The big matches last night were in the 4.5 division. The Jedi Knights and Ssshhhwing finally met face to face to determine a favorite for the Division I crown. Ssshhhwing came to the table a bit shorthanded, with Peter Rothe out of town and Ward Jannuzzi playing 5.0, so taking the singles was paramount with their weakened doubles lineup.
When we see a new name and a blowout victory in his first match, eyes are opened. King Bonaay turned out to be a one hit wonder, apparently, as Chris Hunckler moved him from side to side in a one sided victory. Ryan Cooper was frustrated by veteran lefty Danny Vu yesterday, going down four and two and still winless on the season. Cooper was upset by a line call down 5-1 in the second and tried to start a fight, but cooler heads prevailed. Cooper played well at the Coke this year and was a strong singles player in 2004, beating people like Chris Garcia and Ted Phoummarath but has yet to find his form in this league season. He's still a dangerous player.
In doubles, both Coursons got the job done for the Knights, who took lines one and three, but Augusto Rodriguez and Michael Chec easily handled Andre Dafel and Lawton Park at line 2. It's good to see Dafel back on the court. He's still recovering from his injuries, but looks to be coming along quite nicely. I'm sure we'll see him and Cooper playing singles for the Knights in City Playoffs.
Round Three of the Kingwood/Hangovers battle went to Kilshaw's crew. Jimmy put the Dibuas out on the singles courts and relied on his other doubles guys to get the job done. Odion took out David Guy and Omon and Tim Green were engaged in an extremely tight match where both players were rushing to the net at every opportunity when the lights were cut off. (It's annoying that the guy behind the counter can't cut us a little slack) It was a nice change to see a true serve and volley singles match. Kingwood had already won 3 lines.
I'm not sure of the exact doubles matchups, but I believe that Hurlbert and Wright beat Bobo and Whitsett and Pekar and Armstrong took out Teague and Deluca. It came as little surpise to anyone that Red Benzon was added to the Hangover's squad, and he teamed with David Huffman to beat Raymond Santiago and Adam Paschal in a heated match filled with fist pumping and shouting. Santiago may be the only doubles player on a top 4.5 team who stays back behind his serve, but it's hard to argue with his results thus far. You see a LOT more of the serve/stay back stuff at 4.0. A LOT more.
Speaking of 4.0, the JCC Dudes are probably better than I thought. Still probably not good enough to hang with the real big boys in City Playoffs, but not a walkover by any means. Chancellor's went with their best singles players, and both of them were swatted down as David Trevas dispatched Tom Le and Jerry Johnson crushed Jerry Pham. Chancellor's will now be in a dogfight for the second playoff spot in that Division.
Pretty much everything else last night went according to form. No word yet on the 5.0 match between Lost Forest and the Met, who MAY now be the two frontrunners for the berth to Dallas.
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The JCC Dudes have a very reasonable team with a core of strong players that can hang with any top 4.0.
ReplyDeleteTheir main strength/weakness is that they play mostly indoors. If city playoffs were indoors, I'd like their chances. However, it will be a challenge for them to play multiple matches outdoors in the heat.
BTW It's Jeff Johnson, not Jerry Johnson
Yep. I can't wait to see the indoor folk out at LLTC in the July heat.
ReplyDeleteGood point veteran.
The blog is dead. Someone, please stir up something, I'm bored.
ReplyDeleteOk, How about this: USTA-Texas should implement some sort of rule to prevent the building of dynasty "all-star" teams. There should be something reasonable like a 50 mile radius from your home club to your home zip code.
ReplyDeleteI am not of the position that players should not be able to play if they are at 50+ miles, but it would take a case/case evaluation by the league coordinator to prohibit people from signing up for a team when they live 5+ hours away and only play 2 matches all season.
My argument is flawed in that it is GOOD for USTA-Texas to have strong representation at nationals. They probably wanted Red's team to win last year at 4.5 (haha what a joke, that was a strong D2 college team).
In the long run it is going to irritate/demotivate the average club player that is the bread and butter of USTA's membership for revenue. They are simply going to participate in the "club ladder" or "North Suburban Beer drinking league" or some other semi-competitive league around town.
That is just my opinion, of course I could be wrong.
USTA summer league is a joke. If you live in Dallas and your team loses you can play in the Fort Worth League. If you lose in Houston go play in Beaumont. If your from Tyler go play in Dallas for practice than form your own teams in Tyler. If your from Austin play all over the state. If you lose in Local League go to the Qualifying Tournament. If you still can't manage to get to Sectionals than just wait til you get bumped down for the next year. What a Joke...
