Club Championship tournaments continued at the Stratford Tennis Club this past weekend. Quarter final matches in both Men’s and Ladies Doubles began on Saturday with a round of 16. On Sunday the semifinals and finals of all events were held. All teams began play in the ‘A’ divisions with teams losing their first round match then filling out the ‘B’ division.
The Ladies Doubles saw top seeds Marta Andrekovic and Carmen Miron easily advance to Sunday’s semifinals where they would face Naomi Lange and Sandie Ennett. Lange and Ennett had defeated former champions Linda Doig and Ginny Smith in the first round sending the 11 time ‘A’ champions to the ‘B’ division on their way to the semis. The bottom half of the draw saw #2 seeds Johanna Billings and Deb Murphy win their first two matches to secure their semifinal position. Their semifinal opponents would be Heather Henke and Nancy Rheaume who prevailed in a marathon first round match with Gail Shelton and Janet Bradley . They won 7-6 7-6 in 2 and a half hours for the match of the day on Saturday.
Sunday’s ‘A’ semifinals saw the top seeds fall. Lange and Ennett dispatched the top seeds Andrekovic and Miron with a dominating 6-2 6-1 victory. With Ennett running down all balls and Lange dominating at the net the challengers were in complete control of the match. In their first tournament playing together Lange and Ennett advanced to the championship match. Lange had won the Ladies ‘A’ doubles two previous times, the last time being 2002. After several years out of the game Lange has regained her form in the second year of her comeback. Ennett has won the Ladies ‘B’ doubles several times and was an ‘A’ finalist last season with Krista Plociennik as her partner.
The bottom side of the draw also saw the higher seed fall as Henke and Rheaume edged Billings and Murphy 6-4 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie breaker) in their semi. Henke and Rheaume , the 2003 ‘A’ champions, made some great gets and few errors in their upset win. This set up an ‘A’ final of Lange and Ennett vs Henke and Rheaume on Sunday night.
The ‘B’ semifinals were a total contrast. The top half of the draw saw Doig and Smith cruise through their semi with a 6-1 6-0 victory over Nicolle Crowley and Marilyn Holmes. This set up Doig and Smith’s first trip to a ‘B’ final. The bottom half of the draw was anything but a cruise. Defending ‘B’ champions Shelton and Bradley were once again involved in the ladies match of the day. Facing Michele Thomson and Liz Yundt , Shelton and Bradley would once again be on the court for over 2 and a half hours. Thomson and Yundt took the first set 6-4 before Shelton and Bradley rebounded to take the next two sets by a 6-3 7-5 score. So Sunday night would see Doig/Smith face Shelton/Bradley for the Ladies ‘B’ title.
The Ladies ‘A’ final was a battle of similar styles. Lange and Henke showed off stellar net play for their respective teams , while Ennett and Rheaume were running down all the shots on the baseline. The first set was an even match with both teams playing at a high calibre. Eventually Lange and Ennett got a service break to take the first set 6-4. Lange and Ennett then took over the second set scoring a 6-1 win to claim the 2015 Ladies ‘A’ championship. Lange’s third and Ennett’s first Ladies ‘A’ title.
The Ladies ‘B’ final had a similar pattern. The first set was a close battle with either team having their chances. Eventually it was Shelton and Bradley who squeaked out the first set and then dominated in the second set. A 7-5 6-0 win gave Shelton and Bradley their second consecutive Ladies ‘B’ championship. This is Shelton’s seventh Ladies ‘B’ Doubles title and Bradley’ second in two years at the Club.
The Men’s event had the same format as the Ladies with the round of 16 and quarter finals on Saturday and the semifinals and finals on Sunday. The Men’s top seeds Grant McPherson and Greg Vivian looked dominant on Saturday and easily advanced to Sunday’s semifinal. Their opponents would be Jason Erb and Wayne Carney who were just as dominant in their two Saturday matches. The bottom half of the draw had #2 seeds Shannon Dyke and John Fischer advance looking very efficient in their first tournament as partners. They would face #3 seeds John Noble and Richard Bast in their semi. Noble and Bast are past champions and looked to be back in championship form in their Saturday matches.
