2004
Buckeye Open
Columbus, OH · March 13-14, 2004
By Larry Hodges
2004
Buckeye Open Director Steve Slaback awards Open Champion Sasa Drinic check for
$1500. Photo by Chris Burner, care of Butterfly
Table Tennis, ©2004.
230 players on 37 individually barriered courts in 26 events competed for $8500 in prize money at this year’s Buckeye Open. The tournament was run on time, and in great playing conditions (other than some unavoidable humidity toward the end of each day). It was held in the Tower Tennis & Fitness Center near Columbus, Ohio.
The most interesting match this round was Samson Dubina’s (2374) near upset of Canadian Xavier Therien (2485). Both play two-winged looping games, with Xavier a steady looper with good serves, Samson a bit more power but not as consistent. Samson went up 3-1 in games, but lost the last three games, the last one 11-8. Scores were -9,5,-7,-6,1,7,8.
None of these matches were particularly close. The main match of interest again involved Xavier – this time as he pulled off a 4,10,-7,9,9 upset of third-seeded Eric Owens (2559). Eric perhaps has new priorities – he told me he was getting straight A’s this semester at Texas Wesleyan, including his favorite class, Differential Equations.
Biba Golic (seeded #8 at 2432) gave top-seeded Mark Hazinski (2638) a scare as she won games three and four, but he won at 6,9,-5,-4,6,8. Drinic (seeded #4 at 2557) gave a drenching to just-starting-to-practice-again Razvan Cretu (formerly rated as high as 2645, but currently only 2488, seeded #6), 6,8,6,8. Barney (seeded #2 at 2574) gave an equal drenching to co-tournament director and hoarse-voiced Dan Seemiller (seeded #5 at 2505), 4,6,6,8. Dan wasn’t the only one sick, or at least sounding sick – Barney said he’d almost dropped out the night before with a bad fever.
This was where much of the action was – both of these matches could have been the final. It was also a bad round for top seeds, as the top two seeds in the tournament were both knocked out. Matches here and in the final were best of nine.
Mark Hazinski vs. Sasa Drinic
Drinic basically romped the first two games at 6 & 2. Then things got a bit streaky. At 6-6 in the third, Mark ran off five in a row. Down 5-7 in the fourth, Mark ran off another five in a row to go up 10-7 – only to have Sasa deuce it. Mark won the next point on an edge ball – but Sasa deuced it right back with his own edge ball! But Mark awkwardly blocked a forehand into the net, and flipped off to lose, 11-13. The streakiness continued in the fifth game, where at 4-4, Mark won 6 in a row. In the sixth, it was close all the way, and Mark led 10-9, but Sasa won the last three. In the seventh, at 8-all, Sasa won the last three to win the match, 6,2,-6,11,-5,10,8.
“I had to play very aggressive, and a good short game,” Sasa said. He added, “Mark was ‘out of his game’ – I don’t know why.” And so Sasa, seeded #4, takes out the #1 seed. The two would later team up to win Open Doubles over Barney J. Reed and Razvan Cretu, a pair of righties versus a pair of lefties, -3,7,6,8,7.
“Against Mark,” said Sasa’s coach for the match, Idan Levi, “you can’t go power to power. You have to play softer, and loop with more sidespin. Sidespin loops deep to both corners, curving away from him, make him move. Also, Sasa’s short game this match was perfect.” Idan, along with Ilija Lupulesku and Mimi Bosika, are Sasa’s regular practice partners.
Barney J.
Reed vs. Xavier Therien
After losing one close game, Barney said, “I hate it when I keep beating myself!” He did have trouble holding leads, and he often let his emotions show. (In contrast to Canada’s Xavier, who’s as poker-faced a player as there can be, no matter the situation.) After winning the first at 8, Barney led 9-4 in the second – and lost seven in a row, and gave the table a good kick. He won the third at 7 (and so could have been up 3-0). Xavier, who has very good serves and is very good at taking control of the table with his forehand loop – but often without penetrating power – won the fourth at 7. In the fifth, Barney led 10-9 – but misses a counterloop, misses a block, then completely whiffs a forehand loop to lose 10-12 – and shows his disgust by smacking a ball into the balcony of spectators.
But he wins the next two games rather easily, 11-8,11-5, and now leads 4-3. When Barney gets his power-looping and counterlooping game going, he dominates. When Xavier takes control with his serve and steady follow-up forehand loops, he dominates. Xavier doesn’t have great power, but he does have a nice point-winning off-the-bounce counterloop.
