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

[Waisnor]

There is only one match left that will decide everything ...

Vladimir Mikhailov already achieved best result for Waisnorian player in NSTT tournaments, but it seems that he didn't want to stop there:

Vladimir Mikhailov (7) (WSN)      2   6   6
Komang Agus Artawan (4) (PCU)     6   2   4

In his semifinal match Vladimir Mikhailov faced Komang Agus Artawan from Pemecutan. Another player from this country, Dewa Ayu Cintya Dewi knocked out Valery Ushakov in quarterfinals and Mikhailov was determined to avenge his fallen comrade. But before the match Artavan looked like a stronger opponent - he was seeded at number 4, while Vladimir - at number 7. In the first set, Komang's advantage showed itself - he won the set without any effort with a score of 6-2. But whoever plays with Waisnorian player should remember that if you win a set, Waisnorian can win it the same score (or vice versa). This is exactly what happened in this match - Vladimir won the second set with a score of 6-2. It was clear that both players wanted to get to the final, and the third set turned out to be much more intense. It was clear that both players wanted to get to the final, and the third set turned out to be much more intense. Thus, the first in Waisnorian tennis history NSTT tournament final awaits him. His last opponent in the tournament will be Anthony Powers from Kohnhead.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Cutoff

Singles R2
Anthony Powers (KHD)             2   1
Vladimir Mikhailov (7) (WSN)     6   6

Doubles R2
Ana Radkkar/Eva Radkkar (8) (ACS)               6   3   1
Massimo Recinella/Oscar Recinella (7) (SOR)     4   6   6

Thanks to those who participated, and we will see you next time in the NSTT Tour!

[Baggieland]

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: Set-up to another long series I'll be working on. Thanks to Ceni for IC information about Cenial.

The Agent

PART 1 - Non C'è Più Musica

'Excited?' Pierre McCarthy asked her teenage daughter, Arabella, as they hopped on a short ride in Cenial Subway from University of Cenial Laboratory School in University District to their Georgetown rowhouse. People have often asked the sixteen year old what was it like being the daughter of one of the most famous sports agents out there in the Multiverse, and how were the sportspeople her father knew were like. Of course, she has met plenty of them, whether through their paperwork or telecasts, and Arabella probably could recall at least dozens of their names.

Not that it mattered much for Arabella though, especially as Arabella happened to be the only client her father, the mastermind of all agency arts both magical and dangerous, had in her sport of tennis. 'Always,' Arabella responded with confidence, trying to behave as naturally as possible as a sixteen year student-athlete, who had made her name known last week with her selection into the Quebecois national tennis team's selections. 'Hopefully the girlfriends don't miss out too much tomorrow.'

Deep inside, Arabella was still nervous enough, especially as this had meant travelling abroad for the first time at a major tournament. Sure, Steinigestrasse Open was no Grand Slam tournament and Gergary wasn’t a country she was particularly familiar with. But Arabella knew everybody had to start somewhere, and that’s where she couldn’t help but to wonder how it will all turn out. To be honest it must be a family thing, she thought to herself, as she looked at her father, neatly dressed in a suit and a top hat.

Arabella knew this was a family thing to transmit, and even more so the McCarthy thing. She knew her father went through his own leaps of faith before, with one of them being his decision to move to Ceni twenty years ago. Somewhere in their house, she had once found his high school class photo where he, much younger version of the thirty-seven year old man, was at the very front row of the students in the 276-person graduating class of 2027. Originally finding it at the drawer of Pierre’s office, Arabella quickly hid the photo inside her table, where she knew her father wasn’t going to find it, and kept thinking back about what may have brought him cross the waters between Northern AO to Southern Rushmore at that age.

‘You know what’s important for you, Bella,’ Pierre nodded, tapping her shoulder twice to indicate his approval. He was occupied with what would be the best words to say to her daughter with six hours to spare before her Friday evening flight, but couldn’t find the right ones to say them. ‘As I would tell young lads and lasses not sure on what they want, you gotta go by your gut feelings.’ Pierre fixed his golden glasses, smiling once again at the lady she has become. ‘Of course, don’t make silly mistakes, but you, young lady, know better than your old man for that…’

Well it’s true. That’s how Pierre McCarthy, in the very month after his graduation from University of Ceni with a summa cum laude degree in History with little employability at that very moment, welcomed his ‘little mistake’ into his life.

‘Stop saying that, dad!’ Her daughter smiled, her straw-blonde hair flowing as she retorted back. ‘You are the best father in the world, and there’s no other way to put forth.’ While it may sound frivolous to some of us readers, this bit would qualify as a truth, or at least three-fourth to it. Having grown up all her life without a mother, Arabella had remembered her father double-timing his own time with sacrifices to keep their roof in place. And now, even as Pierre became a famous agent and Arabella occupied with her tennis career, he still did his best to drive her to UCLS and pick her up after school.

‘Anyhow, we should grab something before picking up your suitcase...where should we go today?’ Pierre asked, watching the passengers come and go as the train stopped on the second-last stop of the express service. ‘Your first international tournament, Bella, so you gotta make your choice.’

‘The Ephesus Cafe?’ was the first place that came up on Arabella’s mind, as she checked her phone. ‘Their lamb gyro with tzatziki sauce and hummus would be great treat before a flight.’ It was every bit evident that even though she was the brightest Quebecois prospect in all of tennis, she was not really feeling the spotlight (nor did she want to). Growing up in Ceni, a powerhouse nation in the sport of tennis, she was one of the top prospects there growing up, but was shielded from the spotlight from the local and international (specifically Quebecois) media so far. Of course, Arabella knew how powerful the McCarthy surname was back home- her great-uncle was the legendary actor in Sir. Joel-Lynn, and she had a couple of aunts who themselves guards back in the golden age of Quebecois women’s basketball. But none of it, being on the other side where Clara and Marianne’s younger cousin had carved his own name, seemed to have mattered so much for her father in terms of her daughter’s upbringing, and Arabella knew it as well.

‘I guess we should. Seems like we haven’t there in a while,’ her father nodded in Korean, speaking in a much lower tone of voice. He was smiling for once. ‘May as well have as much as you want, before you’ll be away for a week.’

‘Don’t drink too much tonight, dad.’ Arabella then reminded her dad, giving him a wink, before they stepped out of their seat. The subway train finally came to a halt, as the father and his daughter slowly walked out of the carriage. ‘You know, you should start thinking about your health. Maybe move around a bit more, play a bit more sports, I don’t know...’

The way Arabella had suggested her worry, of course, indicated to Pierre a bit of worry in her eyes, as he knew Arabella was becoming aware of his father’s age. At age thirty seven. ‘Maybe not just yet, but you never know…’ Pierre smiled, patting his daughter as they slowly took the escalator upstairs. ‘But for now, the celebration will be yours, young lady! Let’s have a great bite, shall we?’

Then they made their way to what's going to be a very hectic six-hour period../

[Electrum]

Centralis Herald - Sports Section - Luke Zhang

Torrid draw to test Electrumites

What a throwback. In a draw that would make Electrumites recall the olden days of the NSTT, three Electrumite singles players were drawn in the same section.

In section 7 of the draw, 4th seed Andrew Simmons is projected to face 26th seed Janet Riley in the third round of competition. With the expanded draw, both seeded players receive a bye to the second round of competition. Simmons will face the winner of the Sosa-Muneer, which promises to be a finely balanced match-up. They are only thirty ranks apart from each other, with Muneer having more points but Sosa having more match experience. Given Sharktail's calibre of talent, Muneer has constantly missed out on Tier 1 tournaments, instead demoted to playing the Tier 2 and Grand Slam tournaments. This match will be the first time that she will play in a Tier 1 tournament, while Sosa is experienced in having some good runs in Tier 1 tournaments. Meanwhile, Riley faces the winner between a qualifier and rookie Indussian Stephen Saltswoon.

Should the two Electrumites win their initial matches, it promises to be a tantalising match-up given that the two Electrumites have never played against each on tour. Simmons will be looking to arrest that form slump that developed late last season, a fact that is more urgent given that he is scheduled to drop half his points in the clay court season. Simmons has been struggling with a hip injury, which is exacerbated by his playstyle of staying being a baseline defender. Meanwhile, Riley is looking for her first deep run in a tournament. Hard courts are her favourite surface and she'll be looking to build up some counterpunching form in the lead-up to the Electrum Slam. Riley in particular will be looking to improve her serve, traditionally the weakest part of her game.

If an Electrumite reach the fourth round of competition, they have the potential to face 15th seed Syamim Kevin or 23rd Carmichael Brown. Probably the former, given the latter's tendency to blow up. Kevin is a very underrated player, who performed very well in the clay season last year. His ranking could have been higher were it not for Sharktail's mysterious absence in the second half of last season. Brown will have a tough task ahead of him if he wants to get past Kevin.

Finally, Pelissa Giannapolous, the second seed, has had an excellent draw in Section 5 of the draw. As many people know, she is going to retire at the Electrum Slam after her break-out year last year. There don't seem to be many threats in her section with the exception of Theresa Waterford from Kohnhead. If Giannapolous can make it past her, she is set for a dream run to the finals. Hopefully, she will add yet another championship to her tally before time runs out.

[Srednjaci]

TENNIS TIME

An exciting tennis season begins. Our young tennis players begin their journey through tennis tournaments.
We are a young nation, so our representatives are quite young, but that does not mean that they are not talented.

Our young hopes start their first international matches at the Steinigestrasse Open (Tier 1).
Ljubomir Ivanković will perform in the main draw of the singles, and Lucija Bagarić, Ivan Štimac and Tena Šprirčić in the qualifications.
In pairs, Leonid Farkaš and Goran Ibrahimović recived a Wild Card for main draw .
Tena Špiričić and Bojana Španović in the qualifications .

So let’s meet our young representatives.

LJUBOMIR IVANKOVIĆ - 22 years old, 185 cm, 79 kg, plays with his right hand, two-handed backhand. The player from the baseline prefers clay, but he also manages very well on hard surfaces. He can keep the ball in the game for a long time and has a great drop shot!
moves very well, great leg work. He returned to tennis after a one-year break due to injury and in the final of the championship DR Srednjaci lost to Ivan Štimac with 7: 5,3: 6,3: 6, 6: 4,1: 6!
He is good on the serve, he often has over 75% of the interception of the first serve and almost 82% of the points won after the first serve. The average speed of the first service is 182 kmh (113 mph), the fastest service is 211 kmh (131 mph).
He places his services very well and mostly likes kick service from the body or flat service in the body.
He misses a good game online.
In DR Srednjaci he has the most victories in his career, collecting 64 and 12 defeats. This will be his first international season.He earned 2.9 million Dalats from tennis tournaments. The most successful player in DR Srednjaci even though he lost the championship finals.
Gregory Huemann from Indusse is waiting for him in the first round.