Sunday’s semifinals had the top 4 seeds live of to their billing and set the stage for some great matches. In the top half of the draw McPherson and Vivian continued their great play. The power of Erb was no trouble for McPherson and Vivian with Vivian particularly effective at thenet. The top seeds scored an easy 6-3 6-1 victory to advance to their first ‘A’ final together.
The bottom half of the draw semifinal gave us the match of day on the Men’s side. Dyke and Fischer went toe to toe with Noble and Bast for the whole match. In the end both sets went to a tie breaker where Dyke and Fischer prevailed. The 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie breaker) 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie breaker) victory set up a battle of the top two seeds for the final.
The ‘B’ semifinals for the Men where similar to the Ladies as one semi was a blow out and the other a nail biter. The top half semifinal had Ryan Lay and Steven Schwartzentruber race through the father/son team of Pat and Luke McCarroll. Lay and Schwartzentruber scored an easy 6-1 6-0 win to advance to their first ‘B’ final together. The other side of the draw was a close battle. Another father/son team was involved as Jim and James Wilson took on Brent Hiller and Murray Schiedel. The back and forth match eventually went to the Wilson’s as they prevailed 7-6 (7 points to 5 in the tie breaker) 7-5 sending Jim and James to their first final.
The Men’s ‘A’ final was an anticipated match between the top two seeds. McPherson and Vivian had each advanced to an ‘A’ final in the past but with different partners. Dyke has won the title twice before including last season with Spencer Trachsel. With Trachsel unavailable this year Dyke teamed up with John Fischer whose usual partner (brother Luke) was out with an injury. This was Fischer’s first ‘A’ final. This was the first final in many years that was contested between two teams composed of players all under the age of 26. The youth and athletic abilities were on display throughout the match with some great shot making and impressive net play. The steadiness of Dyke and Fischer eventually prove the difference as they secure the championship with a 6-4 6-2 win. Dyke wins his third Men’s ‘A’ title , all with different partners, and Fischer adds an ‘A’ championship to his previously won ‘B’ titles and multiple junior championships.
The Men’s ‘B’ Doubles final was the match of the night. Lay and Schwartzentruber took the first set with an easy 6-1 win. But the Wilson’s are never out of a match and never give up. The father/son combo came back to take the second set 6-3 setting up a deciding third set. With the championship on the line both teams played all out. Eventually Lay and Schwartzentruber were able to break Jim’s serve and take the title with the 7-5 third set victory. The Men’s ‘B’ Doubles title is added to Lay’s victory in last weeks ‘B’ Mixed Doubles championship, and for Schwartzentruber adds the ‘B’ Doubles title to his previously won two ‘B’ singles championship.
With over 70 spectators viewing the doubles finals and the great play all weekend it was a wonderful weekend at the Stratford Tennis Club. The championships continue with the Men’s and Ladies Singles finals this Wednesday evening.
Bill White
(l to r) Greg Vivian and Grant McPherson (Men’s ‘A’ finalists) John Fischer and Shannon Dyke (Men’s ‘A’ champions); Ryan Lay and Steven Schwartzentruber (Men’s ‘B’ champions) Jim Wilson and James Wilson (Men’s ‘B’ finalists) 
(l to r) Heather Henke and Nancy Rheaume (Ladies ‘A’ finalists) Sandie Ennett and Naomi Lange (Ladies ‘A’ champions); Gail Shelton and Janet Bradley (Ladies ‘B’ champions) Ginny Smith and Linda Doig (Ladies ‘B’ finalists)MORE PHOTOS IN THE GALLERY
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(l to r) Greg Vivian and Grant McPherson (Men’s ‘A’ finalists) John Fischer and Shannon Dyke (Men’s ‘A’ champions); Ryan Lay and Steven Schwartzentruber (Men’s ‘B’ champions) Jim Wilson and James Wilson (Men’s ‘B’ finalists) 
(l to r) Heather Henke and Nancy Rheaume (Ladies ‘A’ finalists) Sandie Ennett and Naomi Lange (Ladies ‘A’ champions); Gail Shelton and Janet Bradley (Ladies ‘B’ champions) Ginny Smith and Linda Doig (Ladies ‘B’ finalists)