Shana Roberts and Jos Kerstens New England Mixed Winners

February 13, 2019
Weston, MA
by Max LePivert

The New England Mixed Championship was once again rescheduled; this time due to the first Nor’easter the area has seen in early November. Luckily our rescheduled date would prove much better with a crisp 25 degrees and sunny conditions.

This year’s tournament included a very deep field of players and lots of close matches. Starting in the round of 16, top seed Evan and Crystal Paushter found themselves down a set and a break to the Muellers. They eventually rallied and won in a very tight third set but weren’t so fortunate in the next round losing in another close three set match to Boston’s own Shana Roberts and Jos Kerstens.

In the first semifinal, Roberts/Kerstens dispatched Jim Wong and Margie Rambusch in two sets using Kerstens’ big spin serve and Roberts’ hard rollers. In the second semifinal, the hard hitting Waddingtons took on the Toft-Nielsens; two teams that consistently make deep runs year after year. It was a battle and both teams looked fatigued entering the third set. Steady plays from the Toft-Nielsens proved too much to handle for the Waddingtons and the final was set.

Roberts/Kerstens got off to a very quick start keeping up their fast-paced playing style. The Toft-Nielsens weren’t able to reverse the momentum and spectators couldn’t help to think the long semifinal they played had something to do with it. Roberts/Kerstens’ combination of big drives and steady net play were overwhelming, resulting in a convincing 6-1 6-1 win.

Special thanks go out to everyone who helped make this event a great success:
- All of the players
- All of the local clubs for loaning courts
- Paddleplayer.com and Maurice Sanchez for the tournament support
- Fire Engine Pizza Truck for their excellent pizzas
- Our amazing Patterson hut commander Wendy Harris

RESULTS
Main Draw: Roberts/Kerstens def. Toft-Nielsens
Quarter Reprieve: Halls def. Paushters
Reprieve: Muellers def. McKessy/Goldman
16s Consolation Reprieve: Molchan/Mirchandani def. Stuhrs
Consolation: Behrens def. Tucks
Consolation Reprieve: Garveys def. Portman/Kaplan