[Tennis/NSTT] Season 6 Finals [RP/Results]

by **Electrum** » Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:00 am

NationStates Tennis Tour End of season 6 RP thread

NSTT Finals

and

Diamond Trophy

It has been a successful reboot to the NationStates Tennis Tour, and we are celebrating the end of the season with the traditional NSTT Finals as well as the creation of a new tournament, the Diamond Trophy. Because of the lack of bids, the Electrum Lawn Tennis Association, as the bidder of last resort, has chosen the city of Prescott, Electrum to host the two championships.

NSTT Finals
The NSTT Finals sits at the second highest tier of tennis tournaments (on the same level as the International Tennis Trophy, behind the Grand Slams), offering winners up to 1,500 points for a perfect run. The top eight singles players and doubles pairs in the rankings are automatically entered into the season-ending championship (ranked by YTD rankings, must not be CTEd). Players are put into four pots of two, and players from each pot are put into two round robin groups of four. Everyone plays each other once, and the top two in each group enter to the semifinals. Winners play runners-up in the opposite group, in the lead up to the final.

With the return of the NationStates Tennis Tour, group names in the NSTT Finals are based on historic champions in the early days of the tour.

Diamond Trophy
The Diamond Trophy is a new tournament that has been created to award nation's who have demonstrated the principles of fair play (OOC: roleplaying), along the same lines as the Cup of Harmony for football. A mixture of quality and quantity metrics are used to assess entry into the Diamond Trophy. If nations decline their spots, then the same criteria are used to reallocate these spots. Nations with entrants in the NSTT Finals in one discipline may not submit players in the corresponding discipline at the Diamond Trophy (i.e. if you have a singles player in the NSTT Finals, then you cannot send a singles player to the Diamond Trophy). A maximum of 700 points are up for grabs for a perfect run.

Because the emphasis on this tournament is roleplay, roleplay points are doubled in the round robin stage, to ensure low-ranked players can catch up to their peers.

Players will be placed into four pots of four, and players from each pot will be put into four round robin groups of four. Everyone plays each other once, and the top two in each group enter the quarterfinals. It is then a knock-out to the finals.

With the return of the NationStates Tennis Tour, group names in the Diamond Trophy are based on the eight host cities that have celebrated either their first or second editions this year, in celebration of the spread of tennis throughout the multiverse.

Scorination Details
Both tournaments will be scorinated on xkoranate with best of three sets, with two tiebreak sets and an advantage set in the third. The logarithm points will be used, so that the vast inequalities in total points don't mean predictable matches. To determine the seeding and points of doubles pairings, the average of the sum of the doubles players logarithmic rankings will be used.

All roleplays are scored, with quality over quantity emphasized. Multiple roleplays submitted on the same day will be counted as one larger whole.

Tiebreaking procedure is as follows: 1) Number of wins; 2) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 3) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, then percentage of games won; 4) Roleplay points (IC: Coin toss)

At the conclusion of both tournaments, rankings will be updated to reflect how many wins and losses a player has earned throughout the tournaments. These points last one year/season and will drop at the conclusion of next year's International Tennis Trophy.

Links
NSTT Season 6 tournament timeline and rankings
NSTT Discussion/OOC thread
NSTT Discord server

Timeline (all cutoffs 0800 UTC)
Six cutoffs for Diamond Trophy, five for NSTT Finals.
14 December - Round robin day 1 - 1v4 2v3
15 December - Round robin day 2 - 4v3 1v2
16 December - Round robin day 3 - 2v4 3v1
17 December - Break day
18 December - Quarterfinals - Diamond Trophy cut-off only
19 December - Semifinals
20 December - Final

by **Electrum** » Thu Dec 10, 2020 4:55 am

OOC: Shamelessly adapted from a previous thread...

About Electrum
Electrum is a sports-mad country. It loves its Olympics and its football, but the most important sport in Electrum is the tennis. Tennis in Electrum is administered by the all-powerful Electrum Lawn Tennis Association. Due to the stature of the ELTA, it exerts a high amount of influence in international tennis, especially in the NationStates Tennis Tour, where it captured the presidency after Ceni's withdrawal.

There are a few quirks when coming to Electrum. One of them is its digital currency, the Synergy, which is known for its ubiquity. Upon arrival, all people can gain access to the card based digital currency, but tourists often complain that these cards which are very easily stolen but also incredibly convenient to use. Electrum is also a relaxed country -- it has very socially libertarian laws such as the decriminalisation of all drugs. It's a place to let off some steam and to have some fun.

About Prescott
Prescott is a city nestled in the north-western ski slopes of Electrum and is the closest city to Electrum’s highest peak, the Jarangal - Mt. Nixon mountain (The mountain is dual named in recognition of the local name for the mountain). There are four million Prescottians who are ready and will welcome the entire multiverse with open arms to join them in the multiverse’s favourite ~~song contest~~ and only series of end of season tournaments. It is an icy-cold city, but known for its whiskey and rum dispensed in the many pubs dotted across the city, you can be sure your heart will be warmed up quite quickly. Of course, players will indeed be playing indoors, so they will be protected from the elements.

Prescott is also Electrum’s cultural capital, boasting a rich coffee culture, a nightlife scene on Redline Street and was also the host city of the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth editions of the NationStates Winter Olympics. Perhaps it is the charming tram network, or the shopping at the Power Street Mall, but there’s something innate about the city that keeps drawing visitors and tourists in.

The Venue: “The Ice Palace”
The Ice Palace is the new name of the Prescott International Convention Centre. Outside of The Ice Palace is Edison Square, where there is a large television screen which will broadcast what is inside of the Palace. All the courts look the same, but Centre Court is the biggest with a capacity of 15,000, while the three show courts have a capacity of just 5,000 each.

by **San Ortelio** » Fri Dec 11, 2020 7:45 am

The Diamond Trophy, bookending the season, catches most of the players amidst two sentiments. Especially for those who have been chasing points and results all year long, a period of recovery seems visible at the horizon and it would be no surprise if some already have their mind wandering off to a few weeks at home with friends and family. On the other hand, the long series of tournaments left their marks and memories on the players and there will be quite a few who aspire to settle some open accounts in this last chance attempt. Even if our dynamic duo, Fiorenzo Tartoni and Luciano Crepaldi, only popped up during the final minutes of this season, they too will become a pawn in the clash between those two streams. Can they ride those waves and make a shock appearance in the second round? Or will these currents drag them down and make amends with the slightly jubilant atmosphere after the International Tennis Trophy?

Singles: Can Tartoni slip through in the shadow of a Sellier - van de Kloor rivalry?

The singles draw whipped up a difficult scenario for Fiorenzo Tartoni who will have to face a trio of players ranked in the top thirty of the world. Some might claim that fair-play alone suffices for a spot on the Diamond Trophy but this line-up underlines that this needs to be underpinned with fine results. Yet for the casual fans, the focus will be on one specific confrontation that, played on the second day of the tournament, could determine the course of this group. It pits Gaëlle Sellier, the leading lady of Reçueçn tennis, against Jean van de Kloor and these two have their fair share of common history. At the Electrum Open, the defining hard court tournament of the season, Sellier got billed as favorite against the Tjunian but the debuting ‘De Kloor’ showed nerves nor mercy and cast her aside after a five-hour thriller on his way to a Cinderella story. The infamous Leo Garry eventually put a full stop to that fairy tale, yet the name of Van de Kloor was made, whilst Sellier was left with a disillusion.

Gaëlle Sellier got a slice of revenge in Zoloroni as she won another thrilling confrontation in the quarters, on her way to a season best performance. All in all, it has been a consistently strong season for the Reçueçn one but players such as Lisicki and Burges held her from putting the cherry on top. With these out of the picture, is the motivation there to end the year on a high note or will the pressure as top seed crack her, as happened in Gergary? It opens up opportunities for Jean van de Kloor who showed his strength when the stakes were high with two quarterfinals on Grand Slams. His tail end of the year, however, has been mixed and it’s up to him whether there is still something left in the tank.

Far from the spotlights directed to this duo, Fiorenzo Tartoni is dealt with a hand which could be favorable in the end. Starting as the lowest seed, there are no grand expectations set for him in Prescott. But considering his flying form, which saw him take out two top-20 players at the ITT, a victory or even a quarterfinal should not be out of reach. When trying to look for an opponent against whom to obtain that glory, many will turn to Eutaur Jordaniscus, the Diarcesian veteran. Skimming through this year’s results, few would consider him to be a candidate for a qualification for the next round, let alone a spot in the final. After all, Jordaniscus only won a single international match across three tournaments this season. But is it wise to discount a player with a Mercidinian Open on his palmares? Tartoni could discover that the hard way in a few days’ time.

Doubles: An uphill battle against in form hard court specialists

The doubles draw holds a fair share of revenge set-ups as well as (nearly) all four duos from the Salvador Group hit the ground running, coming straight out of the ITT. Headliners are of course Martha McNeil and Jeff Rogers, the Grearish duo who grew into form during the nations tournament and eventually ensured the title with an emphatic victory over Cenian stars Elia and Fia Xal. It was a confirmation of their home win on the grass of Salvador Hills, making them the stand-out name in an aptly named group. Yet, they could find a very motivated Bradley Kohnface between them and the glory. Standing at the other side of the net during a particularly nervous semi-final, Kohnface and his compatriot Kohnhead were one set away from eternal national glory – a testimony to their form which had seen them slay the Fournier sisters.

