ANOTHER GREAT TOURNAMENT BY THE TENNIS TRIBE!!!

THE TRIBE NEWSLETTER

YEAR 2 – NUMBER 7

By Iron Gaucho

A THRILL TO THE VERY END

There is a saying ‘When it rains, it pours’, that can certainly be applied to Francis Demers ‘cause his serve was an absolute thunderstorm!!! We got the best match of the tournament in the final; and both the winner and the runner-up delivered a first class tennis thru out the hot afternoon. With the presence of the rest of the participants, and thousands of fans cheering for the men in the arena, we witnessed a roller coaster of emotions and outstanding shots. The best man won and a new Tennis Tribe Champion has emerged. Francis “Stefan Edberg” Demers became: “TERMINATOR”… and… rest assured, he will be back for more.

THE ROUND-ROBIN BATTLE GROUND

Saturday June 4^th 2011 was a perfect day for tennis, with lots of sunshine and a prospect of great matches. This time around, we made the draw in-situ; with all the players present (well…not all of them, Temo showed up a little bit later ;)) each player took a letter that would place him in his respective group.

Group Rafa was formed by Francis Demers, Oussama Azizi, and Lloyd Mangahas; while Group Nole contained Don Bui, Mauricio Castro and Temo Chalasani.

Francis and Oussama fired up early in the afternoon. These two players know each other pretty well. They used to play in the same league a few years back and had the chance to hit together in many occasions. The Moroccan marvel started at full steam with aggressive groundstrokes that left Francis wondering what was going on… His serve was not working and he got broken in the opening game. “Roger” was at his peak; a lethal flat service and shots to the lines were un-returnable by his opponent. Francis was being jerked all around the court for most of the first 3 or 4 games. But when Oussama was almost at the verge of 3-love, he just lost precision and surrender the initiative in the points to the Canadian that, by then, had warmed up enough and started imposing his fire power. After the break to 4-2 there was no more battle… Final Score: Francis Demers won 6-2

At the same time, Don was battling hard with Mauricio. Long exchanges towards the build-up of the point were slowly, but surely, helping Don make a break-thru in the match. As usual, the Chilean born tried to impose his heavy top spin, in a battle that reminded me of those epics between Borg and Connors, but was Don who took the best of it. Mauricio made a great effort to come back but always failed to overtake a better positioned opponent who managed the timing with his natural speed. Final Score: Don Bui won 6-2

Next match up put Oussama and Don aside and were Lloyd and Temo (he finally made it… Thank God!!), who step onto the stage.

There was no equivalence between Francis and Lloyd. Now more acclimated to the conditions of the court, and having suppressed his first match anxiety, Francis was very much in control most of the time. His serve was absolutely fantastic. Both, first and second when returned, put so much pressure on Lloyd that he could barely get his ball bounce passed the service line. Francis took advantage of that and in just a few minutes, he delivered a hard 6-0 to his rival. We have to be fair with Lloyd, it was his first match and that might have been also a factor that played in, still I doubt anyone in the group could have beaten Francis that day. He was way too, strong. Final Score: Francis Demers won 6-0

While Francis was “massacring” Lloyd, Temo could not believe his eyes when he saw this new version of Mauricio. True is, Temo kept the image of Mauricio from 2010 tournament. But Mauricio was probably the guy that showed the greatest evolution in his game in the last 12 months. With a new racquet that adds more sting to his already heavy topspin, “The Bombardier” was hungry to get back in the race. Heavy shots, great serves, and long rallies to Temo’s forehand paid big dividends to the South American player. Temo tried everything he could but at the end had to surrender to the best man on the court. Final Score: Mauricio Castro won 6-3.

Francis had finished his games in the RR and had secured his place in the final already. On the Group Nole, Don was about to do the same.

Temo was no match for Don this time. Moving better than in his first game, the deadly “Ninja” swept past Iron Man in less than 20 minutes. A well placed service and great returns put him ahead from the start. Temo realized how serious these guys were as after just 2 sets played, he’d just grabbed a couple of games. Final Score: Don Bui won 6-1.

That made Mauricio very happy as that result secured him the chance to battle for 3^rd place. His opponent… would be “Lion heart” Mangahas who defeated the Moroccan threat with unusual ease.

