In Week 4 of the Stratford Tennis League, Sunrise Health Services and LaDebonaire Hair Design continued their winning ways.

The early game saw a close match between Sunrise Health Services and Snap. The men’s doubles matches were dominated by Sunrise. The #1 men’s doubles had Sunrise’s John Noble and Spencer Trachsel take down Snap’s Chris Parson and Brent Hiller 6-4 , 6-3. Pat McCarroll and Jagdish Patel of Sunrise took the #2 men’s match 6-2, 6-0 over Snap’s Murray Schiedel and Stuart Arkett. The ladies got Snap back into the match. The #1 ladies doubles saw Linda Doig and Johanna Billings of Snap score a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Claire Scott and Nancy Rheaume. The #2 ladies doubles split sets with Snap’s Nancy Chung and Noella Schiedel taking the first set 6-4 , while Sunrise’s Marilyn Leasa and Annette Garneau took the second set 6-2. 

 The mixed doubles began with Snap’s #1 team of Doig and Parson winning 7-6 (7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker) over Scott and Noble. The #2 mixed match also went to Snap as Billings and Hiller downed Rheaume and Trachsel 6-4 . Sunrise took the #3 mixed as Leasa and McCarroll edged Chung and Schiedel 6-4. Sunrise clinched the week’s win by taking the #4 mixed 6-3 as Garneau and Patel defeated Schiedel and Arkett. This gave Sunrise Health Services a 7 sets to 5 victory.

The late game was a match up of LaDebonaire Hair Design and Donkers Agri. The match began with a split of sets in the #1 men’s doubles as Donkers’ Bob Tamblyn and Greg Vivian took the first set 6-4 and LaDebonaire’s Richard Bast and Grant McPherson won the second set 7-5. LaDebonaire took the #2 men’s doubles 6-3, 6-4 as Jim Wilson and Cameron Kramer defeated Mike Furlong and Bill Steele. The #1 ladies doubles went to LaDebonaire’s Krista Plociennik and Sandie Ennett 6-4, 6-4 over Marta Andrekovic and Lise Couture. The #2 ladies doubles split their sets. The first set was a 6-1 win for Donkers’ Erma Weernick and Naomi Lange while LaDebonaire’s Ginny Smith and Sandra Hofing took the second set 6-3.

The #1 mixed doubles saw Plociennik and Bast of LaDebonaire ease past Andrekovic and Tamblyn 6-2. Ennett and McPherson won the #2 mixed set for LaDebonaire 7-5 over Couture and Vivian. Donkers scored a 6-3 win in the #3 mixed as Weernick and Furlong downed Smith and Wilson. Lange and Steele of Donkers defeated Hofing and Kramer 6-4 to win the #4 mixed match. The final result was an 8 sets to 4 victory for LaDebonaire.

After week 4 LaDebonaire remains in first place as Sunrise Health Services holds onto second place. Donkers Agri is in third place and Snap trails the field. Week 5 will see Snap take on LaDebonaire Hair Design in the early game while Donkers Agri faces Sunrise Health Services in the late game.

Bill White

Linda Doig of Snap hits a forehand in the ladies doubles match.       

Over 50 young tennis enthusiasts took part in the annual OPTIMIST JUNIOR TENNIS DAY at the Stratford Tennis Club this past weekend. With their free t-shirts, the kids participated in tennis skills and games before a draw of fun door prizes. A barbeque with hot dogs and drinks was enjoyed by all the participants who  ranged in age from 4 to 13 . Everyone had a great day and we very grateful to  our sponsor, the Optimist Club of Stratford who helps to make this event happen each year!.

The first 80 youngsters to register will receive a free T-shirt!

                      Racquets are available to borrow. Registration begins at 10:00am.

Week 3 of the Stratford Tennis League was played this week. The early game saw the two teams tied for first place face off. Going into play LaDebonaire Hair Design and Sunrise Health Services had each won 16 sets, with LaDebonaire holding the tie-breaker edge in games won/lost differential. The match began with LaDebonaire’s #1 ladies doubles team of Krista Plociennik and Sandie Ennett sweeping Claire Scott and Debbie Murphy 6-4 6-1. The #2 ladies doubles was a split as LaDebonaire’s Sandra Hofing and Jolanda Vandereijk took the first set 6-4 while Sunrise’s Nancy Rheaume and Marilyn Holmes scored a 6-1 win in the second set. The #1 men’s doubles went to Richard Bast and Grant McPherson of LaDebonaire as they downed John Noble and Spencer Trachsel 7-5 6-3. Sunrise rebounded to take the #2 men’s doubles as Jagdish Patel and Steve Fischer scored a 6-2 7-5 over Jim Wilson and Cameron Kramer. 