It was not meant to be for Bradley Kohnface which might put the pressure on him, especially as he is not flanked in this tournament by Kohnhead but by the lesser known Erin Maldry. Neither knew a breakthrough season but it must be stipulated that both have shown their best form at hard court – Kohnface in Somer, Maldry in Shinzoba. It will put Tartoni and Crepaldi to work in the Ice Palace, in what has been rumored to be their last tournament as a duo. Amongst the insiders, it’s a public secret that the two struggle to get along over, depending on the source: ‘the conservative training methods from Tartoni’, ‘the lack of class from Crepaldi’ or ‘the disaccord in playing style’. Fact is that they, as a duo, only count a single victory on their scroll of honour, being against… George Fakhrul and Izzat Manson, the final duo of this draw. One can question, however, how motivated The Sharktalian duo were for that dead rubber. The close confrontation against Electrumite power duo Ronya and the solid performances in Ubung and at Steinigestrasse show their potential on hard court and make them our outsiders for a deep run.

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Dec 11, 2020 10:47 am

Well...here we are. After L'artiste made an NSTT Final, some good showing in T1 and a not-so-good one at the ITT, it's finally time for the end of the long road. It began in Centralis, Electrum for the opening Grand Slam - one in which TJUN-ia made a name for itself in a new sport. In Hamilton, a few months later, TJUN-ia would reach its highest point with its first title at the Clay Grand Slam. Now, we are in the cultural capital of this nation in Prescot at its Ice Palace, where the very best in the NSTT will arrive to try and make a final statement before this season is over. The venue hosts 2 events and TJUN-ia has 2 players involved in each: a pairing looking for one final glory in the NSTT FInals itself and 2 singles players looking to end their seasons on a high at the less-prestigious Diamond Trophy (the NSTT's answer to the Cup of Harmony). With so much to play for, who is playing for TJUN-ia? Let's find out then...

Diamond Trophy

Jean van de Kloor

Age: 21
Nickname: De Kloor of Toropo
Hometown: Toropo/Almadinat, AU Zone
NSTT Ranking: 21st

Of course, the original big name of TJUN-ian tennis had to end up here. Jean van de Kloor, an Afrikaner with a tattoo of Monokuma (representative to Northern Cape Transvaal in TJUN) from the AU capital of Toropo (or Almadinat), was the one who kicked off this journey in style in Centralis. No one had any idea what to expect from TJUN-ian participation in the NSTT but with a reach as wide as his, he managed to make it farther than many would've dreamed of. His 5-hour duel with Gaëlle Sellier and the subsequent rematch in Mercedini is the stuff of legend and the "Best Underdog" at his first tournament will be looking to do more of the same in his last of the year.

Many would say that QF duel with then number 1 Leo Gary was his peak in the NSTT thus far. After that defeat, De Kloor has only made the Quarters another 2 times and both didn't lead to an appearance at the final 4. While Spetsova stole the headlines in both singles and doubles, Jean has been a bit quiet as of late and hasn't shown off the talents of the first half of the year so far in the 2nd. But the DT provides an opportunity for De Kloor of Toropo to return to form of surfaces past and to once again prove why he is TJUN-ia's "Original Star".

He will be in Group Beçonailles for this tournament, named after the hosts of the CNRT back on clay. Recuecn will have representation in this group in the form of, you guessed it, Gaëlle Sellier - now ranked 11th in the world. The third seed in this group will be Eutaur Jordaniscus, ranked 29th from Diarcesia, while the underdog will be Fiorenzo Tartoni, ranked 86th due to an impressive performance for San Ortelio at the ITT. This group will be very interesting indeed for De Kloor, but can he prove that he is TJUN-ia's "Singles King"?

Group Matches
MD1: vs Eutaur Jordaniscus (29) (DCS)
MD2: vs Gaëlle Sellier (11) (RCN)
MD3: vs Fiorenzo Tartoni (86) (SOR)

---------------------------------------------------------
Joe Katsi

Age: 22
Nickname: The Kat of Horizon
Hometown: Port Horizon, UO Zone
NSTT Ranking: 48th

Now here is a surprising face to see...but that doesn't mean TJUN-ia doesn't want to see more of Joe Katsi. With Scarlet focusing on the NSTT Finals, it could've been Philippe Baloui, finalist at the final T2 tournament of the year, that would come over to Electrum to play in this tournament. But L'artiste committed that the River Cities Open would be his last of the year no matter what and so, The Kat of Horizon is here as a backup to the backup. Talk about a shock arrival...

Hailing from Port Horizon in the UO, everyone wanted this guy to succeed at the NSTT for multiple reasons. His loveable nature being one of them, known for taking matches one at a time and having a blast no matter the scoreline. The other reason being that, as the 8th and final name on the list of players the TFT entered to the NSTT, he was the only player in the singles who had to qualify to even make the first tournament. But he did...and then proceeded to upset a ranked player in the first round, a shock to many in the Tennis world. After that moment, he would remain quiet and not really showing his stuff, but his 2 best finishes were to follow: Round of 16 at the Hamilton International and The Quarters at the Ubung Open, the final Tier 1 contest of the year. With momentum on his side and a feel-good story to boot, some feel that The Kat deserves his spot in the DT but with doubters quick to question his ability, can Port Horizon's own make a statement here in his final event of the year?

The Kat will be hoping that Group Ubung provides the same joy Ubung did a few weeks ago. As a Pot 3 player, his main aim will be trying to upset the top 2 and to sneak into the quarterfinals. The top dog in this group will be 16th-ranked Lonus Varalin, a former great of the game who made his triumphant return by helping Ceni to 2nd at the ITT. His team lost that final to The Grearish Union and the GU also have representation in this group in the form of Jeff Rogers, ranked 24th and a doubles champion with Martha McNeil at the first Salvador Hills Open in his homeland. The final player is Vladimir Mikhailov, ranked 88th and the highest-ranked player from the nation of Waisnor. An interesting group but with the Ceni-GU rematch taking the spotlight, can The Kat sneak his way into the Quarters?

Group Matches
MD1: vs Jeff Rogers (24) (GRU)
MD2: vs Vladimir Mikhailov (88) (WSN)
MD3: vs Lonus Varalin (16) (CEN)

NSTT Finals

Valentina Spetsova and Austin McDanielson

V.S.
Age: 17
Nickname: Scarlet
Hometown: Szensky, CSTO Zone
NSTT Ranking: 5th (Doubles)/27th (Singles)

A.McD.
Age: 18
Nickname: The Cowboy
Hometown: New Washington, NAU Zone
NSTT Ranking: 5th (Doubles)/87th (Singles)

And here is the one you've all been waiting for. "Austina", Scarlet and The Cowboy, whatever you call these two. When the doubles pairings were announced for that Grand Slam, these two players were nothing alike. One had all the pressure on her shoulders to succeed and the other had all the hype surrounding him. One was the first-ever woman to represent TJUN-ia in an international event and the other was viewed as an egotistical jackass in his first game, with his taunting of his female opponent costing him his first win. One was from the capital of the CSTO, a region who spends a lot of Vals on player development to become the best sporting region in TJUN-ia, while the other was from the capital of the NAU in the Amerika Peninsula, a place where they think being the best is a birthright for only Amerikans and others from the region. One was from a region whose members back in U2 were mostly from the old Warsaw Pact and the CIS while the other was from a region which is basically a representation of "the west" and NATO in U2.

In all those factors, Valentina Spetsova of Szensky and Austin McDanielson of New Washington were completely different people. They were also different players, The Cowboy preferring to get stuck in no matter what and Scarlet playing a reserved playstyle in most situations. The only similarity these two had at the start was that they both produced a thundering shot from time to time. Their singles careers were very different, Scarlet reaching the final of that incredible Kinterten and the Round of 16 at historic Hamilton while The Cowboy has ended up dead last out of the 8 TJUN-ians and only reached the Round of 16 at the River Cities a few weeks ago. They may be only a year apart in terms of age, but they are 60 positions apart in the NSTT Singles Rankings. These two players are on opposite sides of a great rivalry in TJUN-ian sports and this pairing was expected to not really get along with the other across the year.

But, to the surprise of everyone, Scarlet and The Cowboy not only got along pretty well but was they who would be the pioneers of not just TJUN-ian tennis, but TJUN-ian sports in general. It began at the KInterten where Scarlet not only made the final in the Singles but made the Doubles semifinals with The Cowboy. "The Water Bottle Moment" happened after that defeat, a helping hand by Austin that was a definite surprise to Valentina, which lead to a new ship being sailed online and a commitment was made that they would keep up the good work on clay. They certainly did that with a quarterfinal appearance in Reçueçn but the best was yet to come in Hamilton as somehow, someway, these 2 ended up winning it all becoming the first-ever TJUN-ians to be declared champions in any sport. They didn't just become the first TJUN-ians to make the Hall of Fame, they were the reason it was created in the first place. Their story was one of triumph against the odds and they got closer as a unit from match to match. They have been consistent ever since, with their highest after the title being a semifinals appearance in Mercedini and at least Quarters everywhere else.

Are they in a relationship? Who knows but considering their play in recent times, other they are in one or they just don't care about what people online say. No matter what, these Finals will be a big deal to both players. This is the cream of the crop and here in Group Southgate/Elliott, named after former winners of the game, that fact is certainly true. The Fornier Twins of Camille and Inès, tied at the top of the rankings, will be in this group as will the only dual-nationality duo at this event: local Marcus Hathwar and Spencer Kohnhead from the old rival of...Kohnhead. Electrum completes the group fully with Deanne Smith and Sara Zhuo and that group is stacked. But can our dynamite duo reach the knockouts from here? What final chapter of the first year will Scarlet and The Cowboy write?