LUCIJA BAGARIĆ - 19 years old, 183 cm tall, 72 kg, born in Bistua Nuova and also plays for Smash Tennis Club.
With her tennis club, she won the DR Srednjaci championship last year. Muscular constitutions of the body, she plays with her right hand, one-handed backhand is also her best shot in the game. She likes all substrates but mostly grassy and hard courts.
Great foot work and pure power from the baseline give her the ability to quickly transit the game to the net.
She plays very well on the net, she also plays doubles so her volley is great, she is very successful, it is hard to lob her.
Her service is phenomenal. Serve quickly, powerfully and very accurately. Lucija has the best ratio of ases vs double foults in Srednjaci. She served 504 aces in 72 matches played, which is 7 per match.
She served the most aces in match against Irina Prydruchna in the first round of the Dormatisi Open. In two sets, she served 26 aces and only 1 double fault.
Strong service allows her to play "serve-volley".
Her fastest forehand was 168 kmh (104 mph) and her one-handed backhand was 161 kmh (100 mph). Her service is 82% of interceptions and after the first service she gets 86% of points! The average speed of the first service is 179 kmh (111mph) and the fastest speed service is 211 kmh (131 mph).
In the individual women's competition, she won gold at the championship in DR Srednjaci with a victory in the final against the then champion Tena Špiričić with 6: 7, 6: 2, 6: 4.
In mixed doubles, she was first in a pair with Leonid Farkaš.
Lucija Bagarić made great progress in the return game. The opponent's second serve waits inside the court in front of the baseline and perceives the direction of the first serve very well so that he returns the ball to the opponent very well and strongly.
Lucia had a win-loss ratio of 66: 6 last season. She won 10 titles in the DR Srednjaci and earned 3.1 million Dalats.
Lucija Bagarić will have to go through the qualifications and the first opponent is Constantino Benedetto from Yuvencus.

TENA ŠPIRIČIĆ - 20 years, 179 cm, 69 kg, born in Katanija. An excellent tactician on the field, a very intelligent player with great technique. She compensates for her's lack of strong punches with fast legs, great technique and quick reactions.
She reads the game very well and closes the possibilities of getting easy points to the opponent. Does'nt make a lot of unforced errores during the match, all around player, with incredible defensive skills, return to the field every ball she catches. She has great overhead smash, terrific volley, great forehand and backhand.
Serves accurately and precisely, rarely makes mistakes on service. The balls have rotations and bounce faster in contact with the ground.
There is no speed like Lucija Bagarić but her first serves are hard to read and return. Tena also uses a two-handed hidden backhand that is also hard to read. She often annoys his opponents with his game because She returns each ball and thus forces the opponent to take an one more shot, which is often an unforced error for an annoyed opponent.
She is a former Srednjaci champion, and a former junior Srednjaci champion. The last tournament she won is the Melarit Gold Coast Open two months ago.
The win-loss ratio last season was 47:15, earning 2.3 million Dalats.
Tena will be looking for a pass through the qualifiers in her first international appearance against Benedicto Napoletani of Yuvencus.

IVAN ŠTIMAC - 21 years old, all around player but most successful on clay courts.
183 cm, 82 kg, muscular build, left-handed play, one-handed backhand. A very awkward player who can beat anyone but doesn’t have a constant so he can easily lose as well. He is very fast and agile, he moves great on the field, he has a good volley and more than a great forehand with which he has an advantage in the game.
Ivan is quite good on the service, he doesn't make mistakes, but he is not a service player either.
Born in Katanija he plays for the Comet Tennis Club. The champion is DR Srednjaci, in the final he was better than Ljubomir Ivanković 5: 7,6: 3,6: 3, 4: 6,6: 1!
Very combative player, runs a lot on the field and has great endurance.
He won only 2 tournaments last year including the championship. He even played 6 times in the finals and lost all 6 to Ivanković. Win-loss ratio 42:18.
He will be looking for his first international victory against John Ivanisevic from Baggieland.

Leonid Farkaš/Goran Ibrahimović The most successful tennis pair in DR Srednjaci, an incredible series of 9 tournaments in a row undefeated. A great couple who understand each other very well and there is a special energy between the two of them on the field.
LEONID FARKAŠ 24 years old, the oldest of 5 children. brother Hrvoje also plays tennis but he is 13 years old. Sister Danijela Farkaš is an athlete, high jump. Ivana Farkaš, second sister is a swimmer and his youngest brother Leon Farkaš trains football.
He is 187 cm tall, 87 kg, plays with his right hand, two-handed backhand. Excellent service that can go at speeds over 220 km / h.
Born in Katania, he plays for the Comet Tennis Club.
GORAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ - 23 years old, 180 cm tall, 78 kg. Very fast player with great reflexes. He reads the game great and has a very good overview of the game.
Ibrahimovic is a good player in singles but prefers doubles.
He was born in the small town of Liska near Katanija. As a boy, he trained alpine skiing, but still decided to play tennis because, as he says, he himself does not like snow and winter.
The pair received an Wild Card from the tournament organizers and in the first round they are waiting for the winner of the qualifying match Karl Ballard / Gabe Casey (NOV) vs Mirco Tonti / Leandro Baliani (SOR).

Tena Špiričić/Bojana Španović (SRE) are the new couple in our tennis sky. Bojana used to play with Lucija Bagarić and they were quite successful, but there were disagreements between them, so they broke up.
Lucija is currently looking for a partner and Bojana has agreed with Tena Špiričić.
Bojana Španović was born in Taru. She played for the club Neptun Taru for many years. She is 26 years old, 177 cm tall, 65 kg. An intelligent player with excellent reaction and online play, great reflexes and fast legs give her an advantage in the game.
Sometimes Bojana plays single matches, she even won a tournament in his hometown of Taru, but she mostly plays doubles and she manages very well there. In hers career, she has won 13 doubles tournaments in DR Srednjaci, the most last year with Lucija Bagarić 6 tournaments.
This pair will have to make their way through the qualifiers to the main tournament and the opponents are Samantha Budjedtson / Peter Feachell (INS)

In addition to these representatives, several other young tennis players are fighting to enter the international scene.
The National Tennis Center/Academy prepares the best young seniors and juniors from the country. Last year's results with the Tennis Circuit Srednjaci and the points collected during the season are a condition for entering the preparations for the national tennis center / academy.
After the handball academy, this is the second sports-type academy in the country.

NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER - NTC ACADEMY

[Gergary]

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

Sport
Third Steinigestrasse Open to start, largest number of entrants anticipated

STEINIGESTRASSE - Gergarian sports are slowly being noticed in the multiverse, with the third running of the Steinigestrasse Open being designated as a Tier 1 event of the Nationstates Tennis Tour. It meant that the previous restriction Tier 2 events had where any player having more than 500 NSTT points were ineligible to enter the tournament. Gergarian fans are expecting the likes of Dewa Putu Adrian Putra and Pelissa Giannapolous to grace the hard court for the first time. A lot is expected from hometown hero Donat Kis, who brought recognition to the nation after winning the River Cities Open in Damukuni.

In line with the promotion to Tier 1 status, the organizers of the tournament decided to renovate the facilities of the Steinigestrasse Tennis Club to add four more courts with retractable roofs, in order for the games to continue even in foul weather, increasing the usable courts to eight, and the total number of courts to sixteen. Ten courts will be used in the tournament, namely the following:

• Steinigestrasse Main Court - Court der Smash
• Steinigestrasse Closed Court 1 - Court der As
• Steinigestrasse Closed Court 2 - Court der Bruch
• Steinigestrasse Closed Court 3 - Court der Vorteil
• Steinigestrasse Closed Court 4 - Court der Rallye
• Steinigestrasse Closed Court 5 - Court das Freilos
• Steinigestrasse Closed Court 6 - Court die Anfechtung
• Steinigestrasse Closed Court 7 - Court der Volley
• Steinigestrasse Open Court 1 - Court die Mietfrist
• Steinigestrasse Open Court 2 - Court der Fehler

Court der Smash will host the finals of the Singles and Doubles tournaments, while Court die Mietfrist and Court der Fehler will host the qualifiers as well as several matches in Day 3 of the tournament proper.

Based from the data of the tournament organizers, there are 106 singles participants and 53 doubles participants signed up to the tournament, both figures more than the 85 singles and 41 doubles participants last edition and the 48 singles and 24 doubles participants in the very first tournament. Mattias Burges from neighbors Mattijana is last year's winner, but a new champion is about to be determined as he will not be able to defend his crown. Leanne Stewart and Anthony Kawasaki are the defending doubles' champion but Stewart will bring a different partner in Deanne Smith to defend her doubles crown. Britonisea's Leo Garry, the singles runner-up in the first tournament, as well as Ceni's Val Korekal and Jac Iegis who were the semifinalists in the doubles tournament two editions ago, will also feature in their respective tournaments, although Korekal and Iegis, like Stewart, will have different partners this time around.

Ten singles and doubles entrants will take part in the qualifiers in Day 1 for the singles and Day 2 for the doubles, the latter of which will coincide with the First Round of the main Singles Tournament. All the entries from Gergary will play in the first round bar for Donat Kis who is the 18th seed and will play in the second round. Leader of Gergary, Domonkos Virag will be attending the opening and final days of the tournament.

Order of play - Day 1
Court de Mietfrist
Singles Qualifier: SQ-1: Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher (QUE) vs Lïnumeda Kondu (HAF) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 1, 8:00 AM
Singles Qualifier: SQ-2: Tena Špiričić (SRE) vs Benedicto Napoletani (YVK) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 1, 10:00 AM
Singles Qualifier: SQ-3: Gjörëg Čëtan (HAF) vs Louis Yeo-Jongilanga (QUE) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 1, 1:00 PM

Court de Fehler
Singles Qualifier: SQ-4: John Ivanisevic (BGG) vs Ivan Štimac (SRE) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 1, 1:00 PM
Singles Qualifier: SQ-5: Constantino Benedetto (YVK) vs Lucija Bagarić (SRE) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 1, 3:00 PM

[Nova Anglicana]

Steinigestrasse Tennis Club, Ingbert-Borbely, Gergary

Laura Sparks and Rhonda Robbins were sitting in the locker room after finishing a practice round. Robbins, a tall, muscular, brunette spoke first.

"How ya feelin' dere, Sparksy?"

"Okay, I guess," replied Sparks, a lithe blonde. "I wish I could have gotten more consistency on my backhand. I'm a little nervous for this first match. You know, last time, I won through the qualifiers. It's strange, I should feel better starting in the main draw. But all I can think about is 'what if I lose my first match?' Then it's all over and it's like I wasted my entry."

"Hey now Sparksy!" Robbins put up a hand. "First of all, dere's always someone 'o 'as to lose in every round. Sometimes dat's you, but if the good Lord's smilin' on ya, den it's yer opponent. Second of all, you know even if ya lose, we're still going to plaster whoever we play together in the doubles round. 'O is it again?"

"I don't remember their names right now," said Sparks. She put a hand on her chin. "I can see the paper, but I can't remember. I do know they came from a place called Kencana in Melayu Archipelago. I think it's a man and a woman."

Robbins slapped her thigh. "Idn't it crazy, international tennis? They're over there playing mixed doubles, an' here we are playing women's doubles. I think you're playin' a man in the first round too. Weird how they mix it all up."

Sparks shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, I'm not particularly enthused about facing a man in the first round, but it's how they do it internationally. Samantha Speer says it's way past time for us to have gender-integrated national teams, and I guess if we want to be the best in the world, we've got to be able to compete against anyone, male or female, human or pony, or whatever else."

Robbins gave her an exasperated look. "Samantha Speer? You pay attention to dat crazy lady? She's always spouting off about women dis, women dat. I tell you what, I'm a woman, an' I never needed no special treatment from nobody. I make my own way with hard work. She and that McKenzie are a real pair of whiners and windbags."

"Whiners and windbags? Rhon, they're raising issues about who's been left behind in our society. I don't know if I'm voting for either of them, but you have to admit, women don't have things in this country that women in other places do, and we're pretty white. Do you really think minorities are getting a fair shake in a country that looks very little like them?"