The #1 mixed doubles was won by LaDebonaire as Plociennk and Bast edged Scott and Noble 6-4. Sunrise took the #2 mixed doubles with a 6-4 win by Murphy and Trachsel over Ennett and McPherson. Rheaume and Patel took the #3 mixed set for Sunrise with a 6-2 win over Hofing and Wilson. The #4 mixed had Holmes and Fischer of Sunrise top Vandereijk and Kramer 6-4. This left the night’s match tied at 6 sets each. The teams remain tied for first in sets won, while LaDebonaire maintains the tie-breaker advantage.

The late game was a battle between Snap and Donkers Agri. The #1 ladies doubles went to Snap as Linda Doig and Johanna Billings defeated Marta Andrekovic and Maria Donkers 6-3 7-6 (7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker). Donkers took the #2 ladies doubles as Lise Couture and Erma Weernick took out Nancy Chung and Noella Schiedel 6-3 7-6 (7 points to 5 in the tie-breaker). Donkers’ Bob Tamblyn and Greg Vivian won the #1 men’s doubles 6-3 7-5 over Shannon Dyke and Chris Parson. Murray Schiedel and Gary Henry of Snap won the #2 men’s doubles over Mike Furlong and Bill Steele 6-3 6-3.

The #1 mixed went to Donkers as Andrekovic and Tamblyn downed Doig and Dyke 6-4. Billings and Parson won the #2 mixed for Snap with a 6-3 victory over Donkers and Vivian. Snap’s Chung and Schiedel took the #3 mixed 6-4 over Couture and Furlong. The #4 mixed went to Donkers as Weernick and Steele took out Schiedel and Henry 6-3. This meant the late game also ended in a 6 set tie.

The standings remain the same after this weeks match ups. LaDebonaire Hair Design holds the tie-breaker edge to remain in first place with Sunrise Health Services in second. Donkers Agri holds a slight lead over Snap for third place. Week 4 will have Snap facing Sunrise Health Services in the early game and Donkers Agri taking on LaDebonaire Hair Design in the late game.

          Spencer Trachsel  hits a backhand during week 3 of the Stratford Tennis League.

The Stratford Tennis Club hosted the second leg of the Royal LePage Hiller Realty Junior Grand Slam this past weekend.

The “French Open” saw a familiar name take the title. Luke Fischer, who won the”‘Australian Open” earlier in the season, took home the championship. Luke defeated Collin Rose 8-4 in the ‘A’ final. The ‘A’ consolation winner was Matt Vandewiel who downed Noah Redfern 8-6 for the title. The ‘B’ final saw Stefan Andrekovic double up Michael Vandewiel 8 games to 4. The ‘B’ consolation champion was Ethan Misener who won the title with an 8-1 victory over Ben Wyatt.

“Wimbledon”, the third leg of the junior grand slam, will take place on Saturday, July 6th. All junior players of all levels are encouraged to sign up, to gain experience playing in a competitive, but casual tennis event.

French Open ‘A’ finalist Collin Rose , French Open ‘A’ champion Luke Fischer

French Open ‘B’ finalists Michael Vandewiel , French Open ‘B’ champion Stefan Andrekovic 

The second week of the Stratford Tennis League was held Tuesday, June 11th. After close games in week 1,  this week the games saw one team dominate their opponents. 

The early game had Sunrise Health Services take on Donkers Agri. The men’s doubles saw splits happen in both the #1 and #2 match ups. In the #1 match, John Noble and Spencer Trachsel of Sunrise took the first set 6-2 , while Bob Tamblyn and Todd Chisholm of Donkers won the second set 6-2. Sunrise’s Pat McCarroll and Steve Fischer skunked Mike Furlong and Bill Steele 6-0 in the first set of the #2 match, but fell 6-2 in the second set. The ladies doubles is where Sunrise started to dominate the match, sweeping all four sets. In the #1 match up Claire Scott and Debbie Murphy defeated Marta Andrekovic and Lise Couture 6-0 7-5, then the #2 had Marilyn Leasa and Marilyn Holmes take out Erma Weernick and Michele Thomson 6-2 7-6 (7 points to 3 in the tie-breaker).                                                                

Donkers took the first set of the mixed doubles as Andrekovic and Tamblyn scored a 6-2 victory over Scott and Noble. After that it was all Sunrise as they swept the other three mixed sets. Murphy and Trachsel downed Couture and Chisholm 6-4. Leasa and McCarroll doubled up Weernick and Furlong 6-3  and Holmes and Fischer took out Thomson and Steele 6-2.