ReplyDeleteAustin Wild will win this year in 4.5's GUARANTEED !!! This team is better than San Antonio last year!! Want to see Ringers wait til Sectionals...
ReplyDeleteRumor has it that there were about 15, 5.5 rated players last year that were dropped down to 4.5 for this year. And that several of those are on this years Austin team. Is this true? How do 5.5 players drop 1 full point in one year?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, USTA loves for people to play on multiple teams around the state. MORE REVENUE FOR THEM. Money, Money, Money. How do you think they are going to afford putting a roof on one of the stadiums in New York for future US Opens? Or to run their increasingly expanding National Junior Tennis programs? Money! They need your help by signing up for as many teams as you can afford.
ReplyDeleteThere were only 9 5.5 players bumped down to 5.0's and 4.5's. This makes the league even stronger this year. Oh well either sandbaggers or self rates or tankers or yes of course computer ratings.
ReplyDeleteIf that midget Chad Case is Austin Wilds best singles player they ain't that good.
ReplyDeleteFrom Austin, not on Austin Wild. First of all, Case is a good player, a lot better than he was a couple of years ago. Second, he isn't their best singles player, but he's playing well right now. They have a bunch of guys who got bumped down from 5.0, not from 5.5. They are very good, but it sounds like Tim Green's team is also tough and who knows what Dallas has. One thing for sure, this Austin team is not paying anybody to play and they don't have any active college players on the team, unlike a certain team last year.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense that Red was paying guys last year. Why else would 5.5 players join a 4.5 team? How pointless for everyone. Everybody associated with that team should be banned from USTA League.
ReplyDeleteWho was being paid to play last year? This is the first I've heard of it and not sure I really believe that. Don't forget, Broach played the previous year for the Jedi Knights, though he certainly didn't have to travel hundreds of miles to do so.
ReplyDeleteChad Case IS on Austin Wild. His results look very impressive. I saw him play a couple of years ago. Good player, but I thought there were a lot better players at 4.5 Sectionals that year. To me, Austin Wild looks good, but is not a lock to make it to Nationals. Branch's and Conway's teams in Dallas are always tough but don't look unbeatable either.
Kevin Durten is a big time ringer for Conway's team. Don't look for him to lose a match unless its on purpose.
ReplyDeleteDamn, how many years has Branch been bumped to 5.0 only to get back down to 4.5. I thought he was finally gone this past year...
ReplyDeleteBranch is 5.0 but captains his old 4.5 team.
ReplyDeleteWow, that guy Durten IS a ringer. Conway's team will give Austin Wild a run for their money for sure.
All this focus on the 4.5's and 5.0's what about the 4.0's. I hear that Freeman has combined teams with another Houston Team and they have alot of out of towners coming in to kick some butt. Is this a National Team he has put together.
ReplyDeleteJust watch. The team that will win probably will be from West Texas or the Valley. Nobody seems to know anything about those teams.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how strong is Tim Green's team. I see that the Kingwood Crush has defeated them two out of three matches this season. They haven't even qualified for city playoffs yet, have they?
Kingwood Crush is strong. They have the Dibua brothers who are very strong 4.5 some would say 5.0 players. They also have Tim Hurlbert a top D2 player in 2003 who is close to 5.5. They have a good chance to make it to sectionals. Tim Green is pretty strong in 4.5 as is Craig Bobo but I don't know if they can take the best lineup Kingwood can put out.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't count out the hangovers just yet. With the collapse of his 5.0 team, Red Benzon and his shady tactics have moved into 4.5. Look for him to recruit every college player and offer them whatever it takes to get them to sign up late for hangovers.
ReplyDeleteFor the person who said Red is shady and will add college players to the hangovers...its never going to happen. First of all, Red is not the captain. Ken and myself sre. Second, only one match is left in the season before playoffs. We have plenty of talent and depth on the team to make someone have to work to beat us. Also, several cities have the "radius" rule and it does not work. You only need to change your address on your USTA membership to get around it.
ReplyDeleteFreeman has a very good team that he worked his butt off to babysit and make. It will be embarrassing if he doesn't take nationals...
ReplyDeleteWell, Red wasn't captain of his 5.0 team either but people are sure talking like he was..
