Men's 55s: Phil Landauer & Tom Smith won all four national doubles titles while Landauer, who won the year's first three singles titles and may have been injured, chose to play doubles only in the year-ending hard court championships.
Men's 65s: Jimmy Parker & Ken Robinson captured all four doubles nationals.
Men's 70s: Fred Farzanegan was three for three in his initial year in the division (grass allergy?).
Bob Duesler & Jim Nelson again won all four national doubles titles and this was gold ball number 100 for Jim!
King Van Nostrand (at age 74) wins the World Individual Championships in both singles and doubles.
Men's 90s: Alex Swetka won all four singles gold balls for the second consecutive year and all four doubles titles as well (three with Bob Mix).
Second seed Bill Roach edged top seed Geoff Cykman 6-4,7-5 to capture the year's final gold ball in singles as three-time winner Phil Landauer chose to play only doubles. In the semis Roach topped Oliver Scott 2-6,7-7,6-0 while Cykman handled Mario Singer 7-5,6-3. Landauer & Tom Smith closed out a grand slam year in doubles by defeating Harry Fritz & Rob Whatley 6-4,6-2 in the semis and then Michael Talmadge & Frank Zebot 6-2,5-7,6-0. Talmadge & Zebot had ousted second seeds Keith Belcher & Scott 6-4,3-6,6-4.
Congratulations to USA winners:
Men's 65s: Jimmy Parker & Ken Robinson over fellow Americans Joe Bachman & Fred Drilling 4-6,6-2,6-2
Men's 70s: King Van Nostrand doubles up by edging out Germany's Klaus Haas 6-7(0),7-6(7),6-2 and partnering with Fred Farzanegan to defeat perennial champs Bob Duesler & Jim Nelson 3-6,6-2,6-1.
Men's 75s: George McCabe & Jack Vredevelt over teammates Chuck Nelson & Saul Snyder 6-4,6-4.
Men's 80s: Jason Morton topped Tony Franco 3-6,6-2,6-1 (USA dominated as Graydon Nichols & Clem Hopp were the losing semi-finalists) while Franco & Nichols bested Australians Corbett & Hillier 6-3,3-6,6-4.
Of eight of "our" supersenior divisions, only the 75s team came through as winners. Congratulations to George McCabe, John Powless, Saul Snyder and Jack Vredevelt for their decisive 3-0 win over Canada in the final match. Three of our USA teams (55s, 70s, 80s) lost their final match to finish in second place. The 55s and 80s teams both lost to Australia while the 70s lost to Germany. The losses in the 70s and 80s both came down to a third set in the deciding doubles — where our USA teams both lost 6-3. In the other divisions, our 60s team finished 5th and our 65s team finished third.
Phil Landauer earned both the singles and doubles gold balls once again. Landauer edged Mario Singer 7-6(4),4-6,7-5 in the semis and then defeated Larry Turville 6-4,6-3 in the singles final. Turville had dominated second seed Fred Robinson 6-1,6-0. Landauer & Tom Smith continued their outstanding year by winning the doubles with a semi-final victory over Keith Belcher & Oliver Scott 6-1,6-4 followed by a three-setter over Zan Guerry & Robinson 4-6,6-2,6-1. Guerry & Robinson had won a cliff-hanger over top seeds Neal Newman & Turville 5-7,6-3,7-6(5).
Landauer and the Landauer-Smith partnership have swept all three nationals to date. Next up: the 55 Hard Courts Championships in Indian Wells in December.
Armistead Neely, one the the four fifth seeds, defeated four seeded players enroute to winning the Men's 60 Clay Court Nationals. Neely bested #2 David Nash 6-4,6-1 in the semis and then narrowly edged #3 Richard Johnson 3-6,7-6(4),6-4 in the final. Johnson had dispatched top seed Hugh Thomson 6-2,6-4. Johnson had a measure of revenge in the doubles as the Johnson & Nash team first ousted top seeds Jerry Kirk & Thomson 6-1,3-6,6-2 and followed that with a convincing defeat of Bailey Brown & Neely 6-4,6-3. Brown & Neely had defeated second seeds Dan Bohannon & Jody Rush 4-6,7-5,6-3.
