THE TRIBE INVITATIONAL MASTER 2010

THE TRIBE NEWSLETTER

YEAR I – NUMBER 2

By Iron Gaucho

THE TROPHIES ARE HERE

THE TRIBE INVITATIONAL 2010 master’s trophies are here. Designed by CTI and assembled at “Trophée Artistic” in Montreal, the winner and runner-up trophies are two beautiful golden cups in modern Italian style. This is what will reward the effort of the fierce competitors that are currently battling their way up to the final round.

40/30 TENNIS PRO SHOP

My friend Maher Diab, owner of 40/30 Pro Shop, has been long time committed to customer service and satisfaction, building a special relationship with the consumer. His employees share the very same values: High Performance, Customer Accountability, Customer Service, Open-Mindedness and Teamwork, bonded with the personal touch that only 40/30 is capable of. They want (and succeed) to make you feel at the top of your game.

40/30 provides professional racquet stringing, quality racquets, shoes, fashion and accessories from a wide range of brands.

40/30 provides its consumers with top of the line quality products to help them avoid injury and perform at their very best. Come and take a peek at this wonderful pro shop.

40/30 is located at CDL Tennis Club.

8305 Chemin Côte-de-Liesse,

St-Laurent, QC, H4T 1G5

Phone # 514-808-3422

THE TRIBE INVITATIONAL – MATCH RESULTS

FIRST ROUND ROBIN MATCHES

GROUP RAFAEL NADAL

DON BUI VS SIMON SCHLESINGER: OPEN FIRE!!!

Don and Simon made the honors to kick off the NADAL GROUP and the tournament itself. On a grueling match that lasted 2 hours, it was Don’s persistence that paid off the higher rate. Simon presented a tough resistance on the first set until Don capitalized the break to close it 7-5. With the first set in, Don’s game settled in and took him to victory in straight sets. Final result: 7-5, 6-2 for Don Bui.

DON BUI VS JONATHAN SHEDLETZKY: THE RIGHT BALANCE

A few days after his victory against Simon, Don faced Jonathan in a highly expected match. Both players are fast and know each other well, so this was another hard-to-make-a-call encounter. Jon was the one to draw first blood, taking the first set by a narrow 6-4. Jon’s baseline game was at its peak driving Don in a succession of errors that put him on the verge of defeat. Jon was comfortably leading 4-1 when his opponent started to weave an outstanding comeback that fell just short. Jon regained control and closed the second partial for identical score 6-4.

Final result: 6-4, 6-4 for Jonathan Shedletzky.

JIRI TUCKER VS SIMON SCHLESINGER: WHO SAID RUSTY?

This match was a brilliant demonstration of both players, for different reasons. On one hand we had Jiri that as described in the prior newsletter, came back from retirement to play this tournament, thus nobody (except himself maybe) was sure about his level. On the other hand, Simon had been playing very good tennis in the last couple of weeks, with great pace and depth. These two gentlemen battled for 2 hours with a final score of 6-4, 6-0; which is quite something for just 16 games (an average of 7 ½ minutes per game). Jiri for sure felt the lack of regular playing, but Simon put a lot of effort to keep his opponent at bay on many passages. This result was clearly something that Simon didn’t want, as seriously compromises his chances of qualifying to the semis, but nevertheless a solid performance for the youngest of the group.

Final result: 6-4, 6-0 for Jiri Tucker.

GROUP HANS GILDEMEISTER

TEMO CHALASANI VS LUCAS AGNELLI: PRE-TENNIS SUSHI IS A BAD…BAD IDEA

Temo had two things to fight against during his opening match: An annoying opponent that would for sure made him run and an indigestion that he inflicted himself by having a doubtful cocktail of sushi dinner and Gatorade…you do the math.

Despite his condition, the fact that both players were serving poorly made the match quite interesting, with many thrilling moments. In the more than 2 hours that lasted, there was no clear winner until the very end. Temo’s serve gave Lucas a small gap to explode and close the first set avoiding an almost certain tiebreak. During the second set Lucas thought he had the match at least on a couple of opportunities, but Temo kept going until the end trying to force a third set. When that last ball hit the net, Lucas felt relieved…

Final result: 7-5, 6-3 for Lucas Agnelli.

MAURICIO CASTRO VS OUSSAMA AZIZI: CLASH OF TITANS

These two guys are big bangers, they hit furious balls and that is the way they like playing. But Oussama came with a different strategy. Early in the game he started moving Mauricio all around the court, changing the pace of the ball and mixing angles. Mauricio is the kind of player that need to put his machinery in motion and take his time to setup his weaponry. That lag was well profited by Oussama that took the first set and kept going non-stop with a 4-1 lead on the second. By then, Mauricio was in the right temperature and his engine able to go for more revs; and fighting with a lion’s heart, came back to force a third set by clinching a magic 7-5. The first match of the TRIBE INVITATIONAL that went to a third set. They had to call for the day and, just yesterday, Mauricio and Oussama were able to finalize their match. It was Mauricio (who by the way resembles Andre Agassi when he walks the court) the one to take the lead and finish ahead with a clear 6-2.

Final score: 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 for Mauricio Castro.

MAURICIO CASTRO VS LUCAS AGNELLI: SOUTH AMERICAN CLASSIC

Having won the first match against Temo, gave Lucas a boost of confidence that allowed him to put a better performance than his previous game. Serving strongly and attacking the ball at any chance, the Argentine born took an early advantage against Mauricio to close a quick 6-1. The second set was another story. The games were longer, with Mauricio hitting harder and with more pace, looking for a deeper ball. He really put some stunt exhibitions surprising Lucas on a couple of occasions. At 3 games all Lucas had three break points at 0-40. Mauricio, always in his coolness came back strongly at 30-40. The Chilean bombardier served big and hit hard with plenty of topspin, only to be taken by a backhand passing shot that landed on the right corner when he bravely charged the net. Lucas had made it, the much-needed break was done; and keeping his lead thanks to a solid serve, he was able to break for a second time to close the match.

Final result: 6-1, 6-3 for Lucas Agnelli

PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER 6 OUT OF 12 RR MATCHES

STANDINGS		MATCHES	MATCHES	SETS	GAMES
		PLAYED	WON/LOST	WON/LOST	WON/LOST
GROUP RAFAEL NADAL
JIRI TUCKER		1	1-0	2-0	12-4
JONATHAN SHEDLETZKY		1	1-0	2-0	12-8
DON BUI		2	1-1	2-2	21-19
SIMON SCHLESINGER		2	0-2	0-4	11-25
GROUP HANS GILDEMEISTER
LUCAS AGNELLI		2	2-0	4-0	25-12
MAURICIO CASTRO		2	1-1	2-3	20-25
OUSSAMA AZIZI		1	0-1	1-2	13-16
TEMO CHALASANI		1	0-1	0-2	8-13

Just half of the matches have been played at the round robin stage, so there is still nothing granted on the field.

Temo is taking the week off as he is trying to recover from an injured shoulder.

There has been some discussion over the balls Dunlop Roland Garros as some of the players feel they are too light and hard to control. This is a key lesson learned for future tournaments and for sure will be addressed by the organizers.

There is more to come on our next newsletter. Stay tuned.

IRON GAUCHO