Friday, May 13, 2011

Last night's matches

I was a part of a very good match last night between Chancellor's 4.0 and the Hurricanes. The quality was fairly high for 4.0 and 4 of the 5 matches went to third set tie breakers. The only thing preventing it from being a great regular season match was an absence of true intensity. I went in prepared to dislike Chancellor's, having heard some snide comments on here, but have rarely come across a team as nice as they were, with Jeremy Ang and captain Joseph Mai at the head of the list. I truly hope the two of us make it to Sectionals, but we both have a lot of work ahead of us.

As for the match, the much-anticipated matchup between Danny Vu and Minh Hoang lived up to its billing. Not too many cheap points, and a lot of long rallies. The diminutive Hoang was very crafty and not afraid to come into the net, where he displayed some great hands. In the end, it was a match of attrition, as Minh had to retire with cramps (indoors at Chancellor's...you can imagine how grueling the points were) at 2-2 in the third set breaker. It looked very similar to the matches these two used to play over a decade ago.

Line one doubles went the Hurricanes way, but Chancellor's pulled out #2 doubles and slicer/dicer Cuong Phuoc Truong again outlasted another opponent at line 2 singles. It all came down to line 3 doubles, where Alex Montes turned on the heat at 5-5 in the third set breaker and strung together several stinging shots to earn his team a 3-2 win.

In the big 4.5 match between JCC Blast and Chancellor's 4.5, apparently there was some controversy regarding the lineups. Not being in attendance, I won't touch on who was at fault or give any specifics...I'll leave that to the commenters. Obviously, the most impressive result was Pete Taylor's shellacking of Dat Bui. Bui has received a lot of praise in these parts but has yet to truly prove he's a top 4.5 league singles player. Almost equally surprising was Medford's loss in doubles to 4.0 bumpup Tom Le and Charles Nguyen. A little bird told me earlier in the year "Medford's mobility is significantly worse than it used to be." I scoffed, but now that he seems to be relegated only to doubles and is showing some vulnerability there I wonder if I should have listened more closely.
Posted by HtownHacker at 5/13/2011 11:58:00 AM

99 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 12:41 PM

    That was a good win for Captain Joe. He put their lineup in position to win. Good job.

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  2. Your old partnerMay 13, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    Wll done Joe and a nice win. Your strategic planning is as good as ever.

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  3. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    With yesterday's rain out, I wonder how strict HTA will be in enforcing that make up matches are done within the state time limit. Otherwise, teams without a chance to make city playoffs will default at season's end and screw up the winner and wild card selection.

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  4. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 1:02 PM

    Believe it or not, most league captains and players are honorable at their core. Makeup matches always end up getting played.

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  5. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 1:05 PM

    Props to Bethuel and Gary for pulling out that line 3 win. You would think Medford would be a lock at line 2 doubles but upsets can happen. That was a big win for JCC.

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  6. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 1:06 PM

    Let's be honest, people!

    Kiser/Giordanelli
    Diep/Le
    Medford/Jacobs
    Le/Nguyen
    Benedict/Gabriel
    Nguyen/Nguyen

    Anyone who has been to 4.5 Sectionals knows that these doubles teams are at least a notch below anything up there. These two teams are not good.

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  7. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    few things that we can honestly say:
    1. rios suck
    2. james is not an elite 4.5, taylor is
    3. chancellor's did not "sweep" singles
    4. chancellor's doubles are not dominate
    5. blast's doubles are the hero of the night.

    one more word out of rios and chancellors, i'm gonna puke

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  8. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    On to the Copperfield tournament. who wins 4.0? 4.5?

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  9. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    a player not good enough to play singles on the 4.0 teams last night or the 4.5 teams last night. hell, even a scrub like rios has a chance at that shitty tournament.

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  10. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    Looks like JCC and Copperfield are the teams to beat in 4.5 right now. Would be a good city final. I'll take Copperfield 3-2 but wouldn't be surprised to see JCC find a way to get a 3rd line.

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  11. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    Giordonelli played great last night. Good thing he did not join those losers at Sienna.

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  12. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 3:26 PM

    What do you think Mike, do you agree??

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  13. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 3:53 PM

    what was the controversy with the line up between blast and chancellors?

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  14. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    same sneaky shit they always do

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  15. Mike GiordanelliMay 13, 2011 at 4:36 PM

    I agree that I played pretty well last night but all credit to my partner Erik who was especially outstanding in the second set tiebreaker. It was a fun, competetive match in a great atmosphere. Maybe not Sectional quality stuff, but pretty high quality nonetheless. Exactly what league tennis should be.

