[Tennis/NSTT] Outdoor hard court season 7 [RP/Results]

by **Gnejs** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:54 am

Excerpts from the playbook of Zarathustra Hansen

Tractatus-De-Globis-Motus

Chapter 2, section 5, §8

(…) The One Ball is. And therefore it is a part of Being as such. The One Ball is a part of Being, and Being is a part of the One Ball. Being knows no limits and is in everything, and therefore the One Ball is sectioned into as many parts as Being; The One Ball is in everything. (…)

Chapter 2, section 8, §16

(…) The One Ball is also One. Therefore it cannot be made up of parts. That would make it many, and not One. A constellation of many is not the One Ball. Perhaps it is many balls, but not the One Ball. But if the One Ball cannot consist of parts, then it can also not be unabridged. Because to be full is to contain the many. (...)

Chapter 3, section 6, §17

(…) It is therefore so that the One Ball has no parts and is not a whole simultaneously, just as it always in every part and in the whole of Being as such at all times. The One Ball both has no beginning, no middle or end, and a beginning, a middle and an end. The One Ball is not an amalgation of the many, but it is always within and a part of every part. It is the unlimited limit. (…)

Chapter 8, section 7, §3

(…) To see the contingency of public opinion as an eternal truth of the One Ball is the condition of achieving anything great. (…)

Chapter 13, section 2, §9

(…) Many often confuse the One Ball with the ball. They are not the same, even though, of course, they are. (…)

Chapter 15, section 19, §7

(…) If the One Ball is not, then nothing is. (…)

Chapter 23, section 2, §9

(…) Always follow through on your backhand (…)

by **Srednjaci** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:21 am

IT'S TENNIS TIME

IVAN JURLINA: Dear viewers, welcome to our studio. Electrum Slam is entering its second half of the competition. Tena Špiričić is still in the game, she is fighting for the third round and with us in the studio are Ljubomir Ivanković, our champion and the upcoming tennis star Lucija Bagarić.
Welcome and thank you for coming to us.

LUCIJA: Thank you.
LJUBOMIR: Thank you for inviting me to the show.

REPORTER: Lucija, we're going with you first. You worried us a lot during the second round match with Lonus Varalin from Ceni.
What kind of injury is it and is it serious?

LUCIJA: During the match in the second set, I ran a difficult exchange. Lonus hit the line with a forehand diagonal, I caught that ball and returned it but it was in full run. To stop, you must apply great force to the leg on which the center of gravity is. I already had a tough doubles match that day, meanwhile I had obviously cooled down and couldn’t warm up well enough for this match and the muscle didn’t last. I fell to the floor in pain.

REPORTER: Injury? is it heavy?

LUCIJA: for now, preliminary findings say no. there was a milder muscle rupture, you see I am in a wheelchair now. I must not strain my leg, but everything will be ok. I believe in a speedy recovery.
We will do additional tests at the clinic, we have to be sure.

REPORTER: You said you probably won't play both doubles and singles ...

LUCIJA: Yes, I mean, I don't see the point. It’s hard for me to have a double program. We will have a situation that in the morning I will have doubles matches, then in the afternoon single matches and then if it rains all day and nothing happens, the day after I will have three matches. I want to avoid that.
I'll think more and decide.

REPORTER: Tena Špiričić in great form.

LUCIJA: I'm very happy for her. She raises her form and rhythm from match to match.

REPORTER: What are the chances against Valentina Spetsova?

LUCIJA: She has hers chance, of course. If she plays her recognizable game with a lot of rhythm and great solutions then she can beat anyone.

REPORTER: Thank you Lucija, we can't wait for you to return to the field. Ljubomir, you played a memorable match in the second round, you almost made it to the third round.

LJUBOMIR: Yes, I played very well. This match is an indication to me that I can play with the best in the world.

REPORTER: What decided in the end?

LJUBOMIR: I don't have enough matches at the international level yet. I tried everything but in the last set I failed to keep the freshness in the game.

REPORTER: From next week, Tena Špiričić will become our best player in the world rankings. What do you think of her game?

LJUBOMIR: Tena is the most intelligent player I have ever played against. She has a great overview of the game. She knows exactly where she is at all times on the court. She doesn't hit the ball for nothing, so where does it hit. She knows exactly what she’s doing, knitting hers net and building point for point. There is also her endurance and speed. I’ve never seen that she hit a smash into the net or throw out.

REPORTER: In your opinion, does it have a chance to pass?

LJUBOMIR: Of course there is.

REPORTER: Our juniors also performed at the Electrum Slam. Who impressed you the most?

LJUBOMIR: they all had their own recognizable game, but Dora Klemenčić and Igor Matković impressed me the most, even though they lost their first matches.

REPORTER: the future of tennis in Srednjaci?

LJUBOMIR: The future is guaranteed. We have a few more great players between the ages of 13 and 14, so the future is great.

REPORTER: Thank you for visiting.

Dear spectators, be with us tomorrow and Electrum Slam because on the field of Peter Oaker Arena (Show Court 2), the third match in a row, Tena Špiričić will try to win the third round against Valentina Spetsova from TJUN-ia.

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:34 am

You know the score by now. It's Day 3 here at the Electrum Slam and with 8 games to go through today, we haven't got much time to waste. Let's get right to it!

Singles Round 2
S1: [30] Lucien Le Floch (RCN) bt Shinji Makauchi (TJU) (6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(6-2))
S2: Harold Crawley (TJU) bt [28] Houston Sawyer (SQR) (6-4, 6-1, 6-2)
Court 5 saw both saw both success and failed today as The Crawler pulled off the upset over Houston Sawyer, the 28th seed, while Samurai Shinji fell to the 30th seed in Lucien Le Floch. Two seeded seperated by a few places, but it lead to two different results. Makauchi will now focus on the doubles for now while the rise of Crawley continues against one of the toughest opponents he could face - 6th seeded Mindy Waterford of the old rival in Kohnhead.

S3: [32] Joe Katsi (TJU) bt Anthony Powers (KHD) (3-6, 7-6(10-8), 6-4, 6-2)
S5: [18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs Ikram Fawz (SHT) (7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6-2))
Speaking of Kohnhead, The Kat of Horizon played Anthony Powers on Court 6 in a sort-of reverse sweep, Katsi gaining the momentum in a 10-8 tiebreaker in Set 2 to win this contest. Straight after that, we saw Scarlet in her first match of the day against Ikram Fawz of Sharktail, this one being decided by a game-winning tie-breaker in Set 4. 18th seeded Spetsova played the wildcard of Tena Špiričić from Srednjaci

S3: [7] Jean van de Kloor (TJU) bt [Q] Tristan Delisle (RCN) (6-4, 6-7(6-8), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5)
The opponent for Katsi would actually be decided at the night session on the Janine Gredello as De Kloor of Toropo was taking on a qualifier from Recuecn in the form of Tristan Delisle. Things would start well for our 7th seed until the 2nd set, where a clutch tiebreaker by the qualifier sent the momentum away from our top seed. Down 2 sets to 1, he would fight back in style, taking Set 4 6-4 and Set 5 7-5. His reward? The 3rd TJUN-ian Derby of this competition as the AU and UO's best in the sport must face each other for bragging rights! Who will claim the glory tomorrow? We shall see on the Janine Gredello...

Doubles Round 1
S3: Kim Li Bo/Mei Li Bo (TJU) bt Vuyani Rabada/Kaui Kamakawiwoʻole (TJU) (6-3, 7-5)
Speaking of TJUN Derby 3, lets take a look at TJUN Derby 2 on Court 10. In this contest, an effective battle, we saw the CEA's Li Bo Twins take on the combined efforts of the AU's VuRa and UO's Kaui Kama. This contest would get tighter as time got on but in the end, it would be the Twins who took the bragging rights today in a tight straight-sets win. The reward for this win is a date with the 2nd seeds - Spencer Kohnhead and Marcus Hathwar await tomorrow on Court 4.

S1: [7] Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU) bt [Q] Tena Špiričić/Bojana Španović (SRE) (6-4, 6-4)
S4: [3] Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU) bt Anthony Kawasaki/Jack Ho (ETM) (6-3, 6-0)
The top seeds showed us why they were the top seeds and both Scarlet and the Cowboy on Court 6 and Samurai Shinji and El Matador on Court 8 delt with business in straight sets. Both will take on unseeded opposition tomorrow, #Austina playing Carrol Water and Cherrie Kane of Sharktail and the friends taking on Eka Putrawan and Dwi Ratmadi of Pemecutan.

SCHEDULE
Singles Round 3
S2: [6] Mindy Waterford (KHD) vs Harold Crawley (TJU) (12/03)
S3: [7] Jean van de Kloor (TJU) vs [32] Joe Katsi (TJU) (12/03)
S5: [18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs [WC] Tena Špiričić (SRE) (12/03)

Doubles Round 2
S1: Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU) vs [7] Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU) (12/03)
S3: [2] Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM) vs Kim Li Bo/Mei Li Bo (TJU) (12/03)
S4: [3] Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU) vs Carrol Water/Cherrie Kane (SHT) (12/03)

by **Kohnhead** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 12:21 pm

Nine Kohnheadian matches on the biggest day of the Electrum Slam

The first round of the doubles and the second day of the singles coincide and create the biggest day of the tournament here in Centralis and one of the biggest days on tour as we see over 300 athletes compete on this one day filling every court and the people who got to go on this day were quite lucky. Among these over 300 athletes were 12 from Kohnhead and there were nine matches in which we competed in due to doubles. Overall it was a quite successful day and we recorded lots of wins and even some upsets from us.

Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (2) (KHD/ETM)       6   6
Jeremy Glass/Teegan Sosa (GRU)                      2   3

The climb of Kohnhead and Hathwar continues as the two have themselves seeded second in the entire tournament just behind the Electrum duo of Sonya Gredello and Rosa Levinsky meaning that Electrum has three of the four best doubles players in the world. Kohnhead became the first from Kohnhead to take the courts appearing on Court 5 with Hathwar and the fans cheering them on due to Hathwar being from Electrum. The duo of Jeremey Glass and Teegan Sosa from The Grearish Union both of whom are ranked 142nd in the Doubles Player Rankings just couldn't match up to the chemistry and skill of Kohnhead and Hathwar who walked away with an easy two set victory. Next up they will take on the TJUN-ian pairing of Kim Li Bo and Mei Li Bo both of whom are ranked 53rd in the World for doubles, Kohnhead and Hathwawr should be able to beat them but you can never count out a TJUN-ian.

Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (10) (KHD)           6   3   7
Jana Arkinn/Myria Primarch (Q) (CEN)                1   6   5

Dovatin and Turnface have also worked themselves up the ranks and their first match of the tournament took place on court 10. Their they took on 228th ranked pair of Jana Arkinn and Myria Primarch who qualified in to the tournament out of Ceni. Dovatin and Turnface were expected to dominate them however what followed was a much closer three set battle than expected.While the two took set one as expected winning 6-1 they lost the second 6-3 and then barely won the fifth 7-5 with the opponents getting two match points but couldn't finish it. Eventually Dovatin and Turnface stormed back and won the match and will be facing a duo from Eraman in the next round. Batera Siwara and Hemat Darwisa are ranked 117th in the Doubles rankings and while it should be a win for Dovatin and Turnface their play in the first round did not inspire much confidence in me.

Anthony Powers (KHD)                   6   6   4   2
Joe Katsi (32) (TJU)                   3   7   6   6

Taking on 44th ranked Joe Katsi out of our tennis rivals TJUN-ia was always going to be a hard ask of Anthony Powers. Doing battle on Court 6, Powers won the first set 6-3 and came oh so close in the second set losing 7-6 after a tiebreaker. If Powers wins that set, then the match is clearly very different but there's a reason the Kat of Horizon is ranked so highly and he managed to win that one and the next two sets taking the match in a loud four sets. It's a decent run for Powers and he definitely played quite well with Joe Katsi but alas he just couldn't get it done. Currently the KTA (Kohnhead Tennis Association) are thinking of putting Powers in one of the tier 1 tournaments in place of Uppatin but it is not known yet. What is known is that Powers will be ineligible for the Astello International due to his rank being over the limit, for this reason I'm hoping the split between him and Uppatin is agreed to.

Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)                  6   4   6   6
Gaëlle Sellier (12) (RCN)              3   6   3   4

Speaking of Uppatin he isn't quite ready to give up his spot with a massive upset of Gaëlle Sellier the 12th seeded and 16th ranked top singles player from Reçueçn. On court 4, Uppatin took him down in a fitting four sets looking like the better player the entire time only losing the second set 6-4. Uppatin lost in this same round over in Ceni so it's good to see him pull off the upset probably the biggest upset of his career thus far and he has played quite well as of late with Powers continuing to be right behind him and not going away. Uppatin is the favorite in his next match which will be against Indah Susanti from Pemecutan who is ranked 105th in the World compared to Uppatin's 45th giving him a pretty good chance to advance to the round of 16 which would be a career best.

Grady Maccay (KHD)                     6   4   6   6
Vladimir Mikhailov (26) (WSN)          4   6   1   2

Speaking of upsets against ranked opponents in four sets, Grady Maccay did the same exact thing against 26th seeded and 34th in the World Vladimir Mikhailov who is the top player from Waisnor. Mikhailov who came into the match on Court 7 as the definite favorite against the 121st ranked Maccay managed to split the first two sets both ending up at 6-4 however in the third and fourth sets it was all Maccay as he limited Mikhailov to just three combined game wins to take the match more comfortably than anyone could have possibly expected. Maccy could have been forced into playing 8th seeded and 9th ranked Fiorenzo Tartoni the winner back in Ceni from San Ortelio in the next round however Sekar Laut from Eraman upset him in a dominant four set victory. Laut is ranked 117th in the world but is clearly better than that considering that he just knocked off Tartoni but we know Maccay's 121st ranking might not be so accurate either. Grady made it to the round of 32 in Cenial, he has made it again in Centralis can he beat that mark this time around?

Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad (PCU)                    2   2
Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)                  6   6

On Court 12, Kohnface and Erin Maldry a pair that showed promise at the end of last season but has struggled so far in season 7 picked up an easy first round victory against the Pemecutan pairing of Ilham Nugraha and Jayadi Ahmad who are ranked 129th in the World. Despite being on such a far court, Kohnface and Maldry won this one pretty handily and advanced to the round of 32 where they were projected to take on the 13th seeded Electrum pairing of Deanne Smith and Leanne Stewart however...

Deanne Smith/Leanne Stewart (13) (ETM)              6   4   2
Anna Humpford/Carter Kanasaw (KHD)                  3   6   6

Over on Court 9, Anna Humpford and Carter Kanasaw the lowest ranked Kohnheadian duo left upset Smith and Stewart in a big three set win that saw them come back from losing the first set. Smith is ranked as the 14th best Doubles player while Stewart is ranked 75th in the World which is still better than Canasaw and Humpford who are ranked 144th and 100th respectively. Smith and Stewart grabbed the first set 6-3 and as heavy favorites one would think they could manage the next two sets but Humpford and Kanasaw played great tennis and would take both of those sets. Their win sets up the first all-Kohnheadian match of the tournament and while Kohnface and Maldry should be favored, Humpford and Kanasaw clearly showed that by beating Smith and Stewart they can compete.

Pelissa Giannapolous (1) (ETM)         6   7   7
Chad Cilsertin (KHD)                   2   5   5

Chad battled hard during the primetime slot at Phillip Maxwell Arena against the best seeded player in the tournament, Pelissa Giannapolous in front of her home fans. Kohnheadian fans were there in large numbers however with many also going to be there for Mindy Waterford's match which was to take place after the conclusion of Cilsertin's match. While Cilsertin managed to get farther in Ceni, he didn't have to play the top player in the tournament to do so and while it's a somewhat early exit he wasn't expected to take down Giannapolous. While it was only three sets, Chad at least managed to make the final two quite competitive making both of them 7-5 and maybe if he had managed to beat her there we could have had a different story but alas he did in fact lose.

Mindy Waterford (6) (KHD)              5   0   6   6   6
Sunil Kali (Q) (HTK)                   7   6   3   4   1

The final match of the day taking place under the lights at Phillip Maxwell Arena was not expected to be competitive and Mindy Waterford was taking on a Sunil Kali from Hebitaka who had to qualify in imagine that. However Kali was quick to so there was a reason they were still alive and grabbed the first set 7-5, Mindy will quickly beat her in four, this doesn't matter top players drop the first set alot. If you thought that you were wrong as Kali won the second set 6-0, 6-0 how is that even possible against 8th ranked Mindy Waterford? Mindy was down two sets to none with absolutely no momentum but there's a reason why she's ranked 8th and there's a reason why she made it to the finals in Ceni. Mindy absolutely went full on beast mode in the last three sets winning them all dominating Kali the way she was supposed to the entire match and before a crowd clearly cheering for her she won three sets to two. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't comfortable, it was nowhere near what we wanted to see but she managed to get it done and will be tasked with The Crawler in the next round. Harold Crawley knocked off 28th seeded Houston Sawyer from Squidroidia in straight sets and has looked good despite his 87th ranking. Mindy has looked pretty vulnerable early on and while she is still Mindy Waterford this is definitely a mtach she could lose especially because you never know what's going to happen with TJUN-ia vs Kohnhead.

Tomorrow's schedule
Court 4: (2) Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM) vs Kim Li Bo/Mei Li Bo (TJU)
Court 6: (10) Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (KHD) vs Batera Siwara/Hemat Darwisa (ERM)
Court 8: Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD) vs Anna Humpford/Carter Kanasaw (KHD)
Court 4: Indah Susanti (PCU) vs Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)
Court 4: Sekar Laut (ERM) vs Grady Maccay (KHD)
*Janine Gredello Arena: (6) Mindy Waterford (KHD) vs Harold Crawley (TJU)

*Ticket required for the 7PM match under the lights between Mindy Waterford and Harold Crawley.

by **Pemecutan** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:48 pm

Friday, 12 March 2021 (Sukra Pahing Wuku Gumbreg, Pawukon 1781)
Still Holding Up

Centralis, Electrum - The Electrum Slam is continued to its third match day where the Single entered their Second Round while the Double just beginning their Single Round. The 4 Pemecutanian singles that advance from First Round are successfully maintain their performance as all of them advance to the next round. While the Double have to lost 2 pairs in this First Round.

In Section 4, 3rd seed, Dewa Putu Adrian Putra is meeting Britonish veteran player, Peter P Larry. Larry gives a great performance at first. Able to difficult Adrian Putra and even grab the first set in a light 6-4 position. But his superiority decreased rapidly. Adrian Putra takes control of the second set where he is able to win by 6-3. He continues his great performance to the third set with a quite easy win of 6-2. Larry is able to give a great resistance in the fourth set. Manage to push a 5-5 deuce which lengthen the match. But his effort fall short as Adrian Putra is able to win the next two games to win the set and also the match.While in Section 5, 2nd seed, Ngurah Putra Muliawan is also having a quite difficult time when he is facing Waisnorian player, Valery Ushakov. Muliawan have to work hard to win the first set as the set goes into a tie-break. Fortunately, Muliawan is able to focus on his play and grab the set. Unfortunately, Ushakov makes a great come back in the second set which stumble Muliawan. He lost easily by 2-6. Muliawan try to make up his failure in the third set. Facing the more confidence Ushakov is quite hard for him. Fortunately, he is able to take advantage over Ushakov several mistakes which give him the win of 6-4. Beginning the fourth set, Muliawan take the lead. He doesn't give Ushakov to explore her play which makes her stress. Muliawan gained momentum and win the last set by 6-2 to win the match.

A shocking result comes in Section 6, Dewa Ayu Cintya Dewi is successfully defeated 27th seed, Martha McNeil of The Grearish Union in a long and hard match of 5 sets. Cintya Dewi steal the first 2 sets in a hard way. Winning the first set by 7-5 and then 6-4 win in the second set. McNeil eventually turn the table after she win the third set in a tight match of 5-7. She replicate his win in the fourth set by 4-6. The last set goes quite tight with both players are in lead interchangeably. Fortunately, Cintya Dewi is able to control the match in the last. She win by 6-4 which give her a place in the next round. Still in Section 6, Indah Susanti is winning quite easily after facing qualifier player from neighboring country, Eraman. She fought very hard in the first set as Zahra Tusita gives a really great performance. The set entered tie-break in which Susanti is more prepared. Tusita lost the tie-break which gives Susanti the winning set. Susanti lead fast in the second set. The tiring first set really gets into Tusita. She is only able to steal 1 game while Susanti ultimately control the set. The third set is still control by Susanti although Tusita is sometimes gives her efforts and steal some games. But Susanti still in lead. She win the third set by 6-3 and advance to the next round.

