Five 4.5 NTRP-rated members of the Green Valley Tennis Club in Haddon Township, N.J., are competing tomorrow in the Lukoil Open, a prize-money event that has drawn players from as far away as California and Texas competing for the $2,000 top prize. 

I’ve already posted commentary on my match, but captain of our 4.5 team Marcelo Pascale has analyzed the draw for all of us.  Marcelo, a native of Bueno Aires reared on red clay, travels regularly to Green Valley from the other side of Philly just to hit his heavy topspin forehand on the slow Har-Tru courts.

Here is Marcelo’s analysis of our singles draws with my notes in italics:

–Jim Lewis plays a guy that is not showing on any tennis sites. That is normally a good sign. So my prediction is he will win his first round and face the number one seed. 

The number one seed is Punch Maleka, a 30-year-old South African native who lives in King of Prussia, Pa., and was once ranked 619 in the world.

–Marc Oberholtzer plays the guy that will win the tourney. Unseeded Justin O’Neal, who last year lost to guys like Andreas Beck 5-7 4-6 and Yen-Hsun Lu 6-7(2), 6-7(12). The current ranking of these guys are 39 and 62. But I guessan L is an L. Unseeded? I didn’t even look who is next.    

O’Neal was an all-American at the University of Florida and is ranked 824 in the world.  He and Maleka have played several times this year, with Maleka winning two weeks ago in three sets. Maybe it’s a different Justin O’Neal?  Could that explain the unseeded status? Marc will be able to tell us pretty quickly.

–Anthony Pozzi, I like your chances. A well deserved bye on first round after a solid performance against Mr. Nichols (in USTA league play this summer). Prediction: you will move to the second day and young Joey Boyle will be posting his racquets on eBay (or what is left of them).

– I (Marcelo) play a kid that last year beat 6 and 5 some other junior that beat me 3 and 3. Not very promising but I should have a shot. No shot after that. 

– Sam, (That’s me) tough player on the first round and if you get by you get Maksim Tikhomirov, a regular in the Future circuit that by the way double bagel me a couple of years ago when he was 16.

Good luck everyone.

(Gracias, Marcelo — You are the tennis Captain Extraordinaire.)

PS — I asked Marcelo to look at the doubles draw as well, and he declined.  I should have known better than to ask an Argentine about doubles.

No. 1 Seed Punch Maleka

 

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