Abhi Gains First Title with Consolation Championship!
The final day of the 2020 PWC took place with great aplomb, with everyone so excited for the 3.0 final that the championship match actually started almost 30 minutes early in an effort to no doubt give the assembled masses all the tennis they could handle (or to end this thing as soon as humanly possible).
Played after the Championship match, Abhi and John squared off in the Consolation Championship as both all-court players culminated a great tournament for them both. In the end, Abhi's skill and experience led him to his first ever title ever with a 6-4, 6-3 win, but John showed he'll be a 3.0 force to be reckoned with in the years to come as, in his first tournament ever, he not only enjoyed his first win, but his first championship court as well.
Going into the Championship match, both Pat and Travis had enjoyed two straight victories to reach this point, but via quite different paths. Pat, having to go through a phalanx of mobile, defensive, all-court players on the stronger, more veteran-laden side of the bracket, had played the most games of anyone. Indeed, with a total of 50 games played going into his first final ever, fatigue would no doubt be an issue he'd have to overcome in the most anticipated 3.0 final of 2020 (and also the first 3.0 final of 2020, but that's neither here nor there). Travis, meanwhile, had played the least games of anyone, 30, and looked to be the fresher of the two, but with his back acting up, reeked of BenGay as he waltzed (or limped) onto the court. Thus, both players were dealing with adversity, but like all great low-level tennis players, they fought such adversity with confidence, analgesic gel, and lots and lots of aspirin.
Style-wise, the fans were in for a treat (and by "fans" we mean the one guy who watched the match). Pat's big serve was the talk of the 3.0 world (a world that consisted of about almost 10 people by weekend's end), as he had bludgeoned his opponents throughout the PWC with precise and powerful bombs, while his slice backhand was a perfect compliment for coming into the net to put away weak returns. Speaking of weak returns, Travis didn't have much going for him other than overall consistency, being an annoying pusher, and being generally able to play defense and keep the ball in play. And he also stunk of IcyHot.
As the match began, both 3.0 stars held their serves rather comfortably to start 3-3. And while there were some close games, Pat's serve was reliably strong, keeping Travis back and on defense, which wasn't too surprising to the fan. What may have been surprising, though, is that Travis' serve was surprisingly effective, more placement than power, but just enough placement to keep Pat on the defensive as well. But at 3-3 Travis finally broke Pat's serve, utilizing a well-known 3.0 strategy of just sticking his racket out, usually blindly, and blocking it back and hoping, usually blindly, for the best. Luckily, for Travis at least, he got some lucky blocks back just deep enough to keep Pat on his heels, letting Travis come to the net to put the points, and the game, away. A hold and a consolidation of the break led to a relatively quick first set that saw Travis take an early, and probably eyebrow-raising, 6-3 one set lead.
But just like that, the momentum shifted, as did the match. Perhaps inspired by the appearance of 2018 PWC Champion John Nelson (also known as "the fan"), or the fact that the disgusting BenGay smell on Travis' equally disgusting body had finally dissipated, Pat's service game came alive, and all Travis could do was helplessly watch ball after ball bounce past him over and over again (which Travis did quite heroically, though). Not only that, but Pat's net game came alive as well, and deft touch shots combined with deep attacking shots saw Pat immediately break Travis twice to take a quick 4-0 second set lead. Travis held and then took Pat to a long, long, far too long deuce game before prevailing to claw his way back into the match, but still down 2-4. But it looked like things were swinging Travis' way until ... he was immediately broken the next game (and there's no way he was deeply depressed after working for 10' to win the previous game only to lose the next game in what seemed like 30 seconds). Whatever the case, Pat would not be denied, and immediately broke back to take a commanding 5-2 lead. Another long deuce game ensued, but it was just a matter of time before the inevitable, and with that, Pat stormed back to take the second set, 6-2.
Thus, the fan in the crowd was going to get ... THIRD SET MADNESS! For the whole title! First one to 10 points, win by two ... just like the tennis gladiators of yore no doubt did all those centuries ago!
But first, both players had to ask for help because they didn't know how the tiebreak work.
Thanks to 2018 Champion, John "The Fan" Nelson, the tiebreak rules were finalized and Travis led off with the first serve. Pat hit his return wide, and both players began the incredibly annoying - yet fair - process of rotating courts every four points, which involves 1) movement and 2) counting, two skills that are quite impossible to master at this stage of an event.
Pat held his serve to take a 2-1 lead and then enjoyed a mini-break to go up 3-2 on Travis' serve. But then momentum began to quickly shift again, much like a quick changing Cleveland weather forecast or a quick Browns head coaching change. And that change in momentum, much like the Browns change front offices every three minutes, began to swing Travis' way. Chipping and charging on Pat's serve, something he picked up at the end of the second set, Travis put slight pressure on Pat, earning some uncharacteristic errors wide and long that saw Pat down 4-7.
But Pat still had one trick up his sleeve, and that trick is that Travis is an amazing choke-artist. Indeed, Travis was once up 4-1 and 8-5 in the deciding set at the 2019 Akron Open only to lose the next five points, the last one on a glorious 11 mile per hour double fault, that cost him the title. With that memory in his tiny, tiny brain, Travis quickly lost the next two points (on his serve, mind you), to lose his big advantage and be back on serve at 7-6.
However, momentum swung once again, this time going from Pat to Travis, and Travis chip and charged his way to winning the next two point to take a commanding - but not deciding - 9-6 lead. Travis being Travis, of course he lost the next point - on his serve - to make it a gut-wrenching 9-7 lead with Championship point once again on his racket (a racket he had had to purchase because he had somehow* destroyed his previous racket after the Akron Open ... a mystery to all, to be sure).
But on the 17th point of the tie break, Travis got his serve in just deep enough to force Pat to swing a forehand that hit agonizingly low, juuuuuuust below the tape, ending the tiebreak, and thus the match, in Travis' favor.
WOW! What a match! With his 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (7) hard-fought victory, Travis could hoist the shiny plastic trophy as high as his ailing body would allow him (as you can tell from the photo, that wasn't very high). And despite his loss, Pat showed great resolve in not only his first ever championship match, but his first ever tournament as well! To quote 2018 PWC Champion John "The Fan" Nelson, "we're on your court now." Truer words have rarely been spoken!
And immediately upon returning home, Travis was told he had to take a shower because "gawd you are gross." But at least he had his shiny plastic trophy. Which his four year old broke about 15' after his shower. Trully, on a scale of one to 10, Travis will go down in the annals of PWC history as a 3.0...
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