ReplyDeleteAll Kingwood has to do to beat the hangovers is this: Dibuas line 1 and 2 singles for the almost sure sweep. Tim Hurlbert and anybody in doubles guarantees them the third line and victory.
ReplyDeleteMan... Who-ever ask for the pot to be stirred, got their wish. Now they can sit back and smile as they see the blogs fly. Whoever threw my name in the hat, I appreciate it, but we have a lot of other strong players on our team. Also, as we figure out how to work some of our new players; Rios, Murphy, & Whitsett into our line-up, then we become deeper and stronger. Now, anonymous has stirred me a little. FYI - I sprained my first two fingers and the inside of my hand last Monday at Rice in our 5.0 Match. Although I attempted to play last Thursday against Kingwood/Hurlbert, but even on prescribed pain-killers and anti-inflammatories, I couldn't hit out on my serve or my returns. We still had our chances to win with me only at 70% of my game. So, once I'm healthy, I like my chances against anyone Kingwood or any other team who puts player(s) on the court. -And so that no one takes my statement out of context, I have the utmost respect for all of the players on the Kingwood team and their game(s), but no one has seen our, The Hangovers, best line-up yet. As we practice with our new additions over the next few weeks, we will develop a strong line-up to beat. So, for anyone to state that all Kingwood has to do is play the Dibuas in singles and put Hurlbert in with anyone in doubles is a bit over the top. Running back on the court... To be continued later.
ReplyDeleteMy 4.0 team is pretty good and I believe they can compete with most, if not all, the 4.0 teams in the state. However, with that being said, I think there are several teams out there (including some in Houston) that are just as strong as we are at any 3 lines (and that is all you need) so anything can happen.
ReplyDeleteI'll be happy "if" we qualify for Sectionals and then we'll just see what happens. Citywide will be much harder this year as the overall talent in the 4.0 divisions is stronger than last year.
I don't feel like I've had to babysit this group of guys at all. Everyone communicates real well with each other and they all practice without me pushing them. A majority of my guys compete in tournaments a couple times a month where we cheer each other on (including all other Houston-area guys in the other divisions 3.5, 4.5, etc...) and they all are self-motivated...all I had to do was pull them together.
I definately won't be embarassed if my 4.0 team does not go to and win Nationals (although, to be honest, I will be very disappointed if my 3.5 team does not do so). I have had pretty damn good 4.0 teams the past 2 years and have yet to make it to Nationals. In my opinion, both of those teams were better than the San Antonio and Waco teams that actually won 4.0 Sectionals and went on to Nationals (with Waco actually winning Nationals). Once the playoffs begin anything can happen...
Either way, this team has been a lot of fun and relatively easy to captain. We are all having a lot of fun and I hope it does not end anytime soon; hoever, if it does, we'll all survive.
With Playoffs coming up does anyone know what the format might be in the 4.0's and 4.5's seems like alot of tennis over one weekend either way.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will be very similar to last year: In 4.0 there will be two round robin groups of four teams with the winners playing for championship (both teams will make it to sectionals). In 4.5 I assume there will be two round robin groups of 3 with the winners playing for the guaranteed spot. Sue Johnson will determine whether two teams from Houston will qualify for Sectionals sometime in the near future.
ReplyDeleteDont sweat the negative comments Freeman. It's amazing what jealous people will say off the court when they can't beat you on the court. Most guys can't put together a team like you have, but you've got two, in two different levels, both of whom are already favorites at sectionals. More power to you, and good luck when you get there.
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck is Bobo playing an important league match injured? What does that say about the rest of the guys on that team and the depth?
ReplyDeleteI think it says more about Bobo than the other guys. You should have heard him blaming Burkhardt after he lost to us the first time.
ReplyDeleteTim Hurlbert here. First off, love the discussions going on...good stuff. In looking at the previous posts, I feel as though while I don't need to defend myself, I'm a little bored, so what the hell.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I did play D-2 tennis a few years ago and was "average" at best. In my 4 years I definately lost more matches than I won and played for a "powerhouse" of a team that doesn't even exist anymore! So, while saying I was a top D-2 player is easy on the ears, it's hardly true. The team didn't make cuts and anybody could have played - Not exactly a Stanford. And scholarships? What are those? I guess if $500 bucks a year counts, then yep I was a "scholarship" player.
Secondly and more importantly, I played last year and the computer spit me out as a 4.5 again - and rightly so. Green and I were pretty much killed at Sectionals and in the regular season I lost at least 1 singles match and possibly 2.
