Silver Racquet Weekend

Stein and Batstone faced off in the first semifinal on Saturday afternoon. A dominant display of unpredictable movement and powerful hitting saw Stein rush to a 6/1 first set. However, a change in momentum helped Batstone fight back to a 4/1 lead in the second. Despite a tight 5/5 game in which Batstone failed to convert three set points, Stein was able to close out the set 6/5 and book his place in the final.

The second semifinal would feature Crowell and Sacks. Sacks’ consistent play and quality retrieving pushed Crowell to 4/4 in the first and 3/3 in the second. However, Crowell’s controlled game helped him close out both sets and carried him to a solid victory.

Against the two-time defending champion, Stein went into the final the undisputed underdog. A rematch of the tightly-contested final last year, the first set produced an outstanding exhibition of tennis for the packed gallery. Crowell took a narrow lead in the first set 4/3 but Stein’s relentless retrieving and aggressive volleying rewarded him with the big points and allowed him to take the first set 6/4. The second set was of similar high quality. However, Stein’s outstanding shot-making and athleticism gave him a commanding 5/1 lead. Crowell regrouped to make it 3/5 with some gutsy match point- saving shots; but, Stein held his nerve and managed to close out the match, capping off an impressive tournament.

New York Open Handicap A Division

This year the New York Open Handicap A Division featured handicaps ranging from +4.3 through to 38.7. This made for many matches with large and unforgiving handicaps. Even the perennially successful handicap wizard and Racquets World Champion, James Stout, could not handle. The R&TC’s Hazelton bulldozed his way through to the semifinals with well-timed volleys over considerably large handicap differences. Elsewhere, Queen’s Club’s Tommy Shields battled his way through the early rounds, taking out the likes of professional Josh Dodgson and saving match points to complete an impressive comeback over Warner 8/7. Shields and Hazelton met in the first semifinal, where Shields was the beneficiary of a healthy handicap. DespiteHazelton’s best efforts, the handicap advantage, and the dynamic play of Shields proved too much. Erik Barker’s speed and ball retrieving skills helped him progress to the semifinals with a well-managed 8/7 win over Pete Roessler. Barker faced Mackin off of a nearly even handicap in the other semifinal. Despite Barker’s best efforts, Mackin’sclean ball striking and tenacity put the former under too much pressure, yielding Mackin a spot in the final.

With Shield’s pressuring Mackin with his tricky lefty serve and unorthodox style, the final was an entertaining affair. Mackin’s retrieving ability held up extremely well against the difficult lefty and eventually, this proved too much for Shields. Mackin took home the title 8/3, procuring his first gold paint in his young Tennis career.

New York Open Handicap B Division

With the participants separated by no more than 12 points, the B division saw the tightest banding of handicaps and, predictably, produced many tight results. Standout performances included the likes of Briggs Fraser’s run to the semifinal which consisted of several narrow wins, including an 8/7 nail-biting victory over Chris Moore. BenLawrence’s quality play saw him progress through his early rounds to a semifinal berth against Fraser. With a slight handicap in his favor, Lawrence’s shot-making abilities proved too much for Fraser and landed Lawrence a spot in the final. On the other side of the draw, Ned Pierrepont battled through many challenging matches on his way to the semis to face Will Winmill. On this Sunday after the dinner dance in a rousing rematch of last year’s C division final, Pierrepont’s strong volleying and countering enabled him to get his revenge on Winmill, setting up an exciting final against Lawrence.

With both players using a combination of aggressive ball striking and controlled length, entertaining fully the surprisingly energetic gallery, the final was a classic exhibition of handicap tennis. Despite a spirited performance by Pierrepont, Lawrence came out victorious 8/4.

New York Open Handicap C Division

The New York Open Handicap C Division tends to enjoy the participation of improving players who are often new to competitive matches. With so many new faces in the draw, it is a wonderful representation of the health and the future of the game. Similar to the B Division, the early rounds in the C Division provided many thrilling matches with several coming down to the deciding game. On the back of several hard-earned victories through to a semifinal against Nelson Timpson, Frenchman Alexandre Gallo showed exceptional promise and potential for growth. With very similar handicaps, this made for a ding-dong match with frequent momentum swings. In the end, Timpson earned a narrow 8/7 win. On the other side of the draw, George Wheatley and Robert Dunphy both progressed to the other semifinal. With impressive skill and shot-making, Dunphy cruised by Wheatley 8/3 and booked his place in the final against Timpson. Timpson and Dunphy battled in what proved to be a tit for tat match. Both R&TC players

played well beyond their handicaps, treating the healthy crowd to some amazing moments of invention and shot-making. Dunphy held a slight edge over his opponent throughout the games and emerged the winner 8/4.

Many thanks go to the R&TC’s superb professionals and staff. The Silver Racquet was once again a fantastic event for spectators and competitors alike.