A couple of important matchups that will have a big impact on the playoff picture this week. Use this space to post results and potential playoff implications of the Sunday matches.
Greenhill v. Brookhaven is the battle between the two teams with the best record, winner takes clear position in first place and the loser goes on life support for playoffs.
Royal Oaks faces T Bar in what looks like an elimination match for the loser. Royal Oaks could conceivably get in with a loss here but T Bar is definitely gone if they lose. Also, one of T bar's singles players is still in the Tyler tournament so that can't help their chances.
I'd expect for RO to have their best guys in the lineup also. We should be able to see how good their newer players really are.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to see a Gene Davis v. Joey Molina matchup.
ReplyDeleteWho is this Andre guy thats all over the 4.0 board? Is he any good?
ReplyDeleteNo idea. My guess is that he will not be playing much for HP if they make the playoffs. If he were on another team he could be in the top 8. Based on his results I really don't see how he got DQ'ed anyway. How do you get DQ'ed after winning a third-set tiebreak?
ReplyDeleteIt may be back to Branch and James in singles for this one.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Brookhaven added a ringer just in time to make their playoff run.
ReplyDeleteMAJOR LEAGUE /MINOR LEAGUE
ReplyDeletetoo bad so many of the best teams are in flight a. at least one strong team will not make the DCC while a few weak sisters from flight b will sneak in.
nancys team has certainly benefited from playing in the minor league.
If or until the process is changed, nothing can be done about it. Teams just have to live with the seedings and luck of the draw.
ReplyDeleteNo Dallas-area players remain in the 4.5 main draws in Tyler. No one advanced past the quarters.
ReplyDeleteIf you realize you may not be able to play all your matches, don't bother entering. Another local player defaults a match for dubious reasons. At least he could've done it before his first consolation match since he knew he wouldn't play if he continued to advance.
Joey would rock Gene.
ReplyDeleteA better matchup would be Andrus against James. Hope they match up.
What are you smoking Corey? Royal Oaks plays TBar this week. It's an elimination match. RO should win 4-1.
ReplyDeleteMy fault. Too much time in the sun in Tyler yesterday.
ReplyDeleteFor the anonymous jackass who knows nothing about tournament tennis, half of the players in the 4.5 draw default consolation in every major zone because it isn't worth s**t. How can you fault somebody for defaulting an individual match for the benefit of their team, whether you're talking about Ben, myself, or whomever.
ReplyDeleteNot only that, Ben played his consolation semifinal match, and won, but decided to let his opponent advance to the finals so he could be back to play his two team matches on Sunday.
Is the Ratana team for guys who want to get back to 4.0? And for guys who are 4.0 to stay there?
ReplyDeleteIf consolation isn't worth it, why play any consolation matches? Regardless, nowhere for this tournament does it say that consolation is optional.
ReplyDeleteDefaulting isn't fair to your future or past opponents. If you can't be bothered to play a main draw or consolation match that you're obligated to play, don't enter. To then indicate to the tournament director that not being able to play is due to an emergency, illness, or injury is a bit disingenuous.
Some players don't tell the tournament director in advance and just don't show up. It must be especially maddening to their opponent especially if they're coming in from out of town to play.
Leave Ratana and his team alone. They're just trying to compete like everyone else.
ReplyDeleteNo-showing and defaulting are two different things. Neither Ben or me no-showed, nor did we tell the site director it was because of illness or injury. He didn't ask for a reason and we didn't give one. And for the record, my opponent was happy to receive the default because he didn't want to drive to Tyler at 7 a.m. So it was a win-win, same with Ben's situation. The only person who got screwed was Mark Jenkins, who drove all the way to Tyler to play an 8 a.m. match and his opponent no-showed.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the fact that for every defaulted match, the tournament saves more money on balls and court fees, and the rest of the tournament can progress faster. I'm not trying to pretend I'm doing the tournament a favor by defaulting but it really is a victimless decision.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that it might be a little more selfish than you're willing to give it credit for.
ReplyDelete* It cheats someone out of playing a match that their entry fee would've given them otherwise.
* It also cheats a player out of advancing when the defaulting player later defaults to someone else. That player who lost could've continued on and faced that someone else had the defaulting player just defaulted before playing additional matches.
In my opinion, defaulting is not honoring the commitment to play that's made when a player signs up.
Of course not showing up without notifying anyone involved with the tournament is a much worse offense.
