Road to the Finals – Fall 11 Autumn Classic

On Sunday, November 27th, 8 survivors were left to fight it out to obtain one of the final positions, but only two persevered.  Two rose above the masses to play in front of the lights.  In front of the crowd.  For the Crystal Trophy.  For the title of Champion.  Would these two finalists turn out to be familiar faces, competitors who have been there before, or would fate send a fresh contender to meet his or her destiny on the hallowed wooden ground that lines Olive Rehearsal Hall?

You will see that destination for yourself.  This is the tale of the journey.

Match 1:  unseeded Jeff Myers v. 20 Hanbyul “OneStar” Jang

Jeff Myers was a late add on, taking the place of the highly rated prospect 4th seed Emil Khudyev.  Due to travel delays, Khudyev was unable to make the tournament so instead of forfeit, the unseeded Myers stepped in to take his place against the 20th seed Hanbyul “OneStar” Jang.  As these two warmed up, it looked as though Jang might easily wrap this match up, as her game was cleaner and appeared more in control.  As the match started, however, it became evident that Myers was just fine-tuning his hits.  Once the game was on, Myers showcased his fluidity and charged out to an 8-4 lead.  Although OneStar made a rally to tie the set 8-8, her momentum was spent and Myers fired off 3 straight points to take set one.  The second set saw some nice rallies, but two problems plagued the 20th seed:  she continually hit it long and she was stuffed on her backhand side, particularly with hits close to her body.  Myers exploited the weakness and took sets two and three easily to advance.

Match 2:  7 Ilia Ulianitsky v. 15 Eugene Lifschitz

This match started fast, grabbed hold, and never let up.  7th seed Ilia Ulianitsky is one of the new class of CTTA competitors, one of the several who have made drastic improvements to his game and threaten to make a deep run every single tournament.  What sets Ulianitsky a apart from many others who’ve made bold steps is his deadly backhand.  Not only can he kill you with a tough, topspin forehand, but he can murder you with a quick snap backhand.  Very impressive and fun to watch.  He faced off against 15 seed Eugene Lifschitz and after Ulianitsky dominated in set 1 11-3, Lifschitz showed off some speed of his own in the second set.  Lifschitz has some nice power moves, but Ulianitsky easily handled everything thrown at him with some stellar returns.  Ulianitsky rolled through sets 2 and 3 11-5 in each case to make it to the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal match 1:  unseeded Jeff Myers v. 7 Ilia Ulianitsky

The winners of the evening’s first two matches met up in match 3.  After seeing a more power opponent like Lifschitz, Ulianitsky seemed a bit thrown off by Myers’ slower tempo.  Perhaps slightly off balance, Ulianitsky barely held on through the opening points with a narrow 5-4 lead.  He found the missing rhythm, however, as he adapted to Myers’ defensive schemes and took 6 of the next 7 points to take set 1 with a score of 11-5.  Set 2 was the Ilia show, as he demonstrated near perfect play and took it 11-2.  Set three was much more competitive, as never-say-die Myers hung around the entire time, but simply couldn’t make up a two to three point deficit the entire time and finally fell 7-11.   With that, Ulianitsky, the most improved player in the CTTA, made his first-ever trip to the semifinals and would meet the winner of the next match.

Quarterfinal match 2:  1 Christopher Zack v. 10 Timmy Yu

With still only one set loss and without a match loss in his career, Grand Champion Christopher Zack continued his quest for his third straight championship to tie former champ Jeremy Berry.  Standing in his way was the rather unassuming 10th seed, Timmy Yu.  The first set began with Zack seemingly off his game.  Unable to find the table with some of his slams and having a tough time with Yu’s penhold spins, the grand champ found himself in an early 4-7 hole.  Battling back, he came within one to make it 8-9, but Yu hung on to win set one 8-11.

They moved on to set 2…wait, what?  What did you say a second ago?  Zack lost the first set?  Perhaps we shouldn’t go out of our minds quite yet, but how could Zack lose?  This is a guy who is 8-0 against three-time champion Jeremy Berry and 32-1 overall entering this match.  Do you remember his only loss?  He dropped a single little solitary set last spring against another former champ, Jimmy Kang.  So this was only his second loss in tournament play, and the question was, how?  Several factors occurred to this sportswriter as he watched this match unfold.  First, Yu was a CTTA rookie, and it’s oftentimes difficult to rank the new class causing a strong player to receive a higher seed than he probably should.  As a result, Zack was probably not expecting to meet such a strong opponent in the quarterfinals.  Secondly, as a rookie, Yu wasn’t as intimidated by Zack as some of the other players.  Sure, he must have heard about Zack’s dominance, but without seeing and experiencing that dominance, it’s easier to walk into a match with a clearer head.  Whatever the reason, Yu won set 1.  Big deal, right?  Would he be able to close?  This means two more sets against the champ.  A fluke set is one thing, but three?  We’ll see.  As if to make a statement, Zack answered big in set 2, pounding the 10th seed and securing an 11-4 win.  That’s more like it–Zack destroying yet another opponent.  Been there, done that.  Everyone let out a nervous breath and a little laugh of relief.  For a moment, all seemed right in the world.  As we would see, however, that moment would be very brief indeed.

