Monday, June 16, 2008

Tyler Major Zone

3.5-S

Singles should run through Enrique Molina with Prather not far behind since they both have good seeds.

Ones to watch: Scott Blackburn, Gilberto Flores, Marc Ivy, Robert Wisdom


3.5-D

I really like the top two seeds; they will be tough to beat.

Ones to watch: Ivy/Centi, Stein/Kincy

4.0-S

Tuyen and Ismael as the 1 and 2 seeds, when I saw this I felt like I was in a time warp and it was 2007 in the 3.5 draw. I have to give it up to Tuyen for his point grabbing as he moved up a level. He has a better record at 4.0 I think than he did last year at 3.5. Not sure either of could win it but they should be factors. Forrest Feuille has to be the strong favorite; no one has shown they can beat him yet. Jose Gonzalez of FW had a strong run last week and might be the one to make him work; I hope they don’t meet early.

Ones to watch: Donald Allen, Blumberg, Matt Ellis and Turpen

4.0-D

Can anyone stop a Newman/Voss—Brouer/Robinson finals rematch? I don’t see a team that can do it so I guess we will just wait to see how this time around goes. Shouldn’t they just play each other at HP some night during the week so they can head home early on Sunday after the semis?

Ones to watch: Ellis/Kistler, Freeman/Morris, Martin/Nguyen, Ludwig/Kraemer

4.5-S

This group should be excited that Alfonso Rodriguez is taking the weekend off and letting someone else have a shot at 400 points. Shmucker would be the favorite and the #1 seed but there are some other candidates out there like Miles, Goldberg, Kallus and maybe two other dallasites Noel and Warren could make a run if they don’t see each other early like in Waco.

4.5-D

Only two seeds and both look pretty solid. Romerhaus and Hopper should be tough to beat. Some of the 4.0 Somabut team are playing up to get some good practice. I like one of them to make it far, probably Phy Pham and Hai Nguyen. I am going to plead ignorance on most of the other names so I will ask for some insight.

76 comments:

  1. Tuyen has really improved his game over the last year and will make it deep into the 4.0 singles draw.

    I believe Forrest Feuille is the strongest 4.0 singles player within the draw.

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  2. Fueille v. Bloomberg in round of 16 Saturday morning. Should be a nice match.

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  3. Looking forward to seeing Blumberg vs Feuille Saturday morning (4.0 singles) if they both win their Friday rounds. That could prove to be an interesting match up.

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  4. Ismael Dutchover (#2 seed, 4.0 singles) received a nice draw. I believe Ismael will make it to the finals.

    The finals for the 4.0 singles draw will be Ismael and Forrest with Forrest winning it.

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  5. FYI - It appears D. Allen is still hurt and withdrew.

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  6. Umm - that Final is not possible as Ismail and Forrest would meet in the semis. Is it just me or isn't the 4 seed typically paired with the 1 seed and the 2 seed gets the 3 seed? Odd pairings there.

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  7. I think officially (according to USTA guidelines) they are supposed to flip a coin to see what half of the draw the #3 and #4seeds go in.

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  8. how did the draw makers put Leonard and Trae against each on the first round. They are playing doubles together that just seems stupid. I would hate to travel to Tyler just to play someone I can play anytime and have many times before in team practices.

    With that said I think whoever wins that will take out Tuyen. Trae and Leonard have both been working on their singles game and I like their chances in an early round matchup with Tuyen.

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  9. Cary,

    Once you have the seeds placed in the draw the rest is up to the luck of the draw.

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  10. My 4.0 singles prediction:

    SEMIS:
    Castro / Turpen
    Feuille / Gatons

    CHAMPION:
    Bryan Gatons

    The Lynn Khaing/Ismael Ductchover match should be a good one. It sounds like Bryan Gatons has a nice 1st round match against Jose Gonzalez as well (never seen Gonzalez play).

    Just my 2 cents...

