The Team Moves On!

Day 2 | The day began just after eight with breakfast at the local cafe just around the corner of the block. The team put in some warm-up time at around nine on the two hard courts at the club in preparation for two doubles matches which began promptly at ten o'clock. Ilya Tihanenoks and Daniel Shen defeated the Victoria's team of Piers Zdan and John Shukin 6-2, 7-5. Mark Lintott and Ryan Hall, his partner from Bellevue, Washington, were not so successful, losing 6-4, 6-0 to the No. 2 seeded team of Conor Rencher and Sam Smyth. It was late in the morning when Tyron Wheatley and William Baumann started their doubles match. They went ahead in the first set but could not capitalized on their lead and lost it 6-3. Both teams traded service breaks in the second set until Wheatley and Baumann held to take it 6-4. Their opponents, Benedict Rudgley of Salt Spring Island and Chase James of Shoreline, Washington, earned an early break and moved into a comfortable lead until 5-2. Our boys broke serve on the next game and continued to fight to stay in the match. Their effort proved futile as they lost the third set 6-3.

William Baumann playing his under 16 second round match on the No. 3 court, made it a battle ground between him and his No. 2 seeded opponent, Alden Eakins. Both players fought hard to take the lead, but Baumann ended with the first set 7-5. Eakins slipped behind in the second set with his unforced errors and lost the set 6-2. After surviving a three set match yesterday, Steven Shen faced Troy Tronrud in the second round of the under 16 singles early in the afternoon. Tronrud out-played Shen right from the start to set up a semi-finals meeting against Baumann on Friday. The score was 6-2, 6-1. Tihanenoks and his doubles partner, Daniel Shen faced each other for a spot in the under 18 singles semi-finals. Daniel romped through the first set quickly, taking it at love. But Tihanenoks very much wanted to make this a match, fought hard to take the opening game in the second set. He then took the next two games for a 3-0 lead. Shen was not going to let him get away with the second set, slowly battled back. Tihanenoks who had a point for a 5-2 lead could not capitalized on his chances against his teammate, and lost his rhythm. He never regained the edge he had early in the second set. Shen wrapped up the match 6-0, 6-4. Our girls doubles team of Stefanie Baumann and Nicola Brevik scored an easy 6-1, 6-1 win over Laura Granger and Brigit Tronrud.

Moving on to the consolation draws, Steven Shen who lost to Ryan Emanuele in his under 14 first round singles match yesterday advanced to the next round. He defeated Kieran Halliday 6-4, 6-3. In the under 18 singles draw, Wheatley stayed on a winning side with his 6-4, 6-4 win over Ryan Hall. Teammates Meagen Lens and Claudia Longauer started their girls under 18 consolation match at 2 p.m. The match ended at 5:45 p.m. and Lens finally emerged victorious in three sets, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4. At 3 hours 45 minutes, this was easily the longest match they have ever played.