Kahler/McNerney and Guyaux/Molenveld Lead the Season With Wins at Patterson

October 6-7, 2018
Fairfield, CT

Many of the top-ranked players entered both the men’s and women’s draws at the Patterson Club Open, and the resulting high-quality paddle did not disappoint. Both of the winning teams, playing together on the APTA circuit for the first time, jelled quickly and played like seasoned teams.

The second-seeds on the women’s side, Liz Cruz, and Roxy Enica, were the only one of the four seeds to exit prior to the semifinals. Their loss, to Kerri Delmonico and Lauren Gebbia, could hardly be called an upset, as Delmonico/Gebbia were one of the very best teams in the country before Gebbia took time off to have her two children. The fourth seeds, Marcella Rodezno and Mirian (Cruz) Warner, had a good win in the quarterfinals over Jade Curtis and Liz Jaffe, but fell in straight sets to Delmonico/Gebbia in the semis.

On the top half of the draw, the top seeds, Florentina Hanisch and Annica van Starrenburg and the third seeds, Jessica Guyaux and Myrthe Molenveld, faced off in the semifinals. After going down 5-1 in the first set, Guyaux/Molenveld turned the match around, taking a 7-6, 6-2 victory and demonstrating that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

Guyaux/Molenveld encountered another see saw battle in the finals, going up 4-0 in the first set against Delmonico/Gebbia only to lose the set at 6-4. Molenveld pointed out that, “as a new team we had to talk about every point, and learn as we went along. When we got down 5-1 in the semis and 4-0 in the finals, we changed the strategy and then we stuck with it. We never believed that we couldn’t win.” Their belief was correct, and after losing the first set, Guyaux/Moleveld stormed back to take the final two sets, 6-2, 6-3.

The men’s draw played out more predictably than the women’s, with all four seeds gaining semifinal berths and only the second seeds, Scott Kahler and Graham McNerney, losing a set in the quarterfinals to Michael Montalbano and Louis Volclair. In the semis, last year’s Patterson Club Open champion, Juan Arraya (with Michael Montalbano) and Jeff Morneau survived a tough challenge from Martin Bostrom and Max LePivert. The top seeded Arraya/Morneau needed three sets to beat them and move on to the finals with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 victory. In the other semi, Kahler/McNerney lost only five games in their match against, Sebastian Bredberg and Nathan LeFevre, and rode that momentum through the finals, beating Arraya/Morneau, 6-4, 6-2.

Thank you to tournament director Liz Cruz and the Patterson Club for hosting a great tournament for both the players and the fans.

Women’s Results:
Main Draw: Jessica Guyaux/Myrthe Molenveld def. Kerri Delmonico/Lauren Gebbia, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Liz Cruz/Roxy Enica def. Kelly Brown-Cobbs/Sue Tarzian, 6-1, 6-3
Consolation: Roopali Hall/Andrea Noyes def. Jill Feher/Kristiin Mets, 6-4, 6-3
Consolation Reprieve: Kallie Hapgood/Alison Von Kennel def. Sarah Driscoll/Nancy Walthall, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6
Last Chance: Tamarin Espinoza/Jessica Watts def. Brittany Oberrender/Margaret Souther, 6-3, 6-2

Men’s Results:
Main Draw: Scott Kahler/Graham McNerney def. Juan Arraya/Jeffrey Morneau, 6-4, 6-2
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Mike McManus/Adam Mirsky def. Michael Montalbano/Louis Volclair, 6-3, 1-6, 10-5
Reprieve: Chris Humphreys/Ricky Sanford def. Javier Ferrin/Kranewitter/Tita Mba, 7-5, 6-1
Consolation: Eric Fey/Mark Ruppert/def. Jeffrey Dawkins/Michael Lawton, 6-4, 1-6, 10-6
Consolation Reprieve: Johan Hoegstedt/Martin Tenlen def. Ari Borinsky/Julian Camacho, 6-3, 6-0