The first 3.0 singles tournament event of 2021 is here! Hosted by Chagrin Valley Athletic Club, the winners of this event will receive the ultimate prize - a no-expenses paid trip in early April to Surprise, Arizona!
And while qualifying events are usually held to determine who actually qualifies to the Championships, due to the health pandemic, the USTA is allowing any and all entries to partake. Moreover, while the Championships are general hosted in various locations throughout the Midwest, this year they're being held in Northeast Ohio, meaning ... D.F.O. COVERAGE!
So what are we covering? The format. The players. The predictions! It's literally all here ... if by "literally" we mean all the 3.0 information you could desire! AND WE KNOW WHAT YOU DESIRE!
- Format
- Player Profiles, Singles
Format
Originally set as a best of 3 Fast Four sets, tiebreak at 3 games all (tiebreak first to 5 points, win by 1), lets not played; no Ad Scoring with the draw type consisting of 8, four (4) player Round Robins playing into 4, 8-player Compass format or FMLC draw, due to the enormous number of entries, the event has been changed to accommodate time, space, and AWESOMENESS.
So how has it changed? The format is EXACTLY the same, Fast Four, however, the Compass format has been changed to a more traditional FMLC event, meaning Championship and Consolation Championship matches!
WOW! SO MUCH CHAMPIONSHIP'ING!
Player Profiles
(in alphabetical order)
Singles
Brian Berk
Record: 20-9 overall, 17-8 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 3.003 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: None, first event ... Pros: Enjoys the statistically highest TRC Rating with three thousands of a point of betterness than his next potential rival! ... the NWO rarely travels east, thus Brian will no doubt bringing a completely unique style of NWO tennis to the NEO ... with over 30 singles matches in his background, including nine at the near-professional 3.5 level, Brian brings a vast array of high-level singles experience to the tournament ... Cons: Hails from from the most north western part of the state, so that's quite a drive all the way to the north eastern part of the state! Will car-lag be an issue?!
Brandon Carrus
Record: 14-17 overall, 2-8 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.70 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: None, first event ... Pros: With over 70 matches to his name, most at the higher and more difficult (and nearly professional!) 3.5 level and beyond, Brandon brings a vast array of tennis playing experience to the event ... neumonically, you simply cannot spell "won" without BranDON ... primarily a doubles player throughout his career, Brandon no doubt brings an all-court, well-rounded game to the tournament that will surely cause his opponents problems ... Cons: Primarily a doubles player throughout his career, will Brandon be able to handle the solitude, forlornness, despair, detachment, singleness, lonesomeness, aloneness, separation, desolation and solitariness of singles play?!
Douglas Dempsey
Record ... 37-22 overall, 7-8 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: ... 3.00 ... Singles Tournament Experience: 2, '18 PWC Round of 16, '19 USTA Midwest Sectional participant, '19 USTA Midwest Sectional 3.0 Doubles and NEO 3.0 Doubles Vice-Champion... Pros: With over 150 total matches at all levels, mixed and otherwise, Doug brings some of the most extensive and expansive court experience to the event ... a renowned doubles player, Doug is no stranger to USTA Midwest Championships, finishing Vice-Champion and qualifying to Nationals but two seasons ago ... Cons: Like many an American Ninja Warrior (which 3.0 tennis is exactly identical to in terms of necessary athleticism and skill), will Doug be able to re-climb the 3.0 mountain top he's already scaled??
Travis Haselswerdt
Record: 73-33 overall, 59-26 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 3.00 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Five singles titles ('18 Akron Open, '19-20 Wooster Aspen Championship, '20 Paramount Winter Championship, '20 Green Open), two Vice-Championships (which is a fancy way to say "runner-up" ... '17 Paramount Fall Championship and '19 Akron Open), two Consolation Titles ('18-19 Paramount Winter Championships) ... Pros/Cons (because they're really the same): Mobility and general overall consistency ... "pusher" mindset/ability/lack of ability ... solid backhand and net play ... such pedestrian ground strokes that he plays serve and volley more than most ... incredibly slow pace on most shots, especially his serve, often lulls opponents to sleep ... carries one of the largest tennis racquets on tour*, obviously compensating for deficiencies elsewhere ... loud and obnoxious outfits temporarily (and sometimes permanently) blind opponents... awkward post-match requests for selfies with opponents often puts opponents on their emotional heels...
Roger Lee
Record: 19-12 overall, 17-11 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.95 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Two entries, including a 2020 Semi-Finals appearance at the Paramount Winter Championships and a 2019 3rd Place finish at the Akron Open Shootout ... Pros: Vast singles experience in both league and tournament play, he enjoys the third most tournament experience of any player in this event ... has played, and beaten, some of the best singles players in the area, and only tournament losses have come to the eventual tournament champions ... Roger's back-court, defensive play, keeps his opponents under constant pressure ... Cons: None ... at all! Plus enjoys the "third time the charm" rule, so Roger is one of the players to watch out for come tournament time!