    I do not agree that the guys at Sienna are losers. I could have guessed that the team would not be very strong but I would have played on their team anyway except that I got some bad information about the makeup of the team and I did not think it would be the best situation for me personally. If I had gotten the correct information before I had committed to play for JCC, I would probably be playing for Sienna getting my butt handed to me in singles, and I would have been fine with that. I have no delusions of grandeur.

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  16. Played Mike a couple of timesMay 13, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Nice comment Mike. But why is it that you always think your balls are in and question calls so frequently?

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  17. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    I've played Mike multiple times and never had a problem with him questioning calls. Maybe you need to get your eyes checked.

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  18. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    Sienna actually has a couple of new ex-juniors who look pretty good. They're just stuck in a division with 3 good teams. At least they'll always have Sweetwater to beat up on.

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  19. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    LOL. Sienna is horrible. A bunch of 4.0 scrubs.

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  20. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    Mike called it right, the atmosphere at the match was great. The evening consisted of two appetizers, deep-fried Rios and baked Bui, followed by a brief intermission for a game of "Name that Asian"

    The main event continued with both the JCC's and Chancellor's lock lines losing (Medford and Huy Nguyen) and concluded with lots of screaming and fist pumping in a tight second set tiebreaker.

    Ir probably wasn't Sectional-level tennis, but it was very entertaining.

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  21. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 6:38 PM

    Sienna, this is 4.5 big boy league... you should all play 4.0. We are going to sweep you guys after making us drive all the way to BFE.

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  22. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    Might as well put your name down on that comment Rios everyone knows its you, maybe if you hit the gym instead of getting on the internet you would win some matches at 4.5 and lose the gut. Just saying..

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  23. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    LOL. I'm not Rios. But, if you'd like, I can pretend that I'm Pete if that gets you off.

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 8:45 PM

    I think they have chat rooms for that and this link is getting a little strange...

    ReplyDelete
  25. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 8:52 PM

    I'm a good friend of pete's and I guarantee you he does not waste his time posting on this blog. He is always gracious in defeat or if he wins his match. He is nothing but a class act and has never been cocky in any way nor does he think of himself as some kind of ringer in league tennis. Keep improving you tennis pete, you've come a long ways in the last year

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  26. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 8:54 PM

    Scott Foster will roll through Copperfield 4.5. He could run into a tough match in the finals though

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  27. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 10:18 PM

    Pete will win copperfield 4.0 and 4.5 tourney

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  28. AnonymousMay 13, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    sorry Mr. Pete Rios will win copperfield 4.0 and 4.5 tourney

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  29. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 12:24 AM

    here's the difference between foster and rios. foster came from 4.0 and has proven himself to be worthy of an elite 4.0 player. last year was his first year in 4.5 and he had successful year and i can say that he's well respected in 4.5. he just needs a few more matches and soon he will make his way to an elite 4.5 player.
    ON THE OTHER HAND
    rios think he has won a grand slam by not beating anyone. his rating is 4.0 and he should take advantage of that and really make a impact in 4.0 league and tourneys. the sad thing is he's not even top5 in 4.0 league. playing line#1 singles in an important match is way out of your skill level. you have a better chance winning at line3 doubles, so put away the ego and win for your team.
    foster vs rios is a likely semis at copperfield.

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  30. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    I vote for Rios!

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  31. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    I vote that we rename this the "Pete Rios Tennis Blog"!

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  32. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    Why does everyone get fixated on one player? I think they did that to Dan Kallus and then it was Sarosh and now Pete Rios. WTF. Who cares. People are stupid.

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  33. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    I love how if you get blogged about enough you take on one name status:

    Bono
    Cher
    Sarosh
    Red
    etc.

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  34. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Cher had a Red Bono for Sarosh.

    ReplyDelete
  35. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    Sad news today in NOHO league. Steve Wolford passed after suffering a heart attack during his match today. Thoughts and prayers to his family.

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  36. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 9:59 PM

    Damn, makes things a bit depressing. How old was he?

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  37. AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 10:48 PM

    Life is short, make the most of it. Having a heart attack playing something you love isn't the worst way to go, but his family has my sympathy.

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  38. AnonymousMay 15, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    Didn't know Steve but may he rest in peace. Condolences to his friends and family.

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  39. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 1:24 PM

    Mike you use to play for Rothe's team. Why aren't you playing for Swinggg anymore?

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  40. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    Sienna and JCC Blast play Thursday...

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  41. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 2:13 PM

    What happen to Tuan Tran? He use to play at 4.5 and now he's not even winning at a 4.0 level.

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  42. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 2:38 PM

    A lot of big egos at 4.5 might be surprised to find themselves struggling to dominate at 4.0.

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  43. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 4:20 PM

    Tuan used to be a good player but had a real bad attitude. I heard he got suspended from HTA for hitting someone

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  44. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 4:24 PM

    what? another tran hit someone. i heard alain hit someone as well

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  45. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    I'm about to hit you!

