FROM THE TENNIS CLUB SPORTS DESK
DATELINE: 10/17/2013
* Last Night's Matches-
* Zingers & Entreaties Rebuffed-
* Fun Facts-
The Tennis Club was at overflow capacity last night. The upper deck railing was shoulder to shoulder with dozens milling around behind trying to secure a view. The food was incredible… the bratwurst Man-wiches (the Sports Desk refuses to deem them mere “sausages on a roll”) drew audible gasps. Great to see so many people out enjoying the company, the drinks, the foods...and yes... the tennis!
A quick tip of the Sports Desk’s fedora to Tournament Director Armendariz and the many Club volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make this a special event. The Sports Desk follows that gesture with a shot of Corn Whiskey out of respect and gratitude because it is the right thing to do.
Now onto last night’s matches…
We’ll begin with a heartwarming 6-0, 6-1 Woman’s B match. Norma Cruz and Barb Robbins took down Emma Miller and Cindy Clearwater much as expected. Cruz & Robbins will be a tough out in the tournament. But also of interest is the fact that this was the first time that Miller & Clearwater played in a tournament. It takes guts to get out there in front of friends and strangers and these gals acquitted themselves well. The victory celebration after winning a game off seasoned veterans in the second set was priceless. We haven't seen dancing like that since Carlos decided to show off his dance skills in the Club house. The Sports Desk swipes someone’s half-consumed Manhattan off the bar and downs it in happy acknowledgement to small victories.
In the other Woman’s B match of the evening, Sharon Quinn and Brenda Sinfield beat Pat Worede and Greeba Richmond 6-4, 6-2. Pat and Sharon at the net, Greeba and Brenda from the baseline. Greeba, visiting from St. John, had not dropped a single game in any of her previous matches, but she and Pat came face to face with a strong team. A solid result for Quinn and Sinfield who seem to be peaking at the right time.
In Men’s B Singles, newcomer Elmer Alquiero beats Hakeem Logie, 6-4, 6-4. Logie was flying all over the court and is an imposing figure out there, not unlike the sum total of the Sports Desk’s many unpaid bar tabs around island. But facing a guy that looks like LeBron James with a tennis racquet in hand couldn’t unnerve the unflappable Mr. Alquiero. Time and time again, Alquiero successfully passed or lobbed the hard-charging Logie in a tight contest. Congrats, Elmer the newcomer!
In Mens A Doubles, Junior Bannis and Alexis Camarena defeat Jay Craft and Steve Wagner 6-3, 6-2. The big lefty shot-makers played nearly flawless tennis. They will be a handful in this tournament if they keep up that level of play. This was Wagner’s first tournament on island and similar to the first time the Sports Desk saw then rookie Stan Musial walk out on a bar tab, it has the collective feeling that this player is something special.
Another Men's A doubles match was Jason Miller and Julian DiPersio outlasting Alec Kuipers and Jordan Lawrence 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The quality on display was incredibly high all the way through, somewhat like the Sports Desk’s columns back in the Eisenhower Administration when it actually gave a collective damn. The future of St Croix tennis was on display last night and the juniors put on quite a show. Shots seen: DiPersio’s swinging half-volley backhand behind the baseline down the line for a clean winner; Lawrence turning on a big forehand return from DiPersio and ripping it around the post for a point; Kuipers taking five monster shots from Miller further and further off the court and lashing them all back, eventually forcing an error. But the story of the night wasn’t the junior players—rather, it could be found in old man Miller’s redemption after his crushing singles loss to Kuipers earlier in the week. Miller elevated his play in a tough three-setter and came through big on many clutch points. Afterwards, he collapsed into a disgusting, sweaty heap on the Club porch and may need a Heineken IV to make it to the next match. Actually, Miller is always a disgusting sweaty heap but he deserves a Heineken after withstanding the abuse of the juniors. So you might buy him a beer sometime. Just keep a towel handy.
What ended up being the match of the night was the Men’s 50 and over battle with Larry Morris and Stan Vanesse beating Dominique Durand and Bill Bowles 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. This was a highly entertaining match that could have easily gone either way. The late night crowd was energized by the gutsy performance by Bill and Dominique. Always forcing Team Bumblebee (their moniker for the evening) to hit JUST ONE MORE BALL, Bill and Dominique drew out each point with retrieval after retrieval. After dropping the second set the crowd was wondering if Morris/Vanesse were honeybees or killer bees. But they came back in a spirited third set. The crowd was loud...and I do mean LOUD with screams and cheers coming after each and every point. A gutty performance by Morris & Vanesse against a talented team. Kudos as well to both these team who double entered in Men's 50 and Men's B Doubles. We bet Jason Miller couldn't do that.
Zingers & Entreaties Rebuffed!
The Set-up: Infamous Club villain and general island heel, Jay Craft, has been trying to reconcile with his estranged mixed doubles partner, Sherry Mansfield, ever since their devastating loss on Saturday night. The unsinkable Ms. Mansfield has bounced back nicely despite Craft’s brutal on-court manners.
The Zinger: Craft, in his usual boorish manner, was tearing down other players’ choice of outfits when Mansfield swanned around a younger, more talented, and better looking version of Craft (let’s call him Alexis C. who by coincidence had crushed Craft minutes earlier in straight sets). When Craft asked Mansfield, “Baby, what are you doing here with HIM?” she calmly replied, “I only hang out with winners!”. While the Sports Desk has been collectively divorced a total of eight times, it can’t remember hearing a more apt put-down.
The Aftermath: A chastened Craft retreated to the bar where he made clumsy mixed doubles partnership offers, all of which were sensibly rejected out of hand. Even the usually non-judgmental Kenny refused to look at him.
Fun Facts!
2. "Does Dominique EVER stop talking?" "No", replied a very quiet MRS. DURAND.
3. "Mm, I love scotch. I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down. Down into my belly. Mm-mm-mm” The Sports Desk opines that this Ron Burgundy quote is in fact, a fact.
SEE EVERYONE TONIGHT! THINGS ARE HEATING UP AT THE TENNIS CLUB OF ST. CROIX!
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