Josef Provido
Record: 17-20 overall, 11-14 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.79 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Two total events, the 2018 and 2019 Sectional Tournaments, going 3-3 overall ... Pros: With two Sectional Championship tournament entries and three total Sectional Championship singles wins, Josef enters this event as the most experienced - and winningest! - Sectional player in the entire field ... enjoys playing experience against some of the opposition, giving him even more experience to draw from during 3.0 crunch-time ... Hailing from Michigan, his style of tennis will no doubt surprise local Ohioans! ... Cons: Michigan, by D.F.O. Geographical Analysis, is exactly seven million miles away from the event site (calculations have not been confirmed), and that's a long trip with potential damaging jet-lag!
Alfred Sun
Record: 11-8 overall, 3-4 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.75 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: None, first event ... Pros: Hailing from Wisconsin, and playing mostly in Illinois, Alfred brings a multitude of intra-state Midwest styles of tennis to this Northeastern Ohio event, no doubt giving him a number of styles to pull from when it comes to match time ... has actually been to a real tennis tournament, giving him big time experience in the biggest events! ... Cons: The D.F.O. Geography Department has confirmed that Wisconsin is a completely different state than Ohio, meaning that Alfred has quite a commute!
Casey Tjalsma
Record ... 12-11 overall, 5-5 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.99 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Three events, including a Semi-Final appearance in the 2019 Meijer State Games of Michigan at Hope College ... Pros: Enjoys tennis skills imported all the way from Michigan, which, considering this event is taking place in Ohio, is almost like a completely different state and a completely different set of tennis skills entirely! ... an evenly balanced number of appearances in both singles and doubles events shows he's comfortable around the court ... limited singles experience, but most of his matches have come against players at the near professional 3.5 level, showing he's got massive 3.0 skills ... numerous tournament appearances illustrate he's no stranger to the intense pressures of 3.0 tournament tennis, and should bring a more than capable mental edge to the event ... Cons: The D.F.O. Geography Department, working overtime, has discovered that Michigan is in fact a different state than Ohio, which means that Casey has a long, long trip on his hands!
Patrick Van Tuinlen
Record ... 22-18 overall, 2-6 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 3.08 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Eight total 3.0 entries, including a 2018 Premier Athletic & Tennis Adult "New Years Championships"Consolation finals finish and a 2019 Semi-Finalist finish ... Pros: Enjoys a vast array of 3.0 and 3.5 experience, with over 50 combined matches to his name ... has Sectional tournament experience, as he partook in the 2019 rendition of this event ... though primarily a doubles player, has played numerous higher-level singles matches, some at the unheard of near-professional "Open" level ... Cons: Once again the D.F.O. Geography Department has discovered that Patrick, hailing from Michigan, is from a completely different state than is Ohio, and thus, has a long sailboat trip via the various Great Lakes before he gets to the mighty shores of Northeast Ohio...
Benjamin Young
Record ... 19-22 overall, 7-14 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.88 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Eight total 3.0 entries, including 2020 Green Open and Wooster Aspen Vice-Championship finishes ... Pros: Enjoys vast 3.5 experience as first 20 matches of his career were at the much higher and almost professional 3.5 level ... in 2019, however, he played strictly 3.0, going an impressive 17-16 overall in all 3.0 level matches ... consistent serve and consistent return consistently puts consistent pressure on opponents ... one of the strongest forehands around that can end points quickly ... generally aggressive player who goes for winners, he feeds off the pace of his opponents ... a renowned doubles player who has enjoyed league, playoff, and tournament success, he is also a Captain of his league team, showing he has the court and leadership skills necessary to problem-solve any on court conundrum ... Cons: Has teamed with, and competed against, Travis so many times in 2020 that the relationship has no doubt harmed Benjamin's tennis.
Doubles
Chad Duff & Jansen Meyers ... Record: 2-0 overall together ... Chad 23-14 overall, 16-9 in doubles; Jansen 22-8 overall, 21-8 in doubles ... TennisRecord.Com Ratings: 3.12 & 2.93 ... Tournament Experience/Highlights: None, first event entered as a team ... Pros: As they've teamed up prior during the rigor of league play, they no doubt share the much needed insights and knowledge and communication necessary to be successful on the doubles courts ... with over 200 combined matches at 3.0 and beyond, they bring the second most court experience of any tandem to this event ... Cons: As one of the favorites in this event, will the possibility of 3.0 tennis glory and a free non-expenses paid trip to Arizona be too much too handle?!