Bob Duesler reached the promised land once again. Of course it's no surprise when Duesler & Jim Nelson win a national doubles, but Duesler again won singles as well by bageling ninth seed Don Mathias 6-0,6-0 before taking out a tired Herm Ahlers 6-3,4-6,6-0. Ahlers had taken care of Bob Helton 6-1,6-2. Duesler & Nelson won the doubles title without the loss of a set. They were pushed in the semis by Lee Hamilton & Courtney Henderson 6-2,7-6(4) and then won comfortably over Les Dodson & Gord Nichol 6-3,6-2. Dodson & Nichol had edged Don Biedinger & George Gill 7-5,7-5.
Alex Swetka and King Van Nostrand surprised — in opposite ways. Swetka completed a double slam (winning all four gold balls in both singles and doubles) while Van Nostrand lost his first (non-injured) match in many years. Newt Meade continued his emergence as "the man" in the 85s.
Fred Farzanegan continued his stranglehold on the 70s with another strong showing capped by his three-set win over perennial winner King Van Nostrand 2-6,6-2,6-0. (Farzanegan, who's won all three 2008 nationals to date, elected not to enter the Grass that begins just a day after this win.) Van Nostrand had worked hard to defeat Bob Duesler 6-4,4-6,6-1 in the semis while Farzanegan dispatched Mark Forrester 6-3,6-2. Duesler & Jim Nelson once again cruised through the doubles draw without losing a set finishing by topping Les Dodson & Jack Vredevelt 6-3,6-1 and then Henry Baughman & Jim Landin 6-2,6-2. Baughman & Landin had edged second seeds Bob Helton & Len Lindborg 6-0,4-6,6-4. Welcome back, Jim!
Newt Meade once again defeated Aussie Neville Halligan in the final of the 85 singles — this time by the score of 6-2,4-6,6-2 — while top seeds Marvin Henderson & Bob Sherman declined to play off for third place (nasty, nasty bronze). Meade had blitzed Sherman 6-1,6-0 while Henderson was ousting Henderson 6-4,6-0. Halligan & Meade again partnered effectively to win the doubles with wins over Jim Carleton & Ken Hayes 6-3,6-1 and then over Henderson & Sherman 6-2,3-6,6-2. Henderson & Sherman had dominated Ted Heisler & W.T. Mathes 6-0,6-3.
Alex Swetka had an easy run in the 90 singles with a semi-final win over an injured Allie Ritzenberg 3-2,ret(inj) and then over Bill Kuntz 6-2,6-1. Kuntz had defeated unseeded Nels Glesne 6-0,6-2. Swetka & Ed Osgood (where was Bob Mix?) closed out the 90 doubles with close wins over Vero Ajello & Wade MacDonald 1-6,6-3,6-2 and Kuntz & Ritzenberg 3-6-6-2,7-5 in the final. Kuntz & Ritzenberg had mastered Barrett Scallet & Norman Stoll 6-0,6-3.
Phil Landauer won gold in the 55s by narrowly defeating Geoff Cykman 4-6,6-2,7-5 in the semis and then doubles partner Tom Smith 3-6,6-1,6-1 in the final. Smith had bested Skip Walther 1-6,6-4,6-3. Landauer & Smith edged Neal Newman & Jody Rush 7-5,7-5 before an even closer call with Oliver Scott & Walther 7-6(5),7-6(5). Scott and Walther had defeated Cykman & Andrew Stanley 6-4,7-6(3).
Brian Cheney extended the family franchise by winning the 60 singles and doubles. Cheney bested David Nash 7-6(0),6-2 and then edged doubles partner Bob Litwin 6-4,3-6,6-3 in the final. Litwin had ousted neighbor Doug Barrow 4-6,6-1,6-2. Cheney & Litwin won the doubles finishing with wins over Neal Newman & Jody Rush 6-4,4-6,6-1 and Dave & Dan Bohannon 6-4,6-1. The Bohannons had controlled Michael Beautyman & Nash 6-1,6-2.
