As noted, the Draws are out. For what it's worth, here are my picks after a cursory glance at the draws:
M 4.0S George Hernandez
M 4.5S Steven Atherton
M 5.0S Tim Green
M 4.0D DeLaPaz/Le
M 4.5D Johnson/Swanson
M 5.0D Dibua/Dibua
Didn't want to go crazy, but I picked a couple of "upsets" for fun.
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do these players really think they have a good chance.
ReplyDelete4.5 playing open- j.bui, chavarria, s.jim, majed, mills, c.nguyen, t.nguyen, phoummarath, p.taylor
4.5 playing 5.0- r.black
4.0 playing 4.5- p.rios
- lets keep a note of these players and i bet none them will get pass the second rd. play in your respectful rating and maybe you're good enough make the semis
- phoummarath will probably quit before he loses
There are some 4.0 players playing Open as well.
ReplyDeleteMy pick to win the 4.5 is Chad Henagan or me. Looks like Rios might make it past the second round, he's in a weak part of the draw and shouldn't play anyone strong until the quarters.
ReplyDeletegloria will demolish henagan in first rd. broome will sweep rios in the first rd.
ReplyDeleteHow about that Stephen Coyle guy? I hear he has been playing a lot with Red and his friends training and getting ready to make a move. I pick Stephen Coyle to do some damage. You never know
ReplyDelete4.5 playing open-
ReplyDeletej.bui- lose 2nd rd to markes
chavarria- lose 1st rd to j.bui
s.jim- lose 1st rd to markes
majed- mills- lose 1st rd to bhakthavachalam
c.nguyen- lose 1st rd to valdez
t.nguyen- lose 1st rd to alatorre or 2nd to hudson
phoummarath- lose 2nd rd to van vuuren
p.taylor- lose 2nd rd to minavi
4.5 playing 5.0
r.black- lose 1st rd to guy
4.0 playing 4.5
p.rios- lose 1st rd to broome
Coyle is not a bad pick. Why are there so many teaching pros playing 4.5?
ReplyDelete@12:02 That's right you never know. That guy has no serve, Rios will put Broome back in the closet!
ReplyDeleteStephen Coyle? I don't think so, makes me laugh. A player that's not getting any respect is John Griffin. He's the 2 seed and his 1970's right handed version of McEnroe serve and volley tennis, has been known to make small children cry and women week in the knees!
bhakthavachalm, van vuren, and minavi are you young kids and anything can happen.
ReplyDeleteYou mean the same Stephen Coyle that Cfield self rated as a 3.5?
ReplyDeletei think that's him
ReplyDeleteWhich one of the top 2 seeds is most likely to lose in the 2nd round?
ReplyDeleteIt's wide open girls. I heard Greg Schmucker has been working out on the ball machine 10 hours a week and cycling 20 miles a day to get ready. I saw him practicing the other day and his forehand was unbelievable. He's also a sexy man and that automatically puts him up a break against half the sugar pants in the draw.
ReplyDeleteHow will some of the other 4.5 seeded players do?
ReplyDeleteHow about the 4.5 doubles?
If Morales attacks Patch's second serve and stays out of long rally's that match could be interesting. Honestly though the top seeds should make it to the quarters.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Griffins 1st match?
ReplyDeleteGriffin will win easy first round. Campbell might get 3or4 games, he should be playing 4.0
ReplyDeleteGreg SCHMUCKer? 10 hours on the ball machine? Whoa, how does ball machine help with timing, angles, change of speed, variety that a "true" 4.5 player will give you? Riding a bike is good for endurance granted but won't win the "coke" for ya riding all over town and back. Good luck to Greg but "creo que no"
ReplyDeleteGriffin is my dark horse. Even though he is a two seed, I think he is still a dark horse. He has the type of game that can win 6 matches in a row.
ReplyDeleteSorry but a 2 seed and someone who has a lot very good wins is not a dark horse, he's a favorite.
ReplyDeletegood point. I still like his chances to win it all.
ReplyDeleteKallus is lucky he didn't draw bye cuz Kallus has a losing record to him
ReplyDeleteNo seed will win the 4.5 singles draw.
ReplyDeletemaybe quack?
ReplyDeleteWhere is Dave Guy when you need him?
