Senior Tennis and Fitness

Goal #2 Now finally, the last event of the four January Senior Grand Prix tournaments: doubles. With my partner Tom McCune re-injuring his hamstring in singles, I was paired with Mike Dahm, a dentist from Dayton, whose partner (John Berry) also injured his hamstring.

Since Tom and I have a modest national doubles ranking (and many of the top players have gone home after the first three tournaments!), we had been seeded #1 and had a first round bye on Wednesday.

On Thursday, I had my pre-op at the hospital in the morning and my new partner was still alive in the 60 singles AND, was also ‘playing down’ and had a 55 doubles match. So his THIRD match of the day was our doubles, starting at 4 p.m. against a strong team from upstate NY, Tom Long and Sam Corso (who had taken out a good team the day before of Greg McConnel and Larry Albriton, a teaching pro from Naples Bath & Tennis – where this tournament was being played).

With all that as backdrop, here then are the match highlights:

• Mike and I had never played together before, but teamed up very well and won the first set 6-3.
• We carried the momentum, with solid service returns and strong net play into the second set, taking a 3-0 lead (one break).
• Then, as frequently happens, the momentum shifted. I think my partner started getting tired after all his tennis and the other team took the net and the offense.
• They won eight consecutive games: to take the second set at 6-3; and start by breaking us in the third and holding for an 0-2 lead.
• The “crowd” of 10 chilly friends and family (and me too, I confess) thought the match was getting out of reach.
• But we were able to hold Mike’s serve, break their serve, hold my serve, and then get a break point on their next serve.
• We did not convert; so Mike served (now under the lights) at 3-3 in the third.
• That was the game of the match… with about four break points and four game points, we survived to hold that game.
• As we crossed, one of my friends said, “time to go to dinner” and I responded, “so that means we will break and hold my serve!” Which we did, to pull out a solid 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
• So my second goal for the four tournaments has been met: to get to a doubles finals.

Friday’s finals at 2 p.m. (if the rain doesn’t get here by then) will be against a solid local team of George Morton and Bob Dilworth (who Steve Feldhaus and I lost to last week at Cambier Park).