By Tim Boggan
In early-round Hardbat Open play, in a much-watched match, last year’s runner-up Steve Berger (defending) lost a 22, -19, -18 killer to Loc Ngo (attacking). After that satisfying 1st-game win, Steve soared to a 6-1 lead in the 2nd, but went on to lose it. Down 9-1 in the 3rd, Steve caught Loc at 10 (crazy swings, huh?), then fell behind again. Down 20-18, he saw Loc’s ball go up, up, up and come down, down, down, and just knew it was gonna hit the edge—and it did. Che-Him Leung lost an exciting 23-21-in-the-4th quarter’s match to Oakland’s player/coach Angela Sun who as a just-turned-teenager in China had begun playing seriously in 1990, was on the same Shanghai Team as Shao Yu, and only came to the States 5 years ago.
In the one semi’s, U-2300 runner-up Rudy Miranda fell to Alex Perez, and in the other, though of course Sun wasn’t using her usual long pips, it was fun to watch her try to exchange with Defending Champ Lily Yip the backhand jabs that might have been, that she’d been trained for. Neither Angela nor Alex had any chance against Lily. Alex was dead if he tried to play defense, and when he rolled the ball as if he were looping he was also a goner. His only chance was to crack the ball—and I don’t mean prolong the match with new ball after new ball. “A pity,” someone said, “that the two women played in the semi’s, and not in the final. It would have been good for the Game.”
Cheng Yinghua, I have to say, caused quite a stir by playing in Hardbat Doubles with Julian Waters. “I asked him as a joke,” said Julian, and he said, “O.K. It’s Vegas—we all go there to have fun.” Maybe, if they win, Julian will have a convert to the Classic Game? No? Oh, well, Vegas was fun—especially for Bernie Savitz/Rudy Miranda who upset Cheng and Julian. Rudy said he plays Hardbat only twice a year—at the Open and Closed. So no wonder he forgot his racket. Then, trying to get the right “feel,” he used not one but two borrowed rackets, neither fitting him well enough to allow their partnership to advance. In a replay of last year’s final, Steve Berger/Larry Hodges defeated Ashu Jain/John Jarema.
Larry Hodges won the Hardbat Over 40’s, first, from Tim Kelly in the semi’s, after Tim threw up in the Men’s Room (having to play Larry will do this to you?). On staggering out, he was hit with a You’re-5-minutes-late default, then was reinstated. In the final, Larry beat Ray Mack by hitting every forehand possible (though—Time!—admitting at one point he wasn’t quite as fit as he’d like to be). Ray was able to pick balls through Steve Berger, but couldn’t stop Larry’s step-around attack. Though he was a mite nervous (“I’m not in many National finals”), Ray felt that when he’d won 5 straight points and forced Larry to call Time!, it was, well, the watershed of his career.
Bob Mahler (1452), who was beaten in the U-1600 Senior’s in the quarter’s by Wes Wolfe, took the U-1500 Hardbat title by downing Bob Reising (1492) in the deciding 3rd. Reising says self-deprecatingly, “I’m just a 1400 player.” But, not that I’ll tell anyone, I’ve seen him play 300 points better than that.
Defending Champion Marty Reisman was a lock to retain his title? The idea was quickly dispelled when in the semi’s Marty faced Ralph Stadelman, who’d won this title before—for, at 19-all in the 1st, Marty developed what someone unkind called “concrete elbow, ” and so lost that game. Then—hey, what was happening?—“Reisman, he’s down 6-1 in the 2nd.” And tied at 7-all….And up 11-7….Match all even. Then in the 3rd Ralph again faded fast, and, why, Marty was even starting to get a little snap to his oft-cradled forehand.
On the other side of the Draw, Sacramento’s Scott Gordon, Classic Hardbat Association President and newly appointed member of the USATT Hall of Fame Board, in between sips of Chris Reed’s Gingerale, downed Daly City’s Al Papp in 3. Which brought together for the final Marty and his perceived acolyte Scott. Nothing unexpected here—with Reisman up 1-0 and 18-12. How dapper Marty looked, what color he brought to the Sport: panama hat, tinted glasses, purple shirt, black trousers—casually El Elegante. Let it be said Marty was not unaware of his public, so not averse to prolonging the match, even from 20-18 up. Not even averse to losing the game. Not even averse to—wait!—watching Scott with a step-around forehand win the title.
Back to 2003 Nationals Home Page
| |
| USA Table Tennis - Serving the Table Tennis Community |
| |