Group Matches
MD1: vs Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (11/14) (KHD/ETM)
MD2: vs Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (1/1) (RCN)
MD3: vs Deanne Smith/Sara Zhuo (12/12) (ETM)

by **Squidroidia** » Sat Dec 12, 2020 2:44 pm

The Squidroidian Tennis Project - Act 1, Final Scene

Even though the Polaris High and Inkopolis University tennis teams played host to a joint effort for Squidroidian tennis only a short while ago, their exploits on the tour have been known not only just in their home country, but in the greater tennis landscape. Although the players of both schools floundered like a fish at both Emberton and Salvador Hills, the Polaris team have proven to be the stronger of the 2 links, despite being a younger team. Houston Sawyer, of course, is Squidroidia's biggest name tennis player, getting huge upsets against the likes of Dewa Putu Adrian Putra, Ricardo Toli and Dominika Lisicki during his campaign. The Polaris doubles darlings that are Cabrera and McPhee have also showed up, winning the River Cities Open doubles competition.

With the Polaris team shocking Team Mattijana in the ITT to reach a historic Quarters appearance, there was only one more place to go before Electrum comes round again... Electrum. Competing in the inaugural Diamond Trophy, the Polaris team as well as IU's doubles pairing of Abe and Cowden will hit the court one last time for the end of the season. The story on everyone's lips? Where Karga is planning to go. Hopefully the players put that away from them and focus on the tennis. It's going to be a long road to get here.

NOTE: The positions they play are for domestic play in Squidroidia, all of the players can and will be able to play against a player of another gender should the need arise.

Polaris High School

Male Singles: Houston Sawyer
Species: Inkling
Age: 17
Ink Color: Green
Born: Inkopolis, Polaris District
Current Level: Junior
Tennis Experience: 2 years as a youngster, 1 in high school
Best Performances: Round of 16 of Mercedinian Open, Third Round of Ethanian Open, Quarter-Finals of ITT with Team Polaris
Dream Job: Mechanic

Female Singles: Toma Karga
Species: Inkling
Age: 18
Ink Color: Purple
Born: Inkopolis, Kuzuru District
Current Level: Senior
Tennis Experience: 5 years as a youngster, 3 in high school
Best Performances: Second Round of Mercedinian Open, Second Round of Ethanian Open, Quarter-Finals of ITT with Team Polaris
Dream Job: Hotel Waitress

Doubles: Jóna Cabrera and Veronika McPhee
Jóna Cabrera
Species: Inkling
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Ink Color: Blue
Born: Calamari County
Current Level: Sophomore
Tennis Experience: None
Dream Job: IT

Veronika McPhee
Species: Inkling
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Ink Color: Orange
Born: Inkopolis, Jellie District
Current Level: Junior
Tennis Experience: 1 year as a youngster, 1 in high school
Dream Job: Nurse

Best Performances: Second Round of Mercedinian Open, River Cities Open Champions, Quarter-Finals of ITT with Team Polaris

Inkopolis University

Doubles: Jewel Abe and Dan Cowden
Jewel Abe
Species: Inkling
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Ink Color: Sky Blue
Born: Souraoi
Current Level: Senior
Tennis Experience: 1 year as a youngster, 2 in high school, 3 in university
Dream Job: Taxi driver

Dan Cowden
Species: Inkling
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Ink Color: White
Born: Inkopolis, Highrise Point District
Current Level: Freshman
Tennis Experience: 2 years as a youngster, 2 in high school
Dream Job: Chef

Best Performance: Round of 32 of Salvador Hills Open

by **Electrum** » Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:43 pm

Centralis Herald - Sports Section - Kimiko Shigaraki

Preview: NSTT Finals

It has been Electrum's most successful season on the NationStates Tennis Tour. Two singles athletes, and two-and-a-half doubles pairs have made it all the way to the top eight entrants at the NSTT Finals. It has, of course, been a season of transition. There were no ferrets, Gelders or Cenians to thwart their progression, and as one of the most experienced nations on tour, Electrum simply had that innate advantage at the beginning of the season. Their legacy ranking points gave them those favourable seeds, which continued the advantage towards cracking the top eight. In fact, out of the seven entrants, it is only Marcus Hathwar that both debuted this season and made it to the NSTT Finals.

With the tournament being held at the snowy hills of Prescott, now is the time to ask: just how did the Electrumites get there?

Andrew Simmons
Andrew Simmons started the year as the Electrumite number one and has stayed in the top-eight ranking throughout the year. He's had a season of extremes this year, with the clay court specialist reaching the finals at Beconailles and the semifinals at Hamilton. As someone who likes to stay well behind the baseline, the clay is perfect for his defensive style of tennis. But, by the time it got to the grass court season, and the relatively quick indoor hard court season, Simmons has been worringly inconsistent. He's had early exits at Zoloroni and Lowes, and struggled to make an impact at the International Tennis Trophy (for example, losing to Naim Alex). He's also the top ranked player to have not won a single tournament this season. With his form being on a downwards trajectory ever since the end of the clay season, he's expected to struggle here against Lisicki and Putra in the Luiza Romao group, who have had more impressive resumes on hard.

Pelissa Giannapolous
Giannapolous has ascended new heights this season. She's had her best season ever, and as she too often says in her press conference, "My performance is like fine wine", in the sense that she gets better as time goes on. As Electrum's oldest player, she's aware of the ticking time bomb that is her legs. What she lacks in her movement, she more than makes up for with her shot selection. She plays a rather efficient, attacking style of tennis, taking advantage of the short balls as they come. And those skills were realised in the grass court season, where she broke out with her first ever victory at the Salvador Hills Open, and backed that up with finalist runs at both the AOpen and Ethane. She's also had a great run at the ITT, scoring more points than Simmons and indeed most other singles players. In the de Surmar group, she will be looking for revenge against Sabanero, the player she lost to at the AOpen, and denying Electrum a historic inaugural grand slam singles victory.

Ronya
The duo who had their own mashed-up name before it became fashionable, are a powerhouse. Everyone knows who they are. They've won multiple grand slams, Olympic gold medals and so on. Consistency is the name of their game as they've had deep runs in all the Grand Slams, and scoring victories at the AOpen and at Beconailles. However, despite their performance earlier this year, they've been sidelined by the ELTA in the last few tournaments in order to ensure that other Electrumite pairs would make it to the finals. While the gambit was successful, Ronya were understandably roiled that they temporarily lost their number one spot in the rankings to the Fournier sisters. However, with their performance in the ITT, Ronya have drawn level with the Fournier sisters, and it will be whoever wins the most in these Finals which will determine the ultimate doubles winner for this season. They have never finished at the top of the ladder at the end of the season, so success in this tournament is vital. Luckily, they have had winning records over all their opponents in the Southgate/Elliott group, so they should sail through to the final rounds.

Smith/Zhuo
Smith and Zhuo were the main beneficiaries of Ronya's sidelining. While they've had great runs at the Electrum Slam (where they defeated Ronya in the quarters) and at Mercedini and Ethane, they were sitting outside the top eight pairs when it came to the start of the indoor hard court season. Their main Achilles heel this season was their quite frankly abysmal performance in Hamilton and Emberton, where they lost in the first round in the tournaments where other teams gained most of their points. Perhaps it was the pressure of their excellent run in Centralis that got to them. Despite what happened to them in the slams, the two took advantage of Ronya's spot in the Ubung Open with a run to the final. Those 650 points was all that was needed to secure their spots in the finals. And boy were they pleased to know that fact, given that they knew they were almost certainly not going to be selected for the International Tennis Trophy.

Kohnhead/Hathwar
These two are one of the newest teams to enter the tour, and they've had an excellent run towards the second half of the season to make it to the finals. Kohnhead and Hathwar weren't always partnered with each other. Kohnhead was partnered with Kohnface for the indoor hard court season and the first half of the clay, whereas Hathwar was paired with Ho in the outdoor hard, and with a virus-infected partner in the first half of the clay court season. However, their lives would change when the ELTA and Kohnheads' tennis association announced that they would be working together to send mixed-nation pairs for the first time. A deep run in the grand slams and a victory at Ethane secured them the spots in the Finals. Kohnhead's excellent performance with Kohnface in the ITT only cemented their position in the rankings, despite Hathwar missing out on the same spot in Electrum. The two are young and very aggressive. Both players like to stay on the baseline with their crushing forehands often painting the lines. They will be the dark horse of the team, but if they can make it out of the group stage, they have a red hot chance of making it all the way. It's just the way it's been for this team.

by **Acastanha** » Sat Dec 12, 2020 7:27 pm

Diamond Trophy Preview
Prescott, Electrum - It have been a shocking and honoring moment when Acastanha Tennis Federation is receiving official letter from NSTT officials about Diamond Trophy competition. The new competition is asking for the attendance of Acastanhada players to participate in it. The players are Lucas Parvash in Single and Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar in Double. This invitation is gladly received and both players are heading off to Prescott, Electrum where the competition is held.

Begin the 6th season tour in Grass Season, Lucas Parvash have not been in a success journey. From 6 tournaments that he attended, his best result is advancing until Second Round which he achieved in 3 ocassions, Salvador Hills, AO Open and Ethanian Open. But still, Parvash is Acastanha highest ranked player in Single (ranked 112th).

The double pair Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar is also started their journey in NSTT Tour from Grass Season. They are also participated in 6 competitions, 4 in Grass season and 2 in Indoor Hard season (excluding ITT). From the 6 tournaments that they attended, their best result is Third Round in Ethanian Open. They were defeated by Britonish pair, Elizabeth Quehall/Leo Garry which made them failed to advance further.