ReplyDeletePeople play tournaments for different reason. Everyone plays for the tennis, but some care more about the points. If the points are something you care about, then playing a few consolation matches and then defaulting later on down the road is acceptable - you earned the right to do that by beating your earlier opponent. If someone thinks they got cheated because someone beat them and then defaulted the next round - well they should have won the match in the first place.
ReplyDeletestop crying about consolation anon.
ReplyDeleteNobody wants to drive 2 hours for that crap
Both of your reasons do not apply in my case because my opponent didn't want to play the match either, and I didn't beat anybody before I defaulted so there was nobody that I could have let advance.
ReplyDeleteOnce again CoreDawg is full of BS!
ReplyDeletedid tbar win?
ReplyDeletedid greenhill win?
Zachary always claims injury when he loses. Greg believes he's an Open player but, in reality is a mid level 4.5. Royal Oaks won 3-2 again. Hmm. Hope Team Branch shows them this is a MAN'S league not a Super Champ 19 and under league.
ReplyDeleteAre Greg Zachary and Chris Slezak twins?
ReplyDeleteOMG Cary won a 4.5 match against real 4.5s. I just saw his head floating over Collin County like a hot air balloon next to Eddie Hill's. I am guessing one of them will start a 5.0 team soon and then take over the world soon after that.
ReplyDeleteGreenhill went down 4-1.
ReplyDeleteHigh Point won 4-1.
Huffhines won 4-1.
Royal Oaks won 3-2.
Playoff brackets are set barring a miracle. Greenhill and T Bar are on the outside looking in. High Point, Huffhines, and Royal Oaks will battle it out in the QT.
Could we have two teams not win a match this season? Collin County completely mails it in today to make it a possibility.
ReplyDeleteRatana stands a better chance of going winless.
ReplyDeleteBoth should go winless. CC plays T Bar this week. LBH faces Springpark.
ReplyDeleteTBar/Royal Oaks was fairly tight match. ROaks, HP, Huffines in the QT. RO has stronger singles, HP stronger doubles, Huffines fairly well balanced.
ReplyDeleteSomeone tell me how this result could occur? David Sands def Carl Sechen 6-0, 6-2 on 6/7/09. Are you kidding me? Injury?
Guys - Come on, don't even waste your time talking about Ratana"s team. Rantan and his team suck!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of team Ratana - isnt it interesting how the studs of 4.0 who get bumped up always suck at the next level (G. Davis is the exception).
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that Forrest Feuille is 1-4, and his only win is at line 2 singles when the other guy retired.
Gene, Hai, Jean, Pickett, Rasor, Mckinney, Takashi, and Valtierra are all doing pretty good at 4.5.
ReplyDeleteIt is a little bit easier for doubles guys to make the move up. Moving from 4.0 singles to 4.5 singles is a little bit tougher. Much more firepower and more consistency at the higher level. Getting the ball back isn't good enough.
ReplyDeleteDavis, Kern, and Jean Nguyen are all doing very well at 4.5. It's hard to treat them as 4.0 players since they were clearly out of level there.
ReplyDeleteGene, Hai, Jean, Pickett, Rasor, Mckinney, Takashi, and Valtierra should have all been bumped at to 4.5 at least two years ago.
ReplyDeleteSome of them were bumped to 4.5 two years ago and appealed down to stay at 4.0.
ReplyDeleteIts weird if you look at it though, line the top 4.0 team up against ratana's 4.5 (which is 0 fer) and i would take ratana's any day, just shows how weak 4.0 in dallas is.
ReplyDeleteRatana's team would be favored against any Dallas 4.0 team. For the 4.0 team to win they would need to stack the doubles and hope for a singles upset to squeeze out a 3-2 victory.
ReplyDeleteThe top 4.0 team would beat any 4.5 team that didn't make playoffs.
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about Kern being a good 4.5 is making me sick!! He won't make Branchs starting line up come Sectionals.
ReplyDeleteThere are several 4.5 teams not making playoffs that would beat the top 4.0 team without any question.
ReplyDeleteThere might be some doubt about the lowest teams in the standings, but I think it could be close depending on matchups. For instance, CC has a solid #1 singles player and #1 doubles team that would be tough to beat by a 4.0 team, so would just need to find one more line to wrap it up. Unfortunately for them, that's been their problem all spring.
Have you ever played Kern? You might also want to take a look at his 4.5 tournament results. Don't let the fact that he sandbagged down at 4.0 in the past impair your judgment of his game.