ReplyDeleteHe's 5.0 and not even seeded. WTH?
ReplyDeleteYeah I think the top two seeds could lose in the 3rd round. Griffin to Mario Gloria (who was in the final last year) and Patch to Quack Bui
ReplyDeleteWHo would you pick in a Patch Griffin final?
ReplyDeleteBoth are good and match tough but I would lean a little more towards John.
ReplyDeleteWhich John? Patch beat Griffin in a tough 3 setter in the Abilene final last month. I would put the odds on him to win again but it would be close. Griffin much more of a shotmaker but Patch is so fit and solid. That's what wins tournaments at the 4.5 level.
ReplyDeleteWell if I bet on John then i can't lose
ReplyDeleteHerb should do well the second quarter is by far the weakest of the four quarters.
ReplyDeletehold your horses, dont count your chickens before they hatch.
ReplyDeletepatch has a tough draw. he'll have to beat morales, merhi, and probably bui to even make it the quarters
griffin will have two easy rds, and will face gloria in the 3rd rd, whom he lost to 3,3
herb has to play john day from the titans in rd 1, who is no slouch. then he will probably face bruner, who beat omon in men's open finals in conroe.
ReplyDeleteSecond quarter weakest? Scott Foster, Matt Foster, Stephen Coyle, Greg "unbelievable forehand" Schmucker, Brian "1/2 of the Greatest Match Ever" Goldberg, and Herb Morton. That's a decent quarter. This is a good strong 4.5 singles field and look forward to many good matches.
ReplyDeleteTake off your Houston goggles, dude. Mostly journeymen who play a lot of tournaments.
ReplyDeleteMario Gloria was in the final here last year. Griffin is really good these days, but Gloria would be the favorite. Gloria I predict will come out of the bottom half.
ReplyDeleteJourneymen? Where are the pros? How myopic. If we play by actual ntrp guidelines "open" would be huge. Also, is it not logical for people to play in their city? Check out an S.A. or Dallas draw. Please tell me who is not a journeyman?
ReplyDeleteExcuse me for being supportive of my city. Last time I checked this was "houstonetennis.blogspot". I also said this is a good strong 4.5 singles field (overall) not just that quarter, and look forward to many good matches.
ReplyDeleteSleepers of the tournament are Rick Shirley and John Day
ReplyDelete. Look for both these players to get deep into the tournament.
What about Donnie Bishop?
ReplyDeletewho are a couple of the new faces that could win a match or two?
ReplyDeleteBishop will likely meet Rios in 2nd round. Both players are wild so It's a coin toss.
ReplyDeleteYou bitch's is mine!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous
This is the greatest blog! I love how gutsy it is to write about real people in a local setting. This is great tennis stuff. Love it.
ReplyDeleteIt's called trash talking and It's all in good fun Rachel. Don't be frightened.
ReplyDeleteLet me clarify my viewpoint- John Patch will DOMINATE 4.5s in record time (over 30 hourss in matchtime)
ReplyDeletePatch will lose to Quack Bui
ReplyDeletewhat about 4.5 doubles? Johnson / Swanson have been solid. Same for Baker / Rossouw. As far as unseeded teams - I pick Regent and Li to go deep.
ReplyDeleteAny interesting matchups in the first league match this week?
ReplyDeleteIn 4.5 the most interesting match up has to be between SugarCreek and Chancellors. I'm sure Chancellors will have their starting 3 Hung,James,Huy with a good supporting cast. SugarCreek will bring their depth with Simon,Cooney,Day,Marco,Douds,Carsten,Hiemstra,Herr.
ReplyDeleteI'll pick Chancellors 3-2
i would like to see who is line 2 singles for sugar creek.
ReplyDelete#2 for Sugar Creek will probably be Cooney.
ReplyDeleteGriffin could have trouble with Thomas Lowe in the 2nd round.
ReplyDelete2:59 pm post:
ReplyDeleteWhat does that mean " 1/2 of the greatest match ever" mean?
Watch out for GM Del Campo in 4.5 singles.
ReplyDeleteDel Campo has been one of the top 4.5s for several years. He could win it for sure. Also watch out for David McMullen.
