by John Lumley
The Racquet Club of Philadelphia hosted its third successful tournament in two weeks in the form of the Percy Cup. The ever-jolly event was played with a lot of competitive but sporting spirit and was enjoyed by all the players and traveling supporters involved. Play started on Friday in a tight match between two of the more local teams, in which Washington 2 narrowly edged New York 2-1, a theme that would continue throughout the tournament with only one match won 3-0 (by Philadelphia).
The main draw was tense right the way to the last match on Sunday, where the gallery was packed despite the US Open Racquets going on just up the hallway. After some tough matches and long, hard-fought comebacks, the two teams going into the Sunday Finals were Philadelphia 2 and New York 2. The first match of the finals kicked off late in the morning, with Victoria Scott and Eric Haab representing Philadelphia 2 and Frasier Esty and Will Hubbard Representing New York 2. The first set was extremely tight, with New York taking the first set 6-5. After that narrow win, they proceeded to win the second set comfortably 6-2, taking home the first win of the matchup for New York.
The second matchup of the day consisted of Philadelphia’s Greg Certo and Chris Mellor Vs. New York’s Wells Ross and Winston Simone Sr. Philadelphia took an early lead in the first set, going 3-0 up before New York came charging back into the match to make it three games to all. Both teams were finding their stride at this point, but with Chris Mellor’s timely volleys and Greg Certo’s powerful shots into the tambour, the team from Philadelphia won the first set 6-3. Several good serves by both Wells Ross and Winston Simeone had the teams tied up at four games, but the Philadelphia team proved slightly too strong in the end and leveled the matchup between the two teams at 1 match all.
As the matches throughout the morning and early afternoon had gone along, the crowd grew, making the atmosphere for the third and final match of the day even more electric: a match between Peter Vogt and Eli Segal, representing Philadelphia, and Briggs Fraser and Browning Platt, representing New York. The team from New York got off to an early lead, going 4-1 in games, but with a stroke of what can only be described as pure racquet sports talent, Peter Vogt hit a behind-the-back lob into the Dedan, winning the game for Philadelphia. Vogt and Segal proceeded to claw their way back to 4 games all, but the team from New York beat them to the finish line, winning the first set 6-4. Fraser and Platt then continued their efforts in the second set, going 5-2 up, but after multiple 40-all games and some unbelievable rallies and retrievals from both sides, the score was tied at five games to all, 40-all in the second set. Another long point ensued, and after several fantastic shots from both teams, New York 2 ultimately prevailed, winning both the Match and the Percy Cup, 2 Matches to 1.
The Racquet Club would like to thank all the participants, sponsors, and spectators for this year’s Percy Cup. This tournament is one of our favorite events of the year. It would not be possible without all of the individuals who make an effort to come out and play for their teams, the individuals who sponsor this event year after year, and the individuals who come out to watch and support their favorite teams as they battle it out on the Tennis Court to bring back the trophies to their home club. Congratulations again to the New York 2 team on a great run in this year’s Percy Cup, and we can’t wait to see everyone again next year.