In the Diamond Trophy, Lucas Parvash is drawn into Group Burges. In his group are Mindy Waterford of Kohnhead, Syamim Kevin from Sharktail and Houston Sawyer from Squidroidia. It will be a hard matches for Parvash as the other players are also the best in their respected countries.

I won't set for any accomplishment in this tournament as the others are also good. I'm just stay focus on my play and give the best of me. The result is next to worry about", says Parvash on a quick interview during his practice.

While in Double competition, Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar is drawn into a Hell Group. Join in Group Shinzoba, they will be facing powerhouse country, Pemecutan and Ceni. Together with them are Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari from Pemecutan, Elia/Dia Xal from Ceni and Waisnorian pair, Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov. It will be a zero chance for Taberon/Arrachar to advance further looking at their opponents. The first match will begin in 14 December where Lucas Parvash will be facing Mindy Waterford. While Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar will be playing against Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari who have defeated them in First Round of Mercedinian Open.

by **Pemecutan** » Sun Dec 13, 2020 9:07 pm

Monday, 14 December 2020 (Soma Wage Wuku Prangbakat, Pawukon 1780)
To the End of The Year

Prescott, Electrum - For the closing of this NSTT season, the organizer presented 2 tournaments, the original NSTT Tour Final and the new tournament, Diamond Trophy. 4 Pemecutanian players are compete in both competition. 2 singles, Dewa Putu Adrian Putra and Ngurah Putra Muliawan who manage to collect points to be eligible for this season NSTT Tour Final. And 2 Double, Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati and Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari who are invited to compete in Diamond Trophy. This season is by far the most successful season for Pemecutan. Overall, the country is collecting 5 trophies, one each from Ngurah Putra Muliawan, Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati and Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari. And another 2 trophies from Dewa Putu Adrian Putra. They also achieved twice clean sweep in Kinterten Open and Istria Open when they grab both Single and Double trophies.

In NSTT Tour Final, each of the players is drawn into a different Group. Ngurah Putra Muliawan is drawn into Group de Surmar while Adrian Putra is in Luiza Romao Group. Muliawan is in the same group with 1st ranked and two times Grand Slam winners, Bartolo Sabanero, Electrumite best player, Pelissa Giannapolous and Mattijanan second player, Mattias Burges. Adrian Putra is together with 2nd ranked and also Grand Slam winner, Dominika Lisicki, Andrew Simmons of Electrum and Britonish veteran player, Ricardo Toli. In the first match, Muliawan will face Bartolo Sabanero. It would be a hard match for Muliawan and hopefully he can overcome this match to ease him in the next match. While Adrian Putra will be playing against Andrew Simmons. The 6th ranked Andrew Simmons have been performed quite impressive in the season. Reaching semifinal in Hamilton International and Final in Campeonato Nationaux de Recuecn, landed himself in top 10. His presence will be have to lookout and can't be underestimated.

Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati is drawn in Group Istria of Diamond Trophy. Together with them are Leone Na/Abi Forrest from Britonisea, Jona Cabrera/Veronika McPhee from Squidroidia and Glaucy Gorog/Annis Van Der Beek from Diarcesia. With their first match will be against Diarcesian pair. The 92nd ranked pair have only played in 3 tournaments this season and haven't made passed from Round 1. In another Group of Shinzoba, Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari is drawn together with veteran Cenian pair, Elia/Fia Xal, Waisnorian pair, Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Voslov and newcomer Acastanhada pair, Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar. Their first match is against Acastanhada pair. They have met them once at Mercedinian Open.

by **Ceni** » Sun Dec 13, 2020 9:47 pm

AN INTERVIEW WITH LONUS VARALIN AND ARDIL NAVSAL

Lonus Varalin and Ardil Navsal, former world #1 and Grand Slam champion, talk with Break Point as they prepare to compete in the Diamond Trophy in Prescott.

Q. How do you feel about being here at the Tour Finals?

LV: Are you guys idiots? First of all, you need to do your research. We are here playing the Diamond Trophy, not the Tour Finals. And second of all, you just asked me that question in Ubung, and I told you I hated questions like that. What answer do you think I'm going to give you? That things are all fine and dandy?

AN: I'm a little more optimistic than Lonus. I think he's been under a lot of stress lately with the press attention focusing on our return.

LV: I didn't know you were a psychologist, Ardy.

AN: Seriously, I like playing tennis, and as everyone well knows, I'm extremely inconsistent. Getting more matches in at a fairly elite level -- even if it isn't the Tour Finals itself -- will be extremely helpful from my point of view. And, of course, the points will be helpful. And the prize money. Yes, the prize money too.

Q. What was it like losing in the final of the International Tennis Trophy?

LV: It sucked. It was terrible. I hated it.

AN: It was a very competitive tie, that was for sure. I was excited to have won the second tie and put Ceni back in the game, but it was obviously disappointing to see Elia and Fia, two good friends of ours, to get dismantled like that in the doubles, especially as they were so fresh. Martha and Jeff had both played a lot more than Elia and Fia, so we were confident heading into that doubles rubber and then disappointed to see them fall apart so quickly like that.

But on the NSTT front -- it was helpful to get all those points heading into the Cenian Open. I think most everyone will be seeded now. That way, we can avoid all the good players early on in the tournament.

Q. Speaking of that, are you excited to be competing at the Cenian Open?

LV: Yes.

Q. Would you elaborate on that?

LV: No.

AN: I think I'd better take all the questions from here. We've definitely done well on home soil in the past, and Ceni is such a tennis-loving country that it really does give us a large advantage to be on home soil. Going forward, though, we can't take that for granted. We'll only have one tournament in Ceni next year, so we'll have to work even harder than before.

That being said, Electrum is such a short distance away from Ceni, it almost feels like we're playing on a home court. I'm sure Air Terranea is thriving with the amount of tennis events that are now taking place here. At the ITT, we've certainly had a lot of Cenians come to show their support.

Q. Do you think that Bartolo Sabanero will continue to dominate tennis the way he has this season?

LV: You guys are journalists. I'd think that you'd be able to ask smarter questions than that. We haven't been on tour this whole season. We only started at the last couple of tournaments. He'll certainly have a lot more competition the next season, especially as we start off the season on home soil.

AN: On this, I have to agree with Lonus. I'm not one to believe that the top guys will keep on dominating this sport. I was number one for a while, and I was number sixteen for a while. It ebbs and it flows, especially with this amount of competition out there.

by **Gergary** » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:12 pm

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

Sport
Donat Kis' River Cities Open triumph earns spot in the Diamond Trophy; Barna-Henschel duo also participates

PRESCOTT, ELECTRUM - It took one tournament win for Donat Kis to earn him a spot in the Diamond Trophy.

After beating TJUN-ia's Philippe Baloui to take the crown in the River Cities Open in Damukuni, Kis was asked to represent Gergary for the singles competition for the end of season tournament here in Prescott, Electrum, with Alexandra Barna and Ralph Henschel representing the country despite not winning any tournaments. The currently rank 26 in the world in Singles competition, Kis has been placed in Group Lowes, based on the location of the Ethanian Open, along with Bartholomew Pole from Kohnhead, Ardil Navsal from Ceni, and Toma Karga from Squidroidia.

The pair of Barna and Henschel meanwhile has been placed in a suitably named group called Group Steinigestrasse, with the namesake open being Gergary's biggest tournament. Their opponents will be Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface, Coosal Darlcheri/Gyrachor Rentos, and Jewel Abe/Dan Cowden from the same set of nations. The top two of each group will progress to the quarterfinals where they will face representatives from Group Beçonailles for the singles, and from Group Salvador for the doubles.

It is also rumored that the organizers of the Steinigestrasse Open have signed a deal to have the third edition of the tournament under the NSTT banner for next season, and it is projected for a tier upgrade from a Tier 2 tournament to a Tier 1 event. More information will be shared once it is available from official sources.

by **Diarcesia** » Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:03 pm

The Sun Shines Down on His Sandals

The sun was shining and the blossoming vines were signaling a glorious day for Eutaur Jordaniscus. On the banks of the Jiachunde Pond he had made his home for his sabbatical from his full-time NSTT participation. It took a disappointing performance in the Olympics and even more heartbreak in the following NSTT season for him to decide to pack his bags and travel to the Duolin Dieresis for training camp.

Despite that, his truncated appearance in the NSTT caught the attention of the organization and went out of their way to track down Eutaur. What he had in his hands was an invitation to participate in the Diamond Trophy in acknowledgement of his exemplary demonstration of fair play.

Eutaur took it to mean that training time is over. This is the moment to return to the limelight and play in front of a crowd again.

by **The Grearish Union** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 1:12 am

OOC: This screening will be the entire storyline for my RPs. Until I don't feel like it, obviously. No match reports from my end until the movie finishes! *giggle* Feel free to RP about actual tennis matches the characters play in, in the Diamond Trophy, all of which happen after this said screening, and they are in the future relative to this RP storyline.

Pursuit of Glory
The beginning!

The screen showed the Homeflix logo and faded into black. One could sense the feeling of anticipation in the theatre as the title was about to be shown... 'Pursuit of Glory!' appeared on the screen as dramatically as the music that accompanied it.

