2016 Chicago Charities

November 7, 2016
Chicago, IL

Men's Draw in Live Scoring
Women's Draw in Live Scoring
Men's 95+ Draw in Live Scoring

Congratulations to John Noble and Mike Rahaley for winning the 2016 Chicago Charities Men's 95+.

Chicago Charities Men’s Recap

The defending champions and APTA National Champions Drew Broderick and Jared Palmer faced the second seeds Johan du Randt and Mark Parsons in a hotly anticipated final of Chicago Charities, their first meeting this season. Du Randt and Parsons took the title, avenging their recent losses to Broderick and Palmer, but that wasn’t the only story of this highly entertaining and competitive tournament.

John Hughes and Mark Powers, the third seeds, are knocking on the door at the very highest level of the men’s game. They reached the semifinals, losing a 7-6, 6-2 battle to du Randt and Parsons, but a few rounds earlier it looked unlikely they would make it that far. Just like they did at the Patterson Open, when they climbed back from a 0-4 third set deficit to beat Juan Arraya and Javier Ferrin-Kranewitter in the quarters, Hughes and Powers showcased their Houdini act twice in Chicago. In the Round of 16, Ben McKnight and Pete Rose held a 5-2 lead and several match points over Powers and Hughes, only to lose in a third set tiebreaker. Hours later, Marco Grangeiro and Mark Innes also held a 5-2 third set lead over Hughes and Powers, and they, too, fell in a third set tiebreaker.

Determined to prove that they belong in the conversation with the likes of du Randt/Parsons and Broderick/Palmer, Max LePivert and George Wilkinson arrived at the Chicago Charities with something to prove. After nearly beating du Randt and Parsons in the finals of the Patterson Open but coming off a disappointing showing at the Atlantic Classic, LePivert and Wilkinson were not satisfied to fulfill their seeding and reach the semifinals. By executing their game plan perfectly, they took the first set, 6-3, from Broderick and Palmer. In the early stages of the second set, LePivert fell and cut his thumb open. After stopping three separate times to stop the bleeding, the momentum clearly had shifted to Broderick and Palmer, and LePivert and Wilkinson lost the second and third sets quickly.

The two upsets of higher seeded teams came from teams that don’t usually pair up together. The tenth seeds Marco Grangeiro and Mark Innes took out the sixth seeds Marek Czerwinski and Chris Gambino before losing the heartbreaker to Hughes and Powers in the quarterfinals. Peter Berka and Scott Kahler, seeded eleventh, beat the eighth seeds Adam Morgan and Dane Schmidgall before putting du Randt and Parsons to the test, taking the first set but ultimately losing.

In the 90+ tournament, first seeds John Noble and Mike Rahaley defeated Paul Garvin and Charlie Usher.

A big thank you to tournament directors Shannon Vinson, john Noble, and their tournament committee at the beautiful Glen View Club. As always, both players and fans were treated to a great weekend at Chicago Charities.

Results:
Main Draw: Johan du Randt/Mark Parsons def. Drew Broderick/Jared Palmer 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Steve DeRose/Jon Lubow def. Peter Berka/Scott Kahler 6-2, 6-4
Round of 16 Reprieve: Ben McKnight/Pete Rose def. Rob Bakker/Flip Goodspeed 6-4, 6-4
Round of 32 Consolation: Mark Barry/Brian Heil def. Brian Hagman/Zachary Held 6-2, 6-3
Round of 128 and 64 Consolation: John Noble/Mike Rahaley def. James Goldman/Dave Robare 6-1, 6-1
Last Chance: Anthony McPherson/Andrew Tomson def. Mackey Pierce/Greg Wotring 6-1, 5-7, 6-4

Chicago Charities Women’s Recap

When all was said and done on an unseasonably warm weekend in Chicago, the #1 seeds and defending champions, Gabriela Niculescu and Martina Ondrejkova took the title. In a hard-hitting, competitive match, they defeated the fifth seeds Liz Cruz and Roxy Enica.

There was way more to the story than the first seeds taking the championship. All four of the top seeded teams needed three sets to get through their Round of 16 opponents. In what was almost a huge upset, Florentina Hanisch and Annica van Starrenburg pushed the second seeds Cynthia Dardis and Amy Shay to the limit. After losing the first set 6-4, Dardis and Shay put away the second set 6-1, and saved four match points before ultimately winning the third set 7-6 (10-8). Although disappointed with the loss, van Starrenburg said, “We had a strategy and we were able to execute it well. It was the first time we played a tournament together and we almost pulled off a huge upset.”

Niculescu and Ondrejkova also had a close call in the Round of 16. After losing the first set 7-5 to the Chicago team of Alison Morgan and Laura Berendt, they came through the second set in a tiebreaker and put away the third set 6-3. After the match, Niculescu and Ondrejkova said they felt lucky to come away with the win. “I never saw this team before, and I was surprised that Laura Berendt hits really hard like me, “ said Niculescu. The third seeds Ania Kazakevich and Heather Prop dropped the second set to the Atlanta team of Freddy Goldenberg and Ewa Radzikowska before winning the match, and fourth seeds Hallie Bodman and Liz Hayward reversed the result from last year when they lost in three sets to another Atlanta team, Agata Ciroch and Lisa Teer, this year winning in three.

Despite all the close calls, the only seeded team to lose in the Round of 16 was Liz Jaffe and Sue Tarzian, who lost 7-5, 6-2 to last years finalists Jane McNitt and Wendy Shpiz.

In the semifinals, Niculescu/Ondrejkova beat the eighth seeds Suzanne Lemery and Kelly Rohrbach, who upset the fourth seeds Bodman and Hayward in a seesaw three-setter in the quarters. Cruz/Enica, who took out the third seeds Kazakevich/Prop in the quarters, beat Dardis/Shay in two tough, well played sets. The finals, which featured four of the most dynamic players in the women’s game, showcased the speed and athleticism possessed by the top players.

A big thank you to tournament directors Shannon Vinson and John Noble and their tournament committee at the beautiful Glen View Club. As always, both players and fans were treated to a great weekend at Chicago Charities.

Results:
Main: Gabriela Niculescu/Martina Ondrejkova def. Liz Cruz/Roxy Enica 6-2, 7-5
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Keri Flynn/Myrthe Molenveld def Hallie Bodman/Liz Hayward 6-1, 6-4
Round of 16 Reprieve: Florentina Hanisch/Annica van Starrenburg def. Liz Jaffe/Sue Tarzian 6-1, 7-5
2nd Round Consolation: Sally Jones/Shawna Zsinko def. Victoria Eichleay/Christina Wein 6-4, 6-0
Last Chance Second Round: Heather McWilliams/Stef Ross def. Beth Boehrer/Sarah Padgitt 6-1, 6-2
1st Round Consolation: Jenny Kelly/Janet Mazzola def. Emily Lawent/Holly Tritt 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Last Chance First Round: Anneliese Adkinson/Heather Morneau def. Cheryl Imo/Denise Mulica 6-3, 6-0