I've only played doubles this year and we've had some close matches - won 10-8 in the third set tiebreaker against Green and Huffman. Winning 0 and 0 every time is one thing, but close competitive matches is another. Hell, Glen and I won 6-4 7-5 to Bobo and his sprained hand. Pretty impressive!
Calm down about the ringer comments. Who knew a million bucks was at stake?
The Citywide format for 4.5s is on the HTA site...along with 3.5 and 4.0.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.houstontennis.org/Content-Public/Page-Edit/Page.asp?iID=-583252329
4.5 Men - 6 Teams - Round Robin with 3 teams; Winners of RR play Finals
Winner & 2nd place teams from each division:
Round Robin I will be Winners from Divisions 4.5 I & 4.5 III
and 2nd place team from Division 4.5 II
Round Robin II will be Winner from Division 4.5 II and 2nd place teams from Divisions 4.5 I & 4.5 III
Thursday 7:00 PM*:
RR # I: 4.5 III Winner vs 4.5 II 2nd;
RR # II: 4.5 I 2nd vs 4.5 III 2nd.
*Four teams will play Thursday evening 7:00 PM - 2 courts for line # 1 and line # 2 singles. Line # 1 Doubles, # 2 Doubles and # 3 Doubles will play as courts become available. All doubles lines are requested to be at LLTC by 8:15 PM on Thursday evening.
Saturday 4:00 PM:
RR # I: 4.5 I Winner vs 4.5 II 2nd;
RR # II: 4.5 II Winner vs 4.5 I 2nd.
Sunday 8:30 AM:
RR # I: 4.5 I Winner vs 4.5 III Winner;
RR # II: 4.5 II Winner vs 4.5 III 2nd.
Sunday 1:00 PM Finals: Winners RR # I vs RR # II
OK Hurlbert is self-certified 4.5 and NTRP-rated 4.5. End of story.
ReplyDeleteNext?
Wow! It's easy to make such bold comments and accusations when you remain "anonymous". I am not opposed to people making such bold comments like this; -as I have stated in a previous reply, that's what makes sports and blogs like this more fun and interesting. However, I would be more impressed if "anonymous" was bold enough to reveal their name to me and the rest of us. As stated previously on this post, I respect all of Kingwood's players. Some of their team comes to my Tuesday Night Drills and they are a good group of guys, and competitors just like all of us. I'm a little disappointed that someone would take my frustrations out of context from a conversation that I had with another pro regarding the 8 out of 9 (3-3 All) points Ken B and lost in a 6-4, 6-4 match that we lost to Hurlburt/Pekar;- who are a dam good team. To answer "anonymous's" question, a competitor always wants to play, and I thought I would get some adrenaline going and be ok... In hindsight, I should have pulled myself out of the line-up. I'd rather apologize for being a competitor, and for getting a little frustrated about two losses this season to good player like Tim, than hiding behind a computer (anonymous) attacking others.
ReplyDeleteTim Hurlburt is a great addition to the league, and one of the classiest one's on the court in our league too. As he stated previosuly, he and Tim Green took some losses at Sectionals. We should want our league to be very competitive in order to send a team that will represent us well at sectionals. So, stop haggling Tim and a few others about their rating. Put your helmet on, and get in the game. Go out and enjoy competing against them!!
ReplyDeletethat austin 4.5 team is a good team , but you got to be crazy to think that it can beat last year's National champs
ReplyDeleteSomeone had mentioned Sugar Creek being a very week team, guess what? for the past couple of years other team had added and recruited players to beat this team just to fall short every season, Rothe's team are actually lucky that they are not in their division this summer because his team was always in Sugar creeks shadow no matter how heavily he recruited just to beat this team, THE TITANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A VERY SOLID TEAM AND A WELL PUT TOGETHER TEAM THANKS TO CAPT. DOUDS, HAVING THE SAME ROSTER EVERY SEASON,HMMMMM WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THEY RECRUIT SOME RINGERS LIKE THIS OTHER TEAMS? THIS IS WHAT WE CALL A TRUE 4.5 TEAM AND NO ONE OUT THERE CAN SAY THAT THEY HAVE A SAND BAGGER ON THIS ROSTER. LOOK OUT FOR THIS TEAM TO COME OUT STRONG IN THIS YEARS CITY PLAYOFF
ReplyDelete