Results from Championship Sunday

Good evening,

Rain threatened to delay the championship final of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament from concluding on Sunday as the early afternoon brought forth some showers.  Luckily the skies cleared up and the championship match between # 1 seed John Payette and Nathan Smith began only one hour late.

And a tremendous climax to the tournament it was.  Both players were comfortable in the early going having great baseline to baseline rallies.  John took an early break and seemed to be in cruise control throughout the first set as whatever shot he made towards the end of an rally would almost always turn into a winner.  John would take the first set 6-1. 

As has been the custom throughout this tournament though, Nathan proved resilient, and began asserting himself at the net early in the second set, staying stride for stride with John as they were on serve with the score tied at 4-4.  

Sensing this was his moment to capture his first championship, John managed to break Nathan's serve at 30-40 and serve out the championship.  And with the sun setting in the distance, a timely net shot would prove to be the winning point as John dropped his racket and gave two fist pumps to the crowd as he realized that he had won his first Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament Championship.  The final score: 6-1, 6-4.

The Consolation Championship also took place during the afternoon between Bob Streicher and Paul Fischer.  This match was back and forth with Bob and Paul splitting the first two sets.  In the end, Bob would win his first Consolation Championship with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory.

The end of Sunday's matches concludes the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament for another year.  For those who could not attend or who would like to watch the match again, the Championship match will be displayed on Rogers Cable 22 on Wednesday, July 31st at 9:00 PM.

In addition, the winners of the week-long raffle were announced following the trophy presenation.  Here are the winners and their selective prizes:

Kirija Murali: A new tennis bag

Samir Bhatnagar: Autographed Maria Sharapova Shoes

Eli Nasrallah: Two tickets to any Regular Season Ottawa Senators Game

Bryde Fresque: A New Barbecue

Nhan Doan: To Be Determined (Awaiting to Contact Individual as they were unavailable for the final)

Robert Muranyi: To Be Determined (Awaiting to Contact Individual as they were unavailable for the final)

Joe Jaksic: To Be Determined (Awaiting to Contact Individual as they were unavailable for the final)

Phil Menard: To Be Determined (Awaiting to Contact Individual as they were unavailable for the final)

Thank you to all the players who participated in the fifth annual Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament as well as those who made donations towards the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Fund.  I enjoyed every minute of this tournament (okay, maybe not the rain delay part this afternoon) and cannot wait to begin planning the 2014 Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament!

Regards,

Patrick LeBlanc

Tournament Co-ordinator

Results from Semi-Final Saturday and Schedule for Championship Sunday

Good evening,

Semi-Final Saturday delivered some tremendous matches beginning at 4:00 in the afternoon. 

 

The first A-Side semi-final pitted #1 seed John Payette against #5 Joe Willemsen.  Joe got off to a great start, breaking John early to go up 2-0.  John then began to chip away at Joe's lead, eventually breaking back, and taking command of the first set winning 6-3.  The second set was much of the same with Joe trying valiantly to comeback.  However, it just wasn't enough as John would advance to his fourth straight Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament Finals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

The second semi-final featured two club pros battling it out with #3 Grant Gibson competing against Nathan Smith.  A late break in the first set provided the opportunity Nathan needed to win the first set 6-4.  Grant's resiliency began to show itself as he took command of the second set and for the second time in the tournament Grant and Nathan would face a third set with Grant winning the second set 6-2.  In the end, Nathan had a little more energy left than Grant and would continue his Cinderella run with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 victory against Grant Gibson.

The final spot in the Consolation finals was also decided this evening as Bob Streicher would interrupt Matt Hepburn's plans for a second consecutive consolaton finals with a 6-1, 7-5 victory.

We have now reached Championship Sunday.  #1 seed John Payette will be looking to win the one match that has eluded him for the past three years, the championship final.  Standing in his way is the upset specialist Nathan Smith who has now knocked off the #2, 3 and 7 seeds on his way to the finals.  Can John triumph?  Will Nathan add one more seed to his impressive tournament resumé?  Only one way to find out.  The championship match is set to go for 4:00 tomorrow afternoon.

The consolation finals will also take place tomorrow afternoon (weather permitting) at 1:30 between Paul Fischer and Bob Streicher.

In addition for the first time in tournament history, Rogers TV will be on hand to televise the consolation and championship finals.  We encourage all members and friends and family to attend this unique and first ever experience at our courts.