In the eighth game it goes to 6-6. Serving up 7-6, Xavier pops his serve up – but Barney misses, and the momentum seems to swing as Xavier runs the game out, 11-7. So it’s into the ninth – and, of course, it goes to 9-9 (with the server completely dominating), with Xavier serving. He serve and rips a forehand winner, 10-9 match point. Then Barney backhands the serve into the net – and the Canadian, seeded #7, has knocked off the #2 seed, -8,9,-7,7,10,-8,-5,7,9.
Sasa Drinic vs. Xavier
Therien
Watching the match with me is USATT Coaching Chair John Allen, who praised Xavier's serve: “He has a lot of variety.” Xavier’s serve constantly sets up his forehand loop, and he’s also quite willing to serve deep, often catching opponents. Sasa, however, is relentless in his all-out attack from both wings, often looping winners off the bounce.
This match is a contrast in early-game and late-game play. If you take the first half of each game, Xavier dominates; but in the second half, Sasa dominates as he comes from behind game after game. In the first game, down 5-8, he wins 11-9. In the second, down 7-10, he almost comes back, losing at 9. In the third, down 2-5, he wins 11-8. In the fourth, down 6-10 and 11-12, he wins 14-12. (Xavier’s face never changes – you couldn’t tell he’d just blown five game points.) After winning the fifth, 11-8, the two finally switch roles. In the sixth, it’s Sasa up 8-5, then 8-8, then up 10-8 match point. Xavier wins 14-12 (no ads for Sasa). However, in the seventh, up 5-3, Sasa only loses one more point in winning the match (and $1500, to Xavier’s $600) at 9,-9,8,12,8,-12,4. Semifinalists received $300, and quarterfinalists $125.
“Against Xavier,” said Coach Levi, “you have to play a good short game, and then attack first, mostly at the middle.”
Elite Singles: The results of the Open on Saturday were somewhat reversed on Sunday, as this time the final (played best of five, to save time?) was Eric Owens over Barney J. Reed, 4,2,8. In the semifinals, Owens came from behind to take out top-seeded Mark Hazinski – and the scores tell the tale: 9,-9,-10,-10,10,10,9! In the other semifinal, Barney won against Sasa, 5,6,9,9. Drinic had won 4-0 over Xavier in the quarterfinals. Barney was given a wakeup call early on, down 3-0 to Courtney Roberts in the preliminary RR – only one player advancing – but he won the next four. Barney would also go on to win Under 2600, 4-1 over Sasa. (Barney got his “revenge” on Xavier in the Under 2600 semifinals, 3,-9,6,-7,5,6, while Sasa won against Eric Owens in the other semifinals, -6,9,8,-9,8,9.) For his Elite win, Eric won $350, to Barney’s $150, with the semifinalists receiving $75, quarterfinalists $50.
“He creamed me,” said $100 Runner-up Dan Seemiller of $250 Winner John Tannehill in Hardbat Singles. The event’s prize money (including $50 for the semifinals, and another $150 total for Under 1900 hardbat) was put up by Berndt Mann, who won $50 of it back by making the semifinals of Open Hardbat.
Players with multiple titles were:
Sasa Drinic, Open Singles & Doubles Champion
Dan Seemiller, Over 50 Champion, Over 40 Co-Champion, Hardbat Runner-up, Open Quarterfinalist
Randy Seemiller, Under 2400 Champion, Over 40 Co-Champion
Mark Hazinski, Under 22 and Open Doubles Champion, Open and Elite Semifinalist
Petra Sestakova, Under 2275 Champion, U4200 Doubles Champion, and Women’s Runner-up
Special thanks for running an excellent tournament goes to equipment supplier Butterfly, to all the volunteers and helpers, and to the tournament staff: Director Steve Slaback, Referee Chris Williams, “Consultant” and desk worker Dan Seemiller, and desk staff Charles Hill, Jason Lacey, Bill Lisboa.
Open – Final: Sasa Drinic d. Xavier Therien, 9,-9,8,12,8,-12,4; SF: Drinic d. Mark Hazinski, 6,2,-6,11,-5,10,8; Therien d. Barney J. Reed, -8,9,-7,7,10,-8,-5,7,9; QF: Drinic d. Razvan Cretu, 6,8,6,8; Therien d. Eric Owens, 4,10,-7,9,9; Hazinski d. Biba Golic, 6,9,-5,-4,6,8; Reed d. Dan Seemiller, 4,6,6,8; 8ths: Hazinski d. Petra Sestakova, -7,7,-9,3,6,5; Golic d. Randy Seemiller, 6,3,9,3; Cretu d. Mark Nordby, 5,8,8,3; Drinic d. Courtney Roberts, 9,2,7,-8,9; Owens d. Mimi Bosika, 8,4,9,16; Therien d. Samson Dubina, -9,5,-7,-6,1,7,8; D. Seemiller d. Dinko Kranjac, 5,-9,13,4,8; Reed d. Idan Levi, 9,6,-7,6,-9,7.