ReplyDeleteBrian Goldberg played a guy (I forget his name) a few years back who kept yelling compliments during the match. Sometimes even during the point. No one knows if he was being sarcastic or super nice. What would you do if some guy was yelling compliments out during the match like "THIS IS THE GREATEST MATCH EVER" and "AWESOME SHOT" AND "I'M SO GLAD I'M APART OF THIS MATCH"? It was different to say the least.....lol
ReplyDeleteThat was Goldberg's mom.
ReplyDeleteMy sleeper pick in men's open is Dave McKinney.
ReplyDeleteAtherton? What has he ever done? Certainly no chance.
ReplyDeleteBig 4.5 1st round matches.
ReplyDeleteFoster vs Gabriel
Henegan vs Gloria
Armen A. vs Narajos
Morton vs Day
Cooney vs Leach
Foster vs Coyle
Cant wait for tennis to start.
Herb Morton not getting enough respect IMO. He was just in the finals if the corpus christi MZ and made the semis of the coke last year. He has a pretty tough draw but should come through the first couple of days.
ReplyDeleteHerb is tough but if John Day is serving well I would have to give the edge to Day in the 1st round
ReplyDeleteThose do seem like big 4.5 matches for sure. Gloria however should beat Henegan pretty routine. Most people dont know him because he's from Del Rio, but he is possibly the best player in the draw.
ReplyDeleteNone of the top 4 seeds will make it past the quarters. Guaranteed!!!
ReplyDelete#3 seed bye bye. Rios puts Broom back in the closet.
ReplyDeleteRios sweeps the Broom. Next up he beats the bishop ( and then plays Donny)
ReplyDelete4.5 playing open-
ReplyDeletej.bui- still in 2nd rd
chavarria- lost 1st rd
s.jim- lost 1st rd
majed-lost 1st rd
mills-lost 1st rd
c.nguyen- lost 1st rd
t.nguyen- lost 1st rd
phoummarath- lost 1st rd
p.taylor- lost 1st rd
4.5 playing 5.0
r.black- lost 1st rd
4.0 playing 4.5
p.rios- made it 2nd rd
only two made it to 2nd round and will lose. the one who originally post this list sure knows his stuff
Pete Rios 4.0? Why do you say that?
ReplyDeleteThe one thing all those guys have in common besides losing in the first round is HUGE egos. And games that don't match the ego.
ReplyDeleteBlack lost to D Guy- and D Guy saved 6 match points, received at least 1 code violation), and dropped 121 f bombs.
ReplyDeletethere wont be a patch vs quack match. quack lost to salis. it was a mess. quack got hooked on a ball that was clearly in, and would have had three break point, then serve out the match. all hell broke loose and the umpire had to be called in. the umpire called a foot fault on quack, on matchpoint, which was a phantom call. poor guy got robbed.
ReplyDeletegriffin out to Mario Gloria in 3 hour match
ReplyDeleteThat sucks about Quack. How did the match even get to be that close?
ReplyDeleteBTW, a "Coke" update for all of you Rios haterz.
ReplyDeleteHe's 1-1 in singles, 2-1 in doubles and currently 3-0 in mixed. His loss in doubles was 6-4 in the third against the top seeds (who looked pretty damn good).
He's not an elite 4.5 just yet, but I think that he's answered whether he has the ability to compete at 4.5.
My sleeper picks in men's 4.0.
ReplyDeleteCarlos Quijano
Quang Hoang
Don NcClure
It has been a while, but I wonder if you can tell me if this guy Quang Hoang has moved to Seattle? We played a guy by this name and he played as a 3.0 We got killed, and he was clearly a 4.0 or better. Is this the same guy? Thanks
Deletequack was whipping him the beginning of 1st and 2nd. dont know what happened, but silas is one of those guys that purposely create drama and hook you when he has a chance. he's like sarosh. the worst was the umpire trying to get quack dq'd by playing the race card. there was nothing racial said and even silas had to correct the umpire. that umpire has issues and had no reason to be close to a tennis court
ReplyDeleteThe umpire actually got thrown out of the tournament later that afternoon.
ReplyDeletetotally agree that umpire had no business out there. he's a disgrace to tennis and the biggest human form of trash for trying to play the race card. it was just a huge disagreement between two players that were trying to win, but unfortunately silas hooked quack really bad. I was watching 30 ft away and it was not even close.