In Double competition, 2 of Pemecutanian pairs are having their early exit. They are Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari and Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad. Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari is defeated by 15th seed, Arthur Leloup/Hildebrant Weisgerber from Recuecn in straight set of 6-3 and 6-3. While Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad is lost from Kohnhead pair, Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry. They lost quite easily in 2 sets of 6-2 and 6-2. Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi have a better result. Facing Britonish veteran pair, Leone Na/Abi Forrest, the Pemecutanian pair grab the first set in a tight match of 7-6. Putrawan/Ratmadi is able to control the second set which makes them win the set quite easily. The only Pemecutan seeded pair, Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati is facing a dual countries pair, Val Korekal/Luciano Crepaldi. The pair win in rubber set against the Cenian-San Ortelian pair. Antari/Andreawati is in lead first after they are able to take the first set by 6-3. But Korekal/Crepaldi is turning the table as they are successfully take the second set by 2-6. In the third set, Antari/Andreawati taking the lead from the start. Doesn't give the room for the Cenian-San Ortelian pair to developed their play. The 8th seeded ultimately win by 6-1 and secure one spot in the Second Round.

For the next match day, Third Round of Single Competition will be consist of Dewa Putu Adrian Putra, Ngurah Putra Muliawan, Dewa Ayu Cintya Dewi and Indah Susanti. While Second Round of Double Competition will be play by Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi and Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati. Dewa Putu Adrian Putra will be facing Squidroidia player, Sephora Calabrese. Calabrese was defeated Eva Sarkan of Acastanha in the previous round. Ngurah Putra Muliawan will meet host player, Livinia Moore. The new sensation, Dewa Ayu Cintya Dewi will be playing against ProudSmith of Independent Samalgundi. And the last single, Indah Susanti will be facing Kohnhead player, Rodrick Uppatin. In Double Competition, Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi will face a seeded pair from Tjun-ia, Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa. While Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati will be playing against Waisnorian pair, Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov.

by **Gergary** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:32 pm

And then they were down to four entries.

For the singles competition, only Armin Miksa and Bianka Arendt remained in the Grand Slam after Donat Kis's grand slam hopes ended after losing to Electrum's Jack Ho in the first match of the day in Court 2. The number 1 Gergary player actually won the first set, 6-3 after breaking Ho's serve once, although the pressure from the home crowd got into the Gergarian, with Donat making uncharacteristic unforced errors in the second set, and once his serve was broken, he was not able to recover his form as he succumbed in the second set, 6-3.

On the third set where he served first, his double fault in the third game of the third set had his serve broken again, although a spirited rally in the seventh game which he won gave him a glimmer of hope to overcome the home crowd. However, his return in the ninth game when he was down 3-5 with him serving went wide, allowing Ho to break another serve by Kis and win his second set, 6-3. From then on it was all Jack Ho as he broke Kis' serve twice again, ending the match with a 6-1 score in the fourth set.

Armin played the game of his life, despite trailing 2-1 to Botack Andiam of Ceni, his fourth set was blazing as he was able to get the better of the exchanges he had with the Cenian, forcing a fifth set with a 6-2 scoreline, and both teams not letting their serves to be broken with the two players tied at 6-6. However it was Miksa who broke the tie with a 8-6 final score in the final set to stage a third round meeting with another Cenian, 13th seed Kika Dovan who dispatched Dorotea Granit in three sets.

Bianka meanwhile needed four sets to dispatch San Ortelian Massimo Recinella, who went through the qualifiers to start his tournament run. Arendt had a chance to end the match in straight sets, but had her serve broken in the eleventh game, and Recinella was able to finish the next game to end the set in his favor. Arendt needed a tiebreaker to finish the match in four sets, 7-6 and will face 15th seed Liam Penderyn of Ceni who dispatched Odelia Ayers in straight sets.

Doubles' Alexandra Barna and Ralph Henschel needed a third set tiebreaker to dispatch the pair of Christina De Sanctis and Rosa Soares from Yuvenkus in the first round of the doubles, despite being the 16th seed, while Vannesza Pataki and Marvin Weinwurm did not need a third set to advance to the next round in expense of Shayna Lucero and Frank Dalby of Bucklin. The two pairs who made it out of qualifiers, Tamara Takacs and Albert Taussig, and Bianka Arendt and Armin Miksa, ended their doubles journey although they both gave a good fight, taking their conquerors to a deciding third set. Pataki and Weinwurm will set a meeting with 15th seeded Arthur Leloup and Hildebrant Weisgerber of Recuecn, while the Barna-Henschel pair will clash rackets with the Baggieland duo of John Ivanisevic and Goran McEnroe.

by **Ceni** » Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:33 pm

Terranean Broadcasting Company

Electrum Slam: Round two leaves seeded players unscathed

By Zion Berik
TBC Sport in Steinegestrasse, Gergary

March 11, 2021

All five seeded singles players and four seeded doubles teams representing Ceni progressed to the next round at the Electrum Slam.

But that has come at the expense of the two unseeded singles players who lost to unheralded opponents, while Ceni's two unseeded doubles teams both failed to pull of an upset.

Johmer Vales started off the day's action on Court 6 as he looked to see off wild card Goran McEnroe of the debuting nation Baggieland. After the fourth round appearances at both the Cenian Open and the Steinegestrasse Open, the outdoor hard court season was looking promising for the comeback player.

But the inexperienced player with a penchant for temper tantrums (if one believes the strangely named newspaper "The Daily Boing") took the first set after a break in the twelfth game proved decisive. Since both players utilize a more aggressive game style, this first set went by relatively quickly.

As befitting his experience, Vales took the next two sets, taking second set with a fairly close margin and the third set by a larger margin. But Vales' serve had clearly worn down from three sets of play, and McEnroe's (simply put) had not. By the end of the match, the player from Baggieland had outrun and outserved Varalin, 7-5, 5-7, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.

As Vales and McEnroe played their five-set epic, the Xal sisters were battling it out with the unheralded team of Esterina Picarelli and Tristan Delisle of Recuecn, home of the unusually lucky Fournier sisters. Picarelli and Delisle didn't prove as lucky as their compatriots, however, as the Xals saved a set point in the first set tiebreaker when a let cord dribbled over the net.

"Our hearts were pounding," said Elia Xal. "I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of a let cord winner, but I was certainly glad to be on the winning side this time."

The Xals capitalized off the change of momentum to win the first set tiebreaker 8-6. The second set proved more routine as the Recuecn pairing tailed off, and the Xals won the match 7-6, 6-2 when Delisle sent a return wide of the tramlines.

Elia and Fia will next play qualifiers Samantha Budjedtson and Peter Feachell of Indusse in the third round. Although they do not look too hot on paper, Fia is wary since another pair from Indusse upset their traditional rivals Ronya in the first round of Steinegestrasse.

"That was a wake-up call not to write off qualifier pairs from Indusse," said Fia. "They can prove a thorn in any team's side, especially at a tournament such as this one."

To cap off a busy morning of play, Sara Zhuo and Gyrachor Rentos faced off against Žurhïd Seman and Gjörëg Čëtan of Hafamarimët. (Thank god for copy and paste.) Shunted to Court 7 despite being a relatively high seed with a home player, the fifth seeds initially struggled against the relatively unknown pair, dropping the first set 7-5.

But it was smooth sailing after that, and Rentos closed off the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 with an ace out wide.

The victory certainly was good news to Zhuo, who needs to stay one victory ahead of Ronya to claim the world number 1 doubles ranking. Rentos, the only Cenian member of the top 20, didn't mind the victory either. "Every single point is helpful," he said.

Zhuo and Rentos will next face off against the Recinella brothers of San Ortelio, who have recently been on a tear with their victory at the Mendez Bay Open in Northwest Kalactin. "We'll be watching out for them," said Rentos. "At least the organizers scheduled us on a marginally better court this time."

Next door on Court 10, Jana Arkinn and Myria Primarch gave tenth seeds Riley Dovatin and Melissa Turnface to a run for their money. Although it was rough sailing in the first set, Arkinn and Primarch came storming back to claim the second set 6-3.

Arkinn and Primarch looked prime to win the match, but nerves got to both players as they squandered two match points while serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set. On match point 1, Arkinn planted a sitter volley into the net, while Primarch apparently sought to equalize the blame by double faulting on match point 2.

The duo could never recover from that deficient tenth game and ended up losing the match, 1-6, 6-3, 5-7. "At least we gave a good scare to all those media outlets from Kohnhead," joked Primarch.

"We'll be back!" added Arkinn.

After Zhuo and Rentos finished their tedious victory on Court 9, focus shifted to Val Korekal and Luciano Crepaldi. Apparently, organizers treated Court 9 as the "Cenian Court" on Day 2, since two more Cenian teams followed the Korekal/Crepaldi clash. Fans who chose to stick around certainly were in for a treat as Crepaldi and Korekal showed off their fireworks.

Unfortunately, those fireworks fizzled against the team of Komang Antari and Kadek Andreawati of Pemecutan, who have been one of the most solid and consistent teams all season. Even though Antari and Andreawati don't play a flashy game of tennis, the match still proved engrossing as Antari and Andreawati stood firm like a brick wall at the net (it didn't hurt that Korekal and Crepaldi, as they were apt to do, kept swinging for outright winners and kept missing).

The match was certainly competitive, but in the end, Antari and Andreawati won, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.

Following them on Court 9, Jac Iegis and Liam Penderyn (playing in their second match together) hit a roadbump in the first set against Bahari Zack and Isaac Daud of Sharktail, losing the first set 6-4. "I was frankly a little worried we might go the way of Steinegestrasse," said Iegis. But the two pulled it together for the remaining sets to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The last of the Cenian doubles pairs to serve, volley, and groundstroke on Court 9, Coosal Darlcheri and Perger Rianor had a much easier time of things with a rather straightforward victory against qualifiers Jan Turovets and Vitaly Rakov of Waisnor. Turovets and Rakov apparently performed so poorly that Waisnorian news media didn't even bother to cover their loss in their Electrum Slam coverage.

"I don't particularly care what the Waisnorian media runs or doesn't run," said Darlcheri in response. "I was glad for a win at a tough tournament, and I just hope we can keep that momentum going."