Finally, immediately following the trophy presentation, we will announce the winners of our week-long raffle.  There is still time to purchase tickets if you are interested.  We will stop selling tickets upon the end of the first set.  Tickets are $5 for 3 tickets and $10 for 8.  Here is a recap of the prizes:

- Autographed shoes and outfit from Maria Sharapova

- Two tickets to any regular season Ottawa Senators game

- Two autographed Ottawa Senators caps (Jason Spezza and Marc Methot)

- A new barbecue

- A new tennis bag

- Dinner and a show at Absolute Comedy for five people!

We hope to see you there as we wrap up the 2013 Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament!

Regards,

Patrick LeBlanc

Tournament Co-ordinator

Results from Day 6 of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament and Schedule for Semi-Final Saturday

Good evening,

After the intense quarter-final match between Samir Bhatnagar and Nathan Smith on Thursday evening, I did not think a match up could overtake it.  Then, Grant Gibson and Kyle Malone played their quarter-final match on Court 1 this evening.

To say the match was decided by a small margin would be an understatement.  Both players pushed each other to their limits with Grant and Kyle splitting the first two sets.  In the third, Kyle was serving for the match at 6-5 when Grant mounted a furious comeback, breaking Kyle's serve and sending the match to a third set tiebreaker.  Kyle went on the offensive early, and had a 5-2 lead in the tiebreaker.  That's when Grant found that extra gear and took control.  At 5-5, Grant hit a tremendous volley to serve for the match at 6-5.  After Kyle's groundstroke sailed long, a sense of relief fell across Grant's face as he realized he was on to the semi-finals.  The final score for Grant's win was 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5).

Grant's opponent in the semi-finals tomorrow will be Nathan Smith in a matchup of club pros from Barrhaven and Manotick.

Both B-Side Quarter-Finals offered some great tennis as well.  With Christian Bordeleau's unfortunate default from the 2013 PLMT, a spot in the Consolation Final was at stake between Paul Fischer and Patrick LeBlanc.  Paul advanced to the finals with a 7-6, 6-2 victory.  

The other Consolation Quarter-Finals saw Bob Streicher advance with a gritty 7-5, 6-2 victory over Andrew Winnicki.  Bob's next opponent will be Matt Hepburn who is seeking to advance to his second straight Consolation Final.

Semi-Final Saturday promises to offer up plenty of drama beginning at 4:00.  Here is the schedule for tomorrow's action:

4:00: 1 John Payette vs 5 Joe Willemsen (A-Side Semi-Finals)

         Bob Streicher vs Matt Hepburn (B-Side Semi-Finals)

6:00 (or immediately following first semi-final match):

3 Grant Gibson vs Nathan Smith

All four semi-finalists will be looking to achieve history.  John Payette will be seeking his fourth straight finals, and first tournament championship.  Joe Willemsen and Grant Gibson will also be seeking their first championships and a possible all-NTS Championship Final. Finally, Nathan Smith, in his first Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament appearance will look to become the first non-seeded player to win the tournament.

While these matches are transpiring, we will also be ordering San Marino's Pizza in between the two semi-final matches.  Cost per slice will be $2.50.  And feel free to wash down the delicious pizza with a soft drink or beer from the bar.  Finally, Saturday will be the second-last day you will get the chance to purchase raffle tickets so don't miss out on a chance at some fabulous prizes!

We hope to see a great attendance Saturday afternoon as the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament creeps closer to crowning a new Champion!

Regards,

Patrick LeBlanc

Results from Day 5 of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament and Schedule for Day 6

Good evening,

Thursday evening produced some of the best tennis this tournament has to offer as three spots were booked for the Final Four along with a few second round matches completed. Match of the night occurred on Court 2 as #2 Samir Bhatnagar competed against Nathan Smith.  Over three hours, these two players grinded it out to book a place on Semi-Final Saturday.  In the end, Nathan's cinderella run continued, with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.  The quarter-final match eclipsed last year's match between Samir and Brett Shepherd as the longest match in tournament history, going 3 hours and 20 minutes (last year's quarter-final was 3 hours and 10 minutes).  This result also guarantees that there will be a new Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament Champion this year!

The other two final four slots were earned this evening by #1 John Payette and # 5 Joe Willemsen.  Both won their matches with straight sets victories; John defeated #8 Justin Lahey while #5 Joe Willemsen dispatched #4 Albert Wong.  The two players will meet in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Here is a quick recap of the results from Day 5:

6 Kyle Malone defeated Gary Pinder (A-Side 2nd Round)
5 Joe Willemsen defeated 4 Albert Wong (A-Side Quarter-Finals)
1 John Payette defeated 8 Justin Lahey (A-Side Quarter-Finals)
Nathan Smith defeated 2 Samir Bhatnagar (A-Side Quarter-Finals)
Bob Streicher defeated Randy Hildermann (B-Side 2nd Round)

Friday's matches will wrap up both the A-Side and B-Side Quarter-Final matches.  All matches will be taking place at 6:30.  The final spot in the A-Side semis will be determined tomorrow evening when #3 seed Grant Gibson will take on #6 Kyle Malone.

