U.S. OPEN HARDBAT EVENT
Seemiller wins internet prize fund

By Scott Gordon

Were there 80 events at the U.S. Open this year? For many die-hard hardbat fans, it seemed there was but one. With a hefty $1500 in prize money raised through donations on the internet, hardbat titans came out of the woodwork, making that unmistakeable "plick-plock" omnipresent from day one. The event itself may not have started until Friday, but by Wednesday at 10am, no less than four adjacent tables carried serious hardbat challenge matches. Dozens of hardbat enthusiasts sported yellow stickers proudly proclaiming "Classic Hardbat Table Tennis", and vendors sold lots of hardbats to new enthusiasts eager to try their hand in future hardbat events.

Seeding was done through a combination of USATT ratings and UHRL hardbat ratings (the latter having evolved over the past year). The draw was not without flaws, and some round robins were notably stronger than others. Berndt Mann, who made the largest donation to the prize fund, was in one such group. Berndt's friend John Tannehill, former U.S. Team member (with sponge) and in recent years a hardbat specialist said simply: "This is the strongest hardbat event ever!"

Larry Hodges was defending champion of this U.S. Open crown, a title he has held for six years! Larry was openly eager to exact revenge for his loss at the recent U.S. Nationals, and to regain his hold on the hardbat scene.

The legendary 68-year-old Marty Reisman, who came out of a 15-year retirement to win the reinstituted 1997 National Hard Bat Title in Las Vegas this past December, sparked what seems to now be an unstoppable resurgence of player/spectator interest in hardbat. Reisman made several early requests to USATT officials to extend the later matches (from the quarter finals on) to best-of-five games as is done in other championship events, a request that was repeatedly denied.

The spirit of the hardbat event was clear: create a level playing field that would give no player a mechanical advantage over another. Whereas the USATT entry form did not forbid long pips, an air of self-governance resulted in nobody actually using them. Rather, players admired the array of Hocks, MaCrossans, Barnas, and other classic bats, glaring at those who dared mention the words "long pips."

Of the twelve UHRL-seeded players, only three were bested in their round robins. The strength of the tournament was evident in that two of last year's U.S. Nationals semifinalists (Steve Berger and Rick Mueller) did not even qualify from their respective round robin groups. The final twelve included Reisman, Hodges, Tannehill top USATT-seed Danny Seemiller, Aaron Struth, former U.S. National hardbat runner-up Tim Boggan, Derek May, hardbat specialist Ralph Stadelman, Hector Bennett, Houston hardbat champion Robert Mayer, Sacramento hardbat champion James Therriault, and former National champion Attila Malek. The final field was a veritable unification tournament of great hardbat players across the country, save the unfortunate absense of Todd Sweeris and Jimmy Butler.

Friday night saw several fairly one-sided wins for Seemiller over Struth, May over Boggan, Bennett over Stadelman, and Malek over Therriault. The final eight then became an exciting showdown including the top four UHRL seeds (Reisman, Tannehill, Hodges, Mayer) and the top three USATT seeds (Seemiller, Malek, and May), along with Bennett (the UHRL sixth seed).

The internet prize fund included money for the first four finishers. Hodges, displaying a sharpened quick-kill style, quickly downed Bennett to become the first semifinalist and first guaranteed money winner.

Malek, who by contrast used a more allround style, next defeated Mayer two straight. It was a disappointing loss for Mayer who was leading 20-17 in the second game, only to lose it at deuce.

Tannehill-May was a very close struggle which had Tannehill's modern attacking style pitted against May's gritty defense and superb athleticism. Lead changes abounded throughout the hard fought match, and by the end a large crowd had gathered, most cheering May (perhaps the younger crowd was less familiar with Tannehill). In the end, it was Tannehill's graceful control that won, deuce in the third.

Reisman-Seemiller drew the biggest audience. Side bets were rampant (a seemingly normal occurrence whenever Reisman plays), and about evenly distributed between the two former national champions. The two players approached the table and were about to begin game one. Reisman noticed that, on the adjoining table, Tannehill and May were playing at 20-19 in the third, and felt that he should wait a bit so as not to disturb them at such a critical juncture. The referee insisted, however, that Marty play immediately. Marty asked again if they couldn't wait a few seconds for the adjoining match to finish, but a passing referee likewise insisted that the match commence without delay. And so they began. This was the first of two disputes between Marty and the referee.