You couldn't argue about how important this victory was, for the Grearish tennis scene. Jeff Rogers and Martha McNeil ended up winning the entire tournament on their own, especially after the very low ratings that they were given by foreign journalists at the beginning of the tournament. What is bound to be very heartening to them is the fact that they will now be placed in an aptly named Group Salvador in the doubles section of the tournament with themselves being the second-pot pair. It si funny how the group-stage-styled tournaments have worked so well for the Black Jackets. Ever since they set foot in Somer, Electrum, they have been a force to reckon with - except a 2-1 defeat against home-team Electrum. McNeil really liked the caramel popcorn in the theatre in Prescott. With a mouth filled enough to disable her from speaking, she tried asking Jeff something stupid. "Iff thiff a docuwemnary or a biowic?" she tried to say. The childish side of Martha McNeil was seldom visible to her own teammates, and here she was. It probably rubbed off a bit on Jeff too. On other days, he might have been a little annoyed by the sheer stupidity(?), but not this evening. Not with Martha and his story being on the silver screen, and themselves being in attendance. "I think they call it a biopic, since it's a theatrical interpretation of the entire thing." Rogers answered her curiosity to the best of his ability. "Why?" He chuckled. "Do you doubt?" Martha seemed to go very deep into her thoughts firstly, and then deeper into the bucket of popcorn soon after. The dietician (or whatever they're called these days) allowed her one cheat day and there was no way she was letting that pass by without stuffing herself with caramel popcorn. "Pwobably wot," is all she could say while trying to keep her mouth stuffed full with some snack or the other.

The first scene showed them both looking out into a gallery full of people, with the floodlights in a twilight-lit Somer creating a halo around their silhouettes. As they run out, the crowd starts to cheer, and and their figures become clearer as they run into the light from the tunnel.

"Oooh! Symbowic!" Martha was a student of literature, back in college.
"Cliché..." Rogers had watched enough of this crap to see through all the false glorification. Or that's what he thought - probably because it hadn't actually settled in on him that he had defeated some of the best tennis players in the multiverse to clinch the International Tennis Trophy - especially alongside the cute little clown that was sat next to him in the form of McNeil. He wouldn't otherwise have believed how a person as soft and cuddly as Martha McNeil could turn into the fiercest of tennis players when on the court. That's probably the magic of tennis - the gift that the sport brings to people. It was also a testament of how the strength of character that McNeil possesses. If Rogers had received that talking to that McNeil had received on the terrace of the team hotel from a senior player mid-tournament, he would have broken. McNeil didn't. She had a poor run of form, but always won crucial singles games when Rogers couldn't deliver the goods. What a team! The movie started to show initial failures the two had to contend with: ones that were hard to accept, but true. To be in the top 50 of the world tennis rankings is probably the best-and-worst thing that can happen to a tennis player in their career - where you aren't good enough to win crucial matches, and not bad enough to crash out in the first few rounds. But he was now breaking into the top 25. The Diamond Trophy will have to be brilliant for him - not other way out.

The screen then started to show snow-clad peaks, little streams where one could see green grass and bit further down, vast expanses of trees. A little venture further into what looked like a city, showed a court with a church overlooking it, and snow clad peaks a little further behind, but in vision.

"Oh! The Atanes!" Rogers could almost smell his hometown from this far.
"Savvador Hiwss Opennnn!" Martha giggled.

by **Electrum** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 1:32 am

DIAMOND TROPHY - SINGLES

Group Beçonailles

Gaëlle Sellier (RCN)         6   6
Fiorenzo Tartoni (SOR)       2   1

Jean van de Kloor (TJU)      2   6   6
Eutaur Jordaniscus (DCS)     6   4   2

Group Burges

Mindy Waterford (KHD)        4   6   6
Lucas Parvash (ACS)          6   3   3

Syamim Kevin (SHT)           6   2
Houston Sawyer (SQR)         7   6

Group Lowes

Bartholomew Pole (KHD)       6   6
Toma Karga (SQR)             2   4

Donat Kis (GGY)              6   6   4
Ardil Navsal (CEN)           3   7   6

Group Ubung

Lonus Varalin (CEN)          6   6
Vladimir Mikhailov (WSN)     4   2

Jeff Rogers (GRU)            7   7
Joe Katsi (TJU)              5   5

DIAMOND TROPHY - DOUBLES

Group Steinigestrasse

Coosal Darlcheri/Gyrachor Rentos (CEN)      6   1   2
Jewel Abe/Dan Cowden (SQR)                  3   6   6

Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (KHD)        4   1
Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (GGY)        6   6

Group Istria

Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)        2   7   4
Glaucy Görög/Annis Van Der Beek (DCS)       6   5   6

Leone Na/Abi Forrest (BRI)                  1   6   4
Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (SQR)          6   3   6

Group Salvador

Martha McNeil/Jeff Rogers (GRU)             4   6   6
Fiorenzo Tartoni/Luciano Crepaldi (SOR)     6   3   1

George Fakhrul/Izzat Manson (SHT)           2   4
Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)          6   6

Group Shinzoba

Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari (PCU)         0   6   6
Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar (ACS)         6   3   2

Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN)                      6   5
Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov (WSN)        7   7

NSTT FINALS - SINGLES

Group de Surmar

Bartolo Sabanero (AQL)           5   5
Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU)      7   7

Pelissa Giannapolous (ETM)       7   7
Mattias Burges (MTJ)             5   6

Group Luiza Romao

Dominika Lisicki (MTJ)           6   6
Ricardo Toli (BRI)               3   4

Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU)     7   3   6
Andrew Simmons (ETM)             5   6   0

NSTT FINALS - DOUBLES

Group Thomas/Van Pelt

Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (RCN)            4   7   6
Deanne Smith/Sara Zhuo (ETM)                    6   5   4

Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU)     3   6   6
Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM)       6   2   1

Group Southgate/Elliott

Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky (ETM)              4   7   6
Owen Simmons/Perry Walsh (KRY)                  6   6   3

Bartolo Sabanero/Qualo Tabos (AQL)              6   3
Tamara Hucsak/Dominik Lintner (MTJ)             7   6

by **Electrum** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:41 am

Centralis Herald - Sports Section - Kimiko Shigaraki

Important changes to come in NSTT Season 7

This year was a year of both change and continuity for the NationStates Tennis Tour (NSTT). Continuity in the sense that many of the same players had come back after a hiatus to come back and play. Change in the sense that the tournament structures were revamped, and new tournaments were added.

The best innovation by far this season was the creation of exclusive Tier 2 tournaments. With five hundred points up for grabs, only players with less than five hundred points were able to participate, all but ensuring that the highest ranked players wouldn't be able to curb-stomp their way to an easy victory. This has allowed up and coming nations such as Kohnhead and Sharktail to gain valuable points to climb up the rankings. These tournaments have unearthed many revelations this year, from Burges' spectacular run at Steinigestrasse translating to a top-eight finish this season to Giannapolous absolutely dominating the grass court season after her victory in Salvador.

Another change we saw this season was the introduction of separate rankings for players on the doubles tour. This has meant that, upon agreement of the respective tennis federations, players from different countries could team up. And more importantly, players didn't have to be attached by the hip with the same player for fear of losing the rankings. Perhaps that could be one of the reasons why Darlcheri and Rentos are rumoured to be separating. No point being together if there's no benefit in the rankings anymore.

One of the last changes that was implemented this season was the addition of the Diamond Trophy. Scheduled to be included in the aborted Season 5 finals, the Diamond Trophy is an expanded sixteen player tournament where nations who didn't necessarily have players in the NSTT Finals could compete. Watching any of the Diamond Trophy matches today is just a testament to why this was such a great idea.

But more exciting things are coming for the NationStates Tennis Tour in the coming season.

One of them is the return of the Cenian Open. Appearing at the start of next year's season, the return of the Cenian Open means the full complement of four grand slams will be played next year, adding yet another opportunity for players to put their names in the history books as a Grand Slam champion. There are also a raft of new tournaments as well, from the hard courts of Mendez Bay to the rustic clay of Astello, San Ortelio. The Championnats has gained Grand Slam status in a deal which will see it rotate clay court grand slam status with the Mattijana Open. Meanwhile, NSTT organisers are still looking for yet another country to host a grass court tournament after the withdrawal of Krytenia's AOpen. This has meant that the Mercedinian Open has been elevated to Grand Slam status, a historic event for one of the longest running NSTT tournaments in the calendar. In fact, it was the oldest tournament to have never achieved Grand Slam status.

Another will be the fact that nations will be allowed to send one additional doubles pair to all tournaments, if that pair is comprised of two players from different countries. This will allow greater co-operation between countries, and hopefully increase the amount of cultural exchange that we've seen this season. Imagine a team comprised of Sonya Gredello and Elia Xal. Or even Sara Zhuo and Gyrachor Rentos. The amount of amusing combinations and permutations are endless.

In order words, season 7 is going to be a cracker of a season, just like this one. We can't wait to see how it will go.

by **San Ortelio** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:32 am

SOTA launches International License amidst controversy
For the greater good of the game or for the personal good of the association?

As the NSTT season still is in its concluding event with the heralded end-of-year tournament in Prescott, the national tennis association (SOTA) looks forth already to the upcoming year, by way of two consecutive major announcements. Many rumors have been surrounding their stance towards the position of San Ortelio in the world of tennis. Was an inclusion in the international field nothing but a farfetched dream twelve months ago, than the solid appearance in the ITT knocked open the doors for a long-term commitment. One of the key questions surrounding this transition concerned the role which the SOTA would play in this. It has been a public secret that the upstart of the San Ortelians has been an effort carried by the individual athletes, not in the least flagbearer Fiorenzo Tartoni. This initiative from the 29-year old champ was not met with unison praise by the SOTA, to say the least.