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  11. thanks for the outside of Dallas take on things Jason. Gatons has some solid results, he should be able to do well. I do think Forrest might be vulnerable here more then other tourneys because he will have some tough opponents early on. Before he has been able to dismiss people quickly and save his energy but even if he makes it far which he probably will I think he will have expended a lot of energy doing it.

    Curious to see how it goes.

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  12. Interesting 4.0 draw.

    I'll go with Castro vs Carter on 1 side and Forrest and Dutchover.

    Final will be Castro and Feuille.


    I'll be honest I think Dutchover has one of the harder draws. To have Khaing in round 1 and then Joel Dreskin followed by J. Gonzalez - I don't envy his draw at all. Khaing may be much improved since I played him last fall, but I don't think he is consistent enough to beat Dutchover. Dutchover vs J. Gonzalez in the quarters should be interesting. Gonzalez is a lefty that is very consistent and his form is akward. When you are in the warm up phase you are saying to yourself you should destroy this guy and eventually you find yourself trying to beat him at his game. Gonzalez could upset Dutchover, but its unlikely.

    In the top half I agree, the #1 seed could easily fall first round. Mark Carter got the easiest 1/4 of the draw and should advance if the heat doesn't get him.

    In the end, noone stacks up to Mr. Feuille. I do not know Blumberg, but he is a HP guy which means he can play. I would be surprised if Forrest drops a set the entire tournament, but it could happen. I know LT is praying for an upset so he can be available to them on Sunday.

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  13. I saw Blumberg play this weekend. I think he will beat Fueille. Blumberg can stay out there all day and that will make a big difference in Tyler.

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  14. You may be right, but Blumberg struggled against Trevino and Gonzalez whom I believe Forrest would beat badly.

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  15. Blumberg is tough but not at the level of Feuille. He may push him more than most though.

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  16. Yes, your right! Ismael and Forrest will meet in the Semifinals (4.0 Singles). I was just looking at the bottom half of the draw while trying to participate in a conference call this morning. In looking at the top half of the draw, I think Tuyen has the best shot at making it to the finals. Overall I still think Forrest will win it.

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  17. Thanks for the sentiment Cary about having to play my doubles partner in the 1st round. It really doesn't make much sense but when has a tourney draw ever made sense?! We may just go out and hit then flip a coin for the score!

    I am looking to make a little noise in the doubles draw and in the singles draw I will be rooting for Forrest. If he is playing anything like he played in Waco, he is untouchable at Tyler. It should be a fun couple of days and hopefully I will remember how to put away volleys this week unlike last week.

    Trae B

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  18. Run Forrest run. Until he loses again, you have to assume he's the favorite.

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  19. My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

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  20. By the way, who was the last guy to beat Forrest?

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  21. Interesting early match-ups.
    3.5 level. Middleton-Ivy, Bert-Wisdom, Moore-Grider an ugly match,Blackburn-Ratcliffe.
    4.0 level. Hatcher-Marcus, Gonzalez-Gatons.
    4.5 level. Noel-Goldberg.
    Not much else exiting till later rounds!!!

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  22. My ears were burning with all of this talk about me. I am so flattered to have all of these anonymous "fans" watching me play all the time and commenting on how they think I will do. Glad you have me in the round of 16 already playing Forrest but I like to take it one match at a time.

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  23. Theres an HP singles guy that is very underated. Careful of dreskin.

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  24. blumberg is so hot right now..

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  25. why do people keep talking about Marcus???Gotta be a lifetime thing

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  26. who is trae bowman? only good player i know is kyle bowman

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  27. There will be no Noel-Goldberg first round matchup unfortunately. I have too many things going on and shouldn't have signed up. In fact, this might be my last year for tournaments. I'm having a hard time finding the advantage of playing a tournament as opposed to working and making money. Maybe I will play 5.0 so I won't ever have to start until Saturday, but that makes even less sense to drive for an almost guaranteed loss.
    As John Sisk always tell me, I can find somebody to beat me in Dallas I don't need to drive 100+ miles. Plus the team tennis atmosphere is a lot more fun and less taxing on your body. After a tournament I feel like I've gone through a torture rack.