When most mortals would have crumbled under the pressure, Yu met it and embraced the struggle.  Not flinching after a 4-11 set 2 thrashing, Yu led out 5-2 in set 3.  With the help of those freaky deaky serves, Zack evened the score 6-6, but lost the next two points, both his serves.  So there we sat, Yu ahead 8-6 with the serve.  Very pivotal moment.  Zack was able to get the advantage in the next 5 points, taking 3 of them, but that still left him behind 9-10.  As was a theme in this entire match, Yu somehow rose above in the key moments and this was one of them.  He found a way to force a Zack error to take set 3 and secure a 2-1 match lead.

Carrying on with the momentum from set 3, Yu absolutely stormed out in set 4 with a 6-2 lead.  Just when he was five little points away from the greatest upset in the history of the CTTA…he seemed to falter.  Zack made the next point making it 6-3, and right after Yu served it into the net, bringing the champ within 2.  Zack serves, wins, bringing the score to 6-5.  Again, when all-out collapse would have claimed almost any other competitor in the CTTA, Yu somehow brought it together and took the next three points in a row, making it 9-5.  Again, Zack made a charge.  Here is how the ending of this set broke down:  9-5, 9-6, 9-7, 9-8, 10-8, 10-9, ….

11-9 Yu!  And with that, a previously unknown tournament rookie 10th seed took down the biggest, baddest Grand Champion in CTTA history!

Semifinal Match 1:  7 Ilia Ulianitsky v. 10 Timmy Yu

10th seed Timmy Yu looked to continue his incredible run and entered this match against 7th seed Ilia Ulianitsky with pure momentum.  The match began fairly evenly, 3-3, with both playing fast and neither letting up.  Yu had a few problems with Ulianitsky’s serves early on, but after the 3-3 stalemate, Yu went on a monster run, winning 8 of the last 9 to earn the first set 11-4.  Set 2 began similarly with a 5-5 tie, and this time neither could keep the advantage.  Filled with low and quick rallies, they battled until a 10-10 deuce.  Like we saw with Zack, though, Yu found a way to pull it out and after going up 11-10, took the final point on a killer rally to secure a 12-10 win.  Again, they came out hard and fast and equaled each other the entire way in the third set.  Ulianitsky, not ready to say goodbye, inched ahead at the end and stole the set 11-8.  Ulianitsky held the momentum in set 4, leading 5-1, but Yu bounced back and eventually tied it up 6-6.  Pulling ahead, Yu outlasted Ulianitsky to win the set and match 11-8.  With that, Timmy Yu enters the finals and earns the right to compete on Championship Thursday in his first ever tournament!

Semifinal Match 2:  2 Jeremy Berry v. 6 Kevin Lin

The final match of the evening would decide who would meet Timmy Yu under the lights come Thursday.  Second seed Jeremy Berry faced off against sixth seed Kevin Lin for that right.  The style of play was markedly different than the previous one, where the former was quick, low, and full of aggressive spins, this one was full of long hits, long rallies, with Berry pushing Lin continually back off the table, hammering him with topspin slams.  Even though he was repeatedly the aggressor, Berry found himself in an early hole and was unable to climb out, eventually falling 9-11.  We earlier saw our first seed go down, would our number two seed lose as well?  Set 2 was more of the same, yet Berry was able to win a few more of the points here and there and took it 11-7.  In set 3, Berry seriously found his rhythm, and looked sharp, fast, and able to return anything.  He ran up an 8-4 lead and hammered home the set 11-6.

Following this set, CTTA president Robert Lipsett stood up and announced, “after this final game, if there is anyone who could help clean up–”  at this he was interrupted by his brother Steve Lipsett, in town for the holiday weekend, who said, “how do you know this is the final game?”  Momentary silence.  With a slight nod of agreement, the president sat down.

The match resumed, and after winning the first 3 points of set 4, Berry stumbled slightly as Lin won the next 2 to make it 2-3.  On the next point, Berry won it, but a serving error forced a replay.  Lin won the replay and instead of it being 4-2 Berry, it was tied 3-3.  This was a big moment, and the set followed this trend until the end.  Seeing ties at 4-4, 7-7, 8-8, Berry finally had enough and pounded out three straight points to win the set and match 11-8.

Finalists:  2 Jeremy Berry v. 10 Timmy Yu

So the finals are set.  On one side of the table is tournament newbie Timmy Yu and on the other, returning to the spotlight for the 7th straight time is the most tried and tested CTTA veteran of all time Jeremy Berry.  Yu looks to break into Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School and win the whole thing his first time out, while Berry aims to reclaim the championship after losing in his last two straight finals appearances.  Both have something to prove.  Both are hungry.  The only question is, who wants it more?