Feeling surpassed on the fast lane by Tartoni, they publicly supported the player but criticized his ‘stubbornness’ and ‘cavalier seul mentality’ in the corridors. The question now was which way forward they would chose, especially as the SOTA has been the battleground for a longer standing rivalry between two fractions. The currently leading one, headed by president Flavio Lunghi who considers himself as the sole barrier between the existing power balance and utter chaos, gets criticized by a wave of reformers. Leading this wave stands Gianluca Tartoni, father of the leading national tennis player and owner of the Royal Tennis Club Consortium (RTCC). This organization aspires to, pending on your source, professionalize or monopolize the existing tennis infrastructure under one banner. With their recent acquisition of the Santa Sofia Grounds, they now hold the majority of the courts on San Ortelian soil, albeit the owner of the most prestigious tournament, the Astello Open, remains independent (and supportive of the current SOTA leadership).

In this existing stalemate, some observers saw it possible that the SOTA returned to its policy of splendid isolation, closing the window opened and disassociating again from the NSTT. However, considering the enthusiasm sparked in the tennis community by the performances from Tartoni and Crepaldi, such was no longer deemed possible without popular repercussions. As such, it has become clear through a notably brief message on the website that they’ve chosen for the frontal attack by instating the International License system. In short, this means that any player who wants to compete in the NSTT will require an International License to do this under the San Ortelian flag – considering the enrollment requirements of the NSTT, this means ensuring an obligation for the players to go by the rules of the SOTA and a de facto monopoly position.

President Di Renzo proclaimed that it was the only way to assure a fair, structured yet open access to the international tournaments for all tennis players. Upon questions about the criteria for the license, he referred to a seemingly unfindable document but summarized it as a myriad of ‘sporting criteria, supplemented with proof of being a worthy representative of our national colors’. Which players would be allowed to compete in which tournaments remained vague, but he insisted that through the International License, young talents would receive growing chances whilst current top players got supported appropriately with opportunities befitting the capacities of each. He repeated that multiple times, insisting how beautiful the wording sounds.

The nebulous description of the process did not do him well with the critics. Gianluca Tartoni lashed out, claiming that “not sporting prowess but your willingness to lick the [REDACTED] of the SOTA would determine your opportunities in the international circuit”. More moderate voices considered the existence of some sort of gatekeeping a positive evolution but wondered who will watch the watchmen. That the SOTA coupled the receival of the International License to a hefty ‘solidarity sum’ to be invoiced towards the organization headquarters, did not sit well with many and some even question whether this practice will be allowed by the international federation.

One of our correspondents managed to lay his eye on the first draft of the list of International Licensed players and noted that this contained nine different players, with seven applying for a ticket to the singles tour and seven to the doubles. The singles list is headlined by this year’s semi-finalists of the Astello Open in Fiorenzo Tartoni (29), Luciano Crepaldi (22), Andrea Vergnani (27) and Massimo Recinella (25). It is of note that no guarantees for subscription to the Grand Slams has been given to Tartoni, despite being given enough credit by the international federation for a spot in the Diamond Trophy. The clear defeat yesterday against top seed Gaëlle Sellier might have softened the enthusiasm surrounding his performances, still his domestic record alone would warrant such a privilege. The four players listed above are supplemented by veteran Graziano Giunti (34), a well-known name in the circuit, and youngsters Mirco Tonti (19) and Domenico Lunghi (18). The surprising presence on the shortlist of the latter, the grandson of the current SOTA president, added to the whispering.

For the doubles circuit, three pairs enlisted, spearheaded by the anticipated duo of Tartoni and Vergnani. Although the performances, and according to those in the know also the personal relationship, of the duo Tartoni & Crepaldi has been improving with a promising opening set against ITT winners McNeil and Rogers, they will go their separate ways in the seventh season of the Tour. Whilst Tartoni joins forces, as expected, with his usual double partner Vergnani, Luciano Crepaldi has not been announced with a new teammate. That his usual domestic mate, Gianni Baronti, is known as a vocal supporter of the Tartoni fraction might have contributed to this. Rumors about an international collaboration are ripe with some pointing to a still unknown Cenian supplementing Crepaldi’s style. The other duos at the starting line is the brother pair of Massimo and Oscar Recinella at one hand, a pair which overcomes their weaknesses with a natural bond who have earned their spot domestically and a surprising junior partnership of Tonti and Leandro Baliani. The two were sworn enemies in the youth ranks, but now try to make a name for themselves together.

Fact is that the start of the upcoming season will be surrounded with an unnecessary amount of controversy. The presence, and absence, of some names to the contested list of International Licensees will undoubtedly cast a shadow over what should be a glorious debut. That the SOTA communicated about this system as a ‘hallelujah’ moment in the history of the sport did not add to the support. It can only be hoped that the second ‘major announcement’ in the pipeline will create less upstir and more enthusiasm.

by **Squidroidia** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:39 am

The Star Sentinel
Polaris High School's Official Newspaper

TENNIS
Winning and Losing and a New Tournament, oh my!
By Aristide Masterson

With the Diamond Trophy in full swing for the Polaris team as well as some guests from IU, the rumor mill regarding the Tour and what the 7th season holds has gone out of control, with numerous events added and subtracted from the Tour, most notably the AOpen. But before the conversation regarding the next season of Tour, the shift of the dot comes to Prescott for the Diamond Trophy.

Team Polaris's singles are playing in Group Burges for Houston Sawyer, unofficial flagbearer of Squidroidia, and Group Lowes for Toma Karga (Who refers to herself within the group as "Being at Lowes"). It was very much 2 sides of the coin for the singles - Sawyer went in hot against Sharktail's Syamim Kevin, and even though the first set came down to the wire, the second was very much Houston's time to shine. His first win in the Diamond Trophy was in the book. Toma, however, struggled against Bartholomew Pole, who helped his Kohnhead side upset Aqual in the ITT quarters, being swept aside by the pole in 2 sets.

Crossing over to the doubles side, and in a shock to the system for all Ceni fans, the IU pair of Abe and Cowden would defeat highly-ranked opposition in the form of Darlcheri and Rentos on the very first matchday. Although the first set seemed predictable for the Ceni stars, Abe and Cowden would wipe the floor in the last 2 sets to come back and win the match, including a 6-1 2nd set to tie it up. This could've very well been the best performance they ever had, but turning over to RCO champions Cabrera and McPhee, they would struggle too against Britonisea opposition in Leone Na and Abi Forrest, as the 2 would tie it up against the Inklings at Set 2, before the girls from Squidroidia won back the match. The Squidroidians go 3 from 4 in the first matchday, with 2 more to go until the knockout stage.

With that out of the way, let's get to the meat and potatoes of this article: What the Tour has in store for its next season.

Four Grand Slams

When the Tour heads back to the hard, outdoor surfaces which signify the start of the season, the best in the business will not arrive in Centralis like last time around. A fourth Grand Slam in the form of the Cenian Open will open up the season, moving the Steinigestrasse Open to a Tier 1 event, preceding the Electrum Slam. With Steinigestrasse moving to Tier 1, a new Tier 2 competition has been added to fill up the gaps, with the Mendez Bay Open in Northwest Kalactin immediately following the event in Cenial. That means four Grand Slams are on the cards, and Bartolo Sabanero has a great chance to complete the quadfecta.

Madness on Clay

And that was just the outdoor hard part of the Tour! If you're looking for a lot more chaos and disorder, look no farther than the clay stretch of the season. The Tier 2 Istra Open in Banija will not return to the Tour, and filling its place will be a new event in an entirely new country - The Astello International in San Ortelio. Along with that the Hamilton International has lost its Grand Slam status, with the right to host the clay Grand Slam being rotated between Mattijana and Reçueçn. As such the Championnats Nationaux de Reçueçn de Tennis will host the clay Grand Slam for the upcoming season, with the season after taking the Grand Slam to Burges.

The Squidroidian Open

The Indoor Hard stretch of the season remains unchanged - The 2nd RCO will be held, along with the Ubung Open, ITT and Tour Finals. The last piece of the puzzle is the grass season, where the AOpen, the grass Grand Slam, will leave the schedule after 3 editions. As such the Salvador Hills Open will move up to Tier 1, while the Mercedinian Open will become the fourth and final Grand Slam, leaving a Tier 2 hole that the Squidroidian government is dying to fill. Plans for a so-called "Squidroidian Open" have fallen onto the desk of the Star Sentinel, with the tournament hoping to run at the tropical city of Mount Laguna Bay at a specially built tennis center with artificial grass courts. This has yet to be confirmed by the NSTT however, so things may change. With stars like Sawyer, Cabrera and McPhee confirmed to be above the 500 point limit for Tier 2 events, the Squidroidian government may also plan a qualifying tournament during the Championnats Nationaux de Reçueçn de Tennis to see who fills the vacant spots. Neither the Squidroidian government, Polaris High staff, Inkopolis University or the NSTT have reached out for comment.

by **Kohnhead** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:38 am

Waterford and Pole both record wins, it goes less well for our doubles players

The first day of play in both the Diamond Trophy and the NSTT Finals was today in Electrum and overall it went decent for our atheletes representing Kohnhead.

DIamond Trophy

Mindy Waterford (KHD)        4   6   6
Lucas Parvash (ACS)          6   3   3

Unfortunately we weren't good enough to have any singles player qualify for the NSTT Finals, we have two at the Diamond Trophy in Mindy Waterford and Bartholomew Pole both of whom were a large part of our semifinal run at the ITT. Waterford is currently the 12th ranked singles player in the World and her goal for the tournament is simple; win it because she is definitely mad at missing out on the Finals. She did not impress against Acastanha's Lucas Parvash who is ranked 102nd but she did enough to get the job done after dropping the first set. Waterford is favored to take home the win in Group Burges and her main competition in Syamim Kevin from Sharktail just get upset by Houston Sawyer but we've seen those Squidroidians go a lot further than they are expected and Sawyer could easily take down Waterford if she's not careful.

