Mabry and Abilene Results

Several Austin area players were at the Mabry Adult and Senior Open in San Antonio. On the Men's side, Jeff Jacobsen won the 35's singles, while Eric Castilleja made a run to the 3.5 singles finals and Andy Merritt made the final of the 4.5 singles. In doubles, Michael Friedman won the 50's crown, teaming with Darrell McCallum of San Antonio, while Merritt won the 4.5 mixed.

On the Women's side, Melanie Logan went three sets to beat Joanna Nichols to win the 4.5 singles, Avis Brodess won the 4.0 title, Sheryl Behne won the 65's, and Amanda West made the finals of the 3.0 singles. In doubles, Logan and Lori Adams won the 4.5 draw, Carol Bigart and Jacqueline Davis won the 60's title and Sheryl Behne teamed with Corpus Christi's Chris Smith to take the 65's crown.

All draws can be seen here.

Meanwhile at The Abilene Adult Major Zone, Roland Waits won the Men's 3.0 singles, and Elizabeth Berry won the Women's 4.5 singles. Zaeem Butt made the finals of the Men's 4.0 singles and Cindy Harbison was the runner up in the Women's 3.5 draw. In doubles, Dawn Eckert and Sarah Rooney won the 4.0 doubles, while Andrea Moynihan and Cheryl Bicknell took out the #1 seeds to make the semi-finals. Click here to see all the draws.

WHO DAT ?

In honor of Scott Sevin, Sean Doles, Joe Prather and the rest of The Saints fans in Austin, ATB will take a break from tennis coverage tonight.

UT Women Fall to Stanford...UT Men Beat A&M

The UT Women's team lost to the 12 ranked Stanford Cardinal on Saturday by the score of 5-2. The weather was perfect for tennis on Saturday, with temperatures in the high 50's and a slight breeze. Despite losing the doubles point, UT fans had something to cheer about when Aeriel Ellis and Vanja Corovic rallied from a 3-7 deficit to take the #2 doubles line 9-8. In singles play the Longhorns got wins from Corovic at #3 singles and Sarah Lancaster at the #6 slot. A complete wrap-up can be found on Texassports.com.

#14 Stanford 5, #27 Texas 2
Penick-Allison Tennis Center
Doubles – Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
1 #2 Barte/L. Burdette (Stanford) def. #27 Craddock/Damico (Texas) – 8-3
2 Corovic/Ellis (Texas) def. M. Burdette/Tan (Stanford) - 9-8 (5)
3 Li/McVeigh (Stanford) def. Lancaster/Larsson (Texas) – 8-6
Singles – Order of Finish: 4, 3, 2, 5, 1, 6
1 #18 H. Barte (Stanford) def. #22 Aeriel Ellis (Texas) – 6-3, 3-6, 1-0
2 L. Burdette (Stanford) def. #27 Krista Damico (Texas) – 6-3, 6-4
3 #59 Vanja Corovic (Texas) def. Stacey Tan (Stanford) – 6-3, 6-1
4 #16 M. Burdette (Stanford) def. Caroline Larsson (Texas) – 6-2, 6-0
5 #78 Carolyn McVeigh (Stanford) def. Maggie Mello (Texas) – 6-3, 6-4
6 Sarah Lancaster (Texas) def. Veronica Li (Stanford) – 7-5, 6-2
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On Friday in Houston, the 8th ranked UT Men defeated #17 Texas A&M by the score of 4-3. In addition to earning the doubles point, the Longhorns got singles wins from Kellen Damico, Jean Andersen, and Vasko Mladenov. Complete recap available at Texassports.com.