"Sparksy, I don't grudge minorities nor immigrants nothin'. If dey work hard, pay dere taxes, and follow the law, dey'll be fine, just like the rest of us. As for women, I can get on board with better leave for new mas, 'cause you gotta have time with yer baby, but Speer's talking about expanding abortion. My parents were in a tough spot when my ma got pregnant with me, but they kept me, an' look how I turned out. I can't support somebody 'o supports it the way she does, thinks it's a good thing dat it 'appens. Plus, you know she and McKenzie both are out for demselves."

"Rhon, that's an awfully cynical view to take of two Deputies and two people who want to be the leader of a major party. But in any case, I do think we ought to have gender-integrated national teams and I don't mind facing a man in tennis if it means participating on a multiversal stage instead of just our rinky-dink domestic tournaments."

"Sparks, you gotta stop bein' so trustin' of politicians. Some of dem are good, but power corrupts. I think it'd be better if we got to vote on more things directly, you know, vote up or down on a law ourselves. An' as for national teams, I think we ought to stick to men's teams and women's teams. Just makes sense. Same level of competition, everybody works better together, an' no risk a' hanky-panky. Still, Sparksy, I know you can beat dis guy. It's not a fair match, but you're too good to lose your first match. I know ya can do it. I believe in ya, one hunnerd percent."

Sparks smiled. "Rhon, we may not be with each other on politics, but we're one of the best teams out there. I'm going to beat this guy and then I'll meet you in the final or wherever our paths cross."

Robbins nodded her head. "Dat's the spirit, Sparksy. Let's take dis tournament by storm."

[Gergary]

The 3rd Steinigestrasse Open
Day 1 Results

Singles - Qualifying Round

Qualifier 1
Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher (Q) (QUE)     6   6
Lïnumeda Kondu (Q) (HAF)              4   1


Qualifier 2
Tena Špiričić (Q) (SRE)               6   4   6
Benedicto Napoletani (Q) (YVK)        2   6   2


Qualifier 3
Gjörëg Čëtan (Q) (HAF)                2   4
Louis Yeo-Jongilanga (Q) (QUE)        6   6


Qualifier 4
John Ivanisevic (Q) (BGG)             6   7   4
Ivan Štimac (Q) (SRE)                 7   6   6


Qualifier 5
Constantino Benedetto (Q) (YVK)       0   4
Lucija Bagarić (Q) (SRE)              6   6

---

Day 2 - Matches

Doubles - Qualifying Round
Doubles Qualifier: DQ-1: Shima Kuyo/Tanya Kumari (HTK) vs Oleg Ivanov/Artyom Petrenko (WSN) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM
Doubles Qualifier: DQ-2: Karl Ballard/Gabe Casey (NOV) vs Mirco Tonti/Leandro Baliani (SOR) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM
Doubles Qualifier: DQ-3: Constantino Benedetto/Benedicto Napoletani (YVK) vs Emilio Robles/Arlo Daniels (BUC) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM
Doubles Qualifier: DQ-4: Tena Špiričić/Bojana Španović (SRE) vs Samantha Budjedtson/Peter Feachell (INS) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM
Doubles Qualifier: DQ-5: Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher/Oh Seung-Yin (QUE) vs Lïnumeda Kondu/Nina Dolvanova (HAF) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM

Singles - First Round

Section 1
SR96-1: Andrea Vergnani (SOR) vs Orsolya Szabo (GGY) - Court der Smash - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM
SR96-2: Ivan Štimac (SRE) vs Goran McEnroe (BGG) - Court der Freilos - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM
SR96-3: Augusta Björnstjärna (PUG) vs Rhonda Robbins (NOV) - Court der Volley - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM
SR96-4: Davi Malakkar (ACS) vs Joel Coleman (NOV) - Court der Volley - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM

Section 2
SR96-5: Haikal Jansen (SHT) vs Batera Siwara (ERM) - Court der Smash - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
SR96-6: Bianka Arendt (GGY) vs Azam Bestari (KNC) - Court der As - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM
SR96-7: Sephora Calabrese (SQR) vs Amina Wira (KNC) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 2, 5:00 PM
SR96-8: Ayu Ratih Kemalasari (PCU) vs Arthur Leloup (RCN) - Court der Smash - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM

Section 3
SR96-9: Fredrik Stagnelius (PUG) vs Arlo Daniels (BUC) - Court der As - IC Day 2, 5:00 PM
SR96-10: ProudSmith (SSI) vs IllusiveTramp (SSI) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM
SR96-11: Louis Yeo-Jongilanga (QUE) vs Nina Dolvanova (HAF) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
SR96-12: Iris Bergadhga (ACS) vs Alain Moreau (NOV) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM

Section 4
SR96-13: Sunil Kali (HTK) vs Ralph Newkärn (BRI) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM
SR96-14: Zunaira Hardy (BUC) vs Tena Špiričić (SRE) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
SR96-15: Sekar Laut (ERM) vs Rivera Bassett (BUC) - Court der Volley - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM
SR96-16: Lucas Parvash (ACS) vs Arabella McCarthy (QUE) - Court der As - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM

Section 5
SR96-17: Hemat Darwisa (ERM) vs Laura Sparks (NOV) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM
SR96-18: Graziano Giunti (SOR) vs Armin Miksa (GGY) - Court der Smash - IC Day 2, 5:00 PM
SR96-19: Milo Ealdræd (SSI) vs Mirco Tonti (SOR) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
SR96-20: Mekar Laut (ERM) vs Niels Alberink (SQR) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM

Section 6
SR96-21: Margie Brown (GRU) vs Napoleon Asturias (YVK) - Court der As - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM
SR96-22: Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher (QUE) vs Amara Charles (BUC) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
SR96-23: Botack Andiam (CEN) vs Mathew Giovanni (INS) - Court der Smash - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM
SR96-24: Johmer Vales (CEN) vs Marcel Bilodeau (QUE) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM

Section 7
SR96-25: Teegan Sosa (GRU) vs Lucy Muneer (SHT) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM
SR96-26: Lucija Bagarić (SRE) vs Stephen Saltswoon (INS) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
SR96-27: Tangeus Falk (PUG) vs Thaddeus Copi (YVK) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 2, 5:00 PM
SR96-28: Diệp Van der Hout (SQR) vs Aoi Kanto (HTK) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 2, 1:00 PM

Section 8
SR96-29: Ljubomir Ivanković (SRE) vs Gregory Huemenn (INS) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 2, 5:00 PM
SR96-30: Rof Leshner (HTK) vs Jester Roy (HTK) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 2, 10:00 AM
SR96-31: Badan Knačpïh (HAF) vs George Mellintus (INS) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM
SR96-32: Eva Sarvan (ACS) vs Odelia Ayers (SSI) - Court der As - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM

[Srednjaci]

Third Steinigestrasse Open

Steinigestrasse Tennis Club- Ingbert-Borbely, Gergary

IT'S TENNIS TIME WITH IVAN JURLINA

REPORTER IVAN JURLINA : Dear viewers, welcome to the show "It's Tennis time"!
The tennis season is starting, our tennis players are entering the international scene for the first time, it will not be easy.
We will of course broadcast matches from the Steinigestrasse Tennis Club, Ingbert-Borbely capital city of Gergary. The Third Steinigestrasse Open begins and our representatives are mostly in the qualifiers.
With us in the studio are our young tennis players who are preparing for the NTC Academy for tournaments, Alina Koreleva, Igor Matković, Josip Ratković and Dora Klemenčić.
Ladies have the advantage so we will ask Alina first.
Alina, who do you think will play best here?
Here is the shedule ...

Court de Mietfrist
Singles Qualifier: SQ-1: Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher (QUE) vs Lïnumeda Kondu (HAF) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 1, 8:00 AM
Singles Qualifier: SQ-2: Tena Špiričić (SRE) vs Benedicto Napoletani (YVK) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 1, 10:00 AM
Singles Qualifier: SQ-3: Gjörëg Čëtan (HAF) vs Louis Yeo-Jongilanga (QUE) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 1, 1:00 PM

Court de Fehler
Singles Qualifier: SQ-4: John Ivanisevic (BGG) vs Ivan Štimac (SRE) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 1, 1:00 PM
Singles Qualifier: SQ-5: Constantino Benedetto (YVK) vs Lucija Bagarić (SRE) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 1, 3:00 PM

ALINA: It is difficult to answer that question now, but if I bet then it would be Lucija Bagarić. But we don’t know anything at all about the opponents, this is our first international season.

REPORTER: why Lucija?

ALINA: I played against her and I know how powerful she is. She has very heavy and fast balls and her service is atomic. It's hard to bring him back.

REPORTER: How did you fare in those matches against her?

ALINA: ahahaha I did badly, I lost both matches with 6: 2 and 6: 1!

REPORTER: That was last year?

ALINA: Yes, last year.

REPORTER: What has changed for you during this break?

ALINA: I am adult of age hahah, I turned 18 years old. I am now working with a new team led by Henry Tabolt. I made a lot of progress in my game and especially in stability.

REPORTER: Dora, what do you think?

DORA: hmm, everything is open to me here, Lucija plays really phenomenal tennis, but the others can pass as well. It all depends on themselves and the approach to the game.

REPORTER: Did you play against any of them?

DORA: I was injured most of the season last season, but I played once against Bagarić and I lost with 6: 4, 6: 0 and once I played in a pair with Bojana Španović and we reached the semifinals where we lost to the pair Farkaš / Ibrahimović.

REPORTER: How do you feel after this break?

DORA: Rehabilitation has passed, during this break I trained hard and now I am with my team at the National Tennis Center preparing for the season.

REPORTER: Junior champion of the country Igor Matković is with us.Tell me, who do you think could go on?

MATKOVIĆ: I hope everyone. Although I would say that Lucija has the most chances, but again we look at her by her powerful game, but we don't know what kind of opponent Benedetto is .

REPORTER: Did you play with any of them?

MATKOVIĆ: no hahaha, just like sparring with Ljubomir Ivanković. We are both with the same coach, so we play a sparring match.

REPORTER: You dominated the junior tournaments in DR Srednjaci last season, did you change anything in the game?

MATKOVIĆ: Yes, I have changed my way of moving a lot and I have progressed in all segments so I am satisfied for now.

REPORTER: Josip Ratković, another young talent and player. You started great last season, your first senior, two semifinals from the qualifications. Dormatisi Open and Dalatia Bank Circuit, you made a great breakthrough from the qualifiers, made a few surprises and then an injury.

RATKOVIC: Yes, an ankle injury and then knee surgery after that, I didn't play until the final tournament of the Srednjaci championship. I passed the first round but in the second I lost smoothly to Ljubomir Ivanković.

REPORTER: Are the injuries behind you?

RATKOVIC: Yes, the injuries are behind me, I hope. I play well, I work well with my team and I look forward to the season.

REPORTER: According to you, who passes further.

RATKOVIC: I believe that in the individual competition everyone and in the pair I give chances only to Farkaš / Ibrahimović.

REPORTER: Thank you for now. Dear viewers, we go to the block of commercials and then join the picture on the field Court die Mietfrist and the match Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher (QUE) vs Lïnumeda Kondu (HAF) because after that match there is a match Tena Špiričić (SRE) vs Benedicto Napoletani (YVK)

[TJUN-ia]

Well then...It's good to be back, isn't it? After a month or so of waiting for something to happen, we're finally in Gergary for the 3rd Steinigestraße Open! The top 4 TJUN-ian players in the rankings are here to look for more opportunities to prove themselves before the Electrum Slam in a few weeks time. We haven't seen these players since the Cenian Open a while back, so...what's the status?