Bartholomew Pole (KHD)       6   6
Toma Karga (SQR)             2   4

Speaking of Squidroidians, Bartholomew Pole just beat one in straight sets although Toma Karga is the second ranked Squidroidian coming in at 88th in the World it was easy pickings for Pole. Pole has moved himself into 13th in the World just behind Mindy and he is also considered a favorite to take home the Diamond Trophy as one of the rare backhand preferred players on tour. We all know his awful start to the season until a semifinal run at Hamilton brought back the confidence. One could argue he outperformed Mindy at the ITT and has an easier group than Mindy although both Donat Kis from Gergary and Ardil Navsal from Ceni will provide good competition if he wants to advance.

Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (KHD)        4   1
Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (GGY)        6   6

More Diamond Trophy action saw our top fully Kohnhead duo in Riley Dovatin and Melissa Turnface go down really without a fight against Barna and Henschel from Gergary. This was supposed to be a battle between two very highly ranked duos but they really got the best of us in this one. Dovatin and Turnface are conisered underdogs to come out of Group Steinigestrasse but with the lowest ranked Jewel Bae and Dan Cowden (again from Squidroidian) upsetting the Cenian duo anything can happen in this group.

George Fakhrul/Izzat Manson (SHT)           2   4
Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)          6   6

The unlikely pairing of Bradley Kohnface and Erin Maldry are nowhere near favorites out of Group Salvador and taking on the Sharktail duo of George Fakhrul and Izzat Manson we weren't expected to win, however they almost easily managed a two set affair winning 6-2 6-4. Kohnface and Maldry know that if they want to advance or win the group the duo to beat is Martha McNeil and Jeff Rogers out of The Grearish Union who are coming off of their major ITT win.

NSTT Finals

Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU)     3   6   6
Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM)       6   2   1

The mixed nation pairing of Marcus Hathwar and Spencer Kohnhead from Electrum and Kohnhead respectively has been the talk of the town recently as they're the most successful of the mixed nation duos to date but were obviously not able to play together at the ITT and thus were somewhat out of practice come the NSTT Finals. Of course we open with our main NSTT rivals in TJUN-ia taking on their top ranked duo of Valentina Spetsova and Austin McDanielson who have proven themselves all season. We took the first set but alas couldn't win the next two and so took a loss, if we want to advance we need to play better and probably pick up a win against the dreaded Fourniers of Reucen.

by **Ceni** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:04 pm

Terranean Broadcasting Company

Diamond Trophy: Ardil Navsal saves match points to claim victory but Cenian doubles teams disappoint

By Zion Berik
TBC Sport in Prescott

December 14, 2020

Ardil Navsal and Lonus Varalin are both 1-1 in singles, but the Xal sisters and Darlcheri/Rentos lose in the doubles competition.

In Group Burges, Navsal barely scraped by Donat Kis of Gergary after saving two match points in the second set to eke out a 3-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-4 victory. That tiebreaker definitely kept everyone on their toes: After saving those match points from 6-4 down, he squandered several set points with errors before finally sealing the set with a smash overhead winner. Meanwhile, Varalin did well in the aptly named Group Ubung as he eased past Vladimir Mikhailov of Waisnor, who last appeared in the quarterfinals of the Mercedinian Open, by the score of 6-4, 6-2.

In Group Steinegestrasse in the doubles, Coosal Darlcheri and Gyrachor Rentos thought all was smooth sailing after winning the first set 6-3 against Jewel Abe and Dan Cowden of Squidroidia, but they crumbled after the couple had a heated argument over a misplaced sweat guard and lost the next two sets in summary fasion, 6-1 and 6-2. In Group Shinzoba, Fia Xal showed signs of the same sluggishness that she had displayed in the final of the ITT against Grearia, and a few poorly-timed errors at the business ends of the first and second sets led to a loss in two sets, 7-6, 7-5 to the unheralded team of Evgeny Kondratenko and Oleg Vlasov of Waisnor.

Tough road ahead follows for the Cenian players
In Group Ubung, Varalin faces a tough path ahead as he playes Jeff Rogers of Grearia tomorrow and Joe Katsi of TJUN-ia on Wednesday. Rogers defeated Varalin in the final of the ITT to give Grearia a 1-0 lead in the tournament, and Varalin will certainly be looking for revenge in what is sure to be an uphill battle. Katsi should not be discounted. Even though Varalin beat Katsi's countryman Jean van der Kloor in the ITT, Katsi cannot be discounted.

In Group Lowes, Navsal will face the group's first seed Bartholomew Pole of Kohnhead, who is ranked number 15 in the world and the fourth seed in this tournament, tomorrow. On Wednesday, he will face the group's fourth seed Toma Karga of Squidroidia, who should not be overlooked (especially considering Darlcheri and Rentos' loss to the Squidroidians Abe and Cowden in the doubles).

Both doubles teams are significantly worse off for their losses in the first round. Because of their position as first seeds, Darlcheri and Rentos face less pressure heading into the subsequent doubles matches. Tomorrow, Darlcheri and Rentos will face second seeds Riley Dovatin and Melissa Turnface of Kohnhead, one of the newer entrants to the NSTT scene, who looked all over the place in a 6-4, 6-1 loss to Alexandra Barna and Ralph Henschel of Gergary. Darlcheri and Rentos will face Barna and Henschel on Wednesday, and they will be tougher competition than their seeding indicates.

The Xals will need to play their best against Oka Sulastra and Luh Putu Yundari of Pemecutan, who are now ranked above the Xals at #30 in the world, in order to have a chance of proceeding out of Group Shinzoba. Miguel Taberon and Pedro Arrachar of Acastanha, the lowest ranked-team in the group, will be their last opponents. If the Xals do not win against Sulastra and Yundari, though, it is entirely likely that the match against Taberon and Arrachar will be somewhat irrelevant.

Rumor mill swirls as Cenian Open nears
As the Diamond Trophy and Tour Finals go on, the tennis community here in Prescott is abuzz with news about several long-lasting doubles partnerships.

The Centralis Herald alludes to an impending breakup between Coosal Darlcheri and Gyrachor Rentos, TBC has learned through sources close to Rentos that he is planning on partnering with the Electrumite Sara Zhuo, another veteran of the NSTT scene as her longstanding partner Deanne Smith retires.

Meanwhile, the combustible Val Korekal and Jac Iegis have confirmed to TBC that they will break up. However, the more flamboyant Korekal is reportedly on the hunt for a new partner for the Cenian Open. Sources close to the 22-year-old player have confirmed that he is in talks with the San Ortelian player Luciano Crepaldi to partner up, with the partnership contingent on the approval of San Ortelio's tennis federation.

The TBC cautions readers that these partnerships are not set in stone until the formal entry list for the Cenian Open is released to the public.

The NSTT has also released its schedule for the 8th season of the venerable competition. As previously announced, the Cenian Open will move to January from its usual timeslot in June or July, to be followed by the Electrum Slam several weeks later. The Mendez Bay Open in Northwest Kalactin will also make its first appearance on tour right after the Cenian Open.

Most of the tournaments will be familiar names to readers of TBC Sport, with the Beçonailles and the Mercedinian Open assuming Grand Slam status after the Hamilton International reverts to a Tier 1 tournament and the AOpen failing to secure the necessary license from the NSTT. The Star Sentinel of Squidroida speculated that the Squidroidian Open in Mount Laguna Bay would pick up the one remaining Tier 2 license from the NSTT, although it is rumored that the Whitehaven Open is also bidding for that Tier 2 license.

by **Pemecutan** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:56 pm

Tuesday, 15 December 2020 (Anggara Kliwon Wuku Prangbakat, Pawukon 1780)
Antari/Andreawati Make a Big Upset
The Other 3 Win Smoothly

Prescott, Electrum - The first match day of End of The Season event have been ended. And a shocking result happened in Group Istria of Diamond Trophy. Pemecutan first double pair, Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati have to accept their loss against Glaucy Gorog/Annis Van Der Beek of Diarcesia in a tight 3 sets match. Antari/Andreawati have started the match not in their prime condition. This situation is taken by Gorog/Van Der Beek to control the match in the first set. They are easily controlling the Pemecutanian pair. And finally win the first set by 6-2. In the second set, Antari/Andreawati try to break out from their depressing performance and try to stay in focus. Their effort goes well as they are able to play in par with Gorog/Van Der Beek who already being a dominance since the match started. Antari/Andreawati steal the second set by 5-7. Failing in the second set, Gorog/Van Der Beek change their playing style in the third set. They don't give a chance to Antari/Andreawati to explore their playing style. Even though seems to be under pressure but Antari/Andreawati still manage to tackles the Diarcesian moves. But the Fortune seems to be not on their side, Gorog/Van Der Beek is successfully taken the 9th and 10th game to win the third set and also win the match.