Roger Godin & Travis Haselswerdt ... Record: 0-0 overall together ... Roger 22-15 overall, 21-13 in doubles; Travis 73-33 overall, 14-7 in doubles ... TennisRecord.Com Ratings: 2.67 & 3.00 ... Tournament Experience/Highlights: None, first event entered as a team ... Pros: Roger, one of the best doubles players in NEO brings not just an winning record, but a winning pedigree as well, as he helped lead his Force team to both Flight and District Championships in 2020 ... Travis, while he has two 3.0 doubles titles to his name ('19 Paramount Fall Championship and '20 Green Open Championship) needed not one but two far superior players to help carry his awful doubles play across the finish line, so as long as his partner does all the work, he can play well ... Roger, from Canada, is used to playing Canadian Doubles, so he's used to playing without a partner, which is good considering his partner ... Cons: Will on court communication be an issue as Travis will certainly struggle to understand Roger's native Canadian language?
Aaron McClure & Troy Pucket ... Record: 3-1 overall together ... Aaron 11-2 overall, 11-2 in doubles; Troy 40-24 overall, 38-21 in doubles ... TennisRecord.Com Ratings: 3.18 & 2.78 ... Tournament Experience/Highlights: None, first event entered as a team ... Pros: With well over 200 combined matches, including many at the higher 3.5 level, this tandem brings the most on-court experience to the entire event ... not only have they played together more than any other tag team, but they've also played together at the 3.5 level, going an impressive 5-4 at that nearly professional level! ... Cons: As one of the event favorites, will the enormous 3.0 targets on their backs be too much to bare?!
Casey Tjalsma & Patrick Van Tuinlen ... Record: 0-0 overall together ... Casey 12-11 overall, 7-6 in doubles; Patrick 22-16 overall, 20-12 in doubles ... TennisRecord.Com Ratings: 2.99 & 3.08 ... Tournament Experience/Highlights: None, first event entered as a team ... Pros: While they haven't played together, they have played against one another, thus proving they have the necessary knowledge of one another's strengths and weakness that will put them in prime time position on the court ... not only are they a team on the court, but as they are both travelling from Michigan, they bring a completely unknown style of tennis to the Buckeye State! ... Cons: Both are playing in the singles event as well, so the intense demands of multi-event 3.0 level tennis on multiple days could be physically draining!
Singles Brackets
WHOA! 10 of the greatest entry-fee-paying 3.0 players IN ALL THE MIDWEST are facing off in a bracket to the death* (we've just been notified that this tournament is a Fast Four event, not a Dual to the Death event, so we'll have to edit that sentence out later)!
At the bottom of the bracket, and beginning on Friday, tournament tested Benjamin leads off versus out-of-towner Casey in the opening marquee 3.0 singles match of the event in what should be a firecracker of a match as both bring dominant doubles skills to the singles courts. Later that same day, Alfred and Brandon square off as both also bring a high-level of doubles acumen to the courts. The winner of the Benjamin v. Casey match will return to the CVAC courts to take on the #2 seed in the event (#ItPaysToKissUpToTheTournamentDirector), Travis, while the winner of that match, will take on the winner of the Alfred v. Brandon match for a trip to the Sunday championship courts! (Although, since Travis is also scheduled to play in Akron at the same time on Sunday, well, let's just say that if he makes it to the championship finals, his chances of winning are less than 0% ... which are probably the same as his chances even IF he showed up on Sunday)
At the top of the bracket, perhaps the most intriguing opening match of the event takes place as Brian, who has the best singles wins percentage on his side of the bracket, takes on Patrick, who has the highest TennisRecord.Com rating in the entire bracket! Later that day, Roger, who has the most singles wins on his bracket takes on Josef, who brings in former NTRP tournament experience to the bracket! WHOA! Then, the winner of that match will take on #1 seed Doug, who has the best winning percentage and the most wins on his side of the bracket AND NTRP Nationals experience! DOUBLE WHOA! The winner of that match will then take on the winner of the Brian v. Patrick match for a trip to the championship CVAC courts ... which are no doubt TOTALLY different than the REGULAR CVAC courts!
Doubles Brackets
There is none! But there IS a Round Robin, where EVERYONE gets to see EVERYONE, and they are the opening 3.0 matches of the entire event, showing that when it comes to scheduling the best tennis around, 1:10pm is CLEARLY the marquee TV time! So... HERE'S what it looks like!
Friday 1:10pm - Godin/Haselswerdt v. Duff/Meyers
Friday 1:10pm - Duff/Meyers v. McClure/Puckett
Friday 8:20pm - Godin/Haselswerdt v. Tjalsma/Van Tuinlen
Friday 8:20pm - McClure/Puckett v. Meyers/Duff
Saturday 4:20pm - Jansen/Meyers v. Tjalsma/Van Tuinlen
Saturday 5:30pm - Godin/Haselswerdt v. McClure/Puckett
Whoa! McClure and Puckett bring the most on court experience to the event while Duff and Meyers bring an undefeated record! Meanwhile, Tjalsma and Van Tuinlen are from Michigan! But what about Godin and Haselswerdt? Well, we can say ... THEY ARE PARTICIPATING!