As doubles action kept going on Court 9, singles action was getting started on Janine Gredello Arena. After Sekar Laut of Eraman surprisingly dispatched Cenian Open winner Fiorenzo Tartoni in four sets, Ardil Navsal took the court for a match against qualifier Ljubomir Ivanković of Srednjaci (try saying that a thousand times quickly).

World Arena Sport of Srednjaci and Navsal had different narratives about the match, which Navsal won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 after several hours of tennis. "WAS got one thing right," said Navsal after the match. "Ivanković's lack of experience in matches like this one did indeed prove fatal." Navsal's statement might be a little ironic, though, considering Navsal's shaky record in five set matches (and his shaky record at the Electrum Slam overall).

By the end of the match, WAS had pitched Ivanković as Navsal's equal and the match quality of a Grand Slam final, but Navsal disparaged that assessment. "Right now, this was an error-strewn second-round match between a seed and a qualifier," he said. "We'll have to see if this matchup ever arrives at a Grand Slam final."

Kika Dovan, who immediately followed Navsal on the Janine Gredello Court, did not have to go through such an epic to get to the next round, winning 7-5, 7-6, 6-0. Although the first two sets against Dorotea Granit of the Prosaic Union of Gnejs proved fairly competitive (and there was nothing prosaic about Granit's game), the more experienced and hard-hitting woman came up on top, holding on to those first sets by the slimmest of margins.

By the third set, though, Granit's game had in fact become prosaic as she collapsed entirely, gifting Dovan a bagel (and the match) with a double fault on match point.

On Philip Maxwell Arena, meanwhile, Lonus Varalin played Lucija Bagarić, another qualifier from Srednjaci. Bagarić had high expectations for the match especially after taking the first set by storm, but after running after a trademark Varalin cross-court forehand in the third game of the second set, Bagarić appeared to strain an ankle muscle.

After calling the trainer, Bagarić was obviously in pain, but chose to continue the match anyway. It was a valiant effort, but in the end, Varalin prevailed, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. "I give her credit for playing through the match with an injured ankle," said Varalin, careful with his choice of words in a clearly delicate situation after Electrum's The Turnip publication nicknamed him "Sourpuss." "I legitimately hope she does well in future tournaments," Varalin continued.

In the remaining matches, Marisa Maradona eased past Diệp Van der Hout of Squidroidia in four sets, Liam Penderyn showed no signs of tiring during his straight sets victory over Odelia Ayers of Independent Salmagundi, and Botack Andiam fell to Armin Miksa of Gergary in five tough sets.

Andiam refused to make a firm decision on whether he would retire after this tournament. "I really don't want to end my career on such a sour note," he said. "But I'm getting older, and age is taking a toll on my serve and on my volley. For a serve and volleyer, those are two critical things to lose."

"We'll see," he concluded.

by **Electrum** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:38 am

Singles - round 3

Section 1
Pelissa Giannapolous (1) (ETM)       7   3   6   4   6
Lucien Le Floch (30) (RCN)           6   6   4   6   3

Armin Miksa (GGY)                    6   6   2   6
Kika Dovan (13) (CEN)                2   4   6   4


Section 2
Mindy Waterford (6) (KHD)            6   7   6
Harold Crawley (TJU)                 4   5   1

Georg Heraklit (Q) (PUG)             6   3   7   4   6
Marisa Maradona (10) (CEN)           3   6   5   6   3


Section 3
Jean van de Kloor (7) (TJU)          6   7   7
Joe Katsi (32) (TJU)                 2   5   5

Goran McEnroe (WC) (BGG)             6   6   1   3
Ardil Navsal (9) (CEN)               7   2   6   6


Section 4
Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (3) (PCU)     4   6   6   6
Sephora Calabrese (SQR)              6   3   3   1

Bianka Arendt (GGY)                  3   6   2   6   9
Liam Penderyn (15) (CEN)             6   3   6   2  11


Section 5
Ngurah Putra Muliawan (2) (PCU)      6   4   6   4   6
Livinia Moore (ETM)                  2   6   3   6   1

Valentina Spetsova (18) (TJU)        6   5   5   6   6
Tena Špiričić (WC) (SRE)             1   7   7   4   3


Section 6
ProudSmith (SSI)                     6   5   6   6
Dewa Ayu Cintya Dewi (PCU)           4   7   4   1

Indah Susanti (PCU)                  6   4   6   6   1
Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)                4   6   3   7   6


Section 7
Sekar Laut (ERM)                     4   7   2   6   4
Grady Maccay (KHD)                   6   6   6   3   6

Hemat Darwisa (ERM)                  5   4   6   6   6
Alya Elyas (SHT)                     7   6   3   2   4


Section 8
Lonus Varalin (4) (CEN)              6   4   5   6   6
Arthur Leloup (RCN)                  3   6   7   2   2

Jack Ho (ETM)                        6   4   0   3
Abelie Fontana (14) (RCN)            4   6   6   6

Doubles - round 2

Section 1
Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky (1) (ETM)              6   7
Ana Radkkar/Eva Radkkar (ACS)                       2   5

Vanessza Pataki/Marvin Weinwurm (GGY)               1   2
Arthur Leloup/Hildebrant Weisgerber (15) (RCN)      6   6

Elia Xal/Fia Xal (9) (CEN)                          5   6   7
Samantha Budjedtson/Peter Feachell (Q) (INS)        7   1   5

Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)                      6   1   2
Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (7) (TJU)         4   6   6


Section 2
Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (4) (RCN)            7   6
Emilio Robles/Arlo Daniels (BUC)                    5   4

Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)                  6   6
Anna Humpford/Carter Kanasaw (KHD)                  3   3

Coosal Darlcheri/Perger Rianor (12) (CEN)           6   4   6
Jordina Silva/Fonzie Sartin (INS)                   1   6   0

Massimo Recinella/Oscar Recinella (SOR)             0   3
Sara Zhuo/Gyrachor Rentos (5) (ETM/CEN)             6   6


Section 3
Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (2) (KHD/ETM)       6   6
Kim Li Bo/Mei Li Bo (TJU)                           4   3

John Ivanisevic/Goran McEnroe (WC) (BGG)            0   6   5
Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (16) (GGY)           6   2   7

Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (10) (KHD)           6   6
Batera Siwara/Hemat Darwisa (ERM)                   3   1

Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov (WSN)                2   6   3
Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (8) (PCU)            6   4   6


Section 4
Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (3) (TJU)     6   7
Carrol Water/Cherrie Kane (SHT)                     2   5

Jimi Rusman/Lenta Rasmi (ERM)                       4   7   5
Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (14) (SQR)             6   6   7

Jac Iegis/Liam Penderyn (11) (CEN)                  7   3   5
Lucas Magnier/Adelinde Günther (RCN)                5   6   7

Elizabeth Quehall/Leo Garry (BRI)                   3   6   2
Martha McNeil/Jeff Rogers (6) (GRU)                 6   2   6

Draws

Order of play - Day 4
Phillip Maxwell Arena (Center Court) - Ticket required
(7) Jean van de Kloor (TJU) vs (9) Ardil Navsal (CEN)
(3) Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU) vs (15) Liam Penderyn (CEN)
(1) Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky (ETM) vs (15) Arthur Leloup/Hildebrant Weisgerber (RCN)
Night session (starts at 7pm)
(1) Pelissa Giannapolous (ETM) vs Armin Miksa (GGY)
(2) Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU) vs (18) Valentina Spetsova (TJU)

Janine Gredello Arena (Show Court 1) - Ticket required
(3) Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU) vs (14) Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (SQR)
(4) Lonus Varalin (CEN) vs (14) Abelie Fontana (RCN)
Grady Maccay (KHD) vs Hemat Darwisa (ERM)
Night session (starts at 7pm)
(6) Mindy Waterford (KHD) vs (Q) Georg Heraklit (PUG)
ProudSmith (SSI) vs Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)

Peter Oaker Arena (Show Court 2)
(2) Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM) vs (16) Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (GGY)
(9) Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs (7) Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU)
(4) Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (RCN) vs Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)

Court 4
Lucas Magnier/Adelinde Günther (RCN) vs (6) Martha McNeil/Jeff Rogers (GRU)
(12) Coosal Darlcheri/Perger Rianor (CEN) vs (5) Sara Zhuo/Gyrachor Rentos (ETM/CEN)
(10) Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (KHD) vs (8) Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)

by **Gnejs** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:38 am

The Summer of George

Torgeir sat down and handed over one of the two pints he was carrying to Karsten. It was brownish in colour, and had a fair amount of bottom feed. Karsten stared at it and made no effort to hide his displeasure.

“I wanted a lager,” he said.

“Yes, but I got you this. You need to diversify more.”

Karsten smelled his glass and frowned. “I’ve had Southern Porter before. I don’t like it.”

Torgeir took a big gulp of his pale ale.

“You know, I read an interview with Tangeus Falk the other day. He said that you never really hit the same ball twice. I mean, obviously there are many balls, but you never hit the same ball twice. There’s truth in that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You never drink the same beer twice; you should try it and not just dismiss it outright.”

“Tangeus Falk never wins twice in a row; there’s a truth.”

“He really has been letting it go, hasn’t he.”

Karsten nodded and helped himself to a handful of peanuts. He looked at a copy of Smash Magazine that was thrown over the adjacent table. It featured George Heraklit on the cover.

“That Heraklit is having a really impressive go though,” he said.

Torgeir nodded approvingly.

“Yeah, it’s a real summer of George down there.”

“Yeah, but it’s winter, you know, so not really.”

“Well, it’s always summer in Electrum, isn’t that what they say.”

“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes.”

“The winter of George doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

“That’s true.”

“He’ll probably lose against Waterford though.”

“Yeah, then we can call it the winter of George’s discontent. That has a nice ring to it.”

“Agreed. Are you going to taste your porter?”

Karsten took a sip of his glass and nodded.

“It’s actually not that bad.”

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 11:27 am

We're really starting to reach the business end of the Electrum Slam now as today brings us the effective Round of 32 in both competitions. Who will be left standing once the say is out? Let's see!

Singles Round 3
S2: [6] Mindy Waterford (KHD) bt Harold Crawley (TJU) (6-4, 7-5, 6-1)
Another day, another matchup between TJUN-ia and Kohnhead. This time, the night session of the Janine Gredello would host The Crawler and his duel with 6th seed Mindy Waterford in a contest that would be close...for the opening few sets. Waterford was a class above Crawley's level and I'm sure no one was surprised that this one went to only 3 sets. Still, Harold can be happy with what he's done this time around and hope that he can build on this for the next tournament.

