2011 Singles Winner Decided

The 2011 WTA singles tennis ladder season saw one hundred seventy three matches played and the crowning of a sixth consecutive new champion. Rich Perez won the championship in his second season (first full season) with a grueling 6-2 5-7 7-5 win over second seed Andy Federbusch. Perez's road to the championship included three weeks as ladder leader and playoff wins over Christopher Farella (6-1 6-0), Aaron Keith (6-2 7-6 (5) ) and Ren Gao (6-3 6-2). Federbusch had wins over Jason Krauss (6-2 6-3), Tuyen Diep (6-3 6-4) and Robert Errazo (7-5 6-1). Joshua Suri was the most active member for the third successive season with thirty two matches played. The 2012 season officially begins on May 1 and runs until Labor Day with eight reporting periods. Please contact Richard Pardo at rspardo531@msn.com with any questions.

Rich Perez (r) and Andrew Federbusch pose after grueling singles championship





Perez demonstrates 'Swiss Yodelling Overhead' taught to him by Federer in Gstaad.




Pardon him while he whips this out (his backhand, that is.)

2012 Annual Newsletter

Welcome

Spring is here which means the new ladder season will soon begin again on May 1st. We are continuing the Singles and 50+ (Masters) Singles ladders from prior years. Unfortunately due to lack of interest we are no longer offering a Doubles ladder. Should there be a greater interest in Doubles or a Women’s ladder we will accommodate that in the future.

We look forward to your participation and urge you to renew your membership as soon as possible. In addition, if you have any friends or acquaintances who are tennis players, please tell them about the WTA as we are always looking to add new members. A strong membership makes for more competition and thus more fun!

If you are unsure whether you have the time to devote to the ladder remember that all it takes is an hour every other week to remain active. The more players that participate, the more interesting and exciting the ladder will be. Meet some new people, renew some old rivalries, create some new ones, get in some exercise and – most importantly – have some fun! That above all, is what the Westfield Tennis Association stands for.

Board of Directors

The WTA board of directors is one year past the latest term. Richard Pardo is again the WTA President with oversight of the Single’s Ladder, Membership directory, Singles and Doubles Tournament and applications process. The Vice President position is currently unoccupied. Janice Honymar is the Secretary and Tuyen Diep is the Treasurer. Peter Lee is running the 50+ (Masters) Singles ladder. Don Dohm is responsible for the annual social which usually is held in November. Joshua Suri, although not a full fledged board member, is helping out with the Singles Tournament.

We are desperately in need of new blood to fill the void of our departing members and to provide new perspectives to help the WTA meet the future challenges. We need new people to step up and take an active part in the running of our organization. All of our contact information is available on the WTA website: www.westfieldnj.com/wta. Contact us with any concerns or questions and with any interest in joining the executive board.

2011 Ladder Recap

The Singles Ladder enjoyed another successful season in 2011. There were 173 matches played with 213 matches played in 2010. Rich Perez capped off a successful season with a thrilling three set win over Andy Federbusch. Joshua Suri again led the way with 32 matches played. The 50+ Masters Singles Ladder experienced a jump in activity with 41 matches played as opposed to 17 the prior year. John Mancini maintained his stranglehold of the Masters division by capturing his sixth consecutive title with a 2 set win over Joe Donnolo.

2012 Tournaments

Last year saw no tournaments held. We are looking to reverse that and hold at least a Singles and Doubles tournament, both in June. Following the lead of the ladder formats, the tournament will be open to men and women on a first come first served basis. On the same weekend, the Senior 65+ Doubles will be held if there is interest. Joshua Suri and Richard Pardo will act as tournament directors. The Doubles tournament directors will be Janice Honymar and Peter Lee.

Details of the tournaments will be posted on the WTA website at www.westfieldnj.com/wta when they become available so be on the look out for them.

Membership Signup

Membership dues will remain at $25 per person for the 2012 season. An application is included with this newsletter and additional applications can be printed out from the WTA website at www.westfieldnj.com/wta.

Ladders/ Ladder Coordinators

The format for the ladders will be same as in past years with challenges made as per WTA match rules (please see the WTA website for the complete set of rules). Sets are usually played to 8 although, as long as both participants agree, matches can be played to 10 or best of 3 sets. The WTA will continue online recording of ladder standings and information on matches played with ladder standings sent to the Westfield Leader at the end of each reporting period.

The ladders along with their coordinators for the 2012 season are as follows:

Singles – Richard Pardo
50+ (Masters) Singles – Peter Lee

Social / Annual Meeting

The 2011 Social was not held due to a lack of interest but not a lack of effort on Don Dohm’s part. Don has done a great job of organizing the social in the past and will continue to do so in the future. We may look to alter the format and timing of the social. More details will follow.

WTA Website and Directory

Jim Oslislo is again doing a stellar job running the WTA web site. Be sure to check out our website at www.westfieldnj.com/wta for all of your tennis needs. Rich Pardo continues his job of maintaining the online directory where the most up to date player information can be found.