ReplyDeleteThe top 4.0 team would beat any 4.5 team that didn't make playoffs.
ReplyDeletePrime example of inbred intellect........
Branch's team is now 38-2 in individual matches. Has any team dominated Dallas 4.5 the way those guys have this season? Will this be their year to finally make it out of Sectionals?
ReplyDeletePrime example of inbred intellect........
ReplyDeleteAnother example of an overinflated 4.5 ego. You probably self rated at 4.5, and wouldn't even make the top 4.0 starting line up.
If players theoretically were in level, no 4.0 team should ever beat any 4.5 team.
ReplyDelete... but we all know better.
... or is it an overinflated 4.0 ego making statements about beating non-playoff 4.5 teams?
ReplyDeleteHow a 3.5, 4.0 or 4.5 does in Dallas local league has absolutely no impact on their chances of making it out of sectionals. Branch has been there many times and he knows exactly where his team stands from a sectionals perspective. They have nice doubles depth but not enough singles firepower. They should do well, as always, but come up short. There's nothing wrong with that - all but 1 4.5 team from Texas will come up short.
ReplyDeleteTake any one of the top 3 4.0 teams and build a lineup that beat's this lineup. I am not saying the 4.0 team can't beat this team, but I am saying I wouldn't wager any $$ on it as it would be very close match.
ReplyDelete1S Forrest Feuille
2S Corry Walker
1D F. Contreras/J. Carrington
2D Ken Ratana/J. Wise
3D M Jenkins/G. Ludwig
"Branch's team is now 38-2 in individual matches. Has any team dominated Dallas 4.5 the way those guys have this season? Will this be their year to finally make it out of Sectionals?"
ReplyDeleteThey'll probably be 3rd or 4th best team at Sectionals. Give Branch credit - They haven't brought in nearly the self-rated ringers (or 5.0 sandbaggers) that some other cities have done. They've built a really good team the right way. Unfortunately, that puts you at a disadvantage come Sectionals.
who are the 1 and 2 and 3 teams which will be better at sectionals. who are the favorites
ReplyDeleteIf the so-called A-league is supposedly so strong and Branch's team has completely dominated it, that might say something about how good his team is. Branch and James are awfully solid singles players, and their doubles players are excellent, so we'll see how they stack up in Sectionals play.
ReplyDeleteAustin, San Antonio will probably be the favorites at Sectionals, followed by Houston and Dallas.
ReplyDeleteNext would be FTW and probably the WC San Antonio (if they get a WC)
Will be interesting to see th Pools and see which group will be the group of death if TTA only takes 12 teams to Sectionals.
I think Houston and Austin are the Vegas favorites. The Dallas and SA representatives will always be capable of winning on a given day. The wild card(s) will be interesting this year as I'm not sure SA will get one and Torres' team of supposed ringers I think finished second.
ReplyDeleteI think the pools will be very important this year because I think there may be a little more parity this year.
This is the first time I've noticed AR Hacker didn't know what he was talking about. Too much time in Arkansas and not enough time in Texas.
ReplyDeleteAustin has a lot of the 07 National team back together. SA or Wild SA (if given - please no) should be right there. Then I'd throw Branch in there with whatever team comes out of Houston. Branch may have to sweep some doubles to take it. Some teams have ridiculous singles ringers.
ReplyDeleteFort Worth - um, not so much.
probably shakes out more like this:
ReplyDelete1) Austin #1
2) Austin #2
3) Dallas/Branch
4) Houston
5) San Antonio
You could flip/flop 3 and 4. The top two Austin teams are easily the tops in this section. Will be interesting to see if where the wild cards come from this year.
Number of wildcard teams from some of the big cities will be interesting. I'm not sure if I missed it but it appears that NOHO and the Valley don't have any 4.5 leagues this year. They usually send one team each. Could that open up a couple of extra wild card spots? I know there is still a lot of time before Sectionals but I recall that they usually have something going by this time. Anyboyd know?
ReplyDeleteI won't disagree that Austin #2 should be in the discussion.
ReplyDeleteThink I heard somewhere that wildcards will be announced 1st of July. Doesn't look like there will be many available based on # of leagues:
1 Dallas
2 Ft Worth
3 Houston
4 SA
5 Austin
6 Corpus
7 NE TX
8 SE TX
9 Waco
10 Lubbock/Abilene?
9 Cities for sure right? Not sure how that Abilene team fits in.
I think you all are all under estimating Feldman and Crown Royal Oaks. Branch is not a lock at city. It will be a great city tourney in Dallas and no team is a lock for sectionals.