Autumn Classic Round 2 (part 2)

Following 5th seed Yi Zhou’s victory over the 13th seed Ivan Wan, we moved on to our 5th match of the evening featuring 6th seed Kevin “Cash” Lin against 8th seed Sang-Yoon Kim.  Here we had two completely different styles.  On one side was Lin and his slam-happy method of setting up the shot he wanted before shoving it down his opponent’s throat.  On the other was Kim, who would look cool and collected even if the world was ending, and his primarily defensive stance.  Kim’s major shot in the first set was the slice, and it worked long enough to keep Cash off balance, but couldn’t hold off the 6th seed in an 11-8 set 1 win.  The second set saw Kim become much more aggressive as he replaced many of his slices with topspin.  This new strategy saw several more winners, yet also caused many errors as he dropped set 2 as well 7-11.  Johnny Cool didn’t let it get to him and played hard in set 3, almost forcing deuce with a 10-9 score, but Johnny Cash wouldn’t let that happen as he finished off the set 11-9 and moved into the quarterfinals.

Next up was our 3rd seed Greg Cardi facing off against the 11th seed Mark Teplitsky.  Teplitsky, fresh off a victory against two time runner up Radu Paponiu looked to strike again.  This was a match of forehand vs forehand.  Both players have a devastating forehand, but a much more defensive backhand.  At times, rallies here looked stupendous, as slams were met with slams, firing back and forth across the table.  This was when they each hit to the other’s forehand.  Backhand rallies, on the other hand, looked completely different, as the ball ambled over the net each hit only to be bounced back over.  Either way, they were a good match up and this sportswriter can only comment that players looking to take it to the next level need to develop a quick topspin forehand.  The match itself?  As exciting as they come.  After winning the first two sets, Cardi looked to finish Teplitsky off, but our 11th seed wouldn’t say die.  He came out swinging and let set three 6-1.  Cardi made an impressive charge, taking 7 of the next 11, but keep up the momentum as Teplitsky took his first set 11-8.  Set 4 began exactly the opposite, as Cardi led 7-2, but somehow lost momentum as Teplitsky somehow fought and clawed his way back, finally tying the set at 9 apiece.  At a de facto deuce, Teplitsky stole the final two points to tie the match at 2 sets each.  Set 5 went back and forth as the players exchanged point after point until it was 6-6.  Digging deep, Teplitsky continued his run and took 5 of the next 6 to seal the deal 11-7.  With that, a great come-from-behind victory was produced and marked the second time in CTTA history a top-four seed fell before the quarterfinals (the first being, of course, the monumental match where 19th seed John Winstead took down 4th seed Radu Paponiu in the first round last semester).

Teplitsky did not rest long.  The next match was also his as he faced 6th seed Kevin “Cash” Lin in the quarterfinals.  Perhaps tired out from the previous match, Teplitsky fell behind 4 points early and could never make up the difference as Lin strolled to an easy 11-7 win.  As he didn’t before, he didn’t give up here as he bounced back and won by an almost as easy 11-8 margin.  Tied 1-1, the all-important set three would decide who would take the advantage going down the stretch.  This set was Teplitsky at his best, as he looked much more consistent, not only with his slams but also his common strokes which forced Lin to fight and scratch for every point.  His only weakness was post-slam, as he would swing so hard he would be a bit off balance if it were to be returned.  Luckily, few were, which helped him take set 3 and the 2-1 match lead.  If he could pull out one of the next two, he would do the impossible:  reaching the semifinals seeded outside the top 10, another feat which has never happened.  Lin, however, had a little to say about the subject.  Leading right away in set 4, he continued the charge and won 11-6, as Teplitsky looked tired and out-of-rhythm.  Tied 2-2, this sportswriter put down his pen, sat back, and enjoyed the final set, which featured some of the best rallies of the match.  In what was Teplitsky’s 10th straight set, he couldn’t keep up the intensity and allowed Lin’s solid game to rule the day.  Congrats to Lin, who achieves a semifinal berth in his first CTTA tourney.  But hats off to Teplitsky, who almost completed the most unlikely run in tournament history.  Unfortunately, Teplitsky’s Cinderella days are probably over, as he will undoubtedly be seeded much lower in tournaments to come.

How can we begin talking about match 8?  Enter The Steamroller.  Three time tournament champion, the number 2 seed Jeremy “The Steamroller” Berry was up next against our 5th seed Yi Zhou.  Oftentimes competitors enter a match against Berry with the mindset that they can’t win, and it’s hard to blame them.  In his CTTA career, Berry has still yet to drop a set in non-finals play.  That means that if we’re not in the Olive Rehearsal Hall after the final Performance Forum of the semester, under the lights, in front of the crowd, then Berry ain’t losing (not that he necessarily loses in the finals as he has a 3-3 match record on Championship Thursday).  Berry has never not gone all the way to the finals since he’s been here and you know those finals posters we put up?  Yep, Berry has been on them all:

So it’s hard not to get down on yourself as you’re about to play The Steamroller, but somehow, someway, Zhou didn’t.  In fact, he surprised everyone, especially Berry by jumping out to a 6-3 set 1 lead.  Unfortunately for Zhou, Berry found his rhythm and took 8 of the next 10 to win set 1.  Sets 2 and 3 were similar, as Zhou led both early 5-2 and 6-4 respectively, but as he has always done in the past, he found a way to win and took the match 3-0, remaining undefeated (in sets!) in non-finals play.

The stage is set for the final night of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School where 2 finalists will earn the right to do battle in the Championship.

Sunday.

November.

27th.

8PM.

5th Floor.

Olive Building.

Be there.