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  28. Man I'm glad somebody said it,
    I thought I was he only person here that had a job that required me to show up at work on Fridays.

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  29. In the 4.0 Doubles O.J. Garza and James Zepeda from San Antonio will be a very tough team. They should meet Voss/Newman inthe semi-finals and give them a tough match.

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  30. Corey,

    You are right about it being tough taking off fridays for the USTA tournaments. I have always felt that the tournaments should begin on Saturday and carry over to Monday if the draw size warrents a three day tournament. That way less players would have to take off work. The only people who would need to take off on Monday would be the semi-finalist and finalist. I think if most players are realistic they should have a good idea whether they could make it to the semi-finals of a Major Zone.

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  31. I think starting on Fridays are fine, but the first matches should be at 5:00pm. This way a tournament in Waco or Tyler requires you only missing half a day if you need to drive 2 hours to get to the tournament site. The seeded players wouldn't play in most instances until Saturday.

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  32. That's true for Dallas players for those tournaments, but not if you were to play San Antonio, Houston or Corpus Christi.

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  33. I hear you Corey, good luck with the car.

    I can't imagine travelling to play tennis other than for team sectionals.

    Maybe later in life but unfortunately my job doesn't give me that time and soon my Fridays and weekends may be less tennis oriented if I start teaching.

    Still planning on being the best 3.5 in 2026 at the tourney level.

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  34. welcome Adam. Got to see you play a little v. Kyle and I know you all have played again since then. He had nothing but good things to say about your game and I saw some good stuff as well.

    You are right in tourneys and even in league it is best not to look too far ahead.

    i am huge Lakers fan so I have learned that lesson as a fan as well.

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  35. Dark Horse in the 3.5 division...PEDRO RUIZ!! He's a grinder, and a tough player. Keep your eye on him.

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  36. Another good team in 4.0 doubles draw is Collinsworth and Glaze. They are ex 4.5's and good players.

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  37. Doug,

    You're right, Collinsworth/Glaze vs. Voss/Newman should be agood match. They are both senior players, not overpowering but very consistent and smart.

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  38. I've always thought the same about tournaments starting on Saturdays and ending on Mondays. I guess they feel like it is easier for people to get off work on Fridays. They could easily schedule the tournaments around holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc. and you would have 10 percent of players missing work instead of 80 percent.

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  39. The problem with wrapping up on Monday is you don't know if you need a day off work until Sunday.

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  40. Most players would know as soon as they sent in their entry that they wouldn't need to take off on Monday. Those that have a doubt could take Monday off and use it for a rest day, or a day to get other things done. Some players probably have the option of tentitively taking off Monday, but able to come into work and not lose the day if they didn't use it. I know everyone's situation is different, but I still think the Sat-Mon tournaments would effect less players and most players would not have to use vaction or sick days to play tournaments.

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  41. A team to watch out for in 4.5 will be McCallum/Vernon.
    McCallum is a very crafty player and Vernon is a strong player from SE Texas. Romerhaus/Hopper should be in the finals from the Top Half. Luedtke/Rivera are a solid team but I think will lose first match against McCallum/Vernon.
    As for the scheduling, it sucks that you're forced to drive in early Friday to play one match and then not play for basically 24 hrs, just plain dumb.

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  42. Yeah, I don't understand why everyone has to play early in the morning on Friday. A 5:00/8:00 combo would work if 2 matches had to be played. Is it max 2 singles matches in a 24 hour period? Maybe that's the reason.

    Long as I'm not having to play in the middle of the day, I won't complain too much though.

    Looking forward to my first MZ.

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  43. There is no 2 singles player max in a 24 hour period. If that were true I would need to find the tournament director in Waco that had players playing 3 singles and 2 doubles matches in a single day.

    I would start Friday afternoon and have a singles round at 5:00 and a doubles round at 8:00.

