Over all a great year for Texas representation in Nationals.
4.5 - Finished 3rd
4.0 - Finished 3rd
3.5 - Finished 1st
You can say what you want about Bob Bender, but this year, he got bumped up along with all of his recruits as well, and I believe he had the best showing he has ever had. Great Job Bob Bender.
A strong congratulations also has to go to Todd Feldman in 4.5 for recruiting a great team, and the Lubbock team that walked through Sectionals fairly easily also did well.
I almost hate putting this out, because a few people are going to slam the top teams, so let's just go with if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Grapevine Women's $50,000 Tennis Classic
World class USTA Pro Circuit tennis professionals will compete for $50,000 in prize money. Don't miss the great tennis action Nov. 1-7 at Hilton DFW Lakes, in Grapevine, Texas!
Qualifying rounds begin this Saturday 10/30 Come out starting at 9a..m to enjoy the world class action.
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Qualifying rounds begin this Saturday 10/30 Come out starting at 9a..m to enjoy the world class action.
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Also, The DFW Hilton has landed a WTA tour stop the week before the US Open. Hopefully they will get a big star or two.
Get Out and Support Tennis in Dallas!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fall 5.0 League update
This has been my first ever foray into 5.0 tennis and I must say it has been great fun! The level of competition and play is very high and is a great opportunity to improve your skills and for the top players to stay sharp and play great tennis!
7 of the 9 teams are in the running to win the fall with just between 2 and 4 remaining! That is incredible. You can throw a blanket over the top teams.
It is good to see some of the Branch 4.5 Nationals team competing hard and many with success (Huffman, Feldman, Akhtar, Durten, Saqueton, Viktorin, Kiron, Tuttle & James)
Village 4&1 won the spring and were just a few tie-breakers from going to nationals. I found out first hand how good these guys are this past weekend. Russo and Carona are a very tough combination and Carona’s 1st serve percentage is insanely high. Walker is an athletic and big singles player with all the strokes. The rest of their squad is obviously talented and deep.
Royal Oaks 4&1 are currently 2nd in the standings with numerous 4.5s playing up. They have depth and Collins and Gonzales seem to be their standouts.
Oak Creek 4&2 similarly have a solid team but a smaller roster headlined by Russ Patrick at singles. They went to the play-offs in the spring and can’t be underestimated.
Four Seasons 4&2 have had a good fall after a shaky spring and are lead by the wiley veteran: Alex Behar.
DFW 3&2 had a shaky first few weeks but behind Justin Huffman & Jason Kern have produced some good wins in recent weeks.
Lakes 2&2 have a thin squad but if I recall won the fall last year. Not to be ignored their 2 make-up matches could get them in the thick of things
And High Point/ Feldman are 2&3 and will need to run the table to get in serious contention but certainly have the players to do so.
Unfortunately Greenhill has been hit by injuries and inexperience but are using this as a valuable learning opportunity. A little bit of bad luck also hurt as 2 of the better players invited decided not to play at all in the fall.
Finally HP/ Nguyen….. unfortunately they never signed-up to win as a team but I think that has been covered adequately elsewhere on the this blog. Kemp and Brouer are acquitting themselves respectably and using the opportunity to improve their games. Kudos to them.
Maybe if 5.0 benefitted from more exposure and additional players, then some of the top 4.5s would be happy to play there? Maybe it needs to be expanded to 5 lines? There is not much wrong with the 5.0 league but maybe a few tweeks could improve participation and reduce motivators to stay or move back to 4.5
7 of the 9 teams are in the running to win the fall with just between 2 and 4 remaining! That is incredible. You can throw a blanket over the top teams.
It is good to see some of the Branch 4.5 Nationals team competing hard and many with success (Huffman, Feldman, Akhtar, Durten, Saqueton, Viktorin, Kiron, Tuttle & James)
Village 4&1 won the spring and were just a few tie-breakers from going to nationals. I found out first hand how good these guys are this past weekend. Russo and Carona are a very tough combination and Carona’s 1st serve percentage is insanely high. Walker is an athletic and big singles player with all the strokes. The rest of their squad is obviously talented and deep.