    ReplyDelete
  46. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 5:36 PM

    Scott Foster what has he done in 4.0s or 4.5s?
    Why is he so great?

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  47. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    I'll take Foster's 3-year combined 4.0 and 4.5 playoff record of 24-5 any day.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Mike GiordanelliMay 16, 2011 at 7:32 PM

    I wondered if that question was going to come up. I’m sure that people would love to hear that I had some kind of falling out with Peter but that could not be further from the truth. Even though we don’t see each other much because I have not been playing for the Ssshhhwing, or even playing that much league tennis, I still consider Peter a friend and would not hesitate to play on a team with him as captain if the situation was right for me.

    As I’m sure most of you know, my brother Vince became ill a few years ago and just barely started playing tennis a few weeks ago. After he became ill, I pretty much lost my zeal for doubles. I could never find a regular partner and develop a good chemistry with anyone on the Ssshhhwing, which was my fault. In case no one noticed, I can pretty difficult to play with and it only got worse after Vince got sick. I played with the Ssshhhwing a couple of summers ago, did not play in the fall, played with them again last spring and did not enjoy myself at all – nothing to do with my partners, just my own attitude. At that point I decided I should try to play singles but there is no call for a barely average singles player in summer league so I did not play last summer. I played singles and doubles in the fall with Sienna: loved the singles, could barely stand the doubles. Again, nothing to do with my partners, just my own attitude toward doubles. I did not play league this spring (except for mixed) and had no intention of playing this summer. I got an e-mail from Pete Rios a couple of weeks before summer season started inviting me out to hit with the JCC team. I went hoping to hit some singles with Pete or perhaps Greg Medford but ended up playing doubles and to my surprise actually enjoyed myself. They invited me out again the next week, same result, and they invited me to play on the team. I thought I would give it a try and here I am.

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  49. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 7:39 PM

    The Rock Foster is a baller. He is just gettin some confidence in 4.5 before he tears it up in those massive 5.0 draws. Why do we have a 5.0 division? The 'G' triplets are the only ones who play. Everyone should play their true level and 5.0 would blow up.

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  50. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 8:44 PM

    The "Rock" barely beat a 4.0 (Rios) this weekend at Copperfield. I think he's got a ways to go before he's tearing up 5.0.

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  51. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 10:01 PM

    Hey Mike, your old and I mean very old

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  52. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 10:28 PM

    i believe everyone knows the giordanelli brothers and they do get upset when they lose, but that's called being competitive. summer league is all about the older players making it successful year after year.

    rios you suck. a lost is a lost. you lost to foster and he beat kent, a good player from copperfield. your rating is 4.0 and you should have played 4.0 and probably wouldnt win there as well.

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  53. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 11:16 PM

    I Think Pete is a very very good player, line 1 player in Tran's mix team. Got a little whipping from an average 4.5 marco and 4.0 julie, Damn, I guess Trans big roster can't hold up with the average team. Obviously Tran thought Pete is an awesome player.

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  54. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 2:40 AM

    Careful talking smack about Tran, the short man might bash you with his racket

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  55. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 5:37 AM

    Have Red and Tuan every hooked up? I thought they played in juniors together. Forget this ntrp crap- we need a tourney based upon combined weights. Based upon some dudes I saw at the old Coke there could be a bunch of 5 bills plus teams and the tourney could be led by.....

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  56. Red's MomMay 17, 2011 at 6:27 AM

    Red is a good dude

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  57. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 6:40 AM

    I don't wanna sound racist but I really can't tell the difference between Red and Tuan

    ReplyDelete
  58. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 8:01 AM

    There is like a 100 lb difference between Tran and Red. You are a racist

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  59. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    Not only did Rios lose to an average Marco but Rios was playing with former pro, Kai Siewrattan. But to set the record straight Julie Tolbert is a very good player and if I'm not mistaken she is a 4.5 now. Seems half the city is 4.5 these days.

    Wow even she wasn't good enough to carry him. Guess only so much you can do when your partner keeps double faulting and dumping sitters into the net.

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  60. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 8:05 AM

    And as usual Lindloff is up to his usual tricks with the THS juggernaut in Katy. Last year slipping John Kim into 4.0s and this year it's HS standout Nicole Breaux who is able to rate as a 4.5 because somehow she is an 18 year old Junior and hasnt commited to a college yet. Top 25 Superchamp in the state with D1 colleges after her already.

    ReplyDelete
  61. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 8:18 AM

    Why are all female tennis players so disgusting?

    ReplyDelete
  62. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    The blog is back to normal...it's still funny to read this stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  63. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    Michael Martinez is bigger than Benzon or Tran. He is good too.