ReplyDeleteBranch's team is down and those two teams are up. Forget the 5-0 Branch/Feldman score - that is irrellevant. Will be interesting to see how the new "kids" on both of the challenging teams do against Branch's "old farts".
Nice post Branch but your not fooling anyone.
ReplyDelete4.5 Sectional Rankings:
ReplyDelete1. Austin
2. Houston
3. Abilene
4. Waco
5. San Antonio
6. Dallas
7. SETX
8. NETX
It all depends on the pools. I would say the top 6 have a chance.
just speaking the facts jack. feldman's team is good and half of them just got their drivers permit. crown royal jokes add a new pro every time you turn around. the branch advvil poppin, old farts will be lucky to get out of the city alive.
ReplyDeleteAbilene team has several dominant players, but I just don't think the depth is there.
ReplyDeleteAbilene lost that Kern guy.
ReplyDeleteThey're toast...
isn't there a joke about abilene and sheep being scared. abilene is more of a football town anyway.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Branch's team is way down this year, bunch of old guys who'll be lucky to finish sectionals intact. They should just go play seniors and leave the high level tennis to all the other young teams around Dallas.
ReplyDeleteAbilene has top players from the Mcmurry University. They told Kern he was to old and slow to play for them. They got the #1 player Baumann from Mcmurry.They will try and ride him thru Sectionals.
ReplyDeleteChris Bumann is his name. Great Player.
ReplyDeleteAbilene will be very solid. They've added some quality players that will be able to compete with the top singles players to compliment some experienced doubles players. Assuming they can get everyone to Sectionals, they'll have as good a chance as any to be playing on Sunday. I'm guessing at least one of the "big" cities will be upset by this group. Their weakness will be depth but they may be young enough to overcome it.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes I am waaaay to old for this group and not nearly good enough. I'm more appropriate sitting on the bench of the Gerital group known as OC Branch. Maybe we can take our walkers out to Sectionals to watch the young kids.
How does that fat guy Trance even make that Abilene squad. I guess he just stands at the net and lets Adam C. run everything down behind him.
ReplyDeleteAbilene-Rosenquist
ReplyDeleteCan you change the name to Abilene-McMurry University.
They have the coach of McMurry on their roster as well as the #1 Chris Bumann and #2 Bryan Rainwater players for McMurry. Add to that list they have Adam Cherry(Winner of 4.5 singles and Doubles in Tyler). They also have Fort Worth's Ed Leija. They also have a new self rate from Oklahoma.
If Trance doesn't have any weddings to attend his team may be playing for a Sectional Title.
Did Kern choose the right team to play for?
Hmm - so is Ed going to play for HP or for Abilene???
ReplyDeleteFred Givhan is a solid 3.5 player.
ReplyDeleteEd's gonna play with Trance if he expects to be at Sectionals. HP has no chance of getting out of Dallas.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Ed played in the 2 matches required to qualify him on the Abilene team.
ReplyDeleteThat's ok considering nobody on the Abilene team has played a match.
ReplyDeleteHow do they get to sectionals as the only team in Abilene?
How can a player like Chris Bumann self rate as a 4.5? All Conference Player of the Year. Freshman Player of the Year. Interesting???
ReplyDeleteAny Comments CoreDawg or AR Hacker??
ReplyDeleteWhy would making all conference in some crappy D3 conference make a difference on self-rating?
ReplyDeleteMaybe the guy is way out of level, I don't know. But unless he (or the Team) has a national ranking then he can self rate at 4.5.
until red or ar chimes in about this abilene team, i am going to assume take this abilene team with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteAR/ Red - what say you. suck or no suck. it it is tennis, texas, sectionals, and predictions - nothin means nothin until red or ar says somethin. speak boy.
I know a lot of the Abilene guys and they are solid players. If Trance is one of their worst players they will be very tough to beat.
ReplyDeleteAll-Conference player of the year would be impressive at that level. I believe Kevin Durten held that title back when he was playing at a strong 5.0 level. I played #4 for UTD and maybe won 50% of my matches so if somebody is conference player of the year they are playing #1 and winning almost all of their matches.
This is why Dallas never makes it to Nationals because one team from the smaller areas has all the best players as opposed to Dallas where a lot of the strong players are separated.