Here is the schedule for Day 6:

6:30: 3 Grant Gibson vs 6 Kyle Malone (A-Side Quarter-Finals)
Patrick LeBlanc vs Paul Fischer (B-Side Quarter-Finals)
Bob Streicher vs Andrew Winnicki (B-Side Quarter-Finals)

Friday evening will also have the second day that the bar is open so we welcome everyone to come down, have a few drinks and watch some great tennis!

Regards,

Patrick LeBlanc

Results from Day 4 of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament and Schedule for Day 5

Good evening,

Under unusually cool conditions in July, MEGA-Wednesday for the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament took place.  In all, 11 matches occurred with quarter-final berths at stake.  Matchup of the evening took place on Court 1 during prime-time as 8th seeded Justin Lahey competed against Darcy Ross.  Both players put on a tremendous match as 40-stroke rallies became the norm as the two competed over the course of two hours.  In the end Justin Lahey prevailed with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Justin's opponent tomorrow evening is none other than the #1 seed John Payette who advanced to the quarter-finals with a straight sets victory over Jon Trudel.

In other action, the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament had it's second 3-set match of the tournament come from the B-Side as Christian Bordeleau overcame a resilient John Crawford with a 6-4, 2-6,6-3 victory.  Christian's next opponent will be Ward Cosman on Friday evening.

Here are the full results from tonight's action:

 Andrew Winnicki defeated Bob Belanger (B-Side 1st Round)
1 John Payette defeated Jon Trudel (A-Side 2nd Round)
Nathan Smith defeated 7 Dave McAleer (A-Side 2nd Round)
Matt Hepburn defeated Claude LeBlanc (B-Side 1st Round)
Christian Bordeleau defeated John Crawford (B-Side 1st Round)
8 Justin Lahey defeated Darcy Ross (A-Side 2nd Round)
2 Samir Bhatnagar defeated Eli Nasrallah (A-Side 2nd Round)
3 Grant Gibson defeated Nhan Doan (A-Side 2nd Round)
4 Albert Wong defeated Tom Fitzgerald (A-Side 2nd Round)
Patrick LeBlanc defeated Rob Griffioen (B-Side 1st Round)
Paul Fischer defeated Matt Cowin (B-Side 1st Round)

Which brings us to Thursday night (Day 5).  Thursday will be the first of three days of tennis action where the bar will be open for spectators.  Cost of beverages are $5 per beer and $1 per soft drink with all proceeds going to the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Fund.  

Thursday's matches are also sure to excite as three of four quarter-final matches will be taking place.  At stake are three of the final four spots for Semi-Final Saturday!!!

Here is the schedule for tomorrow's matches:

6:30: 6 Kyle Malone vs Gary Pinder (A-Side 2nd Round)
2 Samir Bhatnagar vs Nathan Smith (A-Side Quarter-Finals)
4 Albert Wong vs 5 Joe Willemsen (A-Side Quarter-Finals)

8:15: 1 John Payette vs 8 Justin Lahey (A-Side Quarter-Finals)
Bob Streicher vs Randy Hildermann (B-Side 1st Round)

All matches should bring incredible intensity and pulse-pounding action.  We hope you can come to the tennis club, enjoy a few drinks and watch some great quarter-final action!

Regards,

Patrick LeBlanc

Tournament Co-ordinator

Day 3 of Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament Postponed; Day 4 Mega Wednesday Schedule!!!

Good evening,

In a matter of seconds, all of Day 3's action of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament was washed away due to a torrential downpour.  It was extremely unfortunate as all of the competitors had arrived and were just about to begin warmups when the thundershowers occurred.

As a result of the inclement weather, Day of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament has now become Mega Wednesday! By the end of the evening, 12 matches will have taken place from both the Championship and Consolation sides.  All but one of the top seeds will be in action.  And some great matches will definitely be taking place including #8 Justin Lahey against Darcy Ross and #7 Dave McAleer against Nathan Smith.