Oussama is a man on a personal quest. One of the most gifted players I’ve faced, Oussama still has to learn to keep focus no matter his results, fellow competitors or the score in hand. Probably still under the effect of a great start against Francis and all of the sudden finding himself battling to classify for 3^rd place, might have something to do with his lack of performance. But hey… this is some serious tennis; and let’s be honest, nobody likes going down. Lloyd capitalized on an avalanche of errors from “Roger” and used his natural speed to put the ball away on many occasions. He showed what he’s made of, coming back from a 0-6 to deliver a high note of brilliant tennis. Final Score, Lloyd Mangahas won 6-1.

 THE FINALS

Third place match would then face two guys that came back from losing their opening match. I was more inclined for Mauricio because of his experience in tournaments (don’t forget he is the current 6^th player in the Quebec rankings in +40) and this particular surface. On hard courts indoor my choice would have been the opposite.

Mauricio and Lloyd know each other as they’ve played a couple of times and had great time on court with close sets. This time Lloyd could not keep such a great performance. He had lots of trouble to return Mauricio’s serve, particularly when he added an extra kick on it. “The Bombardier” managed the rhythm of the match at will and earned the 3^rd place with a demolishing demonstration of clay court strategy. Final Score: Mauricio Castro won 6-1.

The tournament was coming to an end and that is, like any other tournament, the mother pearl of the Great Finale. Francis Demers versus Don Bui. Power versus Speed. Service versus Return. Gladiator versus Gladiator. You can’t ask for more.

Yet, these guys were able to deliver above the expectations, starting from the Final Score: 7-6, 6-7, and a Champions’ (never better use of the word) Tiebreak of 14-12.

The winner? I want to say that everyone at Mohawk Park won with such epic demonstration of stamina and good tennis.

The Champion? That was Francis Demers, the one and only.

Again the man from Beaconsfield had a slow start, Don began on the serve and Francis simply couldn’t find the range on the return and followed with a lousy 4 double faults game. The guy was in trouble, no doubt. Don was very pragmatic with his strategy, which basically consisted in not allowing his opponent to hit 2 shots in a row at the same pace and/or height. And it paid well for a while. In the first 5 games, the mighty Don made only 4 unforced errors and was in route to catch the first set. And then, only then, when it mattered the most, Francis came back to life… like a big tennis Frankenstein… His service started to find the lines, his groundstrokes became powerful and started to accumulate winner after winner. The 8^th game saw 4 deuces where Francis was able to connect 3 aces and forced 4 errors on Don, the last one with a nice cross-court backhand. 4 games all… And Don strike back with a stealth game that put Francis off-pace once more… 4-5 Don.

The following game was rated “not suitable for weak hearts” (ironically just a warm-up for the rest of the encounter) Don had it; Francis had it, again Don and finally Francis. 5-all. Terminator was shifting gears. Another epic game followed that ended on Francis hands…only to get broken by a superb backhand passing shot down the line. Don, the predator was still in the hunt.  That first tiebreak was the best I’ve seen Francis play in the last 4 or 5 years with winners from almost possible position and just one tiny mistake. In just one word: Superb.

The start of the second set was just a monologue of Frankie boy, he jumped 4-love in just a few minutes and everything seemed over for Donny. But … this is the wonder of tennis. A few doubts, maybe some nerves trying to close the match, then, “The King of Cool” lost the control of the actions. And the inner warrior in Don moved forward. And it was WAR.

This time was Don who moved up gears and forced errors on his rival with fantastic returns, smashing serves and sudden change of angles and pace. Francis was lost in translation; his service became irregular and double faulted to build on Don’s momentum. And Don didn’t failed; 4-all and the tension was on the rise.

Don broke Francis once more but his serve, now much weaker after the physical effort, put him back in the killing zone. Francis got the following game by a hair but Don, despite 2 more double faults, demonstrated he has what it takes to be a truly great of this sport. 2 Championship points saved, and a new tiebreak.

Nobody hide in the following exchanges. Both contenders were playing with everything they had. Francis earned another 2 Championship points but had to capitulate to the Tribe Wizard 9-7. Don stated: “This is to prove that weak servers can hold on these kind of matches… I’m playing for you-all guys” while pointing to a group of supporters.