Noteworthy oddity: Neal Newman & Jody Rush lost in both doubles semi-finals to the eventual winners and then earned both third place playoffs with walkover wins. Congratulations too to the organizers for a fine job of seeding as #1 defeated #2 in three events while it was #1 over #3 in the fourth and the losing semi-finalists were predominantly 3's and 4's as well.
John Powless again demonstrated his grass-court prowess by winning both the 75 singles and doubles championships. Powless, who lost a mere 12 games overall, topped Saul Snyder 6-1,6-3 in the semis and then George McCabe 6-3,6-1 in the final. McCabe had defeated Chuck DeVoe 6-0,7-6. Powless & Dick Doss displayed the same kind of dominance in the doubles by defeating Dave Rothgaber & Snyder 6-1,6-3 and then McCabe & Jack Vredevelt 6-3,6-1. McCabe & Vredevelt had ousted DeVoe & Chuck Nelson 6-4,6-1.
Graydon Nichols once again won both 80 gold balls. He defeated Jason Morton 6-3,7-5 in the singles semi-final and followed that up by besting doubles partner Tony Franco 6-4,6-4. Franco had defeated an injured Clem Hopp 4-6,ret(inj). Congratulations to Franco & Nichols for their grand slam in the 80 doubles in 2008. They closed out a triumphant year with wins over Dick Land & Bob Meyerdierks 6-3,6-2 and then over Hopp & Morton 6-2,6-2. Hopp & Morton had bested Raymond Breaux & T. Sellers Meric 6-2,6-4.
Top seed Jimmy Parker doubled up with wins in singles and doubles. Parker cruised through the singles without the loss of a set concluding with wins over Bill Bethard 6-2,6-1 and Fred Drilling 6-3,6-2. Drilling had dominated Bailey Brown 6-0,6-2 in their semi-final match. Parker & Ken Robinson were even more dominant as they lost a total of only ten games in five matches. Parker & Robinson bested Rudy Hernando & George Sarantos 6-1,6-2 and then Hank Irvine & Dennis Lynch 6-1,6-0. Irvine & Lynch had defeated Bethard & Jim Nelson 6-4,6-1.
Form went out the window in the 85s as unseeded Newt Meade dominated unseeded Aussie Neville Halligan 6-0,6-2 in the singles final. Meade had edged top seed Bob Sherman 6-3,7-5 while Halligan had ousted second seed Marvin Henderson 6-3,6-2. The team of Halligan & Meade, unseeded again, topped Hank Conway & Jules Plangere 6-1,6-1 and then completed the championship with a narrow win over top seeds Henderson & Sherman 7-6(8),7-5. Henderson & Sherman had bested Jack Bryson & Stephen Parson 6-3,6-2.
Alex Swetka continued his strong run in the 90s by winning both the singles and doubles titles. Swetka topped Bill Kuntz 2-6,6-4,6-2 in the semis and then Allie Ritzenberg 6-2,6-2 in the final. Ritzenberg had an easy time in the semis over Barrett Scallet 1-2,ret(?). Robert Mix & Swetka won the doubles with wins over Kuntz & Ritzenberg (law firm?) 6-3,6-2 and then over Scallet & Norman Stoll 6-0,6-1. Scallet & Stoll had bested Ed Sleeper & Jim Talman 6-1,6-2.
Saul Snyder, seeded second, won gold in the 75 singles (his first?) with convincing wins over unseeded Marvin Brown 4-6-6-0,6-1 and then over top seed George McCabe 6-3,6-1. McCabe had defeated #3 Jack Vredevelt 6-2,6-4. In the 75 doubles, #2 Dick Doss & John Powless cruised through the draw finishing with wins over unseeded local favorites Arthur Berkeley & John Jett 6-1,6-2 and then #1 McCabe & Vredevelt 6-4,2-1,ret(inj). McCabe & Vredevelt had ousted #3 John Bradshaw & Dave Rothgaber 7-5,6-1.