No. 8 Texas 4, No. 17 Texas A&M 3
The Downtown Club at The Met (indoors)
Doubles
1 #22 Zavala/Kutrovsky (UT) def. #18 Dadamo/Krajicek (TAMU) - 8-4
2 Corrie/Damico def. Angus/Klegou (TAMU) - 8-6
3 Andersen/Whitehead def. Grigorov/Lunt (TAMU) - 8-3
Singles - Order of finish - 5, 2, 6, 3, 1, 4
1 Austin Krajicek (TAMU) def. #5 Dimitar Kutrovsky (UT) - 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
2 #32 Jeff Dadamo (TAMU) def. #9 Ed Corrie (UT) - 6-3, 6-4
3 Kellen Damico (UT) def. Alexis Klegou (TAMU) - 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
4 Alexey Grigorov (TAMU) def. #38 Josh Zavala (TAMU) - 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-3)
5 Jean Andersen def. Alberto Bautista (TAMU) - 6-3, 6-4
6 #104 Vasko Mladenov (UT) def. Niall Angus (TAMU) - 7-5, 6-4

UT Women Host Stanford Saturday at Noon...Mabry and Abilene Draws...Hit For Haiti

The UT Women's team will host the 13th ranked Stanford Cardinal at Penick Allison on Saturday at Noon. For a preview, check out Texassports.com.
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There are quite a few Austin area players on the road this weekend at The Mabry Adult and Senior Open (draws here) and at the Abilene Major Zone (draws). Good luck to everyone playing in those tournaments.
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Just a quick reminder that Todd Carlson will be hosting a fundraiser - "Hit For Haiti" at the Quarries on Saturday, Feb. 6th starting at 9:30am, for further information contact Todd at:

Todd.Carlson@gmail.com.

Austin Tennis Players Pick Super Bowl Winner

(Former Austin resident and tennis player Drew Brees, who has a win over Andy Roddick when both players were juniors)

Juan DeKruyff:

If you get 5 turnovers from the interception machine Favre along with guys who think they're playing hot potato and you still need overtime to win it, then take the other team in the Super Bowl. Plus, I'm sure Reggie Bush regrets the moment he said he'd marry Kardashian if he won the Super Bowl. He's already getting the milk for free and the Kardashians have a thing for expensive prenups. With the game on the line Bush will find a way to lose the game. (ATB Note, DeKruyff has agreed to rent and watch "The Waterboy" and to answer his phone "Who Dat ?" in the event that the Saints win.)

Sean Doles:
The Saints will win by 10 because:
1) Dwight Freeney is hurt
2) Unlike Indianapolis, the Saints actually have a running game
3) Deep down, both Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne (both New Orleans natives) really want the Saints to win
4) They are the sentimental favorite of everyone except those who live in the middle of Indiana
5) The Pope has ordered a round-the-clock prayer vigil at The Vatican – remember, the Saints’ first winning season came in 1987 when the Pope visited New Orleans.
Bonus Reason: Priestess Queen Bianca has created special voodoo dolls for the entire Indianapolis starting lineup and will begin wreaking havoc once the game begins.

Stephanie Arena:
Since my beloved Chargers couldn't get through the playoffs I am rooting for the Saints because of the Brees Austin/S.D. connection. You gotta root for your neighbors and I love the underdog.

Joe Prather:

Gotta go with Da Saints as I am somewhat from Louisiana. They have much better food and Peyton is a little goofy looking.

Daniel Rockey:
I'm rooting for the Saints to win as I have all year long, however I have a feeling there will be a late Peyton Manning drive to win it for the Colts. We've seen it too many times to think it won't happen again, or maybe just maybe there is one interception left in the tank of Darren Sharper. Hopefully it can occur at 1:25 left in the 4th quarter. Prediction 38-34 for the Colts.

Roger Vallejo:
The Saints are my sentimental favorite. It's easy to get behind their team's enthusiasm and crowd support. But if I were betting, I'd pick the Colts. Sure, Peyton Manning is a homely-looking guy who appears goofy and uncomfortable in a few commercials, but he's the consummate professional on the field and is the main reason the Colts almost had a perfect season even with a unheralded group of players. He got his team to the Super Bowl without the protection that Drew Brees gets regularly.