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  44. Poster from 11:54 pm on 6/16, where does your info come from? This Pedro Ruiz, that you spoke of, has no league info and not much on him from tournament play, so let's get a bit of a scouting report.

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  45. COREY,
    I WAS SPEAKING OF MYSELF,NOT YOU!!
    J.SISK

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  46. In reference to Pedro Ruiz(3.5s), I know him well, and I want him to do well, so I dont want to give TOO much information on him so that no one goes into a match knowing too much about him...but, he's a newcomer to playing adult tournaments, fairly new to tennis all together(been playin tennis a couple of years), he's a soccer player turned tennis player if you will, and if he is on, he will be a tough match for ANYONE in the current 3.5 draw. He's tall, good athlete, and will definitely give fits with how many balls he gets back and how well he adjusts to different games.

    He has only played in one 3.5 tournament thus far, and his loss was to Scott Alpard, who I believe won the Gallery Furniture Major without dropping a set. Pedro was up and in control in the 1st set by a score of(4-2), but mental breakdowns are his worst enemy and in that match, led to a loss.

    He can hang with anyone in 3.5. It will be a matter of how well he adjusts to different styles and if he can maintain his composure if things start getting rough.

    Very interested in how he will handle it and I will be watching closely. Good luck to Pedro and everyone else in Tyler.

    Mental lapses and all, Pedro is my pick to win the 3.5 at Tyler.

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  47. Welcome to the board Pedro - in the future please don't write about yourself in the 3rd person.

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  48. Ha ha...that was not Pedro posting. He does not even know about these message boards. He's just a kid, just turned 19, worked very closely with him, and I have encouraged him to play these adult tournaments. I just want him to do well, and have a good showing is all. Someone asked for information about him, and I provided some. You people playing mind games with yourselves, thinking that Pedro posted all of that about himself are funny. Judge for yourself in Tyler...like I said, I simply want him to do well.

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  49. Greetings everyone! I just figured out how to post under my google account, so I will do so now so folks dont think its Pedro posting.

    Anyhow, I am the one who posted about Pedro Ruiz. He's a kid who played at the school I work at, and I have encouraged him to play adult tournaments now that he's done with school, and that pretty much sums up my knowledge about him.

    I play with him almost everyday, so I know what kinda game he has, and I follow his results pretty closely.

    Didn't mean to stir anyone up about providing information about him. I gave my opinion on how I think he would do in 3.5. Someone asked to provide more information, so I did. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Again...good luck to everyone in Tyler!

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  50. Interesting - are you Ismael Dutchover?

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  51. Yup...its me Ismael. I've always taken interest in what Dallas folks have to say, and have met many great people from playing tennis, so I like to read these boards from time to time. Just never had contributed to the discussion up until now.

    This one player im speaking about is a kid I coached at the school I work at, so...I take special interest in him or any kid I work with for that matter.

    There's also another David Martinez who will be going down with us to Tyler as well, playing 3.5 singles. He needs some more work, but I think he might be in many matches he plays.

    Both players have only played a couple of years, but they like the game a lot, and I simply want to encourage them to continue playing after high school.

    These tournaments provide them that opportunity.

    Ismael

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  52. oops...forgot I am able to post under my google name. Anyway, they are some good kids who want to continue playing tennis.

    Ismael

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  53. Welcome Ismael,
    Congrats to doing so well in 4.0 this year.

    I'll see you down in Tyler.

    Jonathan

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  54. Welcome to the board Ismael. You should do well in Tyler, and as I already mentioned you have some great matches coming your way this weekend.

    Load up on the beverages and hydrate as it should be a scorcher! :)

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  55. Does Corry Walker have a shot in the 4.5 singles draw, he is a tough player

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  56. Thanks Jonathan look forward to seeing you guys there. I know I have a pretty tough draw, but looking forward to the challenge.