The Drama Continues – Autumn Classic Round 2 (part 1)

How to sum up round 2?  We knew it was going to be memorable.  We knew it was going to be exciting.  We knew it was going to be a night filled with hard fought matches in a new era of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School.  In this era everyone fights hard.  Everyone practices and works at their game late at night, early in the morning, and any spare second in between.  Players don’t accept mediocrity, and they don’t expect success to come easy.  They know as well as anyone that this field is deep, talented, and hungry to play under the lights come Championship Thursday.

Leading off the night was the familiar 20th seed Hanbyul “OneStar” Jang against the tournament newbie 21st seed Usha Kapoor in a “play in” match to see who would meet 4th seed Emil Khudyev technically in round 1.  Kapoor began set 1 very uncontrolled and ended up dropping it badly 11-2, only to bounce back in the second set.  Doing better, she got as close as 6-8, but couldn’t hold off OneStar’s 11-7  set two win.  Early in set three, it seemed more of the same as OneStar led early 6-3 enroute to 10-7.  In what could only be described as sheer will and determination, Kapoor fought off three match points and won the next to go up 11-10.  Just needing one point to force a set 4, her momentum was spent as OneStar went on a three point run to win set and match 13-11.

Match 2 originally starred 3rd seed Greg “Kobe” Cardi against John Winstead, the man who took down two time tournament runner-up Radu Paponiu last semester in the greatest upset in CTTA history and looked to continue the streak against the 3rd seed.  Unfortunately, due to a late tournament pull out, Winstead was replaced by tournament director Allan Steele, who stepped in as the 22nd seed.  Before the match, Steele showed off some impressive moves and actually looked like he was getting in the head of the high-ranked Cardi.  Whatever the case, Cardi rolled to an 11-2 opening set victory and won set 2 also as Steele couldn’t find his rhythm.  Set 3 was full of good, strong rallies, but Cardi wouldn’t let up.  Steele pulled as close as 10-9, but Cardi sealed it with a 11-9 set 3 and match win.

Two things stuck in the mind of this sportswriter as he watched the next match.  The first happened before the match even started, as backup scorekeeper Ben Lash “LaRue” performed the opening coin toss only to miss the catch, have the quarter hit the table and fall to the ground.  Picking it up, he put it on his hand and said “call it.”  A bit of a non-regulation coin toss to get us started, which was made even worse when the next coin toss also failed to find Lash’s hand and succeeded in finding the table in a loud clank for the second consecutive time.  After the opening difficulties, the match began.  The second thing mentioned above was the level of play we got from 2 tournament newcomers.  10th seed Timmy Yu and 14th seed Tanner Menees both came out hard and swinging.  Set 1 began with 10 hard fought points to bring us to 5-5, and this interestingly was the closest this match would come.  Reading the simple numbers of this match, Yu wins with a seemingly routine straight sets 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 match victory but the numbers simply don’t tell the whole story.  When viewing matches, certain sportswriters take copious notes and this one is no different.  The first thing written at the beginning of this match is:  ”3 letters – wow.”  That sums up how this match started and as far as the action goes, sums it up well.  The match was chocked full of speed, great rallies, and winners down the line.  Silly mistakes plagued both competitors, but simply plagued Menees a bit more.  It was a highly competitive and entertaining match about which the numbers simply don’t do justice.  Yu moves on, but we’ll certainly see more of Menees in the future.

The fourth match of the night featured 5th seed Yi Zhou against 13th seed Ivan “the Terrible” Wan.  Unfortunately for our 5th seed, “the Terrible” moniker isn’t a literal representation of table tennis skills as Zhou was put to the test right away.  After 2 missed serves, Zhou found himself in an early hole, but he quickly came back 2-2 and took the lead the following point.  He would hold a slight lead the entire set that culminated in a 10-10 deuce which Zhou eventually won 13-11.  Set 2 started fast and furious but Zhou had an X-factor in this one that made it seem like he was more in control.  He pulled out a set two win only to fall behind early in set 3.  Wan held a steady lead and looked good up 8-6, but Zhou came back, forced another 10-10 deuce and persevered with a 15-13 set 3 and match victory.

And with that the night was…half over.

Stay tuned for the second installment coming soon.

Autumn Classic Opening Night

Opening night came upon us faster and with more fury than ever before.  The crowd was huge, involved, and hungry for the hard hitting match ups they’ve come to expect from Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School.  The matches did not disappoint; ten athletes took center stage in what became five of the best opening round duels in recent memory.

Leading off the night was the fresh face of 21st seed Thomas Huntington playing in his first ever tournament against 8th seed Ilia Ulianitsky.  Ulianitsky has made real improvement over the past few tournaments and has clawed his way through the competition as he began as the 16th seed just last spring.  Tournament organizer Allan Steele has his ear to the CTTA off-season circuit and knew how much Ulianitsky had improved, hence his high ranking.  Would he be able to advance through the newbie Huntington?  After an early set hiccup, which Huntington took easily, Ulianitsky dominated to take the match 3-1, persevering through two tough final games.