Graydon Nichols added to his numerous collection of 80s gold by winning both the singles and doubles. Nichols dominated Jason Morton 6-1,6-1 and then barely edged out Clem Hopp 6-0,3-6,7-6(5) to win the singles. Hopp had defeated #3 Tony Franco 6-1,7-5. In doubles, Franco & Nichols, seeded second, narrowly defeated Richard Land & Bob Meyerdierks 7-6(5),7-5 in the semis and then bested Hopp & Morton 2-6,6-3,6-4 for the title. Hopp & Morton had defeated the unseeded team of Phil Martinetti & W.D. Weathers 6-2,2-6,6-1.
Form prevailed throughout as the top four seeds (#4 doubles excepted) made it to the semi-finals in both singles and doubles and with both #1's defeated the #2's in the finals. Brian Cheney worked hard to best Brent Abel 6-2,5-7,6-1 and then won a heart-stopper final over Hugh Thomson 4-6,6-2,7-6. Thomson had defeated an injured Terry Ehlers 6-1,1-0,ret(inj). Cheney & Dan Bohannon prevailed in doubles with wins over Neal Newman & Jody Rush 6-4,6-2 and then over Jerry Kirk & Thomson 1-6,6-1,6-4. Kirk & Thomson had topped #6 seed George Kraft & David Ranney 6-2,6-4.
Second seed Leland Housman garnered gold with convincing wins over Ray Lake 6-3,6-3 and Bill Bethard 6-1,6-1. Bethard had surprised top seed Jimmy Parker 1-6,7-5,6-4 in the quarters and then defeated unseeded Tony Pausz 4-1,ret(ill) in the semis. Seedings prevailed in the doubles as #1 Parker & Ken Robinson bested #2 Dean Corley & Michael Stewart 6-2,6-3 in the final. Both finalists had defeated unseeded teams in the semis: Parker & Robinson over Richard Ortiz & Pausz 6-1,6-0 and Corley & Stewart over Ernest Booth & David Tucker 6-4,6-3.
Seeding was accurate as favorites prevailed in both divisions. Jimmy Parker doubled up once again in the 65s. Top seed Parker dispatched #3 Rudy Hernando 6-3,6-3 in the semis and followed it up with a convincing win over surprise finalist C. Raymond Lake 6-1,6-2. Parker cruised through the tournament winning five matches losing a total of only 18 games while Lake had benefited from three walkovers. Parker & Ken Robinson survived a first-set semi-final loss before defeating Michael Stewart & Dean Corley 5-7,6-2,6-3 and then wrapping up the championship with a decisive finals win over Hernando & George Sarantos 6-2,6-1. Hernando & Sarantos had edged David Bird & Robert Jones 6-3,7-5.
Fred Farzanegan continued his winning ways as a new 70 with five convincing wins (and no lost sets). Farzanegan, seeded second, bested Neil Hurlbut 6-3,1-0,ret(ill) in the semis and again dominated top seed Bob Duesler 6-1,6-2 in the final. Duesler had topped #9 Art Wahl 6-2,6-1. Wahl had ousted #4 Larry Sears 6-2,6-4 in the quarter-finals. In the 70 doubles fifth seeds Farzanegan & Don Biedinger topped Thurston Barnett & Bill Ulmer 6-3,6-1 in the semis and then pushed perennial winners Duesler & Jim Nelson — to no avail. Duesler & Nelson bested Roy Anderson & Gordy Nichol 6-1,6-4 in the semis and then triumphed again in the final over Farzanegan & Biedinger 6-2,3-6,6-3. Barnett & Ulmer barely won the third-place playoff over Anderson & Nichol 7-5,6-7,7-6 and thus consolidated their reputation for winning nail-biters following their run to the Indoor finals in March.