ReplyDeleteAny other updates from today?
ReplyDeleteDavid Guy beat Tim Green again in the finals.
ReplyDeleteCheck it our for yourself at
ReplyDeletehttp://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=96749
H Town went 1 for 6 with his picks.
ReplyDeleteWow looks like its Hurricanes' Carlos Quijano vs Chancellors' Quang Hoang in the 4.0 finals...
ReplyDeleteHope you didn't bet the farm on my picks. LOL. I think my March Madness bracket this year had about the same success rate.
ReplyDeleteI take some consolation from the fact that Minh Hoang was one of my two "recruiting targets" in the offseason, hoping Danny Vu could lure him to our team. Those two used to have some battles in the Asian tournament years ago, and I believe Minh had the upper hand.
Phong regent-henry li lost to 1st time match up Richard perreras-robert Narajos..good match there
ReplyDeleteWas that the final?
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Carlos Quijano for winning 4.0.
ReplyDeleteWow..big win for Guy & Green beating Omon & Odion in 5.0 dubs.
Congrats to Sean Lacy and Chris Davidson for winning the 4.5 doubles. They played well all tournament long.
ReplyDeleteIs that the Minh Hoang from Conroe with the sisters that also played.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Dave Guy is the top dog in 5.0 winning singles and dubs taking out Green, Black, and Gound then the Dibuas in dubs. Congrats to the guy who threw one racket in a corner picked up and played with another then threw that one in the same corner and said "go hang out with your stupid friend."
ReplyDeleteI doubt he said it that nicely..
ReplyDeleteDavid Guy is pure entertainment on the court. My guess is that he said "go had out with your stupid f'ing friend you pos.
ReplyDeletewhat is going on with John "Restroom Break" Patch? He has been knocked out of the last two major zones by guys that you would expect him to beat rather easily.
ReplyDeleteDavid Guy is Da Man.
ReplyDeletePatch losing in the last 2 major zones is no shock at all. Patch has a good game but people are starting to catch on to how he plays. The real question I have is if Patch could compete with the elite 4.5 guys in league? Could he beat James Bui? Greg Medford? Ted Phoummarath? Ed Hess?
Just because your a top tournament player means nothing in the league scene.
Yes, it's the Minh Hoang from Conroe.
ReplyDeleteRios beat Broom big deal. Z. Butt and James Murry both beat that dude and they bothed played 4.0s.
ReplyDeleteIf Patch is one of the elite 4.5 league guys, then it's going to be a quick weekend at sectionals for Houston teams.
ReplyDeletedavid guy is a cool dude. he's on a winning streak. all respect for winning the coke, singles and doubles.
ReplyDeletejohn patch is a top 4.5 player. it's not easy winning a regular tournament, but he's won two majors. i think he can compete with the top 4.5 league players and could beat most of them.
To 9:06. Do you really think Patch could beat most of the top league players? I think Kudrick,Hess,Medford would destroy Patch. I think Bui and Phoummarath would beat Patch. Patch could probably make the Top 10 though.
ReplyDeletewhere is minh hoang these days. I used to play with him when I was in high school
ReplyDeleteSimon Jim would be Patch easily, has anyone ever really seen Jim play. HE is in a different leage than anyone that was in the 4.5 singles draw in the Coke.
ReplyDeleteminh would have killed quijano in the finals. i guess he had to work. maybe they will play in league matches.
ReplyDeletesimon jim is a joke, he skipped out on playing against james bui, because he knew he'll lose to him. patch is too consistent for simon. not even close.
ReplyDeletesimon jim lost to sarosh last year, and sarosh never could win a 4.5 major tourney.
ReplyDeleteat last year's sectional, the hurricanes lost to san antonio's team who are made up of top 4.5 tournament players.
anyone can look like a superstar on the court if their opponent sucks. so stop riding simon's jock, because he's not in the same class as patch
simon who?
ReplyDeleteHacker- how about a post with a recap on Coke results before we move on with the league season?