With their 9 sets to 3 win Sunrise scored their second straight victory and are in first place in the season’s standings.                                                               

The late game was not as close as the early game. LaDebonaire Hair Design walked all over SNAP winning 10 sets to 2. It began in the men’s #1 doubles as Richard Bast and Grant McPherson breezed through Chris Parson and Murray Schiedel 6-1 6-1. The #2 men’s doubles was a 6-3 6-1 win for LaDebonaire’s Paul Coates and Cameron Kramer over Gary Henry and Stuart Arkett. LaDebonaire swept the ladies #1 doubles as Krista Plociennik and Sandie Ennett downed Linda Doig and Johanna Billings 6-1 6-4. The #2 ladies doubles was a split of sets as Ginny Smith and Jolanda Vandereijk won the first set for LaDebonaire 6-4, but Snap won their first set of the night when Nancy Chung and Noella Schiedel took the second set 6-3.

The #1 mixed set went to LaDebonaire as Plociennik and Bast beat Doig and Parson 6-2. Snap took the #2 mixed set 6-4 as Billings and Schiedel downed Ennett and McPherson. The #3 and #4 mixed sets were easily won by LaDebonaire as Smith and Coates cruised past Chung and Henry 6-1, and Vandereijk and Kramer defeated Schiedel and Arkett by the same 6-1 score.

LaDebonaire’s 10-2 victory moved them into a tie with Sunrise for first place in the standings. This sets up a great match up for next week as these teams meet in the early game. Donkers and Snap will try to get back on track when they face each other in the late game.  

The league’s youngest participant,Grant McPherson, cracks a forehand winner in the men’s doubles.

 The Stratford Tennis Club hosted its annual Tennis Access doubles tournaments this past weekend under perfect weather conditions. The men’s and ladies doubles tournament was held Saturday while the mixed doubles event took place on Sunday. Players from around the province competed against the top players from the Stratford Tennis Club, providing some high level competition. Once again this year, the home players put on an impressive display with winners in 5 of the 6 events. 

The Ladies Doubles had Stratford winners in both ‘A’ and ‘B’ categories. The ‘A’ final saw the home club’s team of Krista Plociennik and Marta Andrekovic take the championship with an 8-4 win over Sandra Barrett and Edith Howden of Toronto. The ‘B’ championship also went to a Stratford team as Johanna Billings and Debbie Murphy defeated Linda Ellis and Theresa Ho of Toronto 8-1 in the final.

The Men’s ‘A’ champions were Matt Brown and Sun Min Yoon of Waterloo who scored an 8-6 victory over Joe Hock of Barrie and Mustapha Jamal of Hamilton in the final. The ‘B’ final was contested by Stratford players. Shannon Dyke and Spencer Trachsel of Stratford took the title with an 8-4 win over Greg Vivian of Stratford and Jeff Guse of Cambridge. 

Sunday’s Mixed Doubles also saw Stratford players finding success. Stratford’s Bob Tamblyn and his partner Sandra Barrett of Toronto defended the ‘A’ title they won last year by defeating Natalia and Sergey Borodulin of Mississauga 8-6 in the final. The ‘B’ champions were the home club’s Claire Scott and Greg Vivian . Scott and Vivian doubled up Karen Spisak and Adrian Faulkner of Toronto scoring an 8-4 victory in the final.

(L) Greg Vivian (Stratford) cracks a backhand on way to Mixed Doubles ‘B’ championship                                              

(R) Ladies Doubles ‘B’ champions Debbie Murphy & Johanna Billings (Stratford), runners up Linda Ellis & Theresa Ho (Toronto)

(L) Ladies Doubles ‘A’ champions Krista Plociennik & Marta Andrekovic (Stratford)  

(R) Men’s Doubles ‘B’ champions Spencer Trachsel & Shannon Dyke (Stratford), runners up Greg Vivian (Stratford)  & Jeff Guse (Cambridge)

Mixed Doubles ‘B’ finalists Adrian Faulkner & Karen Spisak (Toronto) Champions Claire Scott & Greg Vivian (Stratford)

 Mixed Doubles ‘A’ finalists Sergey & Natalia Borodulin (Mississauga)         
Champions Sandra Barrett (Toronto) & Bob Tamblyn (Stratford)

After a rain out last week the Stratford Tennis League finally got underway this week. This season the league is being sponsored by La DEBONAIRE SPA and HAIR DESIGN, SNAP, DONKERS AGRI and SUNRISE HEALTH SERVICES.