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SINGLES, BABY!

Last time out, Scarlet proved once again that she has a claim on the title of the ruler of TJUN-ian tennis with a semi-final run that saw her overcome her countryman in a 1st ever Old Derby before falling in 5 sets to eventual champion Fiorenzo Tartoni of San Ortelio. What he achieved for a nation with little NSTT experience prior to the tournament was truly something and now, 9th seeded Spetsova will be looking to try and reach his level once again and prove that she still has the abilities to play well in both draws of the NSTT. Her Singles run begins in Round 2, where she will take on the victor of the surprsingly-unranked Botack Andiam of Ceni or Indusse's Mathew Giovanni. My bet is on the first one tbh.

While Scarlet shined once again, De Kloor of Toropo was left with the biggest "what if" of his career. Jean van de Kloor lost in Round 4 to then 7th seed Bodack Andiam...who would then fall to Tartoni in straight sets. The question of how de Kloor would've faired against the San Ortelian has certainly plagued the TJUN-ian tennis forums for a while now and if the "King of TJUN-ian Singles" is to keep his crown, then he must prove he still has it in a tournament like this. In Round 2, he will take on Squidroidia's Sephora Calabrese and Amina Wira of Kencana.

Seeing L'artiste as the 19th seed in the tournament may have been strange this time last year, but that only goes to show just how good Baloui has been in recent tournaments. The only thing that stopped Philippe from reaching another semifinal was Scarlet herself in the Old Derby and now, he will have to prove that this run of form isn't going to end anytime soon. His 2nd Round journey starts against either Eva Sarvan of Acastanha or another player from the old Ferret Cilvilization, this time Odelia Ayers.

While one of "Jolippe" is looking to keep a good run going, The Kat of Horizon will be looking to start one. Katsi fell at the first hurdle in Cenial to, ironically, Gergary's then 31st seed in Orsola Szabo and now, he can feel the doubters returning to his corner. The question is, can he do better as a seeded player? In Round 2, he faces a player from Independent Salmagundi, the successor to the old Ferret Civilization, The question is, which one of their players will he face: ProudSmith or IllusiveTramp?

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DOUBLE TROUBLE

While Scarlet did well in the Singles, her time with The Cowboy in the doubles didn't go as well as TJUN-ia's first champions lost to a team from our arch-rivals in Kohnhead ( Riley Dovatin and Melissa Turnface te be exact). The 2nd seeds here Gergary, there will be a lot of pressure on their shoulders to perform - especially with Spetsova taking both draws as normal. She and McDanielson will start in Round 1 against a qualifying match winner: either Hebitaka's Leo Shenron and Erika Kamamoto or another team from Kohnhead, this time Bradley Kohnface and Erin Maldry. For the sake of revenge, I know who most people want #Austina to face.

Samurai Shinji and El Matador was the TJUN-ian story of the doubles in Cenial, beating two home pairings on route to the Final - only to come just short at the hands of Electrum's Sara Zhou and Ceni's Gyrachor Rentos, the two GOAT nations of the NSTT telling TJUN-ia "Oh no, you're not at our level just yet" in 3 sets. Entering his tournament as the 7th seeds (two TJUN-ian parings in the Top 10 seeds, my goodness), these two have the eyes of TJUN-ia all on them for two main reasons, as people wonder if they can go one better here and also some are trying to see if they are a pairing to be shipped. They begin in Round 1 as well, taking on either Bucklin's Amara Charles or Rivera Bassett or Ana and Eva Radkkar of Acastanha.

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Order of Play
Singles Round 2
[11] Jean van de Kloor (TJU) vs Sephora Calabrese (SQR) or Amina Wira (KNC) (23/02)
[30] Joe Katsi (TJU) vs ProudSmith (SSI) or IllusiveTramp (SSI) (23/02)
[9] Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs Botack Andiam (CEN) or Mathew Giovanni (INS) (23/02)
[19] Philippe Baloui (TJU) vs vs Eva Sarvan (ACS) or Odelia Ayers (SSI) (23/02)

Doubles Round 1
[7] Shinji Makauchi/Felipe de la Rosa (TJU) vs Amara Charles/Rivera Bassett (BUC) or Ana Radkkar/Eva Radkkar (ACS)
[2] Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU) vs Leo Shenron/Erika Kamamoto (HTK) or Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)

[Kohnhead]

It's time for Steinigestrasse - Singles Preview

For the first time Kohnheadian tennis athletes will be participating in an event for the second time as we were here for the 2nd Steinigestrasse Open where Mindy Waterford made it all the way to the Finals in her second ever tournament, a tier 2 at the time. Now Steinigestrasse has been upgraded for its 3rd edition to a tier 1 meaning that Kohnhead will be sending our four best singles players and our two best doubles pairs along with the mixed nation double of Kohnhead and Hathwar as per usual.

Mindy Waterford (8)
The number eight in the World, Mindy Waterford comes into this tournament as the 5th seed right on the heels of her performance in Ceni with the opening Grand Slam. Mindy made it all the way to the Finals before losing to surprise finalist and winner Fiorenzo Tartoni out of San Ortelio a newer powerhouse to the sport. Mindy looked hungry and motivated the entire time following a poor finish to her rookie campaign believing she deserved a spot in the NSTT Finals.

Mindy will receive a bye into the second round where she will face one of Ljubomir Ivanković or Gregory Huemenn. The former in Ivanković is an unranked player but is the number 1 in a nation new to the scene in Srednjaci and will be the heavy underdog against Heumenn. Speaking of which, Huemenn is the 117th ranked out of Indusse who did not compete at Ceni nor Mendez Bay and thus will be making his season 7 debut as well. Mindy should have no problems with either of them.

Bartholomew Pole (12)
Pole made it to the round of 16 in Ceni and will be here in Steinigestrasse ready to continue his climb up the rankings as Kohnhead's number 2. While he struggled immensely on the outdoor courts last season, it was a relief to see that poor play on the oustide hard courts didn't continue at least in Ceni. Pole comes into this seeded 8th and just like Mindy and just like all four of our singles players he will have a bye to the second round.

Pole's second round matchup will feature him against either Ralph Newkärn or Sunil Kali. The former is ranked 140th and comes out of Britonisea and is coming off of a poor performance in Ceni at the Grand Slam and he did not compete at the Mendez Bay Open. Kali comes out of newer nation Hebitaka and will be competing for the first time this season and for the first time on hard court at the NSTT and has a ranking of 275 so Kali will be the underdog. Pole should be a heavy favorite against either opponent although lesser so against Newkärn. If Pole and Rodrick Uppatin (we will get to him soon) both win they will meet each other in the third round to the delight or dismay of Kohnhead fans.

Theresa Waterford (38)
Theresa has definitely fallen off since her highs during the clay court last season and unlike her sister who also struggled on grass and the indoor court, Waterford did not have a bounce back tournament at Ceni instead losing in her first match against Maddison Scott of Electrum. Theresa has been seeded 22nd for the tournament and hopefully can renew her good performances. She looked quite emotional following the loss to Scott and while she declined to talk to the media before the tournament reports indicate that she has looked motivated and is ready for Steinigestrasse.

Her second round matchup will potentially see her taking on Sekar Laut out of Eraman who will be appearing for the first time in season 7 (sensing a pattern here) here at Steinigestrasse. Laut is ranked 124th in the World and had done pretty well through the first half of season 6 before Eraman did not return to the NSTT, fortunately they are back now and as is Laut. However she could be taking on Niels Alberink out of the newest NSTT host in Squidroida who recently were given rights to the Squidroidian Open in Mount Laguna Bay which will take place as the grass tier 2 tournament. Albernink is ranked 127th and while he expectantly struggled at Ceni he went decently far at the Mendez Bay Open.

Rodrick Uppatin (52)
It's safe to say that Uppatin is feeling the heat following the performance of Chad Cilsertin at Ceni where he made it to the round of 32, and Anthony Powers who is coming off of a silver medal in Northwest Kalactin. Uppatin did win a single game in Ceni but it hasn't been enough and with Powers only ranked three spots behind him and younger with more upside Uppatin will need to show he belongs as the Kohnhead #4. Uppatin will be facing some real adversity here and his response to it will be telling about his NSTT future.

Uppatin will be taking on either Zunaira Hardy from our overseas territory in Bucklin or Tena Špiričić out of Srednjaci. Špiričić is obviously unranked because as mentioned before this is the first tournament the nation of Srednjaci is competing in but Špiričić just won a three set battle with Benedicto Napoletani so skills are clearly there. Hardy actually did pretty well in her first tournament in Ceni but was interestingly held out of Mendez Bay in favor of Steinigestrasse making it her second NSTT tournament. As mentioned before Uppatin could have a round three (round of 32) matchup with Bartholomew Pole if both players win their opening matches.

[Srednjaci]

ALL OUR SINGLE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE QUALIFICATIONS PASSED FURTHER

IT'S TIME FOR TENNIS
By Ivan Jurlina

Constantino Benedetto (Q) (YVK) 0 4
Lucija Bagarić (Q) (SRE) 6 6
Incredible and unrepeatable Lucija Bagarić swept Constantino Benedetto with 6: 0, 6: 4! In the first set, Lucija demonstrated pure strength, served brilliantly and served 7 aces of service, moved explosively and returned each opponent's ball even faster and stronger. Benedetto tried to change the game but failed. Bagarić is in the lead of 4: 0 until the end of the set, she did not drop a single point! She scored 8 points in a row, the opponent could only wave his hands.
The statistics of the first set actually show that Lucia hit 16 winners and had only 2 unforced errors. 88% of the first serve and 82% of the points scored after the first serve.
We watch the second set in a different rhythm, Lucija plays strongly again, the opponent defends but Lucija hurries to finish the match as soon as possible and makes more unforced errors.
Benedetto sees his opportunity and defends his serves. Although Lucija Bagarić had 3 break points at 2: 2, she did not use any of them. At 4: 4, Lucia changed tactics, not in a hurry, patiently building a point and with his devastating one-handed backhand doing damage to the Benedetto game. Great return and there is a break for 5: 4 and service Bagarić. Bagarić did not miss that and won the game without losing a point.

John Ivanisevic (Q) (BGG) 6 7 4
Ivan Štimac (Q) (SRE) 7 6 6
Unlike Lucija Bagarić, a very exhausting match was played by Ivan Štimac and John Ivanisevic.
Two tie breaks were played, the first was won by Ivanisevic with 7: 3! The second set was a copy of the first, without breaks and on one side, and the set again took the tie break that Ještimac won with 10: 8! He had Ivanisevic in that tie break and match ball at 8: 7 but failed to take advantage. In the harder set, Štimac immediately used the first break ball and saved his serve until the end and won with 6: 4!
We have never seen such a psychological game with Ivan Štimac. Great!

Tena Špiričić (Q) (SRE) 6 4 6
Benedicto Napoletani (Q) (YVK) 2 6 2
Tena Špiričić shone again and played cunningly and wisely. She made very few mistakes and kept running for every ball. this will be great for her and her confidence. A high first-serve interception percentage of 91% and an additional 81% of points scored after the first serve brought her opponent to the edge of his nerves.
She read the opponent's service very well and so she had as many as 7 return winners!