Here is the schedule for Day 4:

5:00: Andrew Winnicki vs Bob Belanger (B-Side 1st Round)

6:30: Gary Pinder vs 6 Kyle Malone (A-Side 2nd Round)
Nathan Smith vs 7 Dave McAleer (A-Side 2nd Round)
1 John Payette vs Jon Trudel (A-Side 2nd Round)
Matt Hepburn vs Claude LeBlanc (B-Side 1st Round)
John Crawford vs Christian Bordeleau (B-Side 1st Round)

8:15: 3 Grant Gibson vs Nhan Doan (A-Side 2nd Round)
2 Samir Bhatnagar vs Eli Nasrallah (A-Side 2nd Round)
8 Justin Lahey vs Darcy Ross (A-Side 2nd Round)
4 Albert Wong vs Tom Fitzgerald (A-Side 2nd Round)
Patrick LeBlanc vs Rob Griffioen (B-Side 1st Round)

8:30: Matt Cowin vs Paul Fischer (B-Side 1st Round)

Be sure to stop by the Barrhaven Tennis Club tomorrow as this will be a star-studded evening!

Regards,
Patrick LeBlanc
Tournament Co-ordinator

Results from Day 2 of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament and Schedule for Day 3

Good evening,

The 1st Round of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament came to a close this evening.  In addition, spectators were treated to a fantastic second round match where one competitor gained entry into the quarter-finals.

Match of the night was the 2nd round meeting between #5 seed Joe Willemsen and Blaine Scatcherd.  Both players came out blazing with huge serves.  In one instance an incredible serve from Blaine hit Joe in the knee.  Joe however, was able to overcome that serve and advance to the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

In other matches, #7 Dave McAleer moved into the second round of the tournament with a straight sets victory over Christian Bordeleau.  As well, Nhan Doan and Eli Nasrallah both posted straight sets victories in their matches.

Here is the recap of the matches:

7 Dave McAleer defeated Christian Bordeleau
Eli Nasrallah defeated Ward Cosman
Nhan Doan defeated Patrick LeBlanc
5 Joe Willemsen defeated Blaine Scatcherd (A-Side 2nd Round)

Tuesday continues the second round of the 2013 Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament.  The highlighted match will begin at 8:15 in the evening when 8 Justin Lahey competes against Darcy Ross.  In total, 6 matches will be completed by the end of the evening.

Here is the schedule for Tuesday:

6:30: 1 John Payette vs Jon Trudel (A-Side 2nd Round)
4 Albert Wong vs Tom Fitzgerald (A-Side 2nd Round)
Andrew Winnicki vs Bob Belanger (B-Side 1st Round)

8:15: 8 Justin Lahey vs Darcy Ross (A-Side 2nd Round)
William Trac vs Doan Doan (B-Side 2nd Round)
Randy Hildermann vs Bob Streicher (B-Side 2nd Round)

The matches only get more intense as the schedule progresses.  We hope to see you on Tuesday night!

Regards,
Patrick LeBlanc
Tournament Co-ordinator

Results for Day 1 of the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament and Schedule for Day 2

Good evening,

Perfect weather conditions were provided for the spectators and participants alike on opening day of the 2013 Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament.  And the competitors provided great action to begin the tournament.

Match of the day was the last match of the first day on Court 1 as Gary Pinder took on Paul Fischer.  It took three grueling sets, and in the end Gary prevailed, coming from behind to defeat Paul 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.  It only took one day to get our first 3-setter!

Earlier in the day, we were almost treated to another 3-setter as well on Court 1 as Andrew Winnicki took on Tom Fitzgerald.  Andrew managed to save 3 match points in the second set. Unfortunately, he could not send the match to a third and deciding set as Tom Fitzgerald would take the match 6-1, 7-6 (8-6).

In other action, John Payette kicked off the PLMT tournament with a straight sets win over Claude LeBlanc.  His opponent in the next round, Jon Trudel, overcame a very strong Matt Hepburn 6-4, 6-4.

Here is the full match results from Day 1:

1 John Payette defeated Claude LeBlanc
5 Joe Willemsen defeated Randy Hildermann
Tom Fitzgerald defeated Andrew Winnicki
Nathan Smith defeated John Crawford
8 Justin Lahey defeated Doan Doan
4 Albert Wong defeated Bob Belanger
Blaine Scatcherd defeated Bob Streicher
Jon Trudel defeated Matt Hepburn
6 Kyle Malone defeated Matt Cowin
3 Grant Gibson defeated Rob Griffioen
2 Samir Bhatnagar defeated Sean Flynn
Darcy Ross defeated William Trac
Gary Pinder defeated Paul Fischer

Day 2 of the PLMT Tournament will put a cap on the 1st round as three more matches will be taking place.  In addition, one second round match will take place and it should be a great contest as #5 Joe Willemsen will compete against hard-serving Blaine Scatcherd.

