impressive as it came against cagey 3.0 veterans Captain Chip and David, whose league and tournament experience not only make them a tough out, but also a wealth of 3.0 experience to learn from. And learn Nicolas did! Congrats on your first win and congrats to La Tuchie for the team win as they stay near the top of the Flight #2 standings!
Next up - La Tuchie v. Paramount Medina, Green v. Towpath
Paramount Medina v. NCRC, 2-1
Singles - De Fault 0-6, 0-6 v. Munir Ahmad
1st Doubles - Matt Hutchison/Jonathan Glazer 6-0, 7-5 v. Benjamin Young/Chester McClain
2nd Doubles - Denny Huff/Phil Towne 7-6, 7-6 v. Leon Crumpler/Dave Shimko
Notes - NCRC, looking to stay atop the Flight #2 standings, took on a resurgent Paramount Medina looking for their third team win in four attempts as both squads continued to climb the Flight #2 standings. In a bold move, host Paramount sent out the famous 3.0 Frenchmen, De Fault, to take on one of the rising 3.0 stars of the 3.0 world, NCRC's Munir, and, not surprisingly, Munir continued his great run, earning his third singles and fourth overall win on the season! But Paramount Medina's Captain Phil wouldn't be swayed by De Fault's continued incompetence on the court (seriously, how does that guy still get playing time?), and rallied the squad by putting together relative league newbie Matt and Jonathan in at 1st Doubles. Captain Benjamin countered with a veteran doubles crew, himself and Chester, but on this night, the home courts and home cooking of Paramount Medina made the difference, and perhaps inspired by De Fault's uninspiring play, Matt and Jonathan ran out to an early 1st set lead and win. But Captain Benjamin, who has played Matt before, wouldn't go away quietly (actually, Ben is really nice guy, and would probably, if you asked, go away both quietly and politely), and with over 50 combined 3.0 matches, Captain Benjamin and Chester used their vast 3.0 experience to get back in the match and nearly force a second set tiebreaker. But again, the friendly confines of Paramount Medina made the difference, and Matt and Jonathan earned a strong two set win versus an equally strong doubles opponent. Thus, with the team match tied 1-1, Paramount Medina's Captain Phil turned to the one person he could trust - HIMSELF! And Denny. You can always, always trust Denny. Putting himself and veteran 3.0 doubles stalwart Denny in at 2nd Doubles, they faced off against a formidable opponent, NCRC's Leon and Dave, two players with over 30
combined 3.0 doubles wins between them. With the entire match riding on their results, both teams gave all they had, and what they had was a combined TWENTY SIX games of amazing, action-packed 3.0 tennis! Two 7-6 finishes! Two tie-beaks! Two winners! In a fantastic display of doubles tennis, Captain Phil and Denny emerged victorious, not only earning the applause (we assume) of the crowd and of their teammates (which were probably the same as the "crowd"), but the team win for their team as well!
Next up - Paramount Medina @ La Tuchie, NCRC @ Fairlawn
Flight #2 Standings/Records
Towpath 4-1
La Tuchie 4-1
NCRC 3-2
P. Medina 3-2
Fairlawn 1-4
Green 0-5
Conclusion
WOWSERS! In Flight #1, Force has cemented their lead at the top, but 2nd place status, held by MVRC, is still, like a 3.0 lob, way, way, way up in the air! In Flight #2, Towpath and La Tuchie look to be separating themselves from the field, but NCRC and Paramount Medina are right in their rear view tennis mirrors! So, as we head to the midway point of the season, it's time for everyones* favorite past time - the 3.0 All-Star team! Wanna see if you made it? DID YOU BRIBE US?! Find out here!
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