S3: [7] Jean van de Kloor (TJU) bt [32] Joe Katsi (TJU) (6-2, 7-5, 7-5)
Just before that match, Janine Gredallo also hosted the 3rd TJUN-ian derby in the space of a few weeks as De Kloor of Toropo, the 7th seed from the AU, took on The Kat of Horizon, the 32nd seed from the UO. While the AU and UO don't really have a real rivalry, this contest was certainly big in both and you could bet many in both would be watching this one with great interest. The first set would be all Jean but the two after that would be tight as hell, both ending up at 5-5 one way or the other. It would be De Kloor who proved why he was the higher seed as he triumphed in this tight straight-sets contest. Next up for him is the 9th seed from Ceni in Ardil Navsal as this competition kicks it up a gear.

S5: [18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) bt [WC] Tena Špiričić (SRE) (6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3)
The Peter Oaker, meanwhile, would see the 2nd match of Scarlet today as she was taking on Tena Špiričić, the wildcard from Srednjaci. The first contest was dominated by the 18th seed 6-1, but Tena would come back fighting and took both sets 2 and 3 7-5. With Spetsova on the ropes, she fought back hard as well and it would be that determination that finally won the day, pulling off the comeback in this 5-set classic. Her reward for struggling against a wildcard? Ngurah Putra Muliawan, the 2nd seed from Pemecutan and one of the best players on the court right now. If Spetsova is to return to the elite, she may have to take one of them down in the process...

Doubles Round 2
S3: [2] Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM) bt Kim Li Bo/Mei Li Bo (TJU) (6-4, 6-3)
After winning the 2nd TJUN-ian derby yesterday, the Li Bo Twins were back in action on Court 4 as they were taking on the 2nd-best pairing in tennis right now - Spencer Kohnhead of Kohnhead and Marcus Hathwar of hosts Electrum. The twins certainly did take this match to the 2nd seed in some way but in the end, the favourites knew what they were doing and used tight play to win the day. Not a bad tournament for the Twins all things considered, but they're not near the level of the "BIg 2" just yet.

S1: [7] Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU) bt Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU) (4-6, 6-1, 6-2)
S4: [3] Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU) vs Carrol Water/Cherrie Kane (SHT) (6-2, 7-5)
Speaking of the Big 2, TJUN-ia's top 2 pairings both had a bit of trouble in advancing to Round 3, but both would rise to the occasion in the end. Court 7 saw Samurai Shinji and El Matador pull off the reverse sweep over Pemecutan's Eka Putrawan and Dwi Ratmadi while Court 5 saw Scarlet and The Cowboy beat Carrol Water and Cherrie Kane of Sharktail via a tight 2nd set. The big teams await them tomorrow, with The Friends playing the 9th seeded Xal Twins of Ceni while Austina takes on Jóna Cabrera and Veronika McPhee, the 14th seeds from Squidroidia.

SCHEDULE
Singles Round 4
S3: [7] Jean van de Kloor (TJU) vs [9] Ardil Navsal (CEN) (13/03)
S5: [2] (2) Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU) vs [18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) (13/03)

Doubles Round 3
S1: [9] Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs [7] Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU) (13/03)
S4: [3] Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU) vs [14] Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (SQR) (13/03)

by **Kohnhead** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 6:20 pm

A brilliant day for Kohnhead

Kohnheadians would be involved in six matches earlier today and we would win six of them although one was an all-Kohnheadian match meaning we recorded one loss as well. Three singles athletes and three doubles teams will be sent into the next round and while it's our top three doubles the singles who will going are quite unexpected.

Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (2) (KHD/ETM)       6   6
Kim Li Bo/Mei Li Bo (TJU)                           4   3

Over on Court 4 the mixed double duo of Spencer Kohnhead and Marcus Hathwar currently regarded as the second best doubles pair in the multiverse took down the Lio Bo twins from TJUN-ia with relative ease in a two set win. Coming off of winning their second ever tournament in Steinigestrasse, Kohnhead and Hathwar have performed quite well so far and have played up to their ranking, this match was no different against the Li Bo twins both of whom are ranked 40th in the Doubles Player Rankings. Next up they will take on the 16th seeded, duo from Gergary in Alexandra Barna and Ralph Henschel who just barely avoided a loss to the top Baggieland duo a nation that has seen top athlete Goran McEnroe perform quite well so far. Kohnhead and Hathwar will definitely be favored and a win would send them to the quarterfinals.

Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (10) (KHD)           6   6
Batera Siwara/Hemat Darwisa (ERM)                   3   1

Dovatin and Turnface have definitely turned it on in the early 7th season and as the 10th seeded duo here in Electrum they easily rolled through their opponents from Eraman. Batera Siwara and Hemat Darwisa are both ranked in the 100s and their tournament ends on court 6 in the round of 32, while Dovatin and Turnface advance to the round of 16. They will be tasked with taking down 8th seeded Pemecutan duo, Komang Antari and Kadek Andreawati who needed three sets to beat an unseeded duo from Waisnor. Dovatin and Turnface will be slight underdogs in terms of the ranks but they have been playing great tennis recently and it wouldn't surprise me if they pulled off the win, if they and Kohnhead and Hathwar win in the next round it sets up a quarterfinals matchup but that's a big if.

Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)                  6   6
Anna Humpford/Carter Kanasaw (KHD)                  3   3

The first matchup of the tournament with Kohnheadians on both sides of the court saw Kohnface and Maldry take down Humpford and Kanasaw pretty easily winning 6-3 in both sets. We've talked a lot about how Kohnface and Maldry had a pretty poor start to the season after flashing at the Diamond Trophy at the end of last season. For Humpford and Kanasaw they match a career high in how far they got with the other coming over in Ceni where they also reached the round of 32. While they were outplayed, we will see Humpford and Kanasaw again probably in Reçueçn for Beçonailles.

Indah Susanti (PCU)                  6   4   6   6   1
Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)                4   6   3   7   6

On court 4 after the Kohnhead/Hathwar match, Rodrick Uppatin would take the court and got ready to face off against Indah Susanti from Pemecutan. Ranks would say that neither belonged this far with Susanti ranked 83rd and Uppatin ranked 43rd coming off of a major upset against 12th seeded Gaëlle Sellier. Susanti would win the first set 6-4 although it was quite close and that could be said for the second set as well although Rodrick took this one to tie the match. While Susanti took the third set and looked to be in the advantage heading into the 4th; Indah almost won this set and it went to a tiebreaker which Uppatin won 7-3 to take the set 7-6 and to force a 5th set that would decide. Fueled by this Uppatin won the 5th set 6-1 easily as it appeared Susanti faltered after failing to capture the hotly contested 4th set. Uppatin gets quite lucky with a match against ProudSmith in the next round who is from Independent Salmagundi and is ranked 81st in the World making Uppatin the favorite. The round of 16 is the farthest Uppatin has ever gotten in a Grand Slam tournament and it's very possible that he makes it to the quarterfinals.

Sekar Laut (ERM)                     4   7   2   6   4
Grady Maccay (KHD)                   6   6   6   3   6

Immediately following the Uppatin match on court 4, Grady Maccay would take to the same court in the later afternoon to take on Sekar Laut from Eraman. Laut is ranked 89th in the World and Maccay is ranked 123rd and had to go through Vladimir Mikhailov to get this far. Much like the match that involved Uppatin, this one would be a long five set battle that could have gone either way with Maccay taking the first 6-4 before Laut battled back to win the second 7-6 having to get it through an 8-6 win in the tiebreaker. Maccay was so close to being 2-0 up but he took that in stride and won the third set 6-2 to take a 2-1 lead heading into the 4th set. Laut wasn't done just yet however and forced a 5th and finally Maccay took the 5th to advance to the round of 16 which just like Uppatin marks his best run in a Grand Slam ever. And just like Uppatin after taking down an unseeded player in five sets on court 4 while being unseeded he is matched with another unseeded player coming off of defeating an unseeded player. If you didn't understand that all you need to know is that Maccay will be taking on Hemat Darwisa another one from Eraman who is ranked 150th in the World and lost to Dovatin and Turnface in doubles earlier today.

Mindy Waterford (6) (KHD)            6   7   6
Harold Crawley (TJU)                 4   5   1

Now on for the primetime battle that while not under the lights at Philip Maxwell takes the primetime slot at Janine Gredello also under the lights that you needed a ticket to go to. Adding to the excitement and anticipation of the match was that it would be another match in the Kohnhead Vs. TJUN-ia rivalry that has gone on for over a year now. The Crawler battled valiantly but the 68th ranked player despite winning 10 games couldn't win a set being quite close in both the first and the second sets before fading by the third set. Despite sweeping the sets in this one, Mindy has yet to really impress me and has yet to play anyone ranked in the top 50 and has really struggled against her last two opponents. While that was supposed to change as many expected 10th seeded Marisa Maradona from Ceni to join her, Maradona shockingly lost to Georg Heraklit from Gnejs who has had a remarkable run since having to qualify into the tournament. While we should expect Mindy to take this against the 206th ranked player, we all remember what happened the last time Mindy took on a qualified player where she started down two sets to none and had to mount a furious comeback to barely win. Mindy is looking like a fan favorite as she will once again garner the primetime spot at Janine Gredello at 7 PM in her round of 16 matchup which just goes to show that she really has become a star.

Tomorrow's Schedule
Peter Oaker Arena: (2) Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM) vs (16) Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (GGY)
*Janine Gredello Arena: Grady Maccay (KHD) vs Hemat Darwisa (ERM)
Court 4: (10) Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (KHD) vs (8) Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)
*Janine Gredello Arena: (6) Mindy Waterford (KHD) vs (Q) Georg Heraklit (PUG)
*Janine Gredello Arena: ProudSmith (SSI) vs Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)

*Tickets are required to see this match, because three Kohnheadians will be playing in a row special tickets will allow you to see all three of them.

by **Ceni** » Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:43 pm

Three to See: Day 5, Electrum Slam

(7) Jean van de Kloor (TJU) vs (9) Ardil Navsal (CEN)
Fans will certainly be champing at the bit to see this matchup, and organizers have satisfied them by scheduling this match first on Phillip Maxwell Arena, the Electrum Slam's largest court. The match certainly has "epic" written all over it as the former world no. 1 Ardil Navsal takes on the no. 1 player from a rising tennis nation. In this one, though, the apprentice is likely to surpass the master: Van de Kloor actually has a 3-1 winning record over Cenians, and in the last matchup, van de Kloor dispatched Navsal in a tight two sets. With Navsal's notoriously patchy record at the Electrum Slam, his form cannot exactly be counted on, and van de Kloor has killed the giant, so to speak, enough times to be able to do it with ease.

