On October 24th The New York Tennis and Racquet Club hosted the combined team of Tuxedo and Philadelphia in the National League. Rob Whitehouse (Head Professional at The Racquet Club of Philadelphia) and Barney Tanfield (Assistant Professional at The Racquet and Tennis Club) took to the court for the first singles match. A combination of court unfamiliarity on Whitehouse’s part and timely good fortune from Tanfield saw Barney run out to a 5/0 lead in the first set. Whitehouse rallied and brought the score back to 5/3 before dropping the first set 6/3. In the second set Tanfield continued to see success on his serve and return of serve and closed out the match with a 6/1 victory.
The second match saw the perennial power of Tim Chisholm (Tuxedo Club’s Head Professional) versus the dangerous versatility of James Stout (Racquet and Tennis Assistant Professional). Tim made clear early on that he would be pursuing the blistering forcing and target striking that has long personified his return of serve. James’s ability to efficiently counter pace and then add effective angles and pace of his own made for some excellent points. The two traded sets, with James taking the first and Tim taking the second. In the third, a motivated and resilient Stout was able to overcome Chisholm’s relentless aggression. Stout took the final set 6/2 and continued his strong play.
The doubles continued with some feverish pace and exchanges all around the court. Strong serving and returning from the New York Pros helped maintain the balance in the tight games. Stout and Tanfield eventually took the match 8/3.
Thanks go to Mike Gooding for excellent marking, the R&T staff for their hard work and a special thanks to the R&T members for their support.