Here is the schedule for Day 2:

6:30: 7 Dave McAleer vs Christian Bordeleau
Eli Nasrallah vs Ward Cosman

8:15: Patrick LeBlanc vs Nhan Doan

8:30 Blaine Scatcherd vs Joe Willemsen (A-Side 2nd Round)

The action never stops, so don't miss a second of these great matches!!!

Regards,
Patrick LeBlanc
Tournament Co-ordinator

Schedule for Day 1 of Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament

Good evening,

What an amazing night to kickoff the fifth annual Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament!  The exhibition match this evening could not have been more exciting as Barrhaven's own Malik Bhatnagar competed against Former City Champion Zhenya Kondratovski.  Leads were not safe between either opponents as they ultimately had to settle their differences in a tie-breaker.  In the end Malik came out the victor with a 7-6 (7-4) exhibition match victory.  A truly outstanding match!

Special thanks to all those who could come out tonight.  It was a fantastic evening all around.

And now the tournament officially begins.  The 2013 Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament begins at 12:00 PM.  On Court 1, Top Seed John Payette will compete against Claude LeBlanc.  

Tomorrow's first round provides a quadruple header as 13 matches will take place over the course of the evening.  Here is the rest of the schedule:

12:00 PM: 1 John Payette vs Claude LeBlanc

                5 Joe Willemsen vs Randy Hildermann

2:30: Andrew Winnicki vs Tom Fitzgerald

        Nathan Smith vs John Crawford

        8 Justin Lahey vs Doan Doan

        4 Albert Wong vs Bob Belanger

5:00: Bob Streicher vs Blaine Scatcherd

        6 Kyle Malone vs Matt Cowin

        Matt Hepburn vs Jon Trudel

7:30: Gary Pinder vs Paul Fischer

        2 Samir Bhatnagar vs Sean Flynn

        3 Grant Gibson vs Rob Griffioen

         Darcy Ross vs William Trac

In addition, volunteers will be on hand should spectators wish to make any donations to the Phil LeBlanc Memorial Fund.  Raffle tickets will also be available for purchase ($5 for 3 tickets; $10 for 8 tickets).  Just this evening, two items have been added to the raffle prizes.  Dinner and tickets for 5 to Absolute Comedy along with a new Tennis Bag.  Be sure not to miss out on these fantastic prizes!

Keep up to date on all of the tournament matches by looking at the tournament bracket nightly for the upcoming matches.  I will also provide a recap of the matches from the previous day and preview the following nights matches.

Hope to see many of you tomorrow!

Regards,

Patrick LeBlanc

Tournament Co-ordinato

Postponement of Sunday Junior Social and Adjusted Time for Sunday, July 28th

Attention BTC Juniors and parents,

This is a reminder that this week's junior social will be cancelled due to the start of the 2013 Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament.  In addition, the following week's junior social (July 28th) will begin at 11:00 instead of 12:00 as Rogers TV will be on-site to setup preparing to record both the Consolation and Championship Finals that weekend!

While the junior social may not take place this weekend, we encourage all members and families to attend the Kickoff Barbecue this Saturday, July 20th from 5:30-8:30.  The barbecue is a family friendly event with a low price of $5 per admission fee.  All are welcome to attend, regardless if you have previously signed up at the club (the sign-up sheet was to get a rough estimate of how many were attending).  

We hope to see you all this weekend!

Regards,

Patrick LeBlanc
Junior Co-ordinator

Results from 2013 Open Doubles Classic

Good afternoon,

Two weeks ago the Open Doubles Classic took place at the Barrhaven Tennis Club.  Unfortunately, due to injuries and scheduling conflicts, the draw was limited to three teams.  However, all three teams provided  great tennis action over the weekend.

Here are the results from the round robin action:

Ha Nguyen/Doan Doan defeated Nhan Doan/William Trac 6-4, 6-2

Ha Nguyen/Doan Doan defeated Bob Streicher/Patrick LeBlanc 6-2, 6-2

Patrick LeBlanc/Bob Streicher defeated Ha Nguyen/Doan Doan 6-4, 6-4

As a result, the winners of this year's double tournament is Ha Nguyen and Doan Doan!  Congratulations to all teams on a great tournament.

The Barrhaven Tennis Club will not have to wait much longer for the next club tournament. Beginning in just over two weeks time, the fifth annual Phil LeBlanc Memorial Tournament is expected to begin!! 

32 players will be entering the tournament with a chance at winning the championship.  Stay up to date on the results of the tournament by following this blog and by clicking on the link to the tournament draw to see the brackets.  The draw will be officially released July 14th.

Have a great weekend!

Patrick LeBlanc
Tournament Co-ordinator