Winner: van de Kloor

(3) Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU) vs (15) Liam Penderyn (CEN)
We at Grand Slam wouldn't be surprised if Penderyn retired before the match even started: the Cenian-turned-Gelderlish-turned-Cenian-again must be incredibly fatigued. In his singles match, he barely squeaked past the unseeded Bianka Arendt of Gergary by the score of 11-9 in the fifth. To top off an already fatigue-inducing schedule, he went on court right after that to play doubles -- and played a highly physical three set match against Lucas Magnier and Adelinde Gunther of Recuecn. In that match, cramps set in, and Penderyn and his partner lost with a score of 7-5 in the fifth. In contrast, Dewa Putu Adrian Putra played a relatively tame four-set match against Sephora Calabrese in the singles, and of course he didn't have to turn right around and play doubles right after that. If Penderyn does feel well enough to stand up on court, though, Putra will probably be able to rifle winners right past him.

Winner: Putra

(9) Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs (7) Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU)
At the Cenian Open, Makauchi and de la Rosa shocked the world when the then-thirteenth seeds upset the Xal sisters, then the 11th seeds, on home soil in front of a partisan home crowd. Of course, the Electrum Slam is a slightly less partisan crowd, one that would still love to see a matchup between the Xals and their longtime rivals Ronya. On that mark, the TJUN-ians come slightly ahead: If they could beat the Xals on home soil in the quarterfinals, they can certainly beat the Xals on foreign soil in the round of 16.

On the tried-and-true route of past performance, the teams come away practically tied: the Xals had to struggle to get past the Indussian qualifiers Budjedtson and Feachell, while Makauchi and de la Rosa also took three sets to get past Eka Putrawan and Dwi Ratmadi of Pemecutan. But on this front, Makauchi and de la Rosa have a slight advantage, too: as Olympic gold medalists, Putrawan and Ratmadi are certainly much higher quality competition than an Indussian qualifying pair, however lucky the duo may be.

Winners: Makauchi/de la Rosa

by **Recuecn** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:23 am

[OOC: Thanks to Electrum for permission to roleplay internet shortages.]

Centralis, Electrum - Day 4 of the Grand Slam went ahead smoothly despite widespread internet outages across the country. Although only one of the Reçuecian singles players moved on, each of the doubles pairs advanced to the round of sixteen. One pair in particular was in fine spirits after a thoroughly convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory over Gergary's Vanessza Pataki and Marvin Weinwurm. Hildebrant Weisgerber and Arthur Leloup, both of whom also entered the competition as singles entrants, have been playing together for several tournaments now and seem to have fallen in sync with each other at this point.

Although Weisgerber was eliminated in the second round and Leloup was trundled out in today's first match on center court, both were smiling and joking and full of energy at the interview after their short doubles match later in the day. "If the Electrumite players are as slow as their internet, the next round will be a breeze," laughed Weisgerber, when asked for her thoughts on facing up against the world's #1 doubles pair in the quarterfinals, where Sonya Gredello and Rosa Levinsky await her and her partner. The Reçuecian's comments referenced difficulties some fans have had trying to make access the web or make calls over the internet. Wifi at the courts was down and many fans bought data packages, only to find the network swamped as everyone had the same idea at once.

Although Electrum's broadband capabilities seemed unprepared for the tournament's demands, its players certainly did not. Gredello and Levinsky have put forward dominating performances, and despite the Reçuecians' confidence, bookies are offering them only long odds. Perhaps the tournament schedule has something to do with it.

Arthur Leloup found himself a victim of the tight schedule at the slam today, first playing his singles match on center court in the morning, before getting only a short break ahead of the doubles match on court seven in the early afternoon. When reporters asked him if he felt shortchanged, however, he demurred. "I'm not going to complain about it," he said. "Obviously it's tough, but if you look at the matches I don't think it affected anything. If anything I played a stronger game in the second match. In a tournament this big, fit into such a short timeframe by the nature of the NSTT, it's a guarantee that some players are going to have to deal with situations like this. So if it happens to you, you just have to sort of shrug it off."

Were players entered on behalf of their nations, a more strategic choice could have been made, avoiding a situation in which the same player enters both the doubles and the singles tournament. But unfortunately for those rooting for the Reçuecian flag, players are free to enter on their own, meaning that if some like Leloup choose to double-book themselves, there's nothing to be done about it.

Either way, there's going to be some great highlight clips at the end of this - if we can figure out how to get on to youtube.

by **Gergary** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:53 am

Gergary's Number Two News Outlet - at least we're honest here.

Sport
Tennis: Gergary's GTS to start the week after Electrum Slam final

INGBERT-BORBELY - Once the NSTT's Electrum Slam final completes, tennis athletes around various tennis clubs in Gergary will start competing against one another to determine Gergary's best tennis player, the president of the organizers of the Gergarian Tennis Series (GTS) have said in a press conference.

Valentin Sipos, president of the newly-formed Teniszszovetseg, who organizes the GTS, said that the GTS will have three categories for the Gergary tournaments that the points will count for the GTS Tennis Rankings, namely Category N, Category M1, and Category M2. Category N will be the National tournaments, with minumum size of 64 and maximum size of 96 entries for singles and 48 and 64 entries for doubles respectively, aand anyone can enter. Category M1 and M2 will be held concurrently, meaning players will have to choose between M1 or M2 to enter. M1 will be for major tournament, and M2 for minor, in which restrictions will be in placed to limit the field to those who have not yet played in the NSTT series, and will later have a points ceiling similar to the restrictions imposed in NSTT Tier 2 tournaments. Category M2 events may also be held during NSTT Tier 2 events to ensure that there will be more available points for those who will need it for the rankings.

It is also confirmed by Sipos that players who have NSTT ranking points already will have a percentage of it being added to the player in question. In the onset of this, various tennis clubs have tried to poach the players from the Steinigestrasse Tennis Club who have already participated in the NSTT events, with Ralph Henschel, Donat Kis, and Tamara Takacs already announcing their departures from the oldest tennis club in Gergary.

In the matches in the Electrum Slam the previous day, Armin Miksa was able to upset 13th seed Kika Dovan of Ceni in four sets, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to have an unenviable task of playing the #1 overall seed and home favorite Pelissa Giannapolous in the Fourth Round, and he will play in under the lights in the Phillip Maxwell Arena in Centralis. The other remaining Gergarian in singles competition, Bianka Arendt, was unable to put another seeded Cenian out of the Grand Slam as she lost to Liam Penderyn in five sets, with the final set needing 20 games to determine a winner. Meanwhile 16th seeded Alexandra Barna and Ralph Henschel defeated Baggieland's John Ivanisevic and Goran McEnroe in a third set tiebreak, to face #2 seed and Steinigestrasse Open winners Spencer Kohnhead and Marcus Hathwar of Kohnhead and Electrum respectively. This will be the final tournament of the pair as Barna has confirmed in her social feed that the pair will be broken up after Henschel's aforementioned departure from the Steinigestrasse Tennis Club. Vanessza Pataki and Marvin Weinwurm meanwhile was unable to progress further as they lost to Recuecian pair of Arthur Leloup and Hildebrant Weisgerber.

by **Electrum** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:35 am

Singles - round 4

Section 1
Pelissa Giannapolous (1) (ETM)       4   4   6   6   3
Armin Miksa (GGY)                    6   6   4   1   6


Section 2
Mindy Waterford (6) (KHD)            6   5   6   7   2
Georg Heraklit (Q) (PUG)             7   7   4   5   6


Section 3
Jean van de Kloor (7) (TJU)          4   4   4
Ardil Navsal (9) (CEN)               6   6   6


Section 4
Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (3) (PCU)     6   7   2   7
Liam Penderyn (15) (CEN)             2   5   6   5


Section 5
Ngurah Putra Muliawan (2) (PCU)      4   4   6   6   3
Valentina Spetsova (18) (TJU)        6   6   1   4   6


Section 6
ProudSmith (SSI)                     3   3   2
Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)                6   6   6


Section 7
Grady Maccay (KHD)                   6   1   6   5   6
Hemat Darwisa (ERM)                  2   6   1   7   3


Section 8
Lonus Varalin (4) (CEN)              6   5   6   3   4
Abelie Fontana (14) (RCN)            3   7   4   6   6

Doubles - round 3

Section 1
Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky (1) (ETM)              6   4   6
Arthur Leloup/Hildebrant Weisgerber (15) (RCN)      2   6   8

Elia Xal/Fia Xal (9) (CEN)                          6   4   6
Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (7) (TJU)         4   6   2


Section 2
Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (4) (RCN)            6   7
Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)                  3   6

Coosal Darlcheri/Perger Rianor (12) (CEN)           4   3
Sara Zhuo/Gyrachor Rentos (5) (ETM/CEN)             6   6


Section 3
Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (2) (KHD/ETM)       7   6
Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (16) (GGY)           5   4

Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (10) (KHD)           6   6
Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (8) (PCU)            1   2


Section 4
Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (3) (TJU)     6   6   9
Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (14) (SQR)             7   4  11

Lucas Magnier/Adelinde Günther (RCN)                6   7
Martha McNeil/Jeff Rogers (6) (GRU)                 3   5

Draws

Order of play - Day 6
Phillip Maxwell Arena (Center Court) - Ticket required
Armin Miksa (GGY) vs (Q) Georg Heraklit (PUG)
(18) Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)
Grady Maccay (KHD) vs (14) Abelie Fontana (RCN)
Night session (starts at 7pm)
(9) Ardil Navsal (CEN) vs (3) Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU)

Janine Gredello Arena (Show Court 1) - Ticket required
(14) Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (SQR) vs Lucas Magnier/Adelinde Günther (RCN)
(2) Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM) vs (10) Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (KHD)
(15) Arthur Leloup/Hildebrant Weisgerber (RCN) vs (9) Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN)
(4) Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (RCN) vs (5) Sara Zhuo/Gyrachor Rentos (ETM/CEN)

by **Baggieland** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:03 am

by **Gnejs** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:29 am

Courting The Prince

A phone rings.

