By an interested observer
The Racquet Club of Chicago was proud to host the 2020 Noll Cup in February. The draw comprised 16 players with visitors from New York, Philadelphia, and Newport joining the local contingent vying for the title. The matches began on Thursday, with many Chicago players winning through to the quarterfinals. The in-form Max Drake overcame Kirk Baldwin 6-1 6-3, and Matt Pettinelli outlasted Baker Thompson 1-6 6-3 6-4. Moving forward to Friday, two of the notable matches involved Harry Goldstein and Rowan Carroll, who both scored impressive victories over Brad Thompson (RCOP) and Eli Drake, with an identical score line 6-5 6-5. The results on Saturday were somewhat surprising as all four seeds would be beaten. Harry Goldstein scored the first upset by defeating the #4 seed Adam Inselbuch in a tightly contested match 6-5 4-6 6-4. The next match would also see an upset with Rowan Carroll eliminating the #1 seed Eliot Van Buskirk (NTC) 6-5 6-4. Chicago’s Devin Vrabel, 2019 Etchebaster and Kendrick Cup winner, was looking to add another title to his impressive run from last year and managed to score an upset over Max Drake in a fantastic match 6-5 3-6 6-4.
The semifinals produced some excellent tennis with Goldstein edging his way through to the final with a 6-5 6-4 victory over Carroll and Vrabel beating Jack Brown 1-6 6-2 6-4 in a match that was of the highest quality. The gallery was packed throughout the day, and the crowd was suitably impressed by the display.
With both finalists logging five hours of tennis on Saturday, the tournament would turn into a fitness battle as well as court craft and skill. Devin came out of the blocks quickly, dominating the service end and jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead. Harry slowly worked his way into the match and got back to 4-2 with methodical, accurate play. The 4-2 game was pivotal as both players had numerous chances to win it but were unable to convert them. After 28 minutes and many deuces, Harry converted a game point to bring it back to 3-4. With all the momentum, Harry won the remaining games and the set 6-4. After having lost the first set, Devin lifted his game another gear and won the second set convincingly 6-3. The third and final set was tight all the way with many close games. Devin was always slightly in front and, after hitting a few more targets, ran out the victory 6-2.
Thanks to Head Chef Mike Coronel for his excellent meals throughout the weekend and also to John Cashman, Steve Virgona, and Conor Medlow for marking the event.