Last tourney we saw the biggest upset in CTTA history as the 19th seed John Winstead took down the two-time tournament runner up 4th seed Radu Paponiu.  After plummeting all the way down to the 12th seed, Paponiu looked to bounce back in this tourney against 10th seed Mark Teplitsky.  When the match began, Paponiu looked sluggish and off, which makes this sportswriter wonder how intensive his conditioning program is during the off season.  Either way, Teplitsky, with a tight, clean game, won three easy games from Paponiu to advance for the first time.  Perhaps the former runner up looked off, but let’s not take anything away from Teplitsky, who played last tournament as the last seed, only to be taken apart by Grand Champion Christopher Zack in the first round.  This sportswriter looks forward to how far Teplitsky can advance.

Making his CTTA tournament debut, newcomer young gun 5th seed Kevin “Cash” Lin took on the hardworking veteran 16th seed Ben Lash “LaRue” in our next match up.  Lin, reminiscent of Johnny Cash dressed all in black, came out strong, yet couldn’t hold off the crowd favorite LaRue in an opening set deuce win.  Cash bounced back, however, and put Lash on his heels in set two as he really showcased his speed and game control.  Tied 1-1, the two exchanged points in a pivotal set three, but Cash would not be upset as he took sets three and four and the match.

The fourth match of opening night featured the three-time former champion 2nd seed Jeremy Berry against the hopeful 19th seed Hugh Palmer.  Although Palmer looked quicker and more in control than in tournaments past, Berry had no problem putting him away in three easy sets.  The question is, of course, how much Berry has been working in the off season.  Will he have a chance against reigning champion Christopher Zack?  Will he be able to survive through the huge group of contenders who have been playing tirelessly in the past few months?  As we say, time will tell.

Our final match pitted our undisputed champ Christopher Zack across the table from 18th seed Jacob Wilder.  What can we say?  After an 11-0 first set win, Zack never looked back as he stomped Wilder 3-0.

There it is.  Zack is the man to beat.  The one with the giant bulls-eye.  Can anyone take him down?  Can anyone end his streak?  In two straight semesters, Zack has a perfect match run and has only dropped one set.

Ever.

Wow.

Our next night of action is November 19th at 8PM on the 5th floor.  Yes, there will be food.

The Circle Opens – Fall 2011

And so it comes to pass that another chapter in Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School opens upon us tonight.  The lights.  The table.  The speed, the fury, and the overpowering desire to crush the competition and advance on in the ultimate goal of wielding the crystal trophy just a few weeks from now.

What familiar faces will persevere?  What up-and-comers will prove their worth?  What top seeds will fall in heart-wrenching upset?  All of the action and drama unfolds as storyline upon storyline comes to vivid life as contenders and pretenders are separated and a champion is crowned.

Editor’s note:  apparently a certain sportswriter never posted a championship article at the end of last tournament, so in case you were wondering, Christopher Zack won to become the second Grand Champion in the history of the Colburn Table Tennis Association!  This gross oversight can only be attributed to temporary insanity.

The 2011 Spring Finals are Set

The tournament has served its purpose of finding the top two competitors ready for a showdown this Thursday.  The tournament has given us two faces to be immortalized on the finals poster, one of whom will hold the coveted Crystal Trophy high over his head and will be named the champion.  We began with 21 and are now down to 2.

This is the story of how we got here.

Well, the story of how we got from 7 down to 2 anyway.  We began the evening with the final three matches before the semifinals.  The number 1 seed, Christopher Zack, already made it into the semifinals with his dramatic 3-1 victory over former champ Jimmy Kang last time.

The 8th seed, Paul “no flash” Macres led off the night against the scrappy 14th seed Ben Lash “LaRue.”

In what was LaRue’s first actual match of this tournament (he got a freebie against Sean Case), he came out swinging against the light-sensitive Macres.  Perhaps it was due to a certain sportswriter’s image-capturing equipment, but the 8th seed dropped the first set decisively.  After settling down, Macres turned it around and stormed back to take the next three sets and the match.

In the second quarterfinal match of the night, 6th seed Greg “Kobe” Cardi stood against the 19th seed John “Cinderella Story” Winstead.

The crowd gathered in hushed anticipation to once again see the man who knocked off the two-time runner-up, the 4th seed Radu Paponiu just a couple weeks ago.  Would Cardi also fall on Winstead’s climb through the competition?  Would this be the second-largest upset in CTTA history, a 19th seed over a 6?  Not if Cardi would have anything to say about it.  Winstead’s backspin-heavy shots that were Paponiu’s downfall were nothing more than cannon fodder for Cardi’s slams as he rolled to an easy 11-3 first set win.  The next two sets were more of the same as Cardi was clean, calm, and on his game.  Cardi advanced to his second-straight semifinal appearance.

The final quarterfinal match of the tournament was the night’s previous winner, the 8th seed Paul Macres versus the 2 seed, Jeremy “Steamroller” Berry.

This was a civil war at its best.  Friend against friend.  Roommate against roommate.  String player against another string player who plays on considerably bigger strings.  Macres, with his last win’s momentum, tried to put Berry against the ropes early, but cracking the one-time Grand Champion’s defense proved much too difficult.  There were several great, exciting rallies spread out in there, but on the whole, Berry stomped through to the semis 3-0.

The first semifinal match of the tournament had the champ, 1st seed Christopher Zack, take on the aggressive 3rd seed Nigel Armstrong.