Form went out the window in the 75s as 9th seeded Saul Snyder won four consecutive matches against higher seeds to gain the gold ball. Snyder ousted #2 Chuck Devoe 6-3,6-3 then #5 Jim Perley 3-6,6-4,6-3 then #4 Marvin Brown 6-4,7-5 and, finally, #5 Roger Hing 3-6-6-2,6-4. Hing had narrowly defeated Tom Springer 6-3,4-6,6-4 and then barely overcame #5 David Rothgaber 2-6,7-6,7-6. Top seed George McCabe fell in his first match to unseeded Neil McDonald 7-6,6-4. It was a heck of a doubles event except that the final was unplayed! Go figure. Form prevailed (until then) as top seeds George McCabe & Jack Vredevelt bested #4 Bob Isenberg & Chuck Nelson 6-3,6-1 while #2 Dick Doss & John Powless dispatched #3 Chuck Devoe & Jerry Thomas 6-2,6-3.
September Update: Top seeds George McCabe & Jack Vredevelt lose out to #2 Dick Doss & John Powless 6-3,6-1. Rain and family emergencies delayed the final which was ultimately played between the Clay (Virginia Beach) and Grass (South Orange).
Form held in the 80s as the top four seeds met in the semi-finals where #2 Clem Hopp emerged with the gold ball besting #1 Graydon Nichols 6-2,1-6,6-4. Hopp had defeated Hugh Stewart 6-1,ret(inj) while Nichols bested Jason Morton 2-6,6-2,6-4. Nichols & Stewart gained a measure of revenge in the doubles final overcoming Hopp & Morton 6-4,6-0. Hopp & Morton had defeated Bob Chapman & Don Tully 6-4,6-1 as Nichols & Stewart were ousting Lee Glouner & Jack Graham 7-5,6-4.
Bob Sherman caught up with doubles partner Marvin Henderson in the 85 singles and won yet another pair of gold balls. Sherman topped #4 Ed Selfe 7-5,6-3 in the semis and then Henderson 6-3,6-3 in the final. Henderson had outlasted Edwin Tyler 4-6,6-1,6-1. Henderson & Sherman won the doubles with wins over Dyle Anderson & Don Tobey 1-6,6-1,6-1 and George Druliner & Tyler 7-6,6-4. Druliner & Tyler had bested Jim Carleton & Ken Kayes 6-3,6-1.
Jason Morton rebounded from a couple of down years to win two gold balls in the 80s. Marvin Henderson ontinued his singles mastery in the 85 Indoors while Alex Swetka dominated the 90s once again.
In the 80s, Morton bested Roald Flater 2-6,6-4,6-0 in the semis and then surprise finalist Lou Wick 4-6,6-3,6-2. The nseeded Wick has a terrific run ousting top seed Clem Hopp 6-3,7-5 in the quarters and Hugh Stewart 6-3,6-2 in the semis. Hopp & Morton combined to win the doubles defeating Vernon Larson & Earl Schalin 6-3,4-6,6-4 and Raymond Stange & Wick 6-1,6-2 in the final. Stange & Wick had ousted Dick Land & Joe Pitts 6-1,6-1.
In the 85s, Henderson bested unseeded Melvin Brown 6-1,6-2 in the semis and then unseeded Don Tobey 6-4,7-6 in the final. Tobey had outlasted Bob Sherman 5-7,7-5,6-1. Two unseeded teams met in the doubles final where Jim Carleton & Ken Hayes defeated Dyle Anderson & Tobey 4-6,6-4,6-3. Carleton & Hayes had topped second seeds Ted Heisler & W.T. Mathes 6-1,3-6,6-2 while Anderson & Tobey had bested top seeds Henderson & Sherman.
In the 90s, Swetka doubled up winning three singles matches with the loss of only three games! Swetka bested Tracy Strong 6-0,6-1 in the semis and then unseeded Ed Osgood 6-1,6-1. Osgood had bested Thomas Whitlow 6-0,7-6(4). Bob Mix & Swetka dominated the doubles defeating Walter Ralphs & Whitlow 6-0,6-1 in the semis and then top seeds Barrett Scallet & Norman Stoll 6-3,6-0 in the final. Scallet & Stoll had squeaked by Gardner Gray & Osgood 7-5,7-6(7).