They also found out the opponents in the first round, so a lot of exciting matches await us.

Ivan Štimac (SRE) vs Goran McEnroe (BGG) - Court der Freilos - IC Day 2, 8:00 AM
Zunaira Hardy (BUC) vs Tena Špiričić (SRE) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
Lucija Bagarić (SRE) vs Stephen Saltswoon (INS) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 2, 3:00 PM
Ljubomir Ivanković (SRE) vs Gregory Huemenn (INS) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 2, 5:00 PM

[Ceni]

Grand Slam Announces: The Silver Racquet Awards, Season 6 (Part 1)

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Since the NSTT has not assembled an official awards list for the 6th season of the NationStates Tennis Tour, Grand Slam has decided to put together its own awards: the Silver Racquet Awards. Fans, players, and coaches, where applicable, will have until March 3 to submit their votes in the various categories, and we will release the winners on March 5!

Without further ado, here are the nominations!

Player of the Year
This award is presented to the player who achieved the world no. 1 rank at the end of the season. Determined by NSTT rankings.

This award goes to Bartolo Sabanero of Aqual, who achieved the world no. 1 rank with 6,445 points. Sabanero missed the outdoor hard court season. When he debuted in the Istria Open in Banija, nobody predicted he would go on to win the Hamilton International — he crashed out in the round of 64 in Istria and in the next tournament, the Beçonailles in Reçueçn. But he went on a tear after that, winning the AOpen and the Mercedinian Open on grass. Although he did poorly in the indoor hard court season, Sabanero is the first player in recent memory to win the clay court Grand Slam and the grass court Grand Slam, a hard-to-achieve feat. Congratulations to Sabanero for locking up this award!

Doubles Team of the Year
This award is presented to the doubles team who achieved the no. 1 position in the NSTT team rankings, taking the NSTT Finals into account. Determined by NSTT rankings.

This award goes to Sonya Gredello and Rosa Levinsky of Electrum, who achieved the world no. 1 position with 6,145 points. Ronya, as their fans affectionately call them, are no strangers to the NSTT tour: They had achieved the world no. 1 status in the NSTT's prior iterations. Upon returning, they made no mistake about their intentions, winning the AOpen on grass and the Beçonailles on clay. (Anything sound familiar?) Indeed, they were certainly the most consistent team on the tour, crashing out before the quarterfinals only one time, and sewed up the world no. 1 ranking handily even after missing the Ubung Open. They ended their year with a loss to their perennial rivals, the Xal sisters of Ceni, and failed to capture the NSTT Finals. Nonetheless, they still had an extremely successful season. Congratulations to Ronya!

Comeback Player of the Year
This award is presented to a player who, after a significant absence from the tour, has reestablished him or herself as one of the leading players on the tour. Determined by a vote of NSTT coaches.

Dominika Lisicki ended NSTT season 5 as the world number 15 but she certainly made her return count, making her way to world number 2. She started off her return with a bang, winning the Electrum Slam and taking home a cool 2,000 points (which temporarily made her world number 1). She then followed up that performance with the quarterfinal at the Kinterten and Mercedini, the semifinals at the Beçonailles, and the title at her home tournament in Burges. Although the government of Mattijana has since ceased to exist, along with its national federation, Lisicki certainly fits the criteria for comeback player — she certainly reestablished herself as a force on tour.

Dewa Putu Adrian Putra's last significant performance on the tour was back in Season 2, when he reached the semifinals of the Cenian Open and ended the year at world number 8. He would fall to number 57 in Season 3 and number 336 in Season 4, but in Season 6, he was back with a vengeance. With victories at the Kinterten and the Ethanian Open, Putra — along with his compatriot Ngurah Putra Muliawan — put Pemecutan back on the map as a tennis powerhouse. Putra has certainly come back from the brink to become a force on the tour.

Lonus Varalin is a bit of a strange choice for comeback player of the year, but he certainly deserves it with one of the best win-loss ratios on tour. Despite playing three tournaments in Season 6, Varalin ended up as world no. 11, with a little help from his protected ranking: Upon his return, he won the Ubung Open, defeating world no. 2 Dominika Lisicki and world no. 7 Mattias Burges along the way. He followed that up with a run to the final at the International Tennis Trophy, along with Ardil Navsal, and a run to the final of the Diamond Trophy, where he lost to the newcomer Jean van de Kloor. Varalin's first three tournaments back were certainly a success, and he has big plans for Season 7.

Newcomer of the Year
This award is presented to a player from a new nation on the NSTT Tour who nonetheless made an outstanding contribution to the Tour, or a new player from an established nation who makes an outstanding contribution. Determined by a vote of NSTT coaches.

Bartolo Sabanero needs no further introduction: as a newcomer to the NSTT Tour, Sabanero catapulted into the top ranks as the world no. 1.

Gaëlle Sellier of Reçueçn won no major titles and made no major finals, but nobody can accuse her of being inconsistent. She racked up more than 2,000 points with a string of quarterfinals and semifinals at Tier 1 tournament across the world, including a quarterfinal at her home tournament and a semifinal in Mercedini. The NSTT has seemingly produced a lot of all-court players recently, and Sellier has been no exception.

Mindy Waterford ended the season at world number 12, the highest ranking ever from the debuting nation of Kohnhead. Waterford, whose friendly rivalry with her twin sister Theresa molded her experiences on tour, had a breakout performance at the third tournament of the year, the Steinegestrasse Open, where she pounded her way to the final. She also reached the semifinals at the Mattijana Open on clay. Waterford definitely fits the trend of all-court players, and her run to the final of the Cenian Open this year (not included in the calculations for this award) only showcased her potential.

Jean van de Kloor (who is from Toropo, as the TJUN-ian media never hesitate to point out) started his NSTT career at the very first tournament in its revival, the Electrum Slam. He made it count, winning that tournament's Best Underdog Trophy for making it to the quarterfinals. He repeated that performance with a quarterfinal run at the Hamilton International. Most of all, though, he won the Diamond Trophy with a commanding final performance against the returning Cenian player Lonus Varalin. Even though he is only ranked number 14, van de Kloor certainly made a positive impact on the tour in his first year.

Most Improved Player of the Year
This award is presented to a player who reached a significantly higher NSTT ranking by year’s end and demonstrated an increasingly improved level of performance through the year. Decided by a vote of NSTT coaches.

Mattias Burges was ranked number 40 at the end of Season 5 — but by the end of the season, he was ranked number 7. He won the Steinegestrasse Open back when it was a Tier 2 tournament to get on the map, and didn't stop from there. Despite a devastating loss in the first round of his home tournament, he reached the quarterfinals at Hamilton, the semifinals at Ubung and Ethane, and the final at Mercedini. Throughout season 6, he has been quite consistent, catapulting himself into the world's top 10 and a spot at the NSTT Finals.

Pelissa Giannopolous found herself in a similar situation to Burges — ranked number 42 at the end of Season 5, she worked her way up to world number four and the final at the NSTT finals itself. Although she did poorly at tournaments on home soil, Giannopolous won the Salvador Hills Open in Grearia to get a jump start on the grass season -- and then proceeded to reach the final at the AOpen and at Ethane. Giannopolous is certainly one of the NSTT's best gradd court players, and definitely a contender for Most Improved Player for the year.

Houston Sawyer started out the NSTT with a fairly mediocre performance, failing to get past the third round of any tournament he played in and crashing out in the first round of two Tier 2 tournaments. But at the International Tennis Trophy, he walked away with a cool 320 points after Squidroidia's quarterfinal run. In turn, this solid performance led to his invitation to the prestigious Diamond Trophy where he won his group and reached the quarterfinals. For this significant performance improvement in the latter half of the season, he is certainly a contender for this award.

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OOC Notes
Please send in votes for these awards to me via TG, or alternatively DM me (credo) on Discord. I'm also happy to take write-in nominations via TG or DM. In making nominations, I also tried to limit to one per nation in each category. I'll try to have the nominations for the second part up tomorrow. Importantly: OOC players cannot vote for players/entities in nations that they control.

[Baggieland]

[Gnejs]

En route

It wasn’t a very long trek, but it would take him a bit over two turns of daylight to get there. He didn't bring much, preferring to travel light. Lugging stuff slowed him down, and considerably more so now compared to his younger days. The fishing rod and the good knife, water and matches, dried fruit and berries. The trek would bring him by deep pools were bounty would be plenty, so he'd have no problem securing additional food. The snow had already grown deep and he would need his good boots. A shame, as he preferred to travel barefoot. Touching the earth with your bare feet, picking up the electromagnetic waves flowing between the north and south poles were like getting a thousand shots of antioxidants raging through your system, transforming your blood and opening it up for nutrients and oxygen, purging you of inflammation. It was harder staying healthy in winter, and by now he hadn't seen the sun for weeks. Even though he dreaded the crowds and the loudness of The Hearth, he was looking forward to this visit since he would finally get to see his Augusta play. Last time had been early fall when she was playing in the Salvador Hills, and then he had only been able to see the last set. His grey, shoulder-length hair and beard almost blended in with the thicket as he started making his way down the plateau.

If the sun had been visible through the thick white clouds, it probably would've been sending golden rays towards him before disappearing behind the wooden hills. It was harder getting the time right without the sun, but it felt like only a few more hours before complete darkness descended. The pond was silent. Colloquially called Hvitsten (White Rock), it was a place he knew well. Fishing was usually good here. Brown Trout. They can be difficult to pin down, but time had tought him valuble tricks for how to fool that little shiny fish. Ideally he would've made camp a bit further north where he knew of a lean-to of sorts. But the streams up there were empty this time of year. Ten years ago he would've fished at the Hvitsten and then pushed on to reach it by nightfall, but not anymore. That was the dilemma of old age; decent food and rough sleeping, or go hungry and sleep comfortably.

He set up by one of the holes someone had left from ealirer that day. It was only lightly iced over and easily reopened with a few thumps from his knife. He loosened the fly and the string started going downwards. A few minutes went by. No trout hungry for fly, not yet at least. The pull in the line became weaker as it slid deeper and deeper. But patience is the virtue, he knew that. When you've done it since you were a little boy, you know. The attack is the most important part. When you see that line stetch, you have to jerk it quickly. If you don't, the fish'll spit the fly out, because she'll feel it's not proper food but a metal hook with a feather on it. And when you know all this, as he did, it can suddenly happen - what is happening right now - a glistening trout. Down into the bag it goes. Enough for a dinner for one by the evening fire. A few hours of sleep, but nothing excessive. On his usual supply trips he'd travel via the more accesible eastern trek, but time was of the essence. Augustas game was tomorrow at 13.00.

[Gergary]

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

Sport
Gergarian Tennis Series announced - Tennis clubs around Gergary rumored to poach players from VfR Steinigestrasse

STEINIGESTRASSE - The days of domination of the Steinigestrasse Tennis Club may be numbered.

Gergarian sporting authorities have announced during the opening ceremonies in this season's Steinigestrasse Open that a national tennis circuit involving numerous emerging tennis clubs in the nation, VfR Steinigestrasse included, will start parallel to the Nationstates Tennis Tour (NSTT), and will affect how Gergary would send tennis representatives to the multiversal competition.

The announcement made a stir to the Gergarian tennis hierarchy, as it was well known that all the nation's representatives came from VfRS, the oldest tennis club in the nation, which includes current Open participants Donat Kis, Armin Miksa, Orsolya Szabo, and Bianka Arendt, which the latter three will have first round matches today in various courts in Day 2 of the Open. It has been long rumored that several players would have received a substantial offer to lead the other established tennis clubs, with Milchmaenner Tennis Club already reached a deal with Ralph Henschel to represent them in the coming series.