Francis was frustrated to say at the very least, but didn’t want to surrender. Having agreed to play a Champions Tiebreak to 10 points, action resumed after a short 3 minutes break.

And Francis jumped to a 5-0 lead but Don regrouped and hit back to close range at 7-8. Francis forced an error on Don’s forehand to earn another Championship point (5^th). At 7-9 Don came back with one outstanding backhand and Francis helped with a weak forehand that smashed the net. 9-all. 7^th Championship point for Terminator and another error, same with the 8^th and 9^th… and 10^th…only on his 11^th Championship point, Francis “Stefan Edberg” Demers was able to capitalize on Don’s error. It took him a couple of seconds to realize he was the winner; such was his state of mind. After 221 points and more than 2h30, Final score: 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (7-9) and 14-12.

See full stats on this match:

	Francis Demers	Vs.	Don Bui
Points Played	221		221
Points Won	113		108
	51%		49%
Break Conversion	5/11		5/15
	45%		33%
Break Saved	10/15		6/11
	67%		55%
First Serve In	46%		55%
First Serve Won	63%		54%
Second Serve In	78%		76%
Second Serve Won	52%		55%
Aces	8		0
Aces Wide	7		0
Aces T	1		0
Double Faults	13		12
Return of Serves
Won on 1st Serve	46%		37%
Won on 2nd Serve	45%		48%
Ground Game Winners
Forehand	14		5
Backhand	5		4
Volley	4		2
Overhead	2		1
Lob	0		2
Drop shot	1		2
Total	26		16
Forced Errors
Forehand	23		3
Backhand	10		10
Volley	3		1
Overhead	0		0
Lob	0		0
Drop shot	0		0
Total	36		14
Unforced Errors
Forehand	47		24
Backhand	13		4
Volley	5		1
Overhead	0		1
Lob	0		1
Drop shot	0		0
Total	65		31

On top of such outstanding performance Francis also got the prize[1] for BEST SERVE with an unbeatable 221.92 km/h!!!! Congrats to TERMINATOR!! A well deserved winner and a true champion.

DINNER OF CHAMPIONS

The following evening we all went for a nice dinner of champions at Le Milsa. We shared anecdotes, plans for the future, great food, and some cariocan dance . Lots of fun and great memories. By the way, we have to practice on a routine for our next sortie… maybe some singing!!!

WHAT’S UP NEXT

I think the final frontier will be to held a 32 players draw at one point. We are still far from there, but I’m convinced it will be achievable in the future. For now, I’m thinking in a Grand Slam series, 4 tournaments, on different surfaces, hard-court indoor, clay outdoor, synthetic grass outdoor and hard-court outdoor… 4 weekends in 1 calendar year. Who is up to the challenge?

We may well introduce quallies for the new players… that would add prestige to the Tribe tournaments. We’ll see, it will depend basically on the demand.

FINAL WORDS

A big Thank you all for such a memorable tournament, great camaraderie and sportmanship. Cannot think of a better way to say goodbye to my dear Montreal. You guys are awesome. Keep playing, Tennis… is for life.

Yours,

 IRON GAUCHO

---

[1] A set of foam balls as part of an inside joke among the tribe members.

TENNIS TRIBE CHALLENGE 2011 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… TIME!!

I’m counting the hours for the beginning of the Tennis Tribe Challenge 2011. Who is going to emerge as the champion this year? Tough call, no doubt… I’m going back and forth in my mind, trying to imagine the different strategies and game plans that these guys are going to put in place when it matters. Everybody is getting ready; fine-tuning their weapons, pumping that extra pound of iron that will make the whole difference… I was way too anxious so decided to go for a walk when I saw Mauricio running up and down the Mont-Royal and throwing punches to the air in a very much Rocky Balboa fashion…. A quick tour by Jarry Park and you could have seen in astonishment the mighty Temo hitting his 1000^th forehand in a 2-to-1 training under a blasting Sun. Oussama chose the privacy of CDL and a list of sparrings that may well serve him for an ATP assault…. For the last couple of weeks, Lloyd has been mixing up drills inside and outside the court that can cut short Andy Murray’s breath; while Don is “In the Zone” blasting out partners and punishing the ball in long “only-Don-can=handle-this-pain” sessions. With the excuse of a job trip, Francis went for the European clay to tune-up his game. A friend reporter from Belgium told me that there was a secret flight to Paris to hit with a certain… Novak, on the red clay at Portes d’Auteil… 

Dude, this is becoming more serious every year…

ABOUT THE SURFACE OF PLAY

Again this year clay was king. We had Mauricio and Temo voting for the soft Har-Tru, while hard courts got only one vote from Don. The other 3 contenders were okay with any choice. Given the elected surface, the Organization Committee has chosen Penn balls for this year. The fact that the games will take place in the open requires a more “lively” ball with a slightly higher bounce.