    Trey, thanks as well. I will definitely be hydrating and paying close attention to that all weekend long. I noticed you are not in the draw...what gives? Would have liked to get another shot! ha ha....Anyhow...was great meeting and playing you in Waco, Trey. Classy person, and great opponent!

    See everyone in Tyler!! Drive Safe!!

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  57. I wouldn't expect Corry to go that far without a favorable draw. His results have improved over the last couple of years but I think the 4.5 division is tougher this year than in any year I've played. Schumucker and Luedtke are the clear favorites in my opinion.

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  58. Ismael,

    I unfortunately had plans for this weekend, but even so after Waco I felt it would be awhile before I would play a tournament again - maybe Ft. Worth. We had a good match and frankly it took so much out of me, I wasnt the same for the rest of the 9 matches I played in Waco. Good luck, I think you should go far.

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  59. Corey,

    Schmucker withdrew from the tournament. That could open things up for Walker and Ratana. They would meet in the semi-finals Sunday morning if they both advance. Ratana could have a tough match against Jenkins.

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  60. Very interesting that Greg Schmucker withdrew from the tournament (4.5 singles). Mark Jenkins also withdrew. I thought the match between Mark Jenkins and Ken Ratana would be a good one. Looks like Ken Ratana will definitely make it to the semifinals.

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  61. In just scanning the 4.5 doubles draw, I noticed that Hai Nguyen is in the draw.

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  62. John,

    Mark Jenkins hasn't pulled out of the tournaemt. He received a default from his first round opponent. Hai Nyguen will not have a problem playing 4.5 doubles with Phy Pham. McCallum is a very good doubles player. I'm not familier with his partner. THat should be a very good match.

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  63. McCallum's doubles partner, Jacob Vernon, is much better than he is. I suspect they will meet Patton/Gonzalez in the final.

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  64. Thanks, for the status on Mark Jenkins. I’m planning on playing some doubles with him this evening and I was going to give him some shit. I came into the office this morning at 4:00 am to try and get a bunch of stuff done, so that I can cut out early tomorrow to head over to Tyler. It was a little too early for me to be looking at the tournament draws and blog.

    I was surprise to see that Hai Nguyen was in the 4.5 doubles bracket. While I was scanning the 4.0 doubles bracket, I was looking for his name. When I didn’t see his name, I was wondering why he didn’t sign up. I heard a couple weeks ago that he was sitting on the bench (Team Tennis). In Waco he had a very difficult match, got dehydrated and was eliminated during the first round.

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  65. looks like Phy Pham and Hai Nguyen are going to win that Tyler Major with ease. Im picking them to win it all with no problem. Hai Nguyen's game has improve tremendously with that huge serve and returns, don't foreget about those crisp volleys and with the steady game of Phy it's going to be a breeze for them.

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  66. They "might" make it to the semis if they are lucky but no further I'm afraid.

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  67. Anonymous said...
    looks like Phy Pham and Hai Nguyen are going to win that Tyler Major with ease. Im picking them to win it all with no problem. Hai Nguyen's game has improve tremendously with that huge serve and returns, don't foreget about those crisp volleys and with the steady game of Phy it's going to be a breeze for them.

    June 19, 2008 10:34 AM

    Whomever wrote that is smoking some good stuff.

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  68. Wow! That 4.5 singles draw is really wide open, especially in the top half. I would still expect Zheng to make the final with relative ease unless an unknown player gives him trouble. I just noticed a really interesting Round of 16 match in the bottom half between Dustin Viktorin (assuming he gets by Griggs) and Jason Cooney. I believe Cooney played 5.0 last year. Whoever wins this should have a good chance to go far.

    Also, I couldn't agree more with the previous comment. How does a guy lose in the first round of 4.0 doubles and become the favorite in 4.5 dubs. I know Phy is really good but still.

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  69. cause i have a strong back, i will carry hai even if he's cramping...haha and plus...hai bets anyone 100 bucks he'll get pass the semis! who wants to bet?

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  70. Thanks for the shout out Corey. I've got my work cut out for me w/ that draw.