Kis, himself rumored to joining Pas Tennis Clun, has declined any rumors linking him and the club in his hometown of Pas. More information about this national series will be released to the public in the coming days.

[Gergary]

The 3rd Steinigestrasse Open
Day 2 Results

Doubles - Qualifying Round

Qualifier 1
Shima Kuyo/Tanya Kumari (Q) (HTK)                        4   6
Oleg Ivanov/Artyom Petrenko (Q) (WSN)                    6   7


Qualifier 2
Karl Ballard/Gabe Casey (Q) (NOV)                        6   6
Mirco Tonti/Leandro Baliani (Q) (SOR)                    4   4


Qualifier 3
Constantino Benedetto/Benedicto Napoletani (Q) (YVK)     1   2
Emilio Robles/Arlo Daniels (Q) (BUC)                     6   6


Qualifier 4
Tena Špiričić/Bojana Španović (Q) (SRE)                  2   6   6
Samantha Budjedtson/Peter Feachell (Q) (INS)             6   2   8


Qualifier 5
Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher/Oh Seung-Yin (Q) (QUE)           6   6
Lïnumeda Kondu/Nina Dolvanova (Q) (HAF)                  3   1

Singles - First Round

Section 1
Andrea Vergnani (SOR)                 2   2
Orsolya Szabo (GGY)                   6   6

Ivan Štimac (Q) (SRE)                 7   6
Goran McEnroe (BGG)                   5   3

Augusta Björnstjärna (PUG)            5   7   6
Rhonda Robbins (NOV)                  7   5   1

Davi Malakkar (ACS)                   7   6
Joel Coleman (NOV)                    5   1


Section 2
Haikal Jansen (SHT)                   6   6
Batera Siwara (ERM)                   1   4

Bianka Arendt (GGY)                   6   6
Azam Bestari (KNC)                    4   2

Sephora Calabrese (SQR)               3   7   6
Amina Wira (KNC)                      6   5   1

Ayu Ratih Kemalasari (PCU)            7   6
Arthur Leloup (RCN)                   5   4


Section 3
Fredrik Stagnelius (PUG)              7   6
Arlo Daniels (BUC)                    6   3

ProudSmith (SSI)                      6   6
IllusiveTramp (SSI)                   4   4

Louis Yeo-Jongilanga (Q) (QUE)        4   7   3
Nina Dolvanova (HAF)                  6   5   6

Iris Bergadhga (ACS)                  7   6
Alain Moreau (NOV)                    5   4


Section 4
Sunil Kali (HTK)                      3   1
Ralph Newkärn (BRI)                   6   6

Zunaira Hardy (BUC)                   4   7   0
Tena Špiričić (Q) (SRE)               6   6   6

Sekar Laut (ERM)                      4   6   6
Rivera Bassett (BUC)                  6   3   0

Lucas Parvash (ACS)                   6   2   9
Arabella McCarthy (QUE)               4   6   7


Section 5
Hemat Darwisa (ERM)                   7   6
Laura Sparks (NOV)                    6   2

Graziano Giunti (SOR)                 5   3
Armin Miksa (GGY)                     7   6

Milo Ealdræd (SSI)                    6   7
Mirco Tonti (SOR)                     4   5

Mekar Laut (ERM)                      7   6
Niels Alberink (SQR)                  5   1


Section 6
Margie Brown (GRU)                    5   6   6
Napoleon Asturias (YVK)               7   2   4

Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher (Q) (QUE)     3   5
Amara Charles (BUC)                   6   7

Botack Andiam (CEN)                   4   2
Mathew Giovanni (INS)                 6   6

Johmer Vales (CEN)                    6   6
Marcel Bilodeau (QUE)                 4   4


Section 7
Teegan Sosa (GRU)                     6   6
Lucy Muneer (SHT)                     2   4

Lucija Bagarić (Q) (SRE)              6   4   1
Stephen Saltswoon (INS)               4   6   6

Tangeus Falk (PUG)                    6   6
Thaddeus Copi (YVK)                   2   4

Diệp Van der Hout (SQR)               2   4
Aoi Kanto (HTK)                       6   6


Section 8
Ljubomir Ivanković (SRE)              6   1   6
Gregory Huemenn (INS)                 4   6   4

Rof Leshner (HTK)                     5   6
Jester Roy (HTK)                      7   7

Badan Knačpïh (HAF)                   1   6   6
George Mellintus (INS)                6   3   1

Eva Sarvan (ACS)                      7   7
Odelia Ayers (SSI)                    6   6

---

Day 3 - Matches

Doubles - First Round
Section 1
DR48-1: Jordina Silva/Fonzie Sartin (INS) vs (Q1) Oleg Ivanov/Artyom Petrenko (WSN) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
DR48-2: Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (GGY) vs Batera Siwara/Hemat Darwisa (ERM) - Court der As - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
DR48-3: Amara Charles/Rivera Bassett (BUC) vs Ana Radkkar/Eva Radkkar (ACS) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM
DR48-4: Milo Ealdræd/ProudSmith (SSI) vs Fiorenzo Tartoni/Andrea Vergnani (SOR) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM

Section 2
DR48-5: Toma Karga/Dan Cowden (SQR) vs (Q4) Samantha Budjedtson/Peter Feachell (INS) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM
DR48-6: (Q5) Ruth Geoffrion-Conacher/Oh Seung-Yin (QUE) vs Lance Mance/Ricardo Toli (BRI) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM
DR48-7: Sekar Laut/Mekar Laut (ERM) vs Vanessza Pataki/Marvin Weinwurm (GGY) - Court der As - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM
DR48-8: (Q3) Emilio Robles/Arlo Daniels (BUC) vs (WC) Louis Yeo-Jongilanga/Pierre Dobbelstyn (QUE) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM

Section 3
DR48-9: Leo Shenron/Erika Kamamoto (HTK) vs Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD) - Court der Smash - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
DR48-10: (WC) Gjörëg Čëtan/Badan Knačpïh (HAF) vs Izzat Manson/George Fakhrul (SHT) - Court der Volley - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM
DR48-11: Jeremy Glass/Teegan Sosa (GRU) vs Odelia Ayers/IllusiveTramp (SSI) - Court der Volley - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM
DR48-12: Azam Bestari/Amina Wira (KNC) vs (WC) Laura Sparks/Rhonda Robbins (NOV) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM

Section 4
DR48-13: (Q2) Karl Ballard/Gabe Casey (NOV) vs (WC) Leonid Farkaš/Goran Ibrahimović (SRE) - Court der Fehler - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
DR48-14: (WC) John Ivanisevic/Goran McEnroe (BGG) vs Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar (ACS) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM
DR48-15: Jan Turovets/Vitaly Rakov (WSN) vs Elizabeth Quehall/Leo Garry (BRI) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
DR48-16: (WC) Thaddeus Copi/Napoleon Asturias (YVK) vs Diana Jansen/Haikal Jansen (SHT) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM

Singles - Second Round
Section 1
SR64-1: (1) Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU) vs Orsolya Szabo (GGY) - Court der Smash - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
SR64-2: (27) Martha McNeil (GRU) vs (Q4) Ivan Štimac (SRE) - Court der Volley - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
SR64-3: (14) Jeff Rogers (GRU) vs Augusta Björnstjärna (PUG) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
SR64-4: (17) Ricardo Toli (BRI) vs Davi Malakkar (ACS) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM

Section 2
SR64-5: (7) Fiorenzo Tartoni (SOR) vs Haikal Jansen (SHT) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM
SR64-6: (28) Leo Garry (BRI) vs Bianka Arendt (GGY) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM
SR64-7: (11) Jean van de Kloor (TJU) vs Sephora Calabrese (SQR) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
SR64-8: (21) Vladimir Mikhailov (WSN) vs Ayu Ratih Kemalasari (PCU) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM

Section 3
SR64-9: (3) Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU) vs Fredrik Stagnelius (PUG) - Court der Smash - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM
SR64-10: (30) Joe Katsi (TJU) vs ProudSmith (SSI) - Court der Volley - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
SR64-11: (13) Abelie Fontana (RCN) vs Nina Dolvanova (HAF) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM
SR64-12: (18) Donat Kis (GGY) vs Iris Bergadhga (ACS) - Court der As - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM

Section 4
SR64-13: (8) Bartholomew Pole (KHD) vs Ralph Newkärn (BRI) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
SR64-14: (31) Rodrick Uppatin (KHD) vs (Q2) Tena Špiričić (SRE) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM
SR64-15: (12) Ardil Navsal (CEN) vs Sekar Laut (ERM) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM
SR64-16: (24) Houston Sawyer (SQR) vs Lucas Parvash (ACS) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM

Section 5
SR64-17: (2) Pelissa Giannapolous (ETM) vs Hemat Darwisa (ERM) - Court der Smash - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM
SR64-18: (25) Jason Gordon (BRI) vs Armin Miksa (GGY) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM
SR64-19: (16) Naim Alex (SHT) vs Milo Ealdræd (SSI) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM
SR64-20: (22) Theresa Waterford (KHD) vs Mekar Laut (ERM) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM

Section 6
SR64-21: (6) Lonus Varalin (CEN) vs Margie Brown (GRU) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM
SR64-22: (32) Dorotea Granit (PUG) vs Amara Charles (BUC) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
SR64-23: (9) Valentina Spetsova (TJU) vs Mathew Giovanni (INS) - Court der Rallye - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
SR64-24: (20) Lucien Le Floch (RCN) vs Johmer Vales (CEN) - Court der Volley - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM

Section 7
SR64-25: (4) Andrew Simmons (ETM) vs Teegan Sosa (GRU) - Court der As - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
SR64-26: (26) Janet Riley (ETM) vs Stephen Saltswoon (INS) - Court das Freilos - IC Day 3, 5:00 PM
SR64-27: (15) Syamim Kevin (SHT) vs Tangeus Falk (PUG) - Court der Vorteil - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM
SR64-28: (23) Carmichael Brown (ETM) vs Aoi Kanto (HTK) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM

Section 8
SR64-29: (5) Mindy Waterford (KHD) vs Ljubomir Ivanković (SRE) - Court der Smash - IC Day 3, 8:00 AM
SR64-30: (29) Maria Sophia Lubis (PCU) vs Jester Roy (HTK) - Court die Mietfrist - IC Day 3, 3:00 PM
SR64-31: (10) Gaëlle Sellier (RCN) vs Badan Knačpïh (HAF) - Court der Bruch - IC Day 3, 10:00 AM
SR64-32: (19) Philippe Baloui (TJU) vs Eva Sarvan (ACS) - Court die Anfechtung - IC Day 3, 1:00 PM

[Waisnor]

Starting second part with a bang

Oleg Ivanov and Artyom Petrenko became the first Waisnorians to play their matches in Steinigestrasse Open in Gergary, and they certainly knew how to start their performance:

Shima Kuyo/Tanya Kumari (Q) (HTK)                        4   6
Oleg Ivanov/Artyom Petrenko (Q) (WSN)                    6   7

Oleg and Artyom started in the qualifying round with Shima Kuyo and Tanya Kumari from Hebitaka as their first rivals. They were clearly not easy opponents for Ivanov and Petrenko, which they proved in the first set - they managed to take the Waisnorian pair's serves and stay at an approximately equal level. However, Oleg and Artyom knew how to use those moments that were provided to them during the match, and thanks to this they were able to win the first set with a score of 6-4. However, Shima and Tanya were not going to give up just like that and really wanted to take the victory for themselves. And so in the second set, they began to play even more seriously - sometimes it seemed that it was they who could win this set. But Oleg and Artyom were not going to lose, they also played attacking, they were able to put the squeeze on Kuyo and Kumari on the last serve and snatch victory in the second set and the match with a score of 7-6.