Matches will be held at the Mohawk Park in Ville Mount-Royal, located in the corner of Vivian Ave. and Dumphries St. on Saturday June 4^th in the afternoon.

I’ve checked the place and the courts are okay, with a medium-to-large grain of gray dirt. The fact that the grain is bigger makes it retain less water, ergo, a more “loose” and faster surface. If it turns out to be windy, could be ideal conditions for short swing games.

ORDER OF PLAY AND TROPHIES

As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, the tournament will be played under two groups round robin format. Group Rafa and Group Nole will have three contenders that will play against each other; and later the second of each group will fight for 3^rd place, followed up by a Grand Finale with the two top players of each division going for the title.

We have assigned letters to each group as follows:

Group Rafa:

A, B, and C

Group Nole;

D, E, and F

At the time of the tournament, each player will randomly draw a letter and that will assign his place in the group and order of play. We expect to have 2 matches played at the same time (if possible, depending on terrain availability) in the round robin stage.

Matches will be ordered as follow (under 1 regular set – winner takes all rules)

First set of matches:

Player A vs. Player B

Player F vs. Player D

Players C and E will be waiting (if courts are available they can warm up)

Second set of matches

Player A vs. Player C

Player D vs. Player E

Players B and F will be waiting (if courts are available they can warm up)

Third set of matches

Player B vs. Player C

Player E vs. Player F

Players A and D will be waiting for group results

Results will be provided and as stated the second of each group will play for third place still under 1 regular set – winner takes all rules.

The Final between the top players of each group to the best of three will follow (if both contenders feel they can make it, of course – their choice if they want to play just one set)

Both matches will be analyzed and full stats will be published in our next, and final, newsletter.

All players will have the chance to compete for the title of “Fastest Serve 2011” 2 serves to either side (player’s choice) will be granted after each match, the fastest of the 2 will be recorded and we’ll see who ends at the top by the end of the day.

Winner, Runner-up and 3^rd Place will receive trophies from Casa Chico (imported from Ontario!!); and there will be a surprise prize for “Fastest Serve 2011” as well. You don’t want to miss that! So, no matter you win or lose, stay around until the very end!!

More updates in the days to come.

 IRON GAUCHO

TENNIS TRIBE CHALLENGE 2011

THE LAUNCHING OF THE TRIBE CHALLENGE 2011

We said last year that the Tennis Tribe would have another tournament, and the day has come…

I’m thrilled just thinking of the potential clashes that we are going to see when on June 4^th the mighty warriors step onto the courts.

Paying attention to the details to be improved since our experience last year, this time I decided to try a hybrid formula: While keeping the format of two groups for the round robin stage, this time all matches will be held to one –set, winner takes all.

Group Rafa and Group Nole will have three contenders that will play against each other in the morning. After a lunch break, tennis will resume with the second of each group battling for 3^rd place, followed up by the Grand Finale with the two top players of each division.

The idea behind the change in the scoring had to do with the intention to avoid delays and have some time to socialize with those we don’t see that often.

We are going to define where the tournament will be held in the next couple of days, depending on court availability and surface of choice.

The organization will provide again balls for all matches and trophies for Champion, Runner-up and 3^rd place.

ABOUT THE PLAYERS

We have some vets from last year war zone and some new comers, action will be bloody, hot, hot, hot!!

OUSSAMA “ROGER FEDERER” AZIZI

Is back this year, now more solid, stronger and steadier than ever before. He had shown a great evolution again this year, with renewed confidence in his game. “Roger” has a formidable first serve and heavy weaponry from the back of the court. A true wizard, the right hand Moroccan can swing the racket as a true orchestra director, with subtle changes of pace and angles that can drive crazy his opponents.  Watch out for this guy, he’s thirsty and he will take no prisoners.