Looking at the numbers, you’d probably think that this was an even match.  With no disrespect to Armstrong, who this sportswriter has loved to write about and is sad to see leaving the CTTA after this season, Zack was the clear favorite entering this match.  With an almost robotic perfection in his game, Zack streaked out to a 2-0 set lead.  Armstrong, with his back against the wall, came out in the third with his trademark terrier style.

On several points he stretched the champ to the limit and landed slam winners to the cheers of the crowd.  The champ wouldn’t be denied, however, as he held off Armstrong’s attacks.  Zack calmly gave up the points and won the points he had to to grind out the third set and match victory.  With that, the champ goes to the finals for the second straight tournament.

Our second semifinal match pitted 2nd seed Jeremy Berry against 6th seed Greg Cardi.

Cardi, one of the newest young guns on the CTTA, looked to gain that second spot in the finals over the former champ.  Surprisingly, Cardi’s game is very similar to Berry’s.  They both have clean, smooth swings and rely on top-spin heavy shots and slams.  To beat Berry at his own game, he would simply have to be able to overpower Berry.

Looking at Berry’s play history, his only two match losses (yes, TWO losses) came from Yun Tang in the fall 2008 finals and in the last finals to current champ Christopher Zack.  Both Tang and Zack are very adept at putting heavy amounts of spin on the ball to force plenty of errors before crushing the ball with a deadly slam.  No one yet has been able to beat Berry with nothing but quick slams, so Cardi would have to bring something else to the table.  Cardi’s X-factor, however, is the feverish pace he’s able to put on the play.  If he could come out and rush Berry into making early mistakes, he might be able to gain control of the match.  As we got underway, however, Berry did what we’ve seen him do so many times before:  he simply dominated with his cool, error-free play.  Cardi looked a bit off-balance as Berry rolled through in three straight set-victories to earn his record 6th straight finals appearance.

And so it is again.  Berry vs. Zack in the final round of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School.  A storied rivalry with one chapter so far written, and another to be written in a few short days.  Can Berry re-claim the top spot he held for so long, or will Zack continue his run to become the second Grand Champion in school history?

We will all see on Thursday, April 21st at 11:30.  Be prepared to witness greatness.

Spring 2011 Tourney – Night 2

The second night of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School featured seven matches, eleven competitors, twenty-two pizzas, seventy-five spectators, ninety-one ping pong balls, and sixty-seven thousand calories.

Leading off was a mid-seed matchup between 8th seeded Paul Macres and 10th seeded Jeff Myers.  Fresh off his doubles tournament runner-up performance, Macres looked to take down the penhold style of Myers and advance to the next round.  Myers put up a fight, but he was no match for Macres, who has clearly put in his work in the off season.  This sportswriter looks on in anticipation to see how far the strong 8th seed will go.

Next was the tournament debuts of 17th seeded Eugene Lifschitz and 20th seeded Hanbyul “Onestar” Jang.  The wily lefty Lifschitz easily took the first two sets and looked to run away with the match.  Settling down in the third, though, Onestar fought back to make it a 10-10 deuce.  Going back and forth, Lifschitz did end up running away with the match 3-0, but he at least had to work a bit for that final 14-12 set win.

Match 3 had the former champ, the 5th seed Jimmy Kang square off against the 13th seed Stephen Tavani.  Tavani, fresh off his win against Colin Sieg in night 1 stormed off to a great start to lead Kang 7-3.  Tavani has a brutal, spin heavy serve that kept the champ off-balance for the first half-set, but that wouldn’t last long.  After figuring the tricky serve out, Kang swept up the remainder of set 1 and pummeled the 13th seed the next two sets to claim a 3-0 match victory.

Former runner-up and 3rd seeded Nigel Armstrong made his tournament entrance against the 17th seed, the lucid lefty Eugene Lifschitz.  In what was a surprise to this sportswriter and many of the spectators, Lifschitz led off with a first set win.  Armstrong’s game hinges on one cold, hard idea:  attack like a rabid terrier.  He has one gear, and that gear is fast, aggressive, and intimidating.  The downside to that mantra is it opens the door to plenty of errors if the slams don’t fall.  Not to take any credit away from the lucid lefty, whose first set was cleaner and tighter than Armstrong’s, but Armstrong simply couldn’t keep the ball on the table.  Luckily, he found his rhythm and forced his will on the match to take the next three sets to advance.

Next up was a showdown between a former champ and the current champ.  5th seed Jimmy Kang squared off against the 1st seed Christopher Zack in a match that would make history.  Zack, who began this match with a 19-0 record, quickly padded that number to make it an eye-rubbing 21 big wins to 0 losses.  Down 0-2, most people would simply get out of the way as quickly as possible and back in line to get some more pizza, but Kang didn’t become a CTTA champion because he’s “most people.”  Down but not out, he survived  Zack’s freaky-deaky serves to stand on the precipice to a set 3 victory 10-9.  As chance would have it, Kang served his own fate, and got Zack’s return to sail long.  With that, Kang did what no one, even Grand Champion Jeremy Berry, in the history of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School has ever done - taken a single set from Zack in singles play.  Now, if you’re scratching your head and wondering why we’re making such a big deal over a single set loss, then WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???  Zack took out the three-time champ Berry 4-0 in the finals last tournament, so yes, it’s a huge deal!  Just when we thought that Zack was a robot, alien, or artificially created in a lab for the sole purpose of dominating at table tennis, he shows just how fundamentally human he really is.   So there it is, gentlemen.  Can he be defeated?  Thanks to Kang, it’s possible, that much we know.  (In case you couldn’t tell, Zack won the 4th set to take the match 3-1)