Royal Oaks 4&1 are currently 2nd in the standings with numerous 4.5s playing up. They have depth and Collins and Gonzales seem to be their standouts.
Oak Creek 4&2 similarly have a solid team but a smaller roster headlined by Russ Patrick at singles. They went to the play-offs in the spring and can’t be underestimated.
Four Seasons 4&2 have had a good fall after a shaky spring and are lead by the wiley veteran: Alex Behar.
DFW 3&2 had a shaky first few weeks but behind Justin Huffman & Jason Kern have produced some good wins in recent weeks.
Lakes 2&2 have a thin squad but if I recall won the fall last year. Not to be ignored their 2 make-up matches could get them in the thick of things
And High Point/ Feldman are 2&3 and will need to run the table to get in serious contention but certainly have the players to do so.
Unfortunately Greenhill has been hit by injuries and inexperience but are using this as a valuable learning opportunity. A little bit of bad luck also hurt as 2 of the better players invited decided not to play at all in the fall.
Finally HP/ Nguyen….. unfortunately they never signed-up to win as a team but I think that has been covered adequately elsewhere on the this blog. Kemp and Brouer are acquitting themselves respectably and using the opportunity to improve their games. Kudos to them.
Maybe if 5.0 benefitted from more exposure and additional players, then some of the top 4.5s would be happy to play there? Maybe it needs to be expanded to 5 lines? There is not much wrong with the 5.0 league but maybe a few tweeks could improve participation and reduce motivators to stay or move back to 4.5
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Not Afraid
I’m not afraid, to take a stand
Against the tanking, we have at hand.
We’ll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather cold or warm
Just let you know that you’re not alone
Holla if you feel that you’ve been down the same road
Now you might think you’re on to something to go and get a Title,
And that losing on purpose is so needed and so vital
For your survival to stay on level, the level you defeat so easily in which you revel
But next Season when you win, you ain’t no winner,
your nothing more than a cheating sinner, picking on beginners, you eat them for dinner
Is that really a feeling of success? You pound your chest, we’re so impressed
but in reality your distressed, depressed, your mind at unrest, you transgress.
Why do you carry such the desire to hold a plastic trophy you just gone and acquired,
You manipulate and conspire but it won’t quench the fire
The fire that burns within you, it consumes you.
It’s all so true, It’s all that you knew.
I’m not afraid, to take a stand
Against the tanking, we have at hand
We’ll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather cold or warm
Just let you know that you’re not alone
Holla if you feel that you’ve been down the same road.
So the same game goes on each year
Some cheer and revere, and some just jeer and drink their beer,
And against all fame some sit back and complain
But complaining will do you no good, you might as well go back to the hood
So misunderstood, you fight for your cause but get nowhere due to league bylaws
There is no gain, just pain so why not just refrain from the game, The game that is played
Not the one on the court, the game of cheating of a sort
So don’t fall short, you can chose to abort, and thwart off the discord and distort
There’s still hope for us to cope
But it is up to me and it is up to you
To take a stand and do what’s right
I’m not afraid, to take a stand
Against the tanking, we have at hand
We’ll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather cold or warm
Just let you know that you’re not alone
Holla if you feel that you’ve been down the same road.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
4.0 Fall Midseason Report
So after 5 weeks into the season things are taking shape rather quickly in many of the flights.
Flight A:
Lifetime and Village have a showdown in our MOW. The winner should be able to hang onto 1st place the rest of the way. I would have to go with LTF in this showdown but 4-1 or 3-2 just because Village has won their matches but some of them were rather close against so-so teams. I do see the Village holding onto 2nd place since they have already beaten Stonebriar and Springpark who most likely would be the only ones who could catch them.