Player Predictions
This event is almost impossible to predict as there is a vast array of strengths that each player brings to the courts! In singles, will the tournament tested experience of Travis and Benjamin win the day? Or will tournament newbies Brian and Alfred blow by the competition with their youthful exuberance? Or will out of towners Casey and Patrick wow the crowd with out of town tennis skills? Or will the NTRP experience of Doug and Josef win the day? And what of the relative home-cooking of Roger and Brandon's locale? In doubles, will teamwork be the difference or will lack of experience prove to win the day? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
For answers, and for the first time ever, we turn to D.F.O. Maths expert Jeff, the resident D.F.O. expert on all things numbers related, for his help with predictions. As our loyal D.F.O. readers know (are you one?!) this is a brand new addition to our usual previews, so enjoy*!
Singles Odds (in alphabetical order)
Alfred - 30/1.5 ... Loooong commute and geography may work against Alfred here and car-lag may be an significant hurdle. The big question is Wisconsin > Cleveland? Only Alfred can say!
Benjamin 17/1 ... This guy has been well tested! After playing the second ranked 3.0er from California (just behind Ted), and barely squeaking out a win (in straight sets), I don't see how he doesn't win this tourney!
Brandon 21/1 ... Not a ton of singles experience, but since he's a good lookin' guy, he's got not a ton of singles experience as he's been locked up in doubles for the greatest years of his life.
Brian - 7/4 ... My highest rated 3.0 player, plus he's got the perfect five o'clock shadow! Probably got it during the drive from Michigan.
Casey - 31/3 ... Casey comes in with 3.5 skills that cross state borders! Primarily a doubles player, Ohio 3.0 singles scares him not!
Doug - 22.5/2.5 ... One of the most accomplished players in the tourney with some of the most event experience as well. But with most his matches in doubles, that confused the odds maker (me), thus leading to Doug's confusing odds.
Josef 32/3 ... Dark horse! Most event experienced player in the entire field with an intriguing first round matchup. Underrated in my view, as he most likely started 3.0 tennis playing on the mean streets of Detroit City.
Patrick - 15/1 ... I like Patrick, I do. BUT, he goes against my tourney #1 seed which works against him. PLUS, he will have to ice skate across Lake Erie to get to the event which may damage his serve.
Roger - 10/3 ... Tough bracket has got my 3rd highest ranked player a tough uphill climb. I like Roger's experience at the tourney and wouldn't be surprised if he makes a run to the finals.
Travis - 9/4 ... One of the least attractive players in the bunch [Editor's Note: We are assuming Jeff is talking about Travis' tennis game ... we hope?], he's streaking as a 3.0 and making a big push for 100 in 2021. I like his chances at a finals appearance.
Doubles Odds
3/10
WOW! Take that to the bank! Thanks for that in-depth and completely comprehensive - and easily* understandable - analysis by the D.F.O. Numbers Man, Jeff!
Past Champions
The history of this event is, well, not very long. But the past champions of this event are very historical!
2019
Singles
Champion: Sanjay Beach (2-0)
Vice-Champion: Abhishek Sreesaila (1-1)
Doubles
Champions: JP Ayyappan & David Ries (2-0)
Vice-Champions: Doug Dempsey & Bill Heavlin (1-1)
Past 3.0ers
While we here at D.F.O. focus solely, with white hot intensity, only on 3.0 play, we occasionally like to throw some praise to former 3.0ers who have graduated to the big time and are now playing at the near-professional 3.5 level. So with that in mind:
- Good luck to former 3.0er and 2020 Akron Open 3.0 Champion H. Michael Wiant as he attempts to ply his tennis trade against the best of the 3.5 best in the singles event!
- Good luck to former 3.0er D.F.O. Player of the Year recipient Michael Kramer as he takes on some of the best 3.5 doubles tandems around!
- Good luck to former 3.0er and former Sectional Tournament champion Sanjay as he attempts to repeat his trophy carrying ways, this time at the 3.5 level!
Preview Formula Rationale (because we know you care):
The following previews count both U.S.T.A. tournament AND U.S.T.A. league play records and unless otherwise noted focus on the highest level of entry level play one can participate in - that's right, the 3.0 level! - and dismisses other levels, usually rudely, unless otherwise noted ... because we are just THAT dedicated to providing super in-depth analysis ... and it's snowing outside and we are stuck inside. Thanks, Ohio. Also, we include ratings from TennisRecord.Com which provides even more in-depth analysis for those of us that like going down the tennis stats rabbit hole.
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