[San Ortelio]

“So Mirco, let’s take a look back.”
“Do we have to?”

Mirco Tonti says it with a wide, boyish grin. Twenty years have come and gone, twenty kilograms only came. But despite the weight gain, it is easy to recognize him in the images of the young, hyperkinetic tennis player that start to play. The thick nose below two twinkling eyes, which spit fire one moment and a warm smile the next – that hasn’t changed.

”It’s just nonsense! Nonsense! Look at the print! Look at the f’ing print!”

The images show a young Mirco Tonti, shouting at an umpire whilst waving with his racket to the sideline. The voice-over, a clear broadcaster timbre, takes over.

”The opening round from the Steinigestrasse Open ended in defeat for our young compatriot, who was drawn against Milo Ealdraed, one of the revelations of the hard court season so far. At the point to score a break in the tail end of the second set, which would allow him to draw even after a close opener that had gone to Ealdraed, the umpire ruled this backhand as out. Tonti protested heavily, leading to an official warning. A few minutes later, when Ealdraed decided the confrontation with this serve, his anger had not cooled down yet.”

The pictures show Tonti smacking his racket on the floor, once, twice, before shaking the hand of Ealdraed at the net and putting it away as if nothing happened… Only to grab his tennis bag and whack it to the ground one more time.

“Yeah, that wasn’t my brightest moment,” Mico nods.
“Why the anger?” the interviewer who sits across of him asks. Both sit against the backdrop of a bluescreen, on which the logo of the documentary series Once Upon A Time In Ortelian Sports features.
“Look, I…” Tonti tries to explain it away, “you’re young and eager and… All around you, you see guys doing incredible stuff. Tartoni at the Cenian Open, of course, good old Giunti his track record there, Vergnani beating Giannapoulos, than the Recinella’s win at Mendez Bay,… And everyone is like, when are you going to do something, Mirco?”
“There was quite some pressure on you?”
“That’s the least you can say. And if you’re under pressure, you don’t play as well. Earlier that day, there had already been the doubles game against…”
“Ballard and Casey from Nova Anglicana,” the interviewer adds.
“Right, right,” Tonti confirms.

He pauses for a second, seems to travel back to Gergary in his mind.

“I remember that we shouldn’t have lost that game. Leandro played well but I tried to grab too many winners and in the end, we paid for that with an early elimination. Whilst being so eager to make something of it, so, yeah, … The mood was bad already.”
“How was your second game going?”
“The thing is… I played well. The home audience had been on the hand of Ealdraed, the better known player, at first. And if I got it right, some of our guys had played Gergaryans earlier, so maybe that formed a thing as well. Or maybe it was just me, thinking everyone was against me.”
“Including the umpire?”
“Including the umpire,” Tonti smiled, “but I still think it was in.”
“Fact is that it had its backlash?”
“Least you can say… It impacted my career heavily. The association was quite displeased. Officially, I got reprimanded for putting our nation in a bad daylight and I got scratched of the list for the Electrum Slam.”

Tonti sighs, unable to hide that it still frustrated him.

“Of course I did a stupid thing but I was nineteen… There are others ways to deal with this.”
“You were scratched for both singles and doubles, if I got it correct?”
“Yeah, that as well. Baliani had been dreaming about his grand slam debut for months and then this… This punished him as well, of course. He didn’t talk to me for weeks.”

[Srednjaci]

Steinigestrasse Tennis Club- Ingbert-Borbely, Gergary

IVANKOVIĆ, ŠPIRIČIĆ AND ŠTIMAC IN THE SECOND ROUND, BAGARIĆ OUT

IT'S TENNIS TIME
by Ivan Jurlina


Today, our representatives had the first round matches in singles and the qualification match in the Špiričić / Španović pair.
In single matches, Štimac, Špiričić and Ivanković advanced to the second and second rounds, but Bagarić did not.

Tena Špiričić and Bojana Španović came out on the field in pairs first. They had Samantha Budjedtson / Peter Feachell from Indusse as their opponents.
A great match in which we saw a really handful of beautiful and outstanding points!
In the end, the pair from Indusse was more concentrated and won with 6: 2,2: 6,8: 6!
The girls were really great but in the key moments of the match, two key balls went to the other side, they lost their serve and the Budjedtston / Feachell pair took advantage of that.

Ivan Štimac beat Goran McEnroe in the first round with 7: 5,6: 3!
Stimac served first and immediately lost his serve, McEnroe made a break and took a 1-0 lead, then it was 2-0. McEnroe held a break advantage until serving for a 4-2 lead. McEnroe has a serve, leads 3: 2, serves for 4: 2 but fails to keep the serve. The key was the ball at 40:40. McEnroe threw Ivan Štimac off the field with a great forehand. Seeing that Štimac will reach the ball, McEnroe comes on to the net. Štimac lifts the ball into the air, McEnroe has a smash to score but hits the net. The first break opportunity in the match for Ivan Štimac.
McEnroe does not hit the first serve, on the second serve of only 133 kmh Štimac returns back to the body under the legs, McEnroe fails to control the ball and it ends up in the net, game Štimac, the result 3: 3!
With the result 6: 5 for Ivan Štimac, Goran McEnroe serves, bad interception of the first serve, the second serve Štimac easily attacked and made a break to win the first set 7: 5!

From the statistics of the first set, it is evident that the first serve Goran McEnroe stopped and the percentage dropped from 78% to 57% and the ratio of points won on the second set was catastrophic, only 4/20!
on the other hand, Ivan Štimac reduced the number of unforced errors. Winners vs unforced errors 18:13.
In the second set, we saw both tennis players hold their serves all the way to 4: 3 and McEnroe’s serve to level the score.
McEnroe served desperately bad, his hand trembling at a crucial moment and he made two double-error serves.
Štimac sensed that his opponent was in a light nockdown and attacked every shot.
Creates two break points, 15:40!
McEnroe serves and goes immediately to the net, Štimac catches a good serve, passing shot passes and that's it, break for 5:3!
Stimac is aware of the opportunity and took it. He served great and won the game without losing a point for 6: 3 and the match.

"It wasn't easy, especially not in the first set. I had to be patient and use the slightest opportunity I was given. I'm glad I passed, this is the second victory in a row, after qualifying now and the first round. It's good for self-confidence. I don't know yet who will be my opponent but whoever it is I will do my best to pass. Thank you "said Stimac.

Ivan Štimac (Q) (SRE)                 7   6
Goran McEnroe (BGG)                   5   3

TENA ŠPIRIČIĆ played against Zunair Hardy (BUC) in the first round. This is Tenias third match in two days and today the second match because she lost pairs with Španović in the morning.
It started well for Tena, the first set was quite even. Tena stood well on the field, as usual, she kept her game of long changes from the baseline, she didn't make many mistakes.
Zunaira attacked, but those attacks did not have precision and strength, so Špiričić managed to amortize everything. With the result 4: 4, Zunaira has a serve for 5: 4, but Tena quickly creates two break points, 15:40! Zunaira serves in the middle of 182 km / h, Tena reads the serve and returns the ball diagonally, Zunaira is late for reaction and the ball ends up in the net. Break for a 5: 4 lead!
Tena manages to keep her serve and the first set goes to her with 6: 4!

The second set is a completely different story, something amazing happened. Zunaira quickly made two breaks and took the lead with a high 4: 0! Špiričić is far behind, but he manages to recover, go out more often, play more slices and stretch points.
Zunaira does not react well to the change of rhythm and game and the complexion returns to 6: 6! It's going to a tie break! Zunaira acclimatizes to Tena Špiričić's game and with a few passing shots she takes a 5: 3 advantage, serves and with two aces serves 7: 3 and wins the set with 7: 6!

Someone who is in this position in which Špiričić found herself, mentally and physically would break in the next set, but not Tena!
A great player as she is, Tena put in fifth gear on her serve. She was looking for quick points on her serve and on Zunair's serve for as long as possible changes, she was building point by point, returning everything to the field. Soon Zunaira was annoyed and started making mistake after mistake, the result of the third set 6: 0! Tena left her opponent without winning a game in that set!

"A very difficult match for me. I didn't feel good in the second set, I felt a crisis in my head and body. However, when that crisis passed, I came back again. It was exhausting for me these two days. I'm going to a hotel, vacation and prepare for tomorrow. I know the 31st seed Rodrick Uppatin is waiting for me and I need to rest and prepare for that match. Thank you. " said Tena.

Zunaira Hardy (BUC)                   4   7   0
Tena Špiričić (Q) (SRE)               6   6   6

LJUBOMIR IVANKOVIĆ got a winn. Ivanković, unlike the rest of our representatives, had more rest and entered the match against Gregory Huemenn from Indusse fresher.
Going to the second round was anything but easy.

Gregory Hueman is a very good player. In the first set, both players kept their serves until 5: 4 for Ivanković. Gregory served for the equalizer and that game lasted 18 minutes! After 13 equalizers, Gregory hit the ball wrong, it falls in the middle of the field, which Ivanković uses with a forehand diagonal, winner for the advantage and a break point.
Gregory serves the first serve, OUT! Second serve, 138 kmh, Ivanković attacks with a backhand into the body, again Gregory does not react well, the ball is shallow in the middle of the field, Ivanković again forehand diagonally and winner, break, set 6: 4!

In the second set Gregory was very angry and full of energy. He did his best in that set, all his knowledge and tennis skills and took the lead very quickly with 5: 0!
Ivankovic manages to win 1 game but that's all he could do. 6: 1 Gregory Huemenn.

However, Gregory Huemenn obviously spent a lot in that set and in the third he immediately lost his serve and Ivanković saved all his serves until the end and finished as he started with 6: 4!

"I felt good but in the second set Gregory Huemenn played amazing. I couldn't bring anything back. However he didn't keep that level of the game and I managed to win. There are no calculations against [b]Mindy Waterford, she is the 5th seed and it will be difficult. Thank you.[/b]" Ivankovic said

Ljubomir Ivanković (SRE)              6   1   6
Gregory Huemenn (INS)                 4   6   4

Lucija Bagarić lost her first round match to Stephen Saltswoon from Indusse with 6: 4,4: 6, 1: 6!

[Kohnhead]

Steinigestrasse-Doubles Preview

With Kohnheadian players absent from the first two days of play due to rank and byes, we will be previewing our doubles players as yesterday we talked about the singles players. Kohnhead will be sending two soley Kohnheadian pairs and the mixed nation pair of Kohnhead and Hathwar from Electrum will also be competing and will hope to keep their title of best mixed nations pair on tour.

Spencer Kohnhead (6) and Marcus Hathwar (9)
After a semifinals run at Ceni it became clear that Kohnhead and Hathwar can truly compete with the top pairs on tour no matter their nationalities. The two despite not playing together for an entire year yet really have clicked and look to continue the momentum they've been building and have been seeded in the three spot for this tournament as the doubles world continues to shake up with the Fourniers no longer on top.