In what appeared at first to be a filler match on our way to the Armstrong/Bian match rounding out the night, two-time runner-up, the 4th seed Radu Paponiu faced off against tournament newbie 19th seeded John Winstead.  Paponiu found Winstead’s clean defensive game hard to crack and somehow fell behind early in the first set.  He was unable to claw back and fell as Winstead took the set lead 1-0.  Rallying back, Paponiu won set 2 to even the match 1-1.  Perhaps it was overconfidence, but Paponiu somehow couldn’t rattle Winstead, who out-concentrated the king of concentration himself.  Winstead won the 3rd match to take the lead 2-1 and stood on the brink of a huge victory.  Like the week before, Ben Lash “LaRue” snickered to himself in the corner and this time a certain sportswriter demanded from LaRue any information on the somehow impervious 19th seed.  Apparently, Winstead practices everyday, and studies from LaRue, who looks to be the first ping pong pedagogue in the CTTA.  As the fourth set got underway, we again, for the second match of the evening, were set to witness history as Winstead’s backspin heavy style kept Paponiu off balance enough to take the set and match.  With this, we saw the biggest upset in CTTA history, as never before has a 19th seed taken out a 4th seed in early round play.  As this tournament’s instant Cinderella story, Winstead looks to keep fighting his way through the ranks.

The final match of the evening was the much anticipated battle between 3rd seeded Nigel Armstrong and 7th seeded Feng Bian, and it certainly lived up to the hype.  At first their styles seem strangely similar, as they both use the penhold grip, but outside of that, they couldn’t be more different.  Armstrong, as stated before is like a terrier going constantly for his opponent’s juggler.  Bian, on the other hand, is like a venus fly trap, waiting patiently for the perfect time to close in around his prey.  The first four sets went along this way as they went back and forth, Armstrong attacking full throttle and Bian strategically setting up every play, until we were tied 2-2.  Bian’s calculated manner seemed to be wearing down the aggressive Armstrong as he slowly worked his way to a fifth set lead.  Unable to contain Bian, Armstrong fell behind 10-7, and had to deal with 3 match points from his opponent.  Somehow, somewhere, Armstrong found another gear and graduated from terrier to pit bull as he savagely tore into Bian the next five straight points to secure the match victory.

With that, another night of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School comes to a close.  With one more night before the finals, and either finalist yet to be chosen, the best is yet to come!

Spring 2011 Tourney – Night 1

And we’re off.  Out of the gates.  Running with all the fervor and excitement that fans of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School expect.  Nineteen hardened veterans and two tournament newcomers began this hallowed journey knowing full well that only one will survive the chaos and mayhem to become the champion and hoist the coveted crystal trophy that says, above all else, “I rock at ping pong.”

The tournament kicked off with an upper seed matchup between 13th seed Stephen Tavani and 21st seed Colin Sieg.  The last-seeded Sieg made a valiant run, but couldn’t make a dent against Tavani’s spin-filled serves.  If he can keep the error number down, we very well may see more of this 13th seed in days to come.

Another high-seed matchup was next, as we saw the 15th seed Mark Teplitsky against the tournament newbie 19th seed John Winstead.  Teplitsky liked his chances as he worked the crowd with his confident bravado.  Like a master of propaganda, he had nearly everyone in the arena believing that he was the man to beat–words he backed up with a first set victory.  For some reason, though, Ben Lash “LaRue” was snickering in the corner.  The reason for this wasn’t immediately known, but did he have some reason to believe in the 19th seeded Winstead?  Did he believe this lowly tournament rookie could knock off a veteran who only lost last tournament to the champ, Christopher Zack?  Whatever LaRue’s hidden information, Winstead made a dramatic comeback and stormed to take the next three sets and match 3-1.

Next to do battle was the 16th seed Ilia Ulianitsky versus the 18th seed Anton Smirnov.  Spouting taunts to each other that only they could understand, they settled in for a long and arduous battle.  Ulianitsky, the clear 2-seed favorite, struck first and struck hard by taking the first set in dominating fashion.  Smirnov, with a determined look on his face, battled back and nearly lost the next set, but down 10-8 was able to hold off two set points to pull out the deuce victory 14-12.  Taking set three as well, Smirnov positioned himself for the minor upset, but Ulianitsky wouldn’t say die as he stormed back in set 4.  With our first 5-set match of this tournament, Smirnov sprinted out to a sizable 8-3 lead.  Ulianitsky tried to mount a comeback and came as close as 9-6, but couldn’t hold on as Smirnov got the victory and advanced.