Top seed Phil Landauer won both gold balls with a series of narrow wins in the singles and dominating wins in doubles. Landauer topped Carl Sechen 2-6,6-1,6-4, Geoff Cykman 2-6,6-3,7-6(4) and then Bill Roach 7-5,6-0 to win the singles title. Landauer & Tom Smith garnered the doubles gold ball by winning all three of their matches by the same 6-2,6-2 score: Wesley Jackson & Pete Kelly in the semis and then Cykman & Andrew Stanley in the final.
Top seed Jimmy Parker doubled up with a dominating performance in the singles. Parker, seeded number one, won his first five matches with the loss of only ten games (total). He bested William Simon 6-1,6-1 in the semis and then had to go all out to defeat third seed Joe Bachman 6-4,7-5 in the final. Bachman had bested second seed Fred Drilling 6-2,6-4. Parker & Ken Robinson cruised to victory in the doubles losing only seven games in the eight sets they won. Parker & Robinson defeated the unseeded team of George Balch & Peter Smith 5-7,6-0,6-1 (quarters), then Ted Hoehn & Leland Housman 6-2,6-1 (semis) and then Drilling & Ray Lake 6-1,6-2 (finals). Drilling & Lake had ousted the third seeded team of Dean Corley & Michael Stewart 6-4,6-2.
Top seed Brian Cheney garnered another gold ball with a narrow win in the 60 singles over second seed Hugh Thomson 7-5,3-6,7-6. Oddly, Thomson had bested Terry Ehlers by the same score in the semi-finals while Cheney had won the last eight games to oust Bob Litwin 7-5,6-0. Brothers David & Dan Bohannon triumphed in the 60 doubles by dint of three onsecutive perilous wins: Daud Ahmed & Richard Johnson 6-2,4-6,7-6 (quarters), Litwin & Neal Newman 6-1,6-7,7-5 (semis) and unseeded Laurence Hammel & Stuart Malin 6-2,4-6,6-2 (finals). Hammel & Stuart had enjoyed an injury walkover over the team of Brent Abel & Charles Hoeveler in the semis.
Alex Swetka continued his winning ways in the 90s. Swetka bageled Edmundo Giffoni 6-0,6-0 in the semis and then defeated Fererico Barbaza 6-2,6-2 in the final. Swetka & Robert Mix won the doubles with wins over Barrett Scallet & Norman Stoll 7-5,6-1 and then over Barbaza & Giffoni 7-6,6-4. Barbaza & Giffoni had crushed Tracy Strong & Jim Talman 6-0,6-0.
Fred Farzanegan introduced himself to the 70s with a splash by winning the gold ball with convincing wins over Bob Duesler 6-4,6-1 and Herman Ahlers 6-4,3-6,6-1. Ahlers had defeated Courtney Henderson 6-3,6-0 in the semis. In the 70 doubles Duesler & Jim Nelson once again prevailed handily while losing only twelve games (and no sets) in four matches. They topped Lee Hamilton & Henderson 6-3,6-0 in the semis and then surprise finalists Thurston Barnett & Bill Ulmer 6-1,6-1. Barnett & Ulmer had surprised second seeds Neil Hurlbut & Bill Hyde 4-6,7-5,7-5 in the opening round and then Greg Kohles & Chuck Nelson 6-4,3-6,6-4 in the semis.
George McCabe had an outstanding tournament in the 75s by winning both the singles and doubles titles. Overall McCabe won eight matches without the loss of a set. In singles McCabe bested Scott Denison 6-4,6-4 in the semis and then Chuck Devoe 7-5,7-5 in the final. Devoe had defeated 2007 winner Tom Springer 6-2,6-4 in the semis. McCabe & Jack Vredevelt won the doubles with a semi-final win over the unseeded team of Roger Gruggett & Richard Haskell 7-6(5),6-2 and a final win over second seeds Devoe & Russell Seymour 6-3,6-3. Devoe & Seymour had edged out Bob Isenberg & Chuck Nelson 6-2,1-6,7-5 in their semi-final match.