The early game had DONKERS AGRI facing LaDEBONAIRE HAIR DESIGN. Donkers took a big lead after the men’s doubles matches as Bob Tamblyn and Tom Warnock of Donkers downed Richard Bast and Grant McPherson of LaDebonaire 6-4 6-3 in the #1 men’s doubles. Mike Furlong and Todd Chisholm of Donkers took out Jack Watson and Sing Chung of LaDebonaire 6-4 6-1 in the #2 men’s doubles. LaDebonaire began its comeback in the ladies doubles. The #1 ladies doubles was a split as Donkers Marta Andrekovic and Maria Donkers took the first set 6-4 while LaDebonaire’s Krista Plociennik and Sandie Ennett scored a 6-2 win in the second set. LaDebonaire’s Ginny Smith and Sandra Hofing took both ladies #2 doubles sets defeating Heather Henke and Michele Thomson 6-4 6-1 . Donkers took a 5 sets to 3 sets heading into the mixed doubles matches.

The #1 mixed doubles match had LaDebonaires’s Plociennink and Bast edging Andrekovic and Tamblyn 6-4. Ennett and McPherson also scored a win for LaDebonaire with a 6-4 win over Donkers and Warnock in the #2 mixed match. LaDebonaire took the #3 mixed match when Smith and Watson blanked Henke and Furlong 6-0. Thomson and Chisholm salvaged the night for Donkers scoring a 6-4 victory over Hofing and Chung in the #4 mixed match. This left the first match of the season a tie with both teams winning 6 sets.

The late game was a battle between SUNRISE HEALTH SERVICES and SNAP. Snap took the #1 men’s doubles with Shannon Dyke and Chris Parson downing Sunrise’s Spencer Trachsel and Pat McCarroll 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie-breaker) 6-3. The #2 men’s doubles was a split of sets with Sunrise’s Jagdish Patel and Paul Barclay taking the first set 6-4 and Snap’s Jim Wilson and Gary Henry taking the second set 6-2. Sunrise took the ladies #1 doubles as Claire Scott and Debbie Murphy scored a 6-2 and 7-6 (7 points to 4 in the tie-breaker) win over Linda Doig and Johanna Billings. Nancy Rheaume and Marilyn Leasa of Sunrise took the first set in ladies #2 doubles 6-3 while Nancy Chung and Liz Yundt of Snap took the second set 7-5. The teams entered the mixed matches tied 4 sets each.

Snap took the #1 mixed match 6-2 as Doig and Dyke downed Scott and Trachsel. Sunrise won the #2 mixed with Murphy and McCarroll defeating Billings and Parson 6-4. The #3 mixed also went to Sunrise with Rheaume and Patel scoring a 6-4 victory over Chung and Wilson. Sunrise completed the comeback when they took the #4 mixed as Leasa and Barclay doubled up Yundt and Henry 6-3. The mixed success gave Sunrise a 7 sets to 5 sets win for the night.

Week 2 will see Sunrise Health Services face Donkers Agri in the early game and Snap take on LaDebonaire Hair Design in the late game. 

Heather Henke keeps her eye on the ball as she prepares to hit a backhand.

Bill White

JUNE E NEWS  Click to view.

The Stratford Tennis Club held the first leg of the Royal Le Page Hiller Realty Junior Grand Slam this past weekend. The “Australian Open” saw competition in two age categories.
The boys under 18 category final was a family affair as brothers John and Luke Fischer faced each other for the title. The day belonged to Luke as he easily downed his older brother taking the championship 8 games to 3 games. The consolation title was won by Matt Vandeweil as he held off Collin Rose 8-6 to take the win.
In the boys under 15 category Evan Moorehead defended his title from last season. Moorehead defeated Luke McCarroll 8-5 in the final to win his second “Australian Open” championship. Ryan Lay took the consolation title with an 8-4 victory over Michael Vandeweil.

Left  Boys Under 18 champion Luke Fischer (L), runner up John Fischer (R)

Right Boys Under 15 champion Evan Moorehead (L) , runner up Luke McCarroll (R)

Under 18 champion Luke Fischer stretches for a short ball in title match.