The next scheduled match was the 9th seed Sean Case against the 14th seed Ben Lash “LaRue”.  Unfortunately, this sportswriter won’t be able to make any “phi slamma jamma” or “Slamma Potta Max” or “Slammy Davis Jr” jokes with regards to Case’s game as he was a mysterious no-show.  So LaRue got to snicker for the second time in the evening as he got the win by default.  (Interestingly, this is the second time this has happened with these exact two competitors, except last time Case bounded up the stairs at the last moment to take the win.  See the Fall 09 Tournament Day 1 Recap if you don’t remember)

18th seeded Anton Smirnov looked to continue his run against tournament champ, the number 1 seed Christopher Zack in the following match.  Looking as if he would be stone dry on a 110 degree day, Zack cruised effortlessly in his 3-0 domination of the spirited Smirnov.  Still undefeated with his now record of 19-0, Zack looks invincible.  Will anyone crack his seemingly perfect armor?

Entering the arena next was our former Grand Champion, the number 2 seed Jeremy Berry.  It will be interesting to see how Berry handles this tournament, as he hasn’t entered the tournament without being the defending champion since before Evin Blomberg was born.  How will he fare without a target on his back?  How will he settle in to this new, unfamiliar role?  His first challenge was against 11th seed Hugh Palmer, and as far as Palmer was concerned, he settled in to his new role fairly well.  Berry dismantled the 11th seed 3-0 to advance.  This sportswriter could see no signs of defeat in the champ’s eyes–if anything he looks determined to gain back the top spot he held for so long.

The evening’s final match had the 6th seed Greg Cardi take on the 12th seed Titus Underwood.  The scoreboard has Cardi in a seemingly one-sided 3-0 victory, but in actuality, this match was much, much closer that the final score would have you believe.  These two athletes fought it out on each and every point with slams returned by more slams, and returns  dished back for winners.  This was hard core table tennis at its best, and each of the three close sets came down to one or two key points.  Cardi happened to win each of those key points to take the victory, but Underwood deserves so much more credit for strength and determination in this match than a 0-3 loss would at first seem.

So day 1 comes to a close.  The next night of Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School happens this Thursday, March 31st where the action continues toward its inevitable conclusion.

Spring 2011 Doubles Tourney

On Sunday, February 20th, we held the second Championship Table Tennis at the Colburn School doubles tournament.  Not only did we host a unique opportunity to see some new faces competing, but we were also treated to one of the finest matches – singles or doubles – we’ve seen to date.

Many teams showed up, but only four outlasted the field to make it to the semis.  Singles tourney champ Christopher Zack teamed up with the powerful Titus Underwood to form a deadly duo.  They took on another young gun Greg Cardiand his teammate, the always strong Yi Zhou.  Cardi/Zhou came in aggressive and ready to dish out damage, but Zack/Underwood shut them down in commanding fashion taking the 3-0 win.

The second semifinal match had “Team 944″ Jeremy Berry and Paul Macresversus Mark Teplitsky and Ilia Ulianitsky.  Berry/Macres rolled to an easy rout 3-0 to make the finals.

Before the final match, it was discussed whether we should make it out of 5 or 7 sets.  The crowd cheered for 7, and as it turned out, that decision would matter.  Zack/Underwood squared off against Berry/Macres for the right to call themselves the CTTA Spring 2011 doubles champions.  The first four sets went back and forth, all close in and of themselves, until we were tied 2-2.  Berry/Macres dug deep in a set that went all the way to a 10-10 deuce to take the set lead 3-2.  Zack/Underwood found themselves in an elimination situation.  They would have to win out to claim the first-place trophies.  But first, they had to win set 6.  As if by brute force, Zack/Underwood crushed through to a clear 11-5 set 6 victory to level the match 3-3.  This set up a pivotal and deciding set 7.  Neither team would blink as point after point went back and forth until we were once again at a 10-10 deuce.  The next two points went to Zack/Underwood, as did the match.

Christopher Zack became the second person to hold the singles and doubles title at the same time since Jeremy Berry did it last semester.  In fact, never before has the singles champ not won the doubles tourney.  An interesting precedent; we’ll have to wait until next semester to see if this tradition continues.

For now, congratulations are in order for Christopher Zack and Titus Underwood – our Spring 2011 doubles champs!

A Changing of the Guard: Christopher Zack is the Fall 2010 Champ!

It’s the end of an era.  But as we say goodbye to our three-time champ Jeremy Berry, we say hello to Christopher Zack, who took the championship match in dominating style 4-0.

When Zack splashed onto the scene, we knew he was good.  To be good, though, is one thing.  The CTTA is full of gifted athletes who are good.  But every tournament, there can be only one champion.  Now, Christopher Zack is a champion.

And in some senses, being a champion is only one step.  There are those who are mere champions and there are those who are legends.  Only one player has become champion more than once, and that’s Jeremy Berry who’s done it three times.  Berry is a CTTA legend and his story’s not done.

As the next tournament rolls toward us, there’s a new sheriff in town; a new man with the giant target on his back.  We also have a legend licking his wounds, waiting in the wings for his chance to be back on top.  Let’s not forget, though, as it’s easy to focus on the number one and two, we have a huge supporting cast of the deepest field in Colburn Table Tennis history.

But that’s still in the future.  For now, the day is Zack’s and we wish him congratulations.  Will he become a legend?  Only time can tell.