“Hello, this is Georg.”

“Georg, my dear boy! It’s me, Werner.”

“Who?”

“Eh, Werner Naess. The head of the GTF.”

“Oh, that Werner.”

“Yes, yes, that’s me. First off, let me congratulate you on a terrific performance down in Centralis. The entire office is in flames up here.”

“Thanks.”

“Yes, truly remarkable. Anyways, I’m guessing that you’re guessing why the head of the GTF is calling! Not every day, that.”

“No.”

“Well, eh, yes, or no, hehe. Let me just get straight to it. I, or we, feel like it’s time that you moved on up in the tier system, and there’s a spot with your name on it in the Elite Excellence Program at Port Kejm TK. It’s about time you move on from that small southron club down in Esaias. I know you’ve been gunning for a spot!”

“I had my yearly assessment two weeks ago. Not showing the progression deemed necessary for a spot in the EEP. I think that was the conclusion.”

“Hehe, well, yes. No shame in reassessment, surely!”

“I thought the EEP at PKTK was full.”

“Don’t worry, dear boy! There’ll be a spot for you. I’m handling it personally.”

“So who’s getting kicked?”

“Eh, let’s not worry about that.”

“Augusta and Arne are my friends.”

“Georg, this is a great opportunity for you. Don’t be sentimentally foolish.”

“I think I’ll stay on at my “small southron club”, thanks all the same.”

Georg hung up the phone.

A few minutes later. The phone rings anew.

“Hello, Georg.”

“Greetings, Comrade Georg, it is I, Zarathustra. I’m calling to convey a question from that which is otherwise, namely: have you heard of The Path of The One Ball?”

Georg hung up the phone again.

by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:14 am

The Round of 16 here at the Electrum Slam has many names here in Centralis. In the Singles, it is Round 4, and in the doubles, it's Round 3. But whatever you preferred to call it, we at Deuce have come up with a new name for what happened on this day: "The Round of Destruction". Let's see why...

Singles Round 4
S3: [9] Ardil Navsal (CEN) bt [7] Jean van de Kloor (TJU) (6-4, 6-4, 6-4)
We begin with both singles matches, taking place on the Phillip Maxwell itself. The first contest of the day on this court is where we find De Kloor of Toropo, the 7th seed taking on the 9th seed in Ceni's Ardil Navsal in a contest many built up as a potential classic. It would be an interesting contest but not in the right way as all 3 sets would be won by the 9th seeded Cenian by 6-4. It's not as if de Kloor didn't try to win this game, it was very tight indeed, but Navsal just knew where to place the ball and in the end, it was that which sent the supposed King back to the homeland.

S5: [18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) bt [2] Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU) (6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3)
The final match of the day on this court would make up for this however, as the 18th seeded Scarlet took on the 2nd seed in Pemecutan's Ngurah Putra Muliawan in another contest everyone knew could be a classic. Unlike the De Kloor game, however, this game would live up to the hype and the 5-set classic would certainly be the talk of the town in the TJUN-ian tennis circles. Spetsova won the first 2 sets 6-4 each but the 2nd seed would come back fighting, taking set 3 with ease and set 4 by the ever-illusive score of 6-4. The 5th and final set would start off tight but the 18th seed would pull away soon enough, pulling off the upset to ensure TJUN-ia still had an interest in this competition heading into the Quarters in Centralis. Her opponent tomorrow is, of course, Kohnhead's Rodrick Uppatin - of course, we can't avoid the derby!

Doubles Round 3
S1: [9] Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) bt [7] Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU) (6-4, 4-6, 6-2)
S4: [14] Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (SQR) bt [3] Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU) (7-6(6-4), 4-6, 11-9)
The reason why I said that Spetsova's win ensured we had interest tomorrow was because the Doubles today was an absolute calamity. Samurai Shinji and El Matador were certainly trying on the Peter Oaker but in the end, the 9th seeded Xal twins were just too much for them in 3 sets. Meanwhile, the Janine Gredello saw an absolute shock as Scarlet and The Cowboy fell in a chaotic contest to the 14th seeds in Squidroidia's Jóna Cabrera and Veronika McPhee - including a first-set tiebreaker and deciding 3rd set that ended 11-9 in favour of the Squids. We will certainly come back from this in long run but today was just not our day in this bracket - It's all down to Spetsova now to see if we can pull something off in this tournament...

SCHEDULE
Singles Quarterfinals
S5: [18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs Rodrick Uppatin (KHD) (14/03)

by **Pemecutan** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 4:31 pm

Monday, 14 March 2021 (Redite Wage Wuku Wariga, Pawukon 1781)
Double on the Spotlight

Pemecutan Puri - PTA Officials are reviewing the results of Pemecutanian players in the Electrum Slam and they are somewhat upset. The spotlight are down to the double where no pair have made into quarterfinal. Pemecutanian double have been in bad results for several times. Even the highest ranked are in top 25 position. That is far away from previous season.

Looking at these results, the officials have decided to break up the current double pairing. The possibility is that only Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati that will retain their pairing. While the other pairing will be broken up. The new pairing will be announce at the beginning of Clay court season. This decision is made for pairing refreshment. The officials will also open up a possibility of foreign pairing.

Meanwhile in Electrum Slam, only Dewa Putu Adrian Putra that remain in the competition after the other players were lost in the previous round. In the Quarterfinal, Adrian Putra will be playing against 9th seed, Ardil Navsal from Ceni.

by **Ceni** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:12 pm

Transcript -- Lonus Varalin press conference -- Electrum Slam day 5

Reporter 1: Congratulations on your victory today, Lonus.

Varalin: Are you a reporter for the Turnip, by any chance? Because you're --

Reporter 1: No, from KNTR in Cenial.

Varalin: Well, KNTR should fire you, because you're not in touch with reality. I lost a match today that I should have won. I don't know how you got it in your head that I won my match today.

Reporter 1 (struggling): Well, I was misinformed. But I think it's still a win anyway.

Varalin: Well, if KNTR does fire you, I know you'll have a place at the Turnip. Because the Turnip loves writers who can make comedic gold out of any situation. And also, what do you mean that it's a win anyway? On second thought, scratch that. I don't really want to know. Can we have any other reporters who don't ask stupid questions?

Reporter 2: You were penalized a game in the fifth set for unsportsmanlike conduct. What were you feeling when you got that penalty?

Varalin: I thought we were getting reporters who didn't ask stupid questions. I mean, to answer that question, I wanted to smash my racket even more. I had just gotten broken after serving a double fault, so of course I wasn't happy. And I had gotten a point penalty earlier for cursing at all my mistakes, so of course the umpire had to penalize me another game. Those are the rules. But of course I wasn't happy. I'm not happy now.

Reporter 2: A quick follow-up, if I may?

Varalin: No. Next.

Reporter 3: Would you have smashed your racket again if you had known you would get a game penalty and go further down the hole?

Varalin: ... I'm not sure what answer you're looking for here. Who knows, I might have lost the match anyway if I hadn't gotten the game penalty. But the past is the past. I'm not beating myself up inside for smashing my racket. I'm beating myself up inside for losing to a player who I should have beaten.

Reporter 4: Don't you think you're showing a negative example in terms of sportsmanship here in this press conference?

Varalin: Am I not allowed to show my emotions here? I mean, I don't think it's a sin to say that I wanted to win the match against Abelie [Fontana] and that I'm upset that I didn't win. I don't see what's unsportsmanlike about that.

Reporter 4: Well, you're not being gracious in defeat. I'd call you a sore loser.

Varalin: Well, all parody has a basis in fact. The Turnip didn't nickname me Sourpuss for no reason.

Reporter 5: Speaking of that characterization, would you describe it as accurate?

Varalin: I mean, there are very few things that make me angry like this. One is when reporters ask me stupid questions, and that's certainly happening now. The second is when I lose a close match because I made stupid errors or something like that. The third is when reporters ask me stupid questions after I've lost a close match.

I wouldn't say I'm a sourpuss in real life. I don't like to display my emotions much on the court. Well, I guess I did today, but that was for obvious reasons, I think. I think the Turnip gave me that nickname because I always grouse and grump when reporters ask me stupid things. I know I'm being a sourpuss now, though. And frankly, I don't care.

Reporter 6: What are your plans for the next few tournaments?

Varalin: I am planning to enter the Antillia Masters and the clay court swing as usual. For those who have reported on me before, you'll know that the clay is my favorite surface. I hope to do well out in Astyria and in Recuecn.

Reporter 6: Even if their fans will boo you.

Varalin: Sure, whatever. How long do I have to stay here for?

Tournament Organizer: Another five minutes, if you would like.

Varalin: I would not like to stay here for another five minutes, but I will if you insist.

Reporter 7: Are you happy for Ardil Navsal for reaching the quarterfinals?

Varalin: Why wouldn't I be happy? I don't hate Ardil's guts.

Reporter 7: Well, you do have a reputation for being a sourpuss.

Varalin: Ardil and I are friends. I don't complain about his success. I don't have schadenfreude for his failures. Any other questions?

Reporter 8: Are there any changes you'd like to make to your game after today's loss?

Varalin: That's actually not a bad question! The short answer is yes. The long answer -- well, for the clay court season, I'm working on my inside-out forehands and my cross-court backhand. Those are my main weapons, and I want to improve their consistency.

Reporter 9: How about your personal life? Any girlfriends or boyfriends on the horizon?

Varalin: Pass.

Reporter 9: Oh, come on! We really want to know.

Varalin: Okay. I would like to announce that I'm dating someone.

Reporter 9: Really?

Varalin: No! Seriously, I don't want to talk about that. Any other questions?

Tournament Organizer (after several moments of silence): Thank you, Lonus, it doesn't look like there are any more.

Varalin: Good, let's go. I'm famished.

by **Electrum** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:38 pm

Centralis Herald - Sports Section - Luke Zhang

Giannapolous' last hurrah, Simmons in real danger

It was a monumental fourth round day at the Centralis Tennis Park with farewells, upsets and questions about the future.

Out on Phillip Maxwell Arena, Giannapolous opened proceedings in the night session against Armin Miksa. Tickets were sold out the minute the order of play was announced -- as many Electrumites know, any match that Giannapolous was playing had the potential to be her last. With the bombshell announcement of her impending retirement back in Cenial, there was much speculation as to the cause for her retirement, including her age and time on tour.

