The Royal LePage Hiller Realty Junior Grand Slam kicked off this past weekend with the Stratford Tennis Club hosting the “Australian Open”. On a beautiful day for tennis, over 30 junior tennis players participated in the event, many making their first tournament appearance. 

The Girls Under 16 event saw Mackenzie Dumais edge Ashley Humphrey 8-6 in the final. This is Dumais’ first title at the Club. Humphrey was the junior girl player of the year in 2014 and had taken the title in her last six tournament, but Dumais proved the steadier player and took the gold medal in an impressive performance. The consolation final was also a close match where Megan Furlong took the title with an 8-6 victory over Beatriz Trillo-Torres.

The Boys Under 14 event was dominated by Michael Vandewiel. Vandewiel cruised through the event including the title match where he scored an 8-1 win over Ethan Misener. The consolation final had Evan Fortin double up Declan Feore 8-4 to take the title.

The Boys Under 16 event was full of close , high calibre matches. The final was the match of the day. After fighting off a match point, Matthew Vandewiel came back to win the championship 8-7 (7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker) over Marcel Lundrigan. Lundrigan lived and died on his serve, hitting several aces and service winners but tossed in too many double faults. Vandewiel proved that steady play can win in the end. The consolation final saw the title go to Evan Moorehead who downed Will Thibeault 8-5.

The second leg of the Royal LePage Hiller Realty, the “French Open” will take place at the Club on Saturday, June 27. 

                                                 Ashley Humphrey (runner up), Mackenzie Dumais (champion)

                                                      Michael Vandewiel (champion)  , Ethan Misener  (runner up)

                                                       Matthew Vandewiel  (champion) , Marcel Lundrigan  (runner up)

In 2012, the Stratford Tennis Club partnered with the Ontario Tennis Association ( OTA ), to provide free demonstrations of Progressive Tennis in a number of schools in Stratford. These included Bedford , St. Ambrose, Jeanne Sauve, St. Joseph’s, Anne Hathaway, St. Aloysius, Avon, and Hamlet Public Schools. Over 1500 students received instruction in Progressive Tennis, using the light, short racquets, the soft, over sized balls and the smaller nets, which are all key components of the program. Joel Imamovic, an OTA Nationally Certified Coach, led the workshops. The demonstration days were a huge success and there was positive feedback from both students and educators alike.

The Stratford Tennis Club is pleased to offer two instructional programs to educators in 2020 . Program One will be available from April to June. Program Two is available only in May and June. A brief summary of each program is outlined below. Please email stevschw@gmail.com (anytime) or call the club at 272 – 0062 (May to June) with your preferred dates, and we will try our best to accommodate your requests. You may also email us at info@stratfordtennisclub.com for more information.

PROGRAM ONE : Tennis Instruction at Your School

Our certified Tennis Pro (from the Stratford Tennis Club) and an assistant, will conduct the program with supervision provided by the classroom teachers. All the necessary equipment will be brought to the school gym and our Pro will instruct from 4 – 5 classes according to a time schedule provided by the school staff. The ideal age group is Grades 1 to 6. The time frame is 9am to 2:30pm. The cost of this program is $200 for the day.

PROGRAM TWO :  Schools Visit the Stratford Tennis Club

Our Club Tennis Pro and an assistant, will conduct the program with supervision provided by the classroom teacher, on our 2 hard courts and practice wall. All the necessary equipment is provided by the club. The ideal level is Grades 6 to 12, however younger classes may be accommodated. The cost of this program remains at $100 for 1 hour and $175 for 2 hours.

The Stratford Tennis Club recently held their annual awards ceremony. In addition to presenting medals and trophies to the Club Champions, the Club saluted its special award winners.

The 2014 Jerry Johnson Award for sportsmanship and love of the game was presented to junior, Kaitlyn Mathieson, and adult recipient Wayne Carney. Both Kaitlyn and Wayne embodied what the award represents by their active participation at the Club and their sportsmanship both on and off the court.

The Rebecca Miskin Award for member of the year was awarded to Steven Schwartzentruber. Steven not only won another Club Championship this season (Men’s ‘B’ Singles) but was a constant presence at the Club helping the juniors with their games and assisting in the running of all the Club programs. 

Bill White

 

The STRATFORD TENNIS CLUB held its annual Masters Doubles Tournament September 20th. The breezy but beautiful conditions led to a great day of play and socializing.

The Men’s Doubles ‘A’ final saw three time defending champions Bill White and Zdenko Andrekovic taking on Paul Coates and Larry Shurrie. White, playing for the first time in 5 weeks due to an arm injury, and Andrekovic, advanced to the final by playing a steady game with Andrekovic’s backhand volley being the dominant shot. Shurrie, who advanced to the final in 2012 with Pat McCarroll, used his big serve and great hands at the net to match the smart and steady play of Coates to book their spot in the final.