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  64. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    When you say bigger do you mean weight or waist line because I think Tran wins that bet hands down. Red is big boned so he would win the weight category.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Jenny CraigMay 17, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    Some of the women who play tennis make Red, Tran and Martinez look slim

    ReplyDelete
  66. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    Seriously, is mixed league the subject now? You're even more pathetic than I thought. Quit trying to stir the pot and leave Rios alone. Last I checked, you haven't done anything meaningful in tennis and in life.

    ReplyDelete
  67. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    Maybe we need to start a tennis/mixed martial arts biathlon for HTA. I'd own as long as we did the tennis first!

    ReplyDelete
  68. richard simmonsMay 17, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Those same women caused a lot of straight men to play for the "other team"

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  69. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 10:51 AM

    ＧＵＩＬＬＡ

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  70. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    The women that are playing league in Houston could probably out muscle the guys on the Chancellor teams

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  71. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    I heard Julie Diep benches more then Alan Tran. I also heard Alan wasnt happy about this and slammed her over the head with a tennis racquet. Real talk

    ReplyDelete
  72. Mike MartinezMay 17, 2011 at 11:57 AM

    Thanks for the kick in the balls fellas. I'm not sharing my beer with anyone anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  73. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    No worries Mike. Miller Lite: Less filling, tastes great.

    ReplyDelete
  74. david dukeMay 17, 2011 at 12:53 PM

    They only make fun of non white people on this blog

    ReplyDelete
  75. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 1:02 PM

    it's time for some more chad henagan talk. equal opportunity bashing!!!! let's make fun of januzzi too since he lost to henagan this weekend!

    nobody ever makes fun of omon, odion or hasker. reverse racism!

    ReplyDelete
  76. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 1:04 PM

    This Blog is hilarious. Keep it coming...

    ReplyDelete
  77. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    henagan, good job beating januzzi. you beat the guy that retired sarosh.

    ReplyDelete
  78. KramerMay 17, 2011 at 2:25 PM

    Who in their right mind would poke fun of Odion and Omon? Hasker....that's another story.

    ReplyDelete
  79. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 2:29 PM

    How did that fat b@stard beat Januzzi? Ward must of been injured

    ReplyDelete
  80. SerenaMay 17, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    Who would win in a wrestling match if Odion and Omon took on 2 random female tennis league players?

    ReplyDelete
  81. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 4:05 PM

    I'm sure Julie and whoever would win that one hands down.

    ReplyDelete
  82. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 8:36 PM

    Any comments on the upcoming draws at the Waco MZ tournament?
    You see any good matchups or players that can go deep?

    ReplyDelete
  83. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    Who are the favorites in mixed in Waco and for that matter the French Open?I am on a mixed doubles high right now(with assistance) and it seems like the perfect game. Man/woman/tennis balls/payback. Sorry ladies for hitting my screaming forehand at your chest but got in a huge fight last night with my wife and can't take it out on her so your the recipient. Thank god she doesn't play tennis or she would witness what an ass I make of myself every Sunday evening.

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  84. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 10:26 PM

    Who's going to win 4.5 singles in Waco?

    ReplyDelete
  85. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 12:02 AM

    How is this little girl Monty recruit playing adult league? It used to be that a child can't play with adults, especially in Mix league. How can HTA allow this?

    ReplyDelete
  86. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 4:57 AM

    Patch in 4.5, Guy in the round robin

    ReplyDelete
  87. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    She just needs to turn 19 in the calendar year.

    ReplyDelete
  88. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    sienna and jcc blast will be interesting

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  89. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    LOL!!! Name ONE legitimate 4.5 player on the Sienna roster! MAYBE those two junior kids are actual 4.5s but everyone else is an inflated 4.0.

    ReplyDelete
  90. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    Sienna is almost as bad as sweetwater. 2 worst 4.5 teams.

    ReplyDelete
  91. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 10:28 AM

    costilla will beat rios

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  92. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    2 junior kids are juniors, cant win at 4.5 also, they should have left them at 4.0 to get some experience

    ReplyDelete
  93. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    Patch will not win in Waco. Jason Wilks is my pick.

    ReplyDelete
  94. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 11:15 PM

    JCC will sweep Sienna

    ReplyDelete
  95. AnonymousMay 19, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    Of course JCC will sweep. The whole Sienna team sucks. They are all 4.0 or less players.

    ReplyDelete
  96. AnonymousMay 19, 2011 at 11:12 PM

    The Sienna junior kids just won at 4.5 vs JCC.

    ReplyDelete
  97. AnonymousMay 20, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    Beating Andrew Holher and Dale Lane is not exactly a signature win.

    ReplyDelete
  98. AnonymousMay 20, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    You are next...

    ReplyDelete
  99. AnonymousMay 24, 2011 at 10:18 PM

    Which D1 College is after Nicole Breaux?

    ReplyDelete

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