by Erik Barker
The 2023 U.S. Amateur, taking place April 27-30 at Westwood Country Club, exhibited staggeringly excellent play from a myriad of motivated players. The tournament kicked off Thursday night with the beloved Ryan Carey knocking off a spirited effort from locals Vern Cassin and Mark Philpott, aided by steady play from Dan Sternberg. Friday morning arrived with some unbelievable matches. John Motz and Bill Barker battled for 2 ½ hours, with Motz eventually prevailing in a game that lasted well over ten minutes. Freddie Bristowe and Henry Smith would edge Ben Hudson and Charlie Hurstel in a highly competitive match featuring excellent volleys and pace from all players. Erik Barker barely squeaked by an impressive Hurstel in the singles. He ran into similar adversity in the doubles, with Danny McBride and Brad Allen putting together inspirational tennis that fell just short in the third. Thus, though handicaps tended to predict the eventual outcome of each match accurately, in-person and online viewers were thoroughly entertained for the day.
Saturday witnessed tournament juggernauts Robert Shenkman and Bristowe impose their in-practice and dominant form on the rest of the field. Despite a sterling performance over Carey and Sternberg, Bill Barker and Motz, pairing together in the doubles, were no match for Shenkman and Peter Cipriano. Shenkman would similarly tower above his challengers in singles, pummeling Erik Barker in a lightning-fast match to book a spot in both finals. The other half of the draw, unsurprisingly, proved more competitive. Noah Motz confirmed his ascent to stardom in a relentless drubbing of Danny McBride, setting up a mouthwatering semi-final with Bristowe. Before that could occur, however, the younger Motz needed to muster everything he could to help defeat Bristowe and Smith – and he did. Returning excellently and consistently putting his opponents under pressure, Motz arguably played the best match of his life, willing himself and an injured Erik to the final. Though his level would not precipitously drop in his singles duel with Bristowe, he would not overcome the stalwart again, with Bristowe’s speed and power wearing Motz down.
The most expected and desired showdown, Bristowe versus Shenkman, had come to fruition. It did not disappoint. Five sets of fantastic and brutal tennis commenced. Bristowe did his best to hit through his opponent, but Shenkman would not yield, often striking the image of a backboard. Though as tight as can be, Shenkman’s world-class fitness and mental strength proved too much, with Bristowe’s pace faltering after the third hour of play. Unleashing a primal scream, Shenkman would triumph, cementing his spot at the top of the game with British and U.S. Amateur victories. Still, his day of tennis was not over, possessing the arduous task of winning the doubles just minutes after the singles. His legs were remarkably stable for having just expended a ton of energy. Shenkman set about mimicking the prior year’s result with Cipriano. He very well might have – if not for Noah Motz. Bearing the massive burden of covering the entire court on the service side (Erik’s injury forced him to get out of the way as much as possible), it likely seemed implausible that Noah could sustain his excellent form. Yet, that is precisely what he did. Repeatedly peppering targets, Noah dismantled the defenses of Shenkman and Cipriano, delighting a crowd very partisan toward the Motz/Barker duo. Ultimately, it was a delightful weekend, signaling a prosperous future for court tennis and Westwood.
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