No matter who wins, I'm hoping for an action-packed, 30+ points-per-team Super Bowl that will be decided in the last few beers....er, minutes. A close Super Bowl is always better than a blow-out....unless the Cowboys are playing and I don't want the stress of a close game. Either way, I can root for both teams, because, as Michael Vick might say, "I don't have a dog in that fight."

Todd Carlson:

Gotta go with the Saints. They are due to win a Super Bowl and you don't want to mess with anyone from Louisiana... much less Joe Prather. They wrestle Gators.

Andrea Moynihan:
I say it's going to be a tight shootout. But in the end, Peyton will be Peyton, and the Colts will come out on top . . . 35-31.

Scott Sevin:
Well, considering that I grew up in south Louisiana, I'd have to say WhoDat? I believe the Saints will find a way to win (and the French Quarterwill be rockin' well past Mardi Gras). This is a magical year for NewOrleans. However, I believe Manning will go down as the greatest QB ofall time.

Dr. Jack Bucco:
My heart says the Saints, but my wallet says the Colts.

AT:
Every dog has its day, even my Redskins won a few Super Bowls back in the day, so I'm going with the Saints 27-24 in an upset.

ATL Week 1 Summary

Week one of The Austin Tennis League kicked off on a cold but not too windy Saturday. In Division 1 Barton Creek made an early statement against Austin Wild with an 8-1 win. BC clearly brought their "A" team and got a singles win from Tres Davis and the doubles teams of David Corrie/Joel Trammel and Steve Creel/Brad Van Winkle... Also in D1 Ad In beat Westwood 6-3, getting singles wins from Peter Markes, and the doubles teams of Joe Griffin/Jeff Frankeny and Mark Monreal and Trey Nesloney. Westwood did win the #1 singles line thanks to Vince Casariego...Old School got by Court Jesters 6-4. At #1 singles there was a battle between Rob VanSwelm and Jorge Bouffier, won by the former 3-6. 6-4, 6-3. Court Jesters won the #2 singles line when Andres Torres beat Mike Friedman 7-6, 6-3. Westover OS won both doubles lines thanks to Joe Prather/Tim Nabers and Chris McDaniel/Alan Williams.

In Division 2, Sharpshooters took a 6-2 decision over Topspin. SS won both singles lines and the #2 doubles line, courtesy of Ashwin Sheshadri, Ray Wang and Vu Do and Mike Jacques. Topspin salvaged the #2 doubles line thanks to Greg Taylor and Rob Clinchard...Lakeway earned a hard fought 7-4 victory over ATC Family Affair in a match that featured three matches that went the distance. At #1 singles Rick Shirley beat John Whitney 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, at #2 singles Vlado Ruzicka outlasted Clark Peterson 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, and at #2 doubles ATC's team of Gus Alaniz and Scott Crews won against Greg Rychlik and Melanie Logan 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

In D3 action Jaguars beat Ball Busters 6-2 as they recorded wins by Mike Bajkowski, and doubles wins from Adrian Montanez/Nathan Pham and Michael Pan/Jerome Gentillet...Hall of Framers earned a 6-2 win over First Texas Honda as Jim Root and Justin Murrill took the singles matches and Mario Silva and Jaime Zilveti won at #1 doubles. First Texas Honda took the #2 doubles line when Rusty Campbell and Steve Bronson won easily...Finally Main Strings shut out Grapevines 8-0, getting wins from Kevin Vo, Brian Ong, Rick Boyett/Dan Samuel and Jeff Bennett/Michael Sullivan.

UT Men Top Cal 4-0, Qualify for ITA Indoors

The UT Men's team shut out California 4-0 on a cold, cloudy day in Austin. Although the forecast called for temperatures in the low 50's, the clouds never cleared out and it barely made it to 35 degrees. Luckily there wasn't too much wind, and the Longhorns did not seem too bothered by the cold as they took the doubles point and got singles wins from #1 Dimitar Kutrovsky, #4 Josh Zavala, and #2 Ed Corrie. The win assured UT a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Virginia February 12-15th. Here are the scores from Texassports.com:

ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Penick-Allison Tennis Center – Austin, Texas (outdoors)
Championship Match (Austin site)
#8 Texas 4, California 0 (Time of Match: 2:20)
Doubles – Order of Finish: 2, 3
1 #22 Kutrovsky/Zavala (UT) vs. Dahan/Zerbini (Cal) – 3-7, susp.
2 Corrie/Damico (UT) def. #49 Andrews/Konigsfeldt (Cal) – 8-3
3 Andersen/Whitehead (UT) def. Katsarov/McLachlan (Cal) – 8-3
Singles – Order of Finish: 1, 4, 2
1 #5 Dimitar Kutrovsky (UT) def. Pedro Zerbini (Cal) – 6-3, 6-3
2 #9 Ed Corrie (UT) def. #33 Jonathan Dahan (Cal) – 6-2, 6-2
3 Kellen Damico (UT) vs. Christoffer Konigsfeldt (Cal) – 6-4, 3-6, susp.
4 #38 Josh Zavala (UT) def. #98 Bozhidar Katsarov (Cal) – 6-2, 6-3
5 Jean Andersen (UT) vs. Nick Andrews (Cal) – 6-4, 3-4, susp.
6 #104 Vasko Mladenov (UT) vs. Riki McLachlan (Cal) – 6-3, 3-0, susp.

UT Men Host Cal Sunday at 2pm

The UT Men's team beat Middle Tennessee State on Saturday by the score of 4-0. Jean Andersen made his debut for the Longhorns, playing at the #2 doubles spot with Daniel Whitehead and at the #4 singles slot, winning both matches. For a match recap, click here.

On Sunday, UT will host California at 2pm for a spot at the ITA National Indoor Championships.

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Meanwhile in Knoxville, the UT Women's team lost a close match to TCU 4-3. Check out the recap at Texassports.com

UT Women Take on 11th Ranked Tennessee

Update: UT lost to Tennessee 4-1, details here. The UT Women will face 11th ranked Tennessee at 1pm today in Knoxville as part of the ITA Kick Off Weekend. On Saturday UT will play either Vanderbilt or TCU as the four teams will be competing for a spot in the ITA National Indoor Championships. For a full preview, go to Texassports.com.

Moros to Polo Club...UT Men Host Middle Tennessee 1pm Saturday

The Polo Fitness and Tennis Club has announced that Christina Moros has joined the staff at the club. Moros was a five time All American at the University of Texas and was on the Longhorns 1995 NCAA Championship team. After college Moros coached at the Bollettieri Academy for three years and she was the Co-Director of the Roddick/Moros International Tennis Academy in San Antonio from 2002-2006, where she worked with players who are now on the professional tour. As a player, Moros was ranked #1 in the Girls 18's ITF doubles and as high as #17 in singles.
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The UT Men's team will host Middle Tennessee State on Saturday at 1pm as part of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Texas Tech and California will also play in Austin, and the winning teams will play on Sunday at 2pm for a spot in the ITA National Indoor Championships. Update: Preview now available at Texassports.com.

CATA Nothing But Doubles Results

(Kreg Pearson and Vincent Delbar)

CATA put on another successful "Nothing but Doubles" tournament last weekend, as almost 300 players braved the wind and sometimes chilly temperatures. To see all the draws, click here. Congratulations to all of the winners:

Men's Open- Matthew Milliken and Brian Notis
Men's 4.0- Vincent Delbar and Kreg Pearson
Men's 3.5- Geronimo Barajas and Rafael Bernal
Women's Open-Wendy Graham and Kathryn Lemons
Women's 4.5- Laura Boyett and Christine Roberts
Women's 4.0 - Lynda Valseca and Lynne Wiggins
Mixed 3.5 - Robert Diwan and Rebekah Ryan

Hit For Haiti Fundraiser Saturday Jan. 30

ATB just received an email from Todd Carlson announcing a fundraiser at The Quarries Tennis Courts located at 4400 Mesa Woods Drive, Austin, 78759, this Saturday, January 30th from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Below is the email from Todd:

