Super Seniors Wrapping it up at Colonial

 Watching the super seniors play this weekend convinced me that I better get a lot better if I hope to be competitive in years to come. Despite having played the game for over 37 years, I left Colonial today thinking that some of the players I watched have forgotten more about the game than I'll ever learn. It was an experience...

55 Singles & Doubles 

No.1 Seed Joe Rasgado has been at the top of Florida’s USTA Singles rankings in multiple divisions for decades, and it looks like business as usual in 2012. Rasgado lost just 11 games in the three matches he played, including four in the semis and five in the final he claimed over unseeded Hank Ream, 6-4, 6-1.

David Vaughan & Peter Redpath easily held their No.1 seeding in the doubles semis, downing Armor Persons & Rick Stanton 6-2, 6-1. Colonial’s Steve Shortridge teamed with Mark Bearby to upend Willy Hoffman & Blake Matherly 6-3, 6-1 in the other semi. The final, featuring three local standouts, will be tomorrow (Sunday) at 1pm.

60 Singles & Doubles

Jared Florian appears to be trying to regain the form that took him to the No.3 USTA Florida ranking in the Men’s 60 Singles at the end of 2010. Florian, seeded No.1, battled No.2 Seed Bob Chappell of Orlando through three sets, claiming the singles title, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.  

Three additional players with local ties will mix it up in the 60 Doubles final tomorrow. Unseeded Steve Shreiner of Fort Myers and his partner Howard Ames of Danvers, MA, after taking out the No.1 Seeds in straight sets in the quarters, knocked off the No.3 Seeds, Michael & Charles Barnes of

Westminster, and Dunkirk, MD respectively, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 to reach the Final.

After losing just four games in the semis, fourth-seeded Terry See & Larry Gagnon of Fort Myers easily defeated No.2 Seeds George Dalphon & David Wendt of Elkton and Germantown, MD respectively, 6-2, 6-1. They will battle Steve and Howard for the Championship on Sunday at 1pm.   

65 Singles & Doubles

Larry Albritton of Lehigh clearly earned the “Iron Man Award” of the tournament, playing four singles and two doubles matches in four days, including three three-setters in three of his four singles matches.  After winning 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 in the quarters, Larry who was seeded 2^nd, took his semifinal match 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 over Timm Rinehart of Englewood on Friday. He then played and won his quarterfinal doubles match 7-5, 6-3 with partner Mike Melnik of Bonita Springs. Larry gave eventual Singles Champion, Don Long of Fairport, NY, all he could handle in the final, losing 6-3, 3-6, 2-6.  

Continuing the trend of local success, unseeded Joseph

MacAleer of Bonita Springs & Greg “Spike” Gonzales of Naples stymied the No.1 Seeds, Richard Ferguson of Sarasota & Bill Plummer of University Park in the semis, taking them down 5-7, 6-2, 7-5. Joe and Spike will play John Moore of Naples and Rich Schultz of Eagan, MN in the final tomorrow.

70 Singles & Doubles

No.1 Seed, Fred Drilling of

Estero, didn’t drop a set in his four singles matches, but was tested in the first set of the final, beating Clive Kileff of Signal Mountain, TN, 7-5, 6-1. Fred then played a thriller in the doubles semifinal, when he and partner Kelly Hall of Dallas, TX fell to third-seeded Matt Davie of Naples & Bob Dilworth of Harwich Port, MA, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4. Davie and Dilworth will face Clive and Graham Primrose of Melbourne, FL in the final on Sunday.   

75 Singles & Doubles

In singles, after not being seriously challenged in his first three matches, top-seeded Gordon Hammes of Naples was finally tested in the Final against second-seeded Jim Curry of Waco, TX. As promised in the previous update, this match was a true contest, with Hammes emerging victorious, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. No Southwest Floridians were factors in the doubles.

80 Singles & Doubles

No.2 Seed, Neil McDonald of Naples, edged unseeded George Boyce of Lincoln, RI in the thrilling singles final, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. McDonald added insult to injury when he later partnered with Kenneth Sinclair, also of Naples, in the doubles final against Boyce and his partner, Richard Morse of Hingham, MA. McDonald & Sinclair took the Championship, 6-3, 6-1.

If you get a chance to check out the remaining doubles finals on tap for Sunday, you shouldn't be disappointed.  Game, set, match...T A