    I was hoping for a soft draw and kinda fly under the radar. It will be a good test for my game.

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  71. No problem. If you're looking for a 4.5 team in dallas next season, we would love to have you. I've never seen you play but your results speak for themselves.

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  72. First of all, I wish I was going to Tyler, hanging out and having Rudy's and then a burger, fries and a lemonade at Tyler Swim. Dang, maybe this is why I can't lose weight! Anyways here are my predictions...
    4.5 singles
    Give me a Zheng-Ratana semi in the top with Zheng winning (although he may lose to Trance in the qtr. - tough call)
    Then a Luedtke-Leach(I'm taking the hometown advantage over Cooney although it will be tight) semi in the bottom with Luedtke going through and then defeating Zheng in the final
    4.5 doubles
    Give me Ed and Trance to take out Patton and Henry in one semi (mostly just to make Patton angry) They then take out Luedtke and Rivera in 3 in the finals.
    4.0 Singles
    Give me a Castro-Turpen semi with Castro making his first MZ final
    Then a Forest-Gatons semi with Forest winning and then taking it all.
    4.0 Doubles
    I'm taking a flyer in the top half and saying that Freeman is going to show up for ONE MZ this year and make a semi with Morris only to lose to Newman and Voss
    On the bottom half give me a Tierney-Bell upset of the 5.0 rated doubles tandem of Brouer-Robinson because they'll be happier if I don't pick them. Tierney-Bell take the hometown karma and defeat Newman-Voss in the final
    Ok those are my picks for Tyler. Enjoy the heat boys and I'll be home loathing the fact I didn't figure a way to make it work.
    Man I'm having huge buyer's remorse on that Freeman pick. Much more likely he's taking down 3 pounds of BBQ than making it out of the first round. Oh well. I'm sure this will only prove I'm an even worse prognosticator than I am a tennis player.

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  73. Tyler 4.5 Predictions:

    Without a doubt, the bottom half of the draw is much more stacked than the top half. With that said, I think Troy Simonek will play Ken Ratana in the quarters with Ken winning and advancing to the semis.

    I think Zheng will advance to the quarters where he'll likely play Ben Hawkins. I doubt Corry will get past Trance unless he finds a way to get a considerable amount of serves back in play. Either way, I think Ben will advance over the winner of that match and then take out Zheng in the quarters (they recently played in Waco and Ben won a close match).

    I don't know who Cooney is, but I'd put my money on Dustin Viktorian to advance here. I played him earlier this year and he's really solid - former college player. I hit with Philip usually once or twice a week but I think Dustin might be a little too much for him to handle. Dustin will most likely play the winner of Leach and Warren in the quarters (could go either way - I'd bet on Leach but I think Jason might ware him down), regardless I think Dustin will advance past the winner.

    In the bottom half of the bottom draw I think Hopper will give JD a run for his money like he did last weekend at the Plano Open, but even if JD can pull out another win he'll have another tough match with Knutson, aka Fabrice Santoro. Ultimately I think JD will advance to the quarters to play Luedke with Luedke advancing to the semis to play Dustin.

    I think Ratana vs. Hawkins will be a tossup, although i'm slightly leaning towards Hawkins since he's produced slightly better results this year. Dustin vs. Luedke would probably be the most competative match of the tournament, but i'd give a marginal edge to Dustin.

    My pick is Dustin vs. Hawkins in the finals with Dustin winning the tournament.

    However, if Cooney beats Dustin in the round of 16 then I suspect either he or Luedke will win the tournament.

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  74. I'm glad to finally see some 4.5 conversation on the blog. Although I know many of the names of the 3.5s and 4.0s, it's nice to read about people I know or have played. I would love to see Chris or JD win the tournament, but neither of them have been on the top of their game this season.

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  75. Hey Corey i'll keep writing about 4.5 tournaments if you will!

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  76. 3 pounds of BBQ from Rudy's is much more important than a 1st round win...

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