The championship match went back and forth until it reached 4 games all. After Andrekovic held his serve for a 5-4 lead he and White broke Shurrie’s serve to break the match open. After another service hold, White and Andrekovic broke again to secure their fourth straight Masters title with an 8-4 victory. 

The Men’s ‘A’ consolation title match was dominated by Jason Erb and Wayne Carney. The first year players at the Club rode Erb’s big, lefty serve and Carney’s quickness around the court to dispatch Brent Hiller and Murray Schiedel 8-2 in the final.

The Men’s ‘B’ final went the distance. In the end, Pat McCarroll and Jagdish Patel edged Stuart Arkett and Mike Furlong 8-7, to win the tie breaker 7-2 .

The Ladies Doubles ‘A’ final was going to see a new champion. Gail Shelton and Cathy Mowbray had advanced to their first final with very impressive wins. In the final they would face Ginny Smith and Janet Bradley. Bradley, in her first season at the Club, teamed up with long time member Smith to out steady opponents on their way to the final. The championship match was as close as it could get. Neither team could get an advantage as the match advanced to the inevitable tie breaker to decide the title. At 6 points to 5 Smith and Bradley had one more match point and this time got the job done. The 8-7 (7 points to 5 in the tie breaker) win gave Smith and Bradley the 2014 championship.

The Ladies ‘A’ consolation champions were Nancy Chung and Erma Weernink who downed Barb Thibeault and Allison Hiller. The final featured many long rallies but in the end Chung and Weernink took the title with an 8-5 victory.

The Ladies ‘B’ final was also a long, close match. The title eventually was won by Monica Eickmeyer and Marilyn Leasa who downed Liana DeJong and Lindsay Murray 8  to 6.

The Ladies ‘B’ consolation final saw first time tournament entrants Gayle Brooks and Liz Yundt take out Caryn Scott and Noella Schiedel 8-3 to win the crown.

Play was followed by a wonderful pot luck supper with music and laughter ending a great day at the Club.

 Bill White

(l to r)   Zdenko Andrekovic and Bill White (Men’s ‘A’ Champions), Ginny Smith and Janet Bradley (Ladies ‘A’ Champions)        

Throughout the month of August, the Stratford Tennis Club played out their annual Club Championship tournaments. With 42 entries in the men’s singles and 17 entries in the ladies singles it was a full month of play. Players started in the ‘A’ division and those who lost their first round matches moved to the ‘B’ division. Championship night was full of familiar faces and a few new comers. 

The Men’s ‘A’ final made history. Nine time Men’s ‘A’ singles champion Bob Tamblyn had advanced to the final with complete control of his matches. Tamblyn took out hard hitting Grant McPherson in his semifinal with a 6-3 6-0 win. Tamblyn won the Men’s singles title at the Southhampton Tennis Club the previous weekend on their fast, hard courts and returned to play on the slower clay surface of the Stratford club. Entering the final Tamblyn was tied with Velma Hansford with 27 total championship titles at the Stratford club, a modern day record. (modern day refers to the Stratford club’s play at the current Upper Queen’s Park location) A win would give Tamblyn the Club record.

His opponent in the final was junior phenomena Luke Fischer. In a round of 16 Fischer took out 2011 finalist Kurt Eickmeier, then followed that by dispatching defending champion Richard Bast in three sets in the quarter-finals. He outlasted #3 seed Jason Erb in a semifinal scoring a 4-6 6-2 7-5 win. The 14 year old Fischer is the second youngest men’s finalist in club history, being 8 days older than Bill Sibold when he appeared in the 1981 final.  A win by Fischer would make him the youngest Men’s ‘A’ champion in the history of the Stratford Tennis Club. 

The championship match saw the long, strategic rallies typical of both players games. Power tennis was replaced by smart, tactical tennis with many great gets and the use of angles. The young Fischer found out that you can play a great match and still not get great results when you play Tamblyn. The savvy veteran stayed on top of Luke and scored an impressive 6-0 6-1 victory. This gave Tamblyn his 10th Men’s Singles title, a club record, and a historic 28th overall title…. a new club record.  

The Ladies ‘A’ final was a rematch of last year’s final between Krista Plociennik and Marta Andrekovic. Plociennik who has won four straight Ladies ‘A’ titles and 6 overall, advanced to her 8th straight finals by defeating Sandie Ennett in straight sets in her semifinal. Andrekovic  advanced to her second straight final by taking out newcomer Rileigh Jackson 6-2 5-7 6-1 in her semifinal. Andrekovic had previously won the Mixed Doubles title (with Bob Tamblyn) and the Ladies Doubles title (with daughter Sonja) by beating Plociennik and her partners in the finals. Andrekovic would go for the triple crown in a singles final between the undisputed, top two women players at the Club.