But before Giannapolous finally explained in the exit interview as to precisely why she's retiring, she had to play a scrappy five-set match against Miksa. It was a match of several momentum shifts -- Giannapolous lost the first two sets with several key points in each set not going her way. Whether it was a costly unforced error or an untimely double fault, Miksa made his own luck and defended his own service games very well. But, over the next two sets, the tide became to turn. Giannapolous finally found her rhythm to mount a comeback. She wasn't going down without a fight. She suddenly found her footing, she was moving a lot better, and she started to move closer to the baseline, in a sign of the aggressive, fluid tennis she was known for.

It came down to the fifth set. Early in the fifth set, Giannapolous was struggling to breathe, and it took one loose game for Miksa to take the break. Clearly the previous two sets took a toll on her, and she just faded away. Miksa took a well deserved victory. Unusually, Giannapolous was asked to stay on court after losing the match. Instead, the slam organisers, after interviewing Miksa, played a short video on the courtside LED screens of the highlights of her career. The video included shots of her debut match at the Electrum Slam all those years ago, to her excellent grass season run last year. Giannapolous broke down after watching the video and thanked the crowd for their support over the years, gave a quick hug to Miksa, before leaving the court to rapturous applause. It was truly a fitting ending to her career.

And all those questions as to why she retired were explained in that exit press conference. Giannapolous announced that she and her husband were expecting a baby, and that she was suffering from joint pain the entire time she was at the Slam. Although she could have retired earlier when she found out she was pregnant, during the Cenian Open, she wanted to retire at her home slam in front of her friends and family. With that, the NationStates Tennis Tour's second-highest ranked singles player bows out, leaving a very large vacuum for Electrumites to fill.

And, in even more grim news for Electrumite fans, it's not looking good for Andrew Simmons, who is projected to be the #1 Electrumite singles player when Giannapolous retires. In recent analysis conducted by the Centralis Herald, Simmons' ranking is set to fall dramatically if he does not better his performances in the clay court season. Already referred to as a dirtballer by The Turnip, he's been under a lot of pressure to find some form and build up his ranking before he has to defend his clay season points. It's been an abject failure as he has failed to advance past the second or third round of a non-clay court season ever since his runs in Hamilton and Beconailles last year.

With Giannapolous retiring and Simmons failing to step up, Electrumite singles fans are going to experience a lot of pain in the years to come as the search continues for a top-shelf singles player.

by **Gergary** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:32 am

Gergary's Number Two News Outlet - at least we're honest here.

Sport
Tennis: Miksa stuns multiverse with win over home favorite Giannapoulos

CENTRALIS, ELECTRUM - It may be time for Armin Miksa to rise up on the occasion and be the next great Gergarian tennis player.

After Donat Kis' exit in the third round of the Electrum Slam, and Bianka Arendt subsequent elimination a day later, it was up to Armin Miksa to continue flying the flag for Gergary, although he would be given the mighty task of taking down Electrum's #1 seed Pelissa Giannapoulos, and in the Phillip Maxwell Arena under the lights, the unthinkable happened. The man who grew up in Wiesenblume held his own in the first two sets, breaking the World #2's serve twice in two sets, but the Electrumite showed in front of her fans why she is one of the NSTT's greatest tennis active players. She retuned the favor to the Gergarian and took both the next sets, 6-4 and 6-1 to force a fifth set tiebreaker.

Miksa was able to hang on in the fifth as fatigue finally set in to both players after a grueling five sets match, winning the fifth set, 6-3, which meant that this would be Giannapoulos' final match as she had already announced her retirement prior to the tournament. After post match proceedings completed, Miksa was asked in a webcall interview with our own Tagebuch, and said well wishes and admired Giannapoulos' tenacity as she played the entirety of the match despite expecting a baby and carrying a knock. He also said in the interview that he remains to be part of the Steinigestrasse Tennis Club to be the face of the team after Donat Kis' departure to hometown Pas Tennis Club.

Miksa is scheduled to face qualifier Georg Heraklit of Gnejs, having pulled another upset over 6th seed Mindy Waterford of Kohnhead. Alexandra Barna and Ralph Henschel meanwhile ended their tournament run despite putting up a good fight in their doubles encounter with Spencer Kohnhead and Marcus Hathwar who won the Steinigestrasse Open. We should look forward to the time the national tournaments would kick off as we will see how Donat Kis, Armin Miksa, and Orsolya Szabo would compete against one another for national pride and glory.

by **Electrum** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:45 am

Singles - quarterfinals

Quarterfinals
Armin Miksa (GGY)                    6   6   4   6
Georg Heraklit (Q) (PUG)             7   1   6   7

Ardil Navsal (9) (CEN)               6   7   4   1   6
Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (3) (PCU)     4   5   6   6   3

Valentina Spetsova (18) (TJU)        6   6   6
Rodrick Uppatin (KHD)                1   2   2

Grady Maccay (KHD)                   3   6   3   3
Abelie Fontana (14) (RCN)            6   3   6   6

Doubles - quarterfinals

Section 1
Arthur Leloup/Hildebrant Weisgerber (15) (RCN)     2   3
Elia Xal/Fia Xal (9) (CEN)                         6   6


Section 2
Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (4) (RCN)           6   5   3
Sara Zhuo/Gyrachor Rentos (5) (ETM/CEN)            1   7   6


Section 3
Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (2) (KHD/ETM)      4   6   7
Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (10) (KHD)          6   3   5


Section 4
Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (14) (SQR)            5   3
Lucas Magnier/Adelinde Günther (RCN)               7   6

Order of play - day 7
Phillip Maxwell Arena (Center Court) - Ticket required
(18) Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs (14) Abelie Fontana (RCN)
(9) Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs (5) Sara Zhuo/Gyrachor Rentos (ETM/CEN)
(2) Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM) vs Lucas Magnier/Adelinde Günther (RCN)
Night session (starts at 7pm)
(Q) Georg Heraklit (PUG) vs (9) Ardil Navsal (CEN)

by **Gnejs** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:10 am

Excerpt from Smash Magazine

Profile - Who is Georg Heraklit?
If you’re not one of the most devout followers of Gnejsian tennis, you might’ve asked yourself this very question after the last few days of remarkable upsets during the prestigious Electrum Slam taking place down in Centralis. Fear not, Smash will guide you.

What’s his background?
Georg Henrik Heraklit is 25 years old, and hail from Esaias. Not the city, but the southwestern parts of County Esaias, in the northwestern parts of Region Vika. More precisely, he grew up in the hamlet of Steiga on the island of Munchøya just a few kilometers off the coast. The island, boasting a total of two outdoor clay courts, is where Heraklit bounced his first balls. The lacking facilities quickly led to the family letting the young boy commute into the nearby town of Kvitestrand (English: White Beach) on the mainland and the Dalavika TK, where the boy quickly showed promise.

Is he an Academy Brat?
The verdicts diverge on this one, but most, and we at Smash agree, say that he is not. While he has spent a not inconsiderable amount of time training at the Esaias City TK - the Academy of Excellence (AoE) for the southern tennis region - unlike other “brats”, like Dorotea Granit, Arne Oxwald or Augusta Björnstjärna, Heraklit was not fostered from an early age at any of the AoEs. Further, he has never been a part of any Elite Excellence Program (EEP). While closely affiliated with the Esaias City EEP, he was never officially a part of it, due to never having rescinded his membership at Dalavika TK. He still remains a member there today, and competes for them in the regional and national competitions.

What’s his style?
It’s old school, according to some, outdated, according to others. His playing style mirrors those of old tennis stars from the 70’s, relying extensively on slice and topspin. One of his competitors on the international circuit reportedly described their game against Heraklit as “playing a version of your grandfather with insane stamina”.

Why is he performing so strongly down in Electrum?
Well, this is the point where analysis blends with speculation, because truly, no one has a good answer here. No one expected Heraklit to perform the way he has. Probably not even Heraklit himself. If we were to make an educated guess, it’d revolve around precisely his unorthodox playing style, combined with a newfound strength he has been displaying during the Electrum Slam. His game is unlike most others on the tour, and that probably gives him an edge. When he blends that with power - a weak spot for him usually - you get something both unanticipated and challenging. Maybe there’s something there. Or maybe the tennis gods decided this eons ago as a sort of joke. Let’s hope it’s the former.

Quo vadis?
What of the going forward? Do we think Heraklit will be able to reach even further? The smart money is on “no”. Because, every reasonable reason imaginable. Then again, the smart money was always against him, and in every single game he made you sorry you bet against him (many of us did!).

by **TJUN-ia** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:47 am

Come around all who like the NSTT, for there is only 1 TJUN-ian left in the Electrum Slam once again. It was Jean van de Kloor last year and now, it's Scarlett's turn to be the one everyone must follow - a player who certainly needed a deep run in order to regain her petition within the TJUN-ian BIg 2. Valentina may be out in the Doubles after a shock upset to some Squiroidians, but she was still prepared to try and go for a first Singles crown - a crown denied to her in her 2nd tournament overall. The long road continued on the Phillip Maxwell as she was taking on the unseeded Rodrick Uppatin from the old rival of Kohnhead.

This contest would...actually be more straightforward than expected, especially for the 2nd game on Centre Court. Spetsova was certainly determined to try and win this contest as quickly as possible in the end, she was just too much for our opponent to handle. She took the first set 6-1 and the next 2 6-2 to just waltz her way into the Semifinals, a place even De Kloor last season couldn't reach.

Semifinals day awaits us tomorrow, where all matches take place on the Phillip Maxwell. Tomorrow, it will 18 vs 14 and Scarlet plays Abelie Fontana of Recuecn for a spot in the 2nd Grand Slam Final, against either 9th seeded Ardil Navsal or the surprise qualifier and Underdog of the Tournament in Georg Heraklit. No matter what happens from know, Spetsova will have most of TJUN-ia behind her...

[18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) bt Rodrick Uppatin (KHD) (6-1, 6-2, 6-2)

SCHEDULE
Singles Semifinals
[18] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs [14] Abelie Fontana (RCN) (15/03)

[Tennis/NSTT] Outdoor hard court season 7 [RP/Results]

LUCIJA BAGARIĆ AND LJUBOMIR IVANKOVIĆ

DEUCE: Another Derby And New Tests Await

DEUCE: The Top 2 Reign Supreme

DEUCE: And Then There Was One

DEUCE: Spetsova Remains After Rivalry Win

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