ReplyDeleteTournament tennis is alot different than league tennis.. For one - lights at every facility in the Houston area suck!! All leagues should be played on Saturday morning.. To win a 4.5 tournament you have to be in shape and normally win 6 matches over 3 days.. anybody can get lucky and beat a good player in a 2 set match on Thursday night with bad lights, but to beat 3-4 tough 4.5 players with 48 hours you must be in good shape - thats if your not also playing doubles.. Could you imagine how many upsets there would be in the pro level if they only played 2 out of 3 sets in the majors?? You cant compare usta league with tournament play - thats like comparing sprinters with marathon runners..
ReplyDeleteAgree with post above except that everyone knows the elite players don't usually play tournaments. Coke aside. I stopped playing tourneys years ago because it's the same players and I got tired of paying $50 plus travel to play the same people every weekend. In generaly, USTA League is actually a step above most torunaments for any given level. Do you really think Tim Green or David Guy are elite 5.0 players in league? Not - remember 2 years ago when Jason Petiers and Brian Smith almost won 5.0 Nationals. Green and Guy can't touch those two.
ReplyDeleteTaking that a step further: Green and Guy were not even elite 4.5 league players in singles. Good solid guys but not elite.
ReplyDeleteMost people have never been to Sectionals to see the level of play in comparison to tournaments. Trust me.
4.5 singles players in nationals are usually self rated open players.. the usta rating system is a joke.. they should just mix 4.5 and 5.0 together..
ReplyDeleteOld news - quit with the whining. That definitely used to be the case, however, as already noted in previous posts, the levels are more consistent across the board and there are clearly less players out of level. Even so, the best players at every level are still better than the best tournament players.
ReplyDeleteTim has won at all levels(tournaments,league§ionals)4.0,4.5 and 5.0. for years. I would say he's an elite doubles players and a high end singles player.
ReplyDeleteLast year he was 0-5 against Omon and lost to Puma 6-2, 6-2. He did beat Jason Gound. Not an elite league singles player in 4.5 but can still be number one in 5.0 tourneys.
ReplyDeleteFor the record he lost 4 times to Omon and three of those went 3 sets. At sectionals Omon lost to Travis Wagner and Tim beat Wagner in the finals. Not elite but a high end singles player.
ReplyDeleteomon was beating everyone last year, before he was injured. tim is a great player and has the record to prove it. guy is also a great player and has the record to prove it. patch is also a great player and has the record to prove it.
ReplyDeleteI am a great player and have the record to prove it.
ReplyDeleteSigned,
Chad Henegan
I just dont see Patch hanging with Simon Jim. Not that Patch isnt very good. Jim is just another level this year.
ReplyDeleteSimon who?... who is this guy?
ReplyDeleteI'm fat and I have the waist line to prove it.
ReplyDeleteSigned,
Chad Henegan
Patch should sign with Deucebags. Goldberg,Schmucker and Patch are all on the tournament scene. If they added Patch it would make things very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI am truly a top 4.5 player and have the second serve to prove it.
ReplyDeleteSigned,
Chad Henegan
Does anyone know what the rule is on a self-rated Jr player who hasn't comitted to a college yet. The situation is a Super-Champ top 20 TX player rating as a 4.5 but who has interest from 4 D1 schools and hasn't comitted yet.
ReplyDeleteduecebags need someone to play line1 singles and it does make sense that patch plays for them. simon on a another level? if he was, then he should have lead the titans last week against chancellors. everyone was waiting for the simon vs james match. james was there and played line1, but simon was a no show. that was his opportunity to showcase that he's on "another level". patch over simon anyday.
ReplyDeleteWho is the top junior? He will be a 5.5 if not a 6.0 player.
ReplyDeleteIf the junior is/was in the top 150 in the US or top 20 in the Section in 18s he must self-rate 5.5 minimum. Sounds like that's your answer. Otherwise he would fall under the Texas Section rule that says anyone who played Super Champs within the last 5 years must self-rate at 4.5 or higher. Since he self-rated before committing to a D1 school, the min 5.5 or 6.0 D1 (unranked vs. ranked) requirement isn't relevant. Documentation is here http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/General%20_%20Experienced%20Player%20Guidelines.pdf
ReplyDeleteSimon will show up to beat Sienna this week i'm sure and then he will either not show up or show up and get crushed by Taylor or Medford from JCC.
ReplyDelete