MAURICIO CASTRO “THE BOMBARDIER”

Another veteran from last year’s tournament, Mauricio is a seasoned player from the southern corner of the American continent. Regaining his past form since last year, Mauricio has been a consistent challenger in the Top Gun league at CDL and won several tournaments there. He has also shown a superb performance in the Provincial Tournaments for Vets +40, staying in the 5^th or 6^th position in the ranking most of the year.

A classic clay court player, the Chilean born has recently switched racquets for a modern and lethal Head Speed (Same as current ATP Tour #2 Novak Djokovic) The new frame has added more bite to his spin and his now upgraded portfolio of shots looks and feels more dangerous. His experience in the Top Gun league will definitely serve him well in this new format.

Mauricio will step on the gas and won’t stop until he gets the winners’ trophy… be ready to leave your skin on the court if you dare to challenge him.

DON BUI “THE CHAMALEON”

Last year I heard about Don thru another friend of mine. He talked and talked about him for hours. Could not believe a word… that the guy would chase the ball to the end of the Earth, that he was lighting bolt fast, that he was the smartest guy on the court and so on… for hours.

I didn’t have the chance to actually face this guy until after a couple of months… And let me tell you this… It was all true!!

As opposed to Oussama and Mauricio, who always try to impose their raw power, Don outlast his opponents by making them hit on the run and in very tight situations. He can serve really well but he returns even better. A Michael Chang type of player, Don is very, …very fast. His short swing can alter the pace and course of the ball without you noticing until too late. I love his “McEnroesque” forehand.  More than a chameleon, if you ask me… The definitive ninja assassin, silent… and deadly.

LLOYD “THE LIONHEART’ MANGAHAS

Lloyd is a very special guy. I met him during a tournament and end-up warming up together while waiting for our matches. We have enjoyed some good quality tennis practices and matches. Lloyd is one of the most complete players in the draw. He can serve flat, slice or add a devastating kick to his serve with an ample range of speeds. He has ground strokes yet not powerful but full of speed and placement and is able to work out on the attack with an artistic touch. But what amazes me the most is his guts… he has gone thru a kidney transplant, and let me tell you; when we hit the ball for the last time prior to the surgery, he had no energy. He could barely stay in a 6 balls rally. A few months later we were back on the courts… and boy, the ball was flying!! I’ve known him for a number of years, still is a long way back to the form he had, but with the heart this kid has… He can go all the way to the winners’ circle.

TEMO “IRON MAN” CHALASANI

Temo is a great character on and off the court. This guy loves to play tennis and you can see that in his face when he enters the arena. And he loves challenges. Last year he came back from a first match loss in the round-robin stage, which included an injury… all the way to the final. Can he deliver again such performance? We’ll know in a few days. But let me say this. Of all the guys in the draw, the most difficult game to read is Temo’s. He allows his opponents no rhythm by changing the effect and pace of the ball all the time. And when you go for his backhand… well, be my guest and just try it… you will be witness of an unorthodox two-wrists shot that will surprise you quite a bit.

Temo is fast, out-runs most of the guys I’ve ever faced and never surrenders, … never. If you are the type of player that needs volume of play to caliber your shots, you better start re-thinking your strategy, ‘cause you are not going to win that way, guaranteed. Not against “Iron Man”… no, sir… not against the man.

BEFORE MILOS RAONIC, THERE WAS…

FRANCIS “STEFAN EDBERG” DEMERS

What a player to see, what a doubles partner to have on this side of the net, and what a contender to battle on the opposite side…

With a pretty complete game, in the Richard Gasquet fashion, Francis owns one of the most powerful serves out there. Before you had to pray for him to have a bad day with his first serve and then you had a decent chance on his second serve. Not anymore. A few years ago Francis’ serve exploded and became virtually impossible to break. If he is confident, you will have to work your way out and try to reach a tiebreak… He also has dazzling ground strokes: a neat and low cross-court forehand (my personal favorite), and a very well disguised one-hand classic backhand down the line.

With his coolness and suave demeanor, Francis is the image of the modern and sophisticated “bon vivant”. And like Stefan, a true gentleman.

Stay tuned for more updates in the days to come.

 IRON GAUCHO