2002 Nationals: Hardbat

Lily Yip Defends National Hardbat Crown

By Scott Gordon

Note – all hardbat games were to 21.

Nationals Hardbat Champion Lily Yip. Photo ©2002 by Gerry Chua

Open Hardbat

Lily Yip has been a champion and/or finalist in just about every hardbat event in recent memory. Her perennial rival of late has been Steve Berger, who she defeated in last year’s final and who defeated her the time before that. In one of the most impressive hardbat finals yet, the two put on an extraordinary show of classic table tennis. Both were in top form, Lily attacking confidently and Steve chopping back impossible returns to audible gasps from the crowd. In the end, Lily’s relentless attack was the deciding factor, and she defended her crown in straight games (18,17,20).

But this was no blowout. Each game was a seesaw battle, and at many times it appeared that Steve was in control of the match, particularly in game one when Lily’s attacked softened a bit. Perhaps the best point of the match was match point itself, with Lily blasting a kill to Steve’s wide backhand, Steve miraculously returning it, Lily following with another kill to Steve’s wide forehand. Anyone who has seen the “Legends” videotape knows the famous clip of Angelica Rozeanu contorting herself in a desperate return to win a world doubles final ... well, Steve reprised that shot for us. But Lily followed with a devastating Boggan-esque “no look” kill that finished off the match in satisfying style.

The semis included two newcomers: David Rosenzweig, who lost to Berger, and Angela Sun, who lost to Yip. Rosenzweig, a smooth attacker from both sides, had benefited from an earlier upset in his round robin, wherein favorite Barry Dattel lost a close match to U.S. Open U2000 champ Al Papp. Sun proved a terrific addition to the hardbat fray, and the possibility of an all-women final was intriguing. She won in straight games over last year’s semifinalist Rudy Miranda. 

Hardbat Doubles

The team of Larry Hodges and Steve Berger successfully defended their title after a rocky start against Ashu Jain and John Jarema (-15,15,14). Played in the main arena, Larry’s attack was “on,” eclipsed only occasionally by sensational creative bursts from Ashu.

The champions’ semifinal victory over Lim Ming Chui and Tim Kelly was a bit closer, with the result in doubt until Hodges/Berger pulled away in the third (20,-20,16). The other semi saw Jain/Jarema beating a last-minute team of Al McDermott and Al Papp, notable for being perhaps the only lefty/righty pair in the world that purposely chooses to play with their backhand sides inward. Both were more confident in their backhands than their forehands. 

Over 40 Hardbat

In another successful title defense, Larry Hodges swept the field without losing a single game, defeating Ray Mack in the final (17,17). Larry also avenged his 1997 finals loss to Marty Reisman in the semifinal (16,13), in a match that almost didn’t happen...

Marty was deducted a point for a low toss, and became so angry that audience members had to persuade him to continue. In the other semi, Ray Mack’s (16,19) victory over Steve Berger in the semifinal was certainly an upset, but Ray is known to be vicious against choppers.

The event included an interesting side note: in arguably the biggest upset of the week: John Lam, an under-1700 sponge player, defeated Tim Kelly, an over-2100 fulltime hardbat player! John was so buoyed by his victory that he decided to play all of his remaining regular (sponge) events, using his hardbat. In spite of having never played with hardbat against sponge before, he went on to reach the semifinals of both Under 1700 and Under 2000 Hardbat. 

Under 2000 Hardbat

It was both with delight and chagrin that we under-2000 folks noticed that Marty Reisman’s rating had slipped to 1986. Uh-oh. His presence, however, certainly elevated the challenge and provided many the chance to lock horns with the “needle.” To the surprise of nobody, Marty won the event with ease, losing only a single game along the way – to this author in the semifinals. His (11,20) win in the final over James Rautis was made all the more enjoyable by the entertaining banter the two provided.

Rautis’ exciting (8,-26,13) semifinal win over John Lam was not without a bit of controversy, as it was learned that Rautis had utilized a carbon blade, illegal in hardbat play. The offense was ruled not egregious enough to merit overturning the result, but it was a major topic of discussion throughout the remainder of the week. Hardbat rules require the use of wood-only blades. 

Under 1500 Hardbat

It’s unanimous, the most improved hardbat player of 2002 was the winner of the U1500 event, Tim Wright. Tim, a full-time hardbat player from Arizona, has for years been known for his primarily heavy-chopping, defensive style. None of his opponents expected the “new” Tim, relentlessly attacking every ball with crushing accuracy. The chop nowhere to be seen, Tim swept the event without losing a single game. He took the final over David Lipsky (12,13), and along the way dispatched possibly the most-feared entrant, U1500 U.S. Open champion Hermann Luechinger (also in straight games). As word of Tim got out, he somehow acquired the nickname “The Slasher,” and his final with Lipsky in the main arena drew a large crowd.

This event too was marred by a spot of controversy, in the form of long pips. Semi-finalist Harriet Brin was discovered to be using the dreaded surface, albeit without knowing they were illegal. Her loss to “The Slasher” in the semis ended what was otherwise a very good run for her. (Harriet’s wins were not overturned because none of her opponents had inspected her bat.) Lipsky, a frequent U1500 finalist, scored a good win in the other semi by beating Jeff Louie, considered by some to be a pre-event favorite.