They will not compete in the round of 64 getting a bye straight to the round of 32 where they will either play the heavily favored Squidroidian pair of 106th ranked Dan Cowden and 339th ranked Toma Karga who is making made a debut earlier in season 7 or the Indusse pairing of Samantha Budjedtson and Peter Feachell who had to qualify in. Both Indusse athletes are ranked 333rd so no matter who wins Kohnhead and Hathwar will have a decently easy path to the round of 16.

Riley Dovatin (32) and Melissa Turnface (32)
Dovatin and Turnface are fresh off of a quarterfinals appearance in Ceni and the pair are ready for Steinigestrasse. Heading into Ceni there was some debate as to who the top soley Kohnheadian pair was whether it was Kohnface and Maldry or whether it was these two, for now it looks as though they have put this to bed and a good performance here would only help. They come into this tournament as the 12th seed and just like Kohnhead and Hathwar receive a bye into the round of 32.

Their opponents could be 305th ranked Azam Bestari and partner tied on rank Amina Wira out of Kencana or an unranked pair into this round due to the Wildcard in Gjörëg Čëtan and Badan Knačpïh from Hafamarimët. Dovatin and Turnface could face a stiffer test assuming results go their way in Martha McNeil and Jeff Rogers but that's looking ahead.

Bradley Kohnface (36) and Erin Maldry (84)
After showing lots of promise together in the Diamond Trophy last season, Kohnface and Maldry flamed out of Ceni with an exit in the round of 32 to a TJUN-ian (sign you win this one) pairing in Vuyani Rabada and Kaui Kamakawiwoʻole. They will be back as the only Kohnheadian players (any single or double ones) without a bye into round two and while they are the heavy favorites in their matchup it goes to show that they need to improve in their third tournament together.

Their opponents are no slouches tho and Leo Shenron along with partner Erika Kamamoto will attempt to upset the two as they are ranked pretty highly at 138th out of a nation we are seeing more of here on tour in Hebitaka. Assuming they win that matchup a potential revenge for their losses in Ceni looms and while it's not Rabada and Kamakawiwo'ole it's instead TJUN-ian pairing and second seeded Valentina Spetsova and Austin McDanielson as The Cowboy and Scarlet look to avenge their loss in Ceni to Dovatin and Turnface. It will mark the first (and definitely not the last) meeting between TJUN-ia and Kohnhead if Kohnface and Maldry get the victory.

[Baggieland]

[Ceni]

Grand Slam Announces: The Silver Racquet Awards, Season 6 (Part 2)

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Fan's Favorite Award (Singles and Doubles)
This award is what it says on the tin! Decided by a vote of NSTT fans.

Tournament of the Year
This award is presented to the tournament that operated at the highest level of professionalism and integrity and which provided the best conditions and atmosphere for participating players. Due to the small number of tournaments, Grand Slam will not be separating Grand Slam, Tier 1, and Tier 2 tournaments; all the nominees will compete against each other in the same category. Decided by a vote of NSTT players.

The Electrum Slam was the first Grand Slam of the year, and it certainly did not disappoint: players enjoyed the chaffeur service provided between the tournament hotel and the tournament itself (although rumor has it that a few lost a bit of money at the casinos while in Centralis). And although the quick scheduling tired players, the tournament set precedent for logistics on the backend that enabled the remaining tournaments of the season to proceed so smoothly.

The Championnats Nationaux de Reçueçn de Tennis (informally known as the Beçonailles, the city where it is played) hosted an international edition in the "Uncertain Tennis Times" before becoming a NSTT-sanctioned tournament. That experience certainly showed at the tournament, where players enjoyed smooth sailing throughout the tournaments. They especially appreciated the mostly cool weather on the clay courts (although this had nothing to do with our calculations!).

The Salvador Hills Open was held for the first time this year, although that certainly did not show as tournament organizers ran a smooth tournament. In particular, the tournament's graphic designer should be applauded as the tournament featured a consistent set of graphic materials and a well-designed website. The grass courts were well-maintained, and the tournament definitely launched the season of world no. 4 Pelissa Giannopolous (who will almost certainly vote for this tournament).

The Mercedinian Open was another legacy tournament this season, and the Cortex Center showed off its full glory throughout the tournament. The tournament provided plenty of resources to the players, and fans had a solid idea of how to navigate between all the individual courts. We at Grand Slam feel like we're a broken record at this point, but this tournament was also well-run, with few complaints. (There's definitely a theme here with the contenders for the Best Tournament Award!)

Media Excellence Award
This award is presented to the media outlet that has made the most significant contributions to covering the sport of tennis throughout the year.

The Centralis Herald covered all aspects of the game solidly this season — whether reporting on the decisions of the newly reconstituted NSTT in Electrum, writing match reports minute by minute, or editorializing on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the game of tennis. The Centralis Herald does it all, and it does it all well, breaking some of the most important news on the tennis circuit. For that, it has added immensely to the sport.

The Terranean Broadcasting Company, based in Ceni, understandably has a strong tennis program (since tennis is one of the most popular sports in the country). That certainly showed with its reporting on the events Cenian players participated in, and it largely avoided falling into the trap of asking Lonus Varalin stupid questions. (That alone should qualify it for this award, in our opinion!). It covered matches with precise writing and an unparalleled objectivity.

Deuce from TJUN-ia is not a traditional media company, nor is it an unbiased journalistic outlet — but it nonetheless produced quality tennis coverage throughout the year. By reading Deuce, we learned about the characters in TJUN-ian tennis and empathized with their struggle to gain recognition as one of the top tennis nations in the world. Through the solid reporting and clear perspective of Deuce, TJUN-ian tennis has become much more familiar to international readers.

The Star Sentinel of Polaris High School in Squidroidia is a surprising addition to this list. But it has solidly reported on Squidroidia's climb up the tennis ranks with humanity and with precision; the young Inklings had a tough time on tour, but the Star Sentinel made us empathize with them all the way. Even if they do not win this award, the budding reporters here should know they will have bright futures in international sports reporting.

Sportsmanship/Humanitarian Award
This award is presented to the player who best upholds the ideals of the game, either through sportsmanship on the court or humanitarian actions off the court.

Sportsmanship might be an outdated term to Martha McNeil, one of the best women in the game as it stands. She has never given up, despite the denigration that she faces from within Grearia and outside it. After all, the Grearish are resilient and never go out without a fight, as one of their leading literary lights has put it. Martha McNeil is no exception to the trend, and in fact, she surpasses it, bringing her competitive spirit to the tennis court and the court of public opinion as she fights for greater gender recognition within tennis. For those campaigns, we are nominating McNeil for our Sports(wo)manship award.

Thierry Garzala: As Neu Engollon's Espora 7 channel noted, Garzala is a "mild mannered, conservative family man who has done his best to avoid the spotlight." Despite winning the Beçonailles tournament in style this year, he has remained humble about his accomplishments, preferring to remain under the limelight (especially in comparison to his compatriot Paul Quiront, who has seemingly hogged the spotlight). As the result of his strong humility, we are nominating Garzala for our Sportsmanship award.

Fiorenzo Tartoni has held up the sporting ideals of tennis in his home country, San Ortelio, where those ideals do not necessarily come taken for granted. As a close confidante to Tartoni told Grand Slam, "Tennis still bolstered an aspect of chivalry and camaraderie between the top players." For his work in promoting chivalry and sportsmanship in tennis in his home country, we are nominating Tartoni for the sportsmanship award.

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OOC Notes
Fan's Favorite Award: Unfortunately, I have little idea what characters people liked OOCly. Therefore, just send in as many nominations as you want -- by the end of the voting, I'll just select the player/team with the most votes. As usual, please don't nominate yourself!

Tournament of the Year: I've taken into account smoothness of the tournament (no significant delays and prompt posting of draws/results) and quality IC information in selecting the nominees.

Media Excellence Award: This award is intended to reflect journalism-based RPs; I included tennis publications as well as general news organizations with solid tennis reporting ICly.

Sportsmanship/Humanitarian Award: This award is intended to reflect character-based RPs, preferably towards RPs that featured a character throughout a series. However, I also took standalone RPs that were done well. To satisfy the IC requirements of the award, unfortunately this precludes "bad boy" characters from being nominated. I nominated Martha McNeil for the High Hopes series by Grearia in the ITT, and I nominated Thierry Garzala partially for Neu Engollons's RPs about Paul Quiront in the clay court series. However, Quiront didn't fit the IC criteria for the award, so I nominated Garzala in his place.

[Pemecutan]

The sun seems to be to timid to spread it's rays. The day has entering a new day but it's still quite dark outsides. In one hotel room at Steinigestrasse, a late-30 man is looking intensely to the bed in front of him. There is a sleep another man who is covering his body with a thick blanket. The AC is quite chilling. He walk silently to the bed and try to wake the other one.

"Wake up. It's morning already," whisper the man. The sleeping man just nudging his shoulder before tighten up his blanket. The man shake his head seeing the other man response. He try again. This time, he is also kissing the tip of the head. Now he got the attention of the other man.

"Morning, sunshine," he say.
"Morning," the other man say with a husky voice. "What time is it?" He ask.
"Almost 6," he answer will hugging the other man.
"You wake me up way too early," he say with a sleepy eyes.
"You are always hard to wake up that's why I wake you up this early, Ngurah," he explain.
"You know me so well, Wira," Ngurah smile while he shake Wiranatha's hair.

The two of them are no other then Ngurah Putra Muliawan and Kadek Adi Wiranatha.

"I still can't believe that you will accompany me here," says Ngurah.
"I have to. I want to give you encouragement by standing at your side," answer Wira.
Ngurah smile widen and he unconsciously kiss Wira's forehead which making Wira blushing. This make Ngurah laughing.
"You are such a good tease," comment Ngurah. Wira pinch Ngurah's waist. Ngurah hug him tightly and kiss him again.

Wira breath heavily. "Wish we could be like this back home."
"We can. We always do like this at home."
"I mean outside, Ngurah," cuts Wira.
Ngurah is just grinning.

In a country where relationship like them is still consider taboo, it is harder for them to express their feeling in Pemecutan. Eventhough in their hometown, Ubung, this kind of relationship is more acceptable but not in other cities or states.

"I guess I want to move to Mengwi," says Ngurah suddenly. Wira is looking at him with a questioning face.
Ngurah is sighing. "You are working in Mengwi while I live in Ubung. It's a long distance and I can't see you often," he explain.

Wira is smiling nicely. "But you understand we can't be as free as we are in Ubung, right? Mengwi is kind of conservative," he says.

"Yeah, I know. I think I can manage as long as I'm with you." Ngurah kiss him again.

Wira can only smile.

"Now get ready for your match," says Wira.
"It's still too early, Wita. Why can't I have some sleep?" Ngurah whining.
Wira shake his head. "You can't sleep again or you might get late."
"It's your fault to wake me up this early." Ngurah keeps whining.
"You are such a baby," teases Wira.
Ngurah pout his mouth which makes Wira burst a laugh. He then kiss him in the lips to calm him down.

"Hhmm, I miss those kiss," Ngurah murmuring.
Wira smile and kiss him again.
"You make me addicted," says Ngurah.
"You too," whisper Wira.
"So, can I sleep again?" ask Ngurah.
"No, you must wake up. Let's get some exercise," invite Wira.
"Ah, morning exercise. I like that," answer Ngurah with a lusty tone
"Pervert!" shouts Wira while he running away from the bed. While Ngurah is just laughing seeing Wira runs away from him.