Elite Singles – Final: Eric Owens d. Barney J. Reed, 4,2,8; SF: Owens d. Mark Hazinski, 9,-9,-10,-10,10,10,9; Reed d. Sasa Drinic, 5,6,9,9.
Women’s Singles: Biba Golic d. Petra Sestakova, 10,7,7,11.
Open Doubles – Final: Mark Hazinski/Sasa Drinic d. Barney J. Reed/Razvan Cretu, -3,7,6,8,7; SF: Hazinski/Drinic d. Eric Owens/Dinko Kranjac, 8,6,10,-9,2; Reed/Cretu d. Biba Golic/Courtney Roberts, 8,8,-8,7,6.
U2600 – Final: Barney J. Reed d. Sasa Drinic, 4-1; SF: Reed d. Xavier Therien, 3,-9,6,-7,5,6; Drinic d. Eric Owens, -6,9,8,-9,8,9; QF: Therien d. Razvan Cretu, 9,-5,5,8,10; Drinic d. Biba Golic, n.s.; Owens d. Courtney Roberts, n.s.; Reed-bye.
U2400 – Final: Randy Seemiller d. Shawn Embleton, 3,4,12; SF: Seemiller d. Mark Nordby, 3,9,-4,-8,3; Embleton d. Samson Dubina, n.s.
U2275 – Final: Petra Sestakova d. Mark Artman, 7,-10,9,5; SF: Sestakova d. Scott Endicott, def.; Artman d. Olushola Kashimawo, 3-1.
U2125 – Final: Chen Wong d. Thomas Yost, -9,9,-2,9,9; SF: Wong d. Jim Repasy, 3-2; Yost d. D. King, 5,8,8.
U2000 – Final: Robert Luo d. Amanda Dubina, 9,6,11; SF: Luo d. James Hamilton, n.s.; Dubina d. J. Kujat, 3-1.
U1875: Bob Panahiazar d. Hement Mantri, 6,-7,-5,9,6.
U1775: Amer Shaw d. Jan Lie, 5,5,9.
U1650: Qiang Lu d. Michael Kaneck, 9,9,6.
U1525: David Fossett d. Scot Reif, 6,6,9.
U1400: Robert Smith d. Ron Howard, 4,9,5.
U1300: Don Moler d. Merle Garrison, -9,5,9,8.
U1200: Mitch Smith d. Russ Forthofer, 7,-9,-4,9,15.
U1100: David Cook d. Jack Scott, 7,6,-8,-8,9.
U950: Jonathan Mast d. Chou Yu Lee, -8,7,9,6.
Hardbat RR: 1st John Tannehill, 4-0; 2nd Dan Seemiller, 3-1; 3rd Tadho Inui, 2-2; 4th Berndt Mann, 1-3; 5th Jack Beggin, 0-4.
U1900 Hardbat: 1st Tadao Inui; 2nd Scott Barone.
Over 40 – Final: Dan Seemiller & Randy Seemiller split; SF: Dan Seemiller d. El-Hallal Sleiman, 3-0; Randy Seemiller d. Larry Hodges, 3-0.
Over 50: Dan Seemiller d. Craig Teegarden, 7,6,8.
Under 22 – Final: Mark Hazinski d. Samson Dubina, -10,6,5,4; SF: Hazinski d. Thomas Yost, 5,7,5; Dubina d. Dinko Kranjac, -8,6,8,-5,10.
Under 14 – Final: A.J. Brewer d. Elena Mykhaylevskaya, 15,7,9; SF: Brewer d. Jennifer Mast, 3-2; Mykhaylevskaya d. Michael Mast, n.s.
Under 4200 Doubles - Final: Alexander Mehrabian/Petra Sestakova d. Mark Nordby/Adil Dhanani, 8,7,7; SF: Mehrabian/Sestakova d. Shawn Embleton/Mark Coleman, n.s.; Nordby/Dhanani d. Don Hamilton/James Hamilton, 6,-6,9,4.
Under 3400 Doubles – Final: Christopher Bourgea/David Stout d. Hemant Mantri/Randy Burnett, 7,3,-10,8; SF: Bourgea/Stout d. Jeff Baker/Mark Shapiro, n.s.; Mantri/Burnett d. Steve Blijheid/Vibert Williams, n.s.
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