Hi everyone! We're Hitting for Haiti!!! The Quarries Tennis League is hosting a fundraiser for Haiti in light of the devastating earthquake. We would love for you to come, hit some balls, and most importantly support those in dire need. Bring your rackets and we will provide the fun!!!We will also be doing a potluck. Please consider bringing a snack, a dish (hot or cold) or drink to the event. Plates, cups, napkins and silverware will be provided. If you would like to bring food/drinks, please indicate it in your response. We will have access to an outlet for electricity. Feel free to invite friends, co-workers, neighbors, families, or anyone else! Please pray and donate what you feel led to give. All donations are tax-deductible and will contribute towards the relief efforts in Haiti.If you would like, canned food donations are also welcome. The canned goods will help fill the food pantry at the Gateway Church. Spread the word and we hope to see you there!

To RSVP or for more information contact Todd:

Todd.carlson@gmail.com

UT Women Top Rice 6-1

The UT Women's team welcomed Rice to Penick Allison on a blustery day on Saturday and came away with a 6-1 win. For more details check out Texassports.com, here are yesterday's scores:

No. 31 Texas 6, Rice 1
Doubles – Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
1 Chao/Guzman (RU) def. #27 Craddock/Damico (UT) – 8-6
2 Corovic/Ellis (UT) def. #44 Jackson/Rasch (RU) – 8-6
3 Davison/Larsson (UT) def. Hanle/Lin (RU) – 8-5
Singles – Order of Finish: 6, 1, 5, 4, 3, 2
1 #22 Aeriel Ellis (UT) def. #73 Rebekka Hanle (RU) – 6-3, 6-3
2 #27 Krista Damico (UT) def. Julie Chao (RU) – 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
3 Jessica Jackson (RU) def. #59 Vanja Corovic (UT) 6-1, 0-6, 7-5
4 Amanda Craddock (UT) def. Ana Guzman (RU) – 7-6 (2), 6-4
5 Maggie Mello (UT) def. Rebecca Lin (RU) – 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
6 Sarah Lancaster (UT) def. Alex Rasch (RU) – 6-1, 6-2

UT Men top Arkansas...UT Women Host Rice on Saturday at Noon

Update: More details now available at Texassports.com.

The UT Men's team traveled to Fayetteville for their season opener against Arkansas and came away with 6-1 victory. The Longhorns took the doubles point as the teams of Kutrovsky/Zavala, Damico/Corrie and the new team of Wiegand/Mladenov all won. In singles, Seniors Dimitar Kutrovsky and Josh Zavala won at the #1 and #4 lines, while Juniors Ed Corrie and Kellen Damico took the #2 and #3 spots. Freshman Vasko Mladenov made his debut at the #5 slot and also won. Here are the singles scores, courtesy of arkansasrazorbacks.com.

#1 Dimitar Kutrovsky won vs. Chris Nott 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
#2 Ed Corrie won vs. Matt Hogan 6-4, 7-5
#3 Kellen Damico won vs. Taylor King 6-4, 6-2
#4 Josh Zavala won vs. Dmitry Lebedev 6-3,6-3
#5 Vaska Mladenov won vs. Greg Lehman 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
#6 Daniel Whitehaed lost vs. Nikolas Zogaj 2-6, 7-6, 1-0

Also it looks like Jean Andersen, a 21 year old sophomore from South Africa who has a world ranking of #683 has been added to the roster, although there has not been any official announcement from UT that he has joined the team.

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The UT Women's team will host Rice on Saturday at Noon. UT is currently ranked #31 and is lead by freshman Aeriel Ellis, who is ranked #22. Click here for a preview of this match courtesy of Texassports.com.

Seniors Mixed League Winners

(Seniors Having a Ball, 7.0 level winners)

The Seniors mixed doubles league has been completed. At the 7.0 level, Seniors Having a Ball, captained by Lawrence Rountree and Rebekah Ryan, edged out the team from Pharr, based on winning more lines. At the 8.0 level, the winning team was Topspin, captained by John Graff.