Flight B:
Westlake and Garland seem to have a stronghold on the top spots in this flight, they do not showdown for 1st place until the final week of the season so in the meantime they just need to keep winning. Westlake has to be the surprise of the Fall season so far going 5-0, they do have Stonebridge and Canyon Creek before Garland so by no means pushovers but it seems like they have the winning formula so I see them losing a close one to Garland and qualifying for the playoffs in the 2nd spot. I am still perplexed by Fretz in this flight, maybe just not enough depth and I know the Eagles Landing team had a rough start but have a chance to finish strong.
Flight C:
Another flight where two teams seem to be dominating and awaiting their 11/7 showdown to decide first place in the flight. Greenhill has a strong roster of Arnette players and BMO leftovers from Sectionals and they will need the experience against Bob's new crew seems to be coming along well and stop the presses somehow Sam Huynh got appealed back to 4.0 and he left Lifetime Fitness. I guess without poolside views in October they lost their #1 recruiting tool. Bob's #1 rule, if you can't beat them, sign them up on your team. It would be interesting to see them square off in December with shuffled up roster.
Flight D:
SWAT is the only undefeated team in this flight but has three teams nipping at their heels in Gleneagles, Fretz and Lakes. We got by Gleneagles even with Lucky Thunder in the lineup (he will be rested till April now) We have the other two in the final weeks of the season. This has been a fairly good flight so far, Brookhaven had some talent and last week Canyon Creek gave us a scare as well. This weekend we have DCC who has some solid talent. I am trying to set a record for most players on a roster so if you are interested in signing up let me know. I am actually short a player this Saturday at 1:30p if you are interested. (bazan.dean@gmail.com)
Flight E:
Brookhaven Pearlman seems to have run away and hid in this flight as there are no 1 loss teams and they have gone undefeated with some strong results. I have a feeling they may earn the #1 seed just on lack of resistance down the stretch. It is a toss up for 2nd place but I will go with OC to sneak in.
Playoff outlook and midseason rankings:
1. Greenhill
2. High Point/Bob
3. Lifetime
4. Brookhaven/Pearlman
5. Garland
6. High Point/SWAT
7. Village
8. Westlake
9. Fretz/Mitchell
10. OC/Smith 1
Flight A:
Lifetime and Village have a showdown in our MOW. The winner should be able to hang onto 1st place the rest of the way. I would have to go with LTF in this showdown but 4-1 or 3-2 just because Village has won their matches but some of them were rather close against so-so teams. I do see the Village holding onto 2nd place since they have already beaten Stonebriar and Springpark who most likely would be the only ones who could catch them.
Flight B:
Westlake and Garland seem to have a stronghold on the top spots in this flight, they do not showdown for 1st place until the final week of the season so in the meantime they just need to keep winning. Westlake has to be the surprise of the Fall season so far going 5-0, they do have Stonebridge and Canyon Creek before Garland so by no means pushovers but it seems like they have the winning formula so I see them losing a close one to Garland and qualifying for the playoffs in the 2nd spot. I am still perplexed by Fretz in this flight, maybe just not enough depth and I know the Eagles Landing team had a rough start but have a chance to finish strong.
Flight C:
Another flight where two teams seem to be dominating and awaiting their 11/7 showdown to decide first place in the flight. Greenhill has a strong roster of Arnette players and BMO leftovers from Sectionals and they will need the experience against Bob's new crew seems to be coming along well and stop the presses somehow Sam Huynh got appealed back to 4.0 and he left Lifetime Fitness. I guess without poolside views in October they lost their #1 recruiting tool. Bob's #1 rule, if you can't beat them, sign them up on your team. It would be interesting to see them square off in December with shuffled up roster.