The first game was a thriller in which Seemiller took an early lead, Reisman probing for weaknesses. The crafty veteran, clearly fighting his toughest hardbat match in years, evened the game at 18-18. Seemiller then scored a point with an edge ball. Luck was reversed at 19-19 when Reisman scored on an edge ball. When Marty eeked out the first game 21-19, he leaped into the air with a yelp of both relief and confidence that raised a thunderous cheer from the by now huge crowd of spectators. It seemed that Marty was on his way to another "lock". Then came the second rules dispute.

The two players switched sides and were about to begin game two. The referee handed them a ball, but Marty protested that it was not the ball that they had been using in game 1. Marty claimed he was holding the ball they had been using; a ball with which he was satisfied. The referee insisted, however, that Marty use his ball. Marty continued to argue that he should not have to switch balls, and the referee yellow carded him. Marty, never having seen a yellow card before, did now know what it meant (he later said jokingly that he thought the card might be some sort of "crucifix" used to repel vampires!). A second referee was brought in who explained to him what the yellow card meant. Finally, play resumed, with the referee's ball.

That first game was to be Danny's only loss in the event. It's hard to say whether the distraction/dispute affected Marty's concentration, or whether Danny's game just got that much better, but through the rest of the match Marty's play lacked the quality and sparkle of the first game. His attack waned and became inconsistent, while Danny became both more aggressive and more consistent. By the end of the match Seemiller's intense attack left the crowd awestruck. It was Marty's first major hardbat loss in years. When asked if Danny surprised him, Marty said simply: "Yes!"

The semifinals thus pitted two UHRL seeds against two USATT seeds. The first had Hodges vs Malek. Both had breezed through their matches undefeated, Malek with a graceful two-winged attack and Larry with a devastating early kill. Boosted by having recently recovered his beloved TSP hardbat, Larry slashed a series of winners to take an early lead, but over time it was Malek's consistency that made the difference. The match featured many short points, with Malek winning at 15 in the second. Larry collected $100 splitting 3rd/4th place.

The second semifinal showcased Tannehill's fluid away-from-the-table attack and defense against Seemiller's nonstop off-the-bounce forehand barrage. Tannehill had fought hard to make it this far, nearly losing matches to Derek May and also to Ty Hoff (another thrilling early match). His concentration and mental game was as impressive as his picture-perfect strokes. His match with Seemiller was delayed for several hours as Danny had obligations with the ITTF to provide commentary for the Pro Tour finals.

The match started out as a one-sided affair with Tannehill taking a commanding early lead, first at 16-8, then at 18-13. Amazingly, Danny then scored eight straight points to win the first game at 21-18! The streak must have taken a mental toll on the normally unflappable Tannehill. Seemiller's intensity again proved to be the winning factor, and Danny coasted through the second game. John collected $100 splitting 3rd/4th place with Hodges.

The final was relatively poorly-attended, as the unfortunate scheduling delays had caused the latter part of the high-profile Reisman-Butler hardbat challenge to overlap with the beginning of the hardbat final. By the time most spectators had moved from the main arena to table 21, Danny had won game one and was winning game two. The match featured sizzling rallies as the two attackers traded offense; when Danny was on the offense it was smash-chop-smash-chop, while when Attila had the offense it was smash-block-smash-block. By the end, the match seemed nearly a replay of the Tannehill-Seemiller match, with Danny relentlessly sticking Malek with a nonstop barrage of quick forehands. His block was by now so finely honed that he again appeared unable to miss the table. Match point was one of the great highlights of the tournament, with a series of devastating smashes to both wings chopped back successfully by Malek. But Danny's attack prevailed, and when the point was his, he let out a whoop of victory at the sudden realization that he was once again U.S. Open Champion. After it was over, Malek told me that this match was the only one he had entered in complete confidence, yet it was the only hardbat match he lost. Attila Malek took home the $400 second prize.

Danny Seemiller had won the $900 first prize and the title of U.S. Open hardbat champion. In defeating Reisman, Tannehill, and Malek, his win was all the more impressive. Afterwards, Danny said candidly that he never expected to reach the semifinals, let alone win the event. Most of all, he kept repeating how much fun it was playing with a hardbat again. The showdown this December in Las Vegas for Reisman's National title promises to be a thriller.

In the few days following the Open, it was the hardbat matches that dominated discussion on the internet. For players to become so enthralled as to put up extra money for prizes is unprecedented, and the degree to which this happened made the hardbat event the biggest money singles event outside of the Pro Tour. The game was infectious to both spectators and competitors, and more than one player was heard to proclaim after the star-studded week: "that does it, I'm switching to hardbat!".