The championship match saw Andrekovic come out determined and with a great game plan. Andrekovic controlled the rallies from the start, avoiding Plociennik’s powerful forehand and dictating play with great serving and well placed ground strokes. The first set went to Andrekovic, scoring a 6-2 win in one of the most impressive sets played at the Club all season. With her back against the wall in the second set Plociennik found a way to make a dent in Andrekovic’s game with powerful and deep forehands. Plociennik finally broke Andrekovic’s serve in the middle of the set and took the second set 6-3.

In the final and deciding set Andrekovic took advantage of Plociennik’s backhand to open the court for her well placed ground strokes. Plociennik countered with better depth on her shots to get some short balls which she could then attack. The evenly played match turned with Plociennik getting a late service break. She then held her serve to secure her 5th straight Ladies ‘A’ title with the 2-6 6-3 6-3 win. It was easily the match of the night and one of the best Ladies ‘A’ finals ever played at the Club.

The Men’s ‘B’ final saw defending champion Steven Schwartzentruber facing first time finalist Mike Blackburn. Schwartzentruber advanced to his second straight ‘B’ final by dispatching Ryan Lay 6-4 6-3 in his semifinal. Blackburn had taken out Stephen Fischer 4-6 6-3 6-1 in his semi.

The final match was full of long rallies. Both players held their serves until Blackburn was able to break Schwartzentruber in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead. Blackburn served for the first set but Schwartzentruber broke right back and then ran through to a 7-5 first set victory. Blackburn recovered and took control of the second set with a 6-3 second set win. A third set was needed to determine the title. Schwartzentruber showed his mental toughness and physical determination, running down all balls and making each rally last as long as possible. His determination paid off as Schwartzentruber took the final set 6-3. The 7-5 3-6 6-3 victory gave Schwartzenruber his second straight Men’s ‘B’ championship.

The Ladies ‘B’ final also saw a player trying to repeat as champion. 14 year old Nicolle Crowley would take on Michele Thomson for the title. Crowley had gotten past Janessa Chambers in her semifinal, while Thomson advanced to the title match with a 6-3 6-3 win over Gayle Brooks. 

The championship match was  similar to the Men’s ‘A’ final. There were long rallies and good play but the challenger had no luck in scoring game wins. Crowley was dominant with well placed ground strokes and big serving. Thomson, playing in her first Club Championship final, played well but had no answers. Crowley scored a   6-1 6-0 victory to claim her second straight Ladies ‘B’ singles championship.

 Bill White

The Stratford Tennis Club has begun its annual Club Championship tournaments. The first event completed was the Mixed Doubles event which was held this past weekend. 

The Mixed Doubles ‘A’ division semifinals went Sunday morning. The first semi had two time defending champions Marta Andrekovic and Bob Tamblyn defeat a hobbled Johanna Billings and John Noble 6-2 6-1 to advance to the final. The second semi was a nail biter, with youngsters Krista Plociennik and Jeremy Chisholm facing even younger Sonja Andrekovic and Grant McPherson. Plociennik and J. Chisholm took the first set 6-2 before Sonja Andrekovic and McPherson took the second set 6-2 setting the stage for a thrilling deciding set. Neither team could pull ahead and eventually the set went to a tie-breaker. Plociennik and Chisholm prevailed 7-6 , 7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker to advance to the Sunday night final.

The ‘A’ final saw many great rallies and very strategic play. The first set went on serve until Marta Andrekovic and Tamblyn got a serve break to take a 5-3 lead. Tamblyn then held his serve to secure the first set 6-3. The second set saw Plociennik and Chisholm race to a 5-2 lead before M. Andrekovic and Tamblyn went on a run, coming back to take a 6-5 lead. Plociennik and Chisholm were able to right the ship in time to send the set to a tie-breaker. In the tie-breaker it was all Marta Andrekovic and Tamblyn as they swept the breaker 7 points to 0. The 6-3 7-6 victory gave Andrekovic and Tamblyn their third consecutive Mixed Doubles ‘A’ championship. It was a historic win for Tamblyn. With this title, Tamblyn tied Velma Hansford with 27 Club Championship ‘A’ titles in the modern history of the Stratford Tennis Club. ( the modern history is defined as after 1969 when the Club began play at its current location) 

The Mixed Doubles ‘B’ division also saw a team attempting to repeat its title run. Last years champions Sandie Ennett and Todd Chisholm took out the youngest team in the draw in their semifinal with a 6-3 7-5 victory over the impressive Nicolle Crowley and Ryan Lay. The other semifinal saw Deb Murphy and Pat McCarroll cruise to an 6-2 6-1 win over Marilyn Holmes and Stuart Arkett to advance to their first final. The ‘B’ final was full of long rallies and long games. Eventually Ennett and Chisholm got late serves breaks in each set to score a 6-4 7-5 victory, securing their second consecutive Mixed Doubles ‘B’ championship.

The Club Championships continue next weekend with the Men’s and Ladies Doubles being played. Finals are scheduled for 7:30 pm Sunday evening. Spectators are welcome.

Bill White

2014 AUGUST E NEWS from the STRATFORD TENNIS CLUB