Flight D:
SWAT is the only undefeated team in this flight but has three teams nipping at their heels in Gleneagles, Fretz and Lakes. We got by Gleneagles even with Lucky Thunder in the lineup (he will be rested till April now) We have the other two in the final weeks of the season. This has been a fairly good flight so far, Brookhaven had some talent and last week Canyon Creek gave us a scare as well. This weekend we have DCC who has some solid talent. I am trying to set a record for most players on a roster so if you are interested in signing up let me know. I am actually short a player this Saturday at 1:30p if you are interested. (bazan.dean@gmail.com)
Flight E:
Brookhaven Pearlman seems to have run away and hid in this flight as there are no 1 loss teams and they have gone undefeated with some strong results. I have a feeling they may earn the #1 seed just on lack of resistance down the stretch. It is a toss up for 2nd place but I will go with OC to sneak in.
Playoff outlook and midseason rankings:
1. Greenhill
2. High Point/Bob
3. Lifetime
4. Brookhaven/Pearlman
5. Garland
6. High Point/SWAT
7. Village
8. Westlake
9. Fretz/Mitchell
10. OC/Smith 1
Friday, October 8, 2010
Nationals Posts
This is an image of Kevin Durten and Jehan Aktar warming up for their first round (compliments of USTA - Texas)
4.5 Nationals is going on this weekend, so feel free to post your comments about what's going on over there and how the boyz are doing.
Cheers,
Brian
Fall Tankers of the Week # 4
This maybe the last week for the "Fall Tanker of the Week".
I think after 4 weeks we have proved two things:
1) There are people manipulating score.
2) There are only a handful of people that are actively "Tanking"
I would estimate that there are maybe less that a dozen players manipulating scores to quickly lower their rating.
Agree?
Week #4 Tanker of the Week.
1) 5.0 High Point/Nguyen (the worst of the worst) Clint Cash mails it in - 6-1, 6-0
2) 4.5 Garland 2/Sisk - Glenn Flora/Mike Zackary lose it to the lakes 6-4,6-0
3) 4.0 Garland 2/Sisk - Zack Courtney gets "Lake'd" 6-3, 6-4
4) 3.5 Las Colinas/Morrell - Phillip Kenner, apparently Keener has been tanking for almost a whole year winning a total of 3 games in 7 matches :-0
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Teams of the Fall League 4.5
Moving past the tanking rebuttal, hear are the leading Fall teams so far. We have a lot of matches to play still, but the rest of you teams need to get it together if you want to find yourselves in the playoffs.
Flight A
The Lakes / Way
The Village / Khaing
Flight B
Royal Oaks / Rothwell
HP / Nguyen
Lifetime Fitness / Hill
Flight C
Brookhaven / Harlee
The Lakes / Weatherby
Flight C gives us the Match up of the week, with these two teams playing each other. I am picking The Lakes, only because I have some sentimental connections over there. I guess that is why I don't bet on the Cowboys from week to week. I would pick Cowboys every time.
Note: Please keep tanking comments in the Tanking section. That subject has been adequately addressed already.
On a side note, I wish I knew how to create a poll, I would love to see the tally of The Rangers v The Rays series.
Flight A
The Lakes / Way
The Village / Khaing
Flight B
Royal Oaks / Rothwell
HP / Nguyen
Lifetime Fitness / Hill
Flight C
Brookhaven / Harlee
The Lakes / Weatherby
Flight C gives us the Match up of the week, with these two teams playing each other. I am picking The Lakes, only because I have some sentimental connections over there. I guess that is why I don't bet on the Cowboys from week to week. I would pick Cowboys every time.
Note: Please keep tanking comments in the Tanking section. That subject has been adequately addressed already.
On a side note, I wish I knew how to create a poll, I would love to see the tally of The Rangers v The Rays series.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Week #3 Tankers Below the Radar
Hell, they are several teams (Corey!!) that only have 1 match entered into tennislink, what gives??
But thanks to Team High Point/Nguyen we will have a competition this week.
Week #3 Fall Tankers of the Week
Tanking??? You be the judge.
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