Another hard match is also face by Pemecutan's other pair. Facing Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar in first match of Group Shinzoba, they have to defeated them in 3 sets match. Taberon/Arrachar looks very promising in the start of the match as they are being the dominance. The situation really gives a difficulties to Sulastra/Yundari. They have to surrender easily in the first set by 6-0. After a quick break, Sulastra/Yundari is ready for the second set. They are changing their playing style and continue to give difficult shots for Acastanhada duo. These changes are shocking Taberon/Arrachar. They are losing their focus which cost them the second set. Sulastra/Yundari manage to take over the set by 3-6. In the third set, Sulastra/Yundari continue to be in dominance position. And Taberon/Arrachar are being suppress right from the start of the set. The situation makes them unable to explore their playing style and they are trapped in Sulastra/Yundari's way of play. Until finally they are surrender by 2-6 and give Sulastra/Yundari their victory.

In NSTT Finals match, a surprise happened in Group de Surmar. Ngurah Putra Muliawan is successfully defeated the first ranked and 2 times Grand Slam winners, Bartolo Sabanero. Even though he winning the match but the process is very exhausting. The 2 sets that they are playing have to be ended both in 5-5 deuce. Although they don't have to go through a tie-break but it's still quite tiring. Sabanero which is being the favorite to win the match started the first set in high confidence. While Muliawan is also building up his confidence to face the Grand Slam winner. The match goes very tight as both players shows their best performance. They are taking and winning the game interchangeably which makes no one is able to lead far from the other. Muliawan is the first to reach the 5 points before Sabanero able to match it which makes them have a deuce. The play of the next two games goes tightly as they continue the 40-40 deuce several times before Muliawan's able to win both games simultaneously. Although losing, Sabanero doesn't break down. He continue to give his best performance and try to turn the table in the second set. But his effort is quite hard to achieve as Muliawan also give his best performance to defend his lead. After another 5-5 deuce, Muliawan once again shows his great finishing as he is manage to win the next two games to win the set and also the match.

In another Group, Dewa Putu Adrian Putra is given a hard fight by Andrew Simmons before winning his match. He has to work hard during the first set as Simmons shows a great performance. After a tight match and 5-5 deuce, Adrian Putra manage to win the set by 7-5. In the second set, Simmons try to control the match right from the start and he is succeed. The situation makes Adrian Putra so stress that he makes a lot of mistakes. The set finally goes to Simmons with 3-6. Doesn't want to make the same mistake, Adrian Putra calm down himself and try to regain his focus before starting the third set. The change in Adrian Putra is quite shocking for Simmons. He is unable to control the play as Adrian Putra is always able to tackles his shots. Adrian Putra gain one game after another which upsetting and stressing Simmons. This situation makes Simmons play become worsen. Adrian Putra finally able to win the third set without any losing game. 6-0 for Adrian Putra and a winning match.

In the second match day, Dewa Putu Adrian Putra will be facing 2nd ranked and Grand Slam winner Dominika Lisicki of Mattijana. While Ngurah Putra Muliawan will be playing against Mattias Burges also from Mattijana. Facing Leone Na/Abi Forrest from Britonisea, Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati have to win to opening hope for them to still in the competition. While a hard match will be face by Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari as they will be playing against Cenian veteran pair, Elia/Fia Xal who is shockingly losing to Waisnorian pair, Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov in their first match.

by **Diarcesia** » Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:58 pm

Side note from an aspiring Diarcesian tennis player

I would like to extend a special thanks to Gorog/Vanderbeek for the hospitality and support shown to us during the last two weeks. It shows how much the pair cares about the younger tennis talent. We could not have done what we have done without their help. I am appreciative of what they do, for what they are capable of.

Someday, maybe, I would be good enough to face them in a future event. It would be an honor and a pleasure to be given that privilege.

- Amber Rose

Amber Rose, 19, from Gosport, is #23 in the Hylvorian circuit. She is one of the youngest players to win a tournament after beating everyone in a series of knockout rounds in the prvious season. She shows promise as a young, fresh face to the tennis world.

And then something happened.

A major event in her perspective.

A player from another nation came to play against her.

Amber lost badly. The ball rolled through the court towards the net.

That was it. Her final defense crumbled.

She saw the final result and was left speechless.

Her prayers didn't work.

Even as the tears rolled down her cheeks, she didn't stop thinking.

Some of the more famous names were spectating in this exhibition match, and Glaucy Görög in particular came to her mind. Görög is one of her foremost inspirations. To her utter surprise, she went out of her way to meet Amber shortly after the match. She, along with her close friend Vanderbeek, offered to play a series of practice games together. Amber enthustiastically nodded without uttering a word. It was a simple, yet profound gesture. In the span of two weeks, they would practice their strategies and techniques together.

by **Electrum** » Tue Dec 15, 2020 1:22 am

Note: Group tables are misleading. The official tiebreakers are 1) Number of wins; 2) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 3) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, then percentage of games won; 4) Roleplay points (IC: Coin toss). The correct group table order will come in tomorrow's cutoff.

DIAMOND TROPHY - SINGLES

Group Beçonailles

Fiorenzo Tartoni (SOR)       6   7
Eutaur Jordaniscus (DCS)     4   5

Gaëlle Sellier (RCN)         4   6
Jean van de Kloor (TJU)      6   7

Group Beçonailles          Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Jean van de Kloor          2   2  0    4   1  +3    2
2 Gaëlle Sellier             2   1  1    2   2   0    1
3 Fiorenzo Tartoni           2   1  1    2   2   0    1
4 Eutaur Jordaniscus         2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group Burges

Lucas Parvash (ACS)          3   7   6
Houston Sawyer (SQR)         6   6   3

Mindy Waterford (KHD)        6   7
Syamim Kevin (SHT)           2   5

Group Burges               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Mindy Waterford            2   2  0    4   1  +3    2
2 Houston Sawyer             2   1  1    3   2  +1    1
3 Lucas Parvash              2   1  1    3   3   0    1
4 Syamim Kevin               2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group Lowes

Toma Karga (SQR)             2   2
Ardil Navsal (CEN)           6   6

Bartholomew Pole (KHD)       4   6   2
Donat Kis (GGY)              6   3   6

Group Lowes                Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ardil Navsal               2   2  0    4   1  +3    2
2 Bartholomew Pole           2   1  1    3   2  +1    1
3 Donat Kis                  2   1  1    3   3   0    1
4 Toma Karga                 2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group Ubung

Vladimir Mikhailov (WSN)     6   2   2
Joe Katsi (TJU)              4   6   6

Lonus Varalin (CEN)          6   6
Jeff Rogers (GRU)            3   2

Group Ubung                Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Lonus Varalin              2   2  0    4   0  +4    2
2 Jeff Rogers                2   1  1    2   2   0    1
3 Joe Katsi                  2   1  1    2   3  −1    1
4 Vladimir Mikhailov         2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

DIAMOND TROPHY - DOUBLES

Group Steinigestrasse

Jewel Abe/Dan Cowden (SQR)                  6   5   7
Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel (GGY)        4   7   5

Coosal Darlcheri/Gyrachor Rentos (CEN)      6   2   8
Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface (KHD)        2   6   6

Group Steinigestrasse                     Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Jewel Abe/Dan Cowden                      2   2  0    4   2  +2    2
2 Alexandra Barna/Ralph Henschel            2   1  1    3   2  +1    1
3 Coosal Darlcheri/Gyrachor Rentos          2   1  1    3   3   0    1
4 Riley Dovatin/Melissa Turnface            2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group Istria

Glaucy Görög/Annis Van Der Beek (DCS)       4   6   7
Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (SQR)          6   3   5

Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)        6   3   4
Leone Na/Abi Forrest (BRI)                  1   6   6

Group Istria                              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Glaucy Görög/Annis Van Der Beek           2   2  0    4   2  +2    2
2 Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee              2   1  1    3   3   0    1
3 Leone Na/Abi Forrest                      2   1  1    3   3   0    1
4 Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati            2   0  2    2   4  −2    0

Group Salvador

Fiorenzo Tartoni/Luciano Crepaldi (SOR)     5   3
Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry (KHD)          7   6

Martha McNeil/Jeff Rogers (GRU)             1   6   6
George Fakhrul/Izzat Manson (SHT)           6   4   4

Group Salvador                            Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Bradley Kohnface/Erin Maldry              2   2  0    4   0  +4    2
2 Martha McNeil/Jeff Rogers                 2   2  0    4   2  +2    2
3 Fiorenzo Tartoni/Luciano Crepaldi         2   0  2    1   4  −3    0
  George Fakhrul/Izzat Manson               2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group Shinzoba

Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar (ACS)         1   6   6
Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov (WSN)        6   4   4

Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari (PCU)         4   7   0
Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN)                      6   5   6

Group Shinzoba                            Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov            2   1  1    3   2  +1    1
2 Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari             2   1  1    3   3   0    1
3 Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar             2   1  1    3   3   0    1
4 Elia Xal/Fia Xal                          2   1  1    2   3  −1    1

NSTT FINALS - SINGLES

Group de Surmar

Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU)      5   6   6
Mattias Burges (MTJ)             7   1   4

Bartolo Sabanero (AQL)           6   3
Pelissa Giannapolous (ETM)       7   6

Group de Surmar                Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Pelissa Giannapolous           2   2  0    4   0  +4    2
2 Ngurah Putra Muliawan          2   2  0    4   1  +3    2
3 Mattias Burges                 2   0  2    1   4  −3    0
4 Bartolo Sabanero               2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group Luiza Romao

Ricardo Toli (BRI)               5   4
Andrew Simmons (ETM)             7   6

Dominika Lisicki (MTJ)           6   1   7
Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU)     2   6   5

Group Luiza Romao              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Dominika Lisicki               2   2  0    4   1  +3    2
2 Andrew Simmons                 2   1  1    3   2  +1    1
3 Dewa Putu Adrian Putra         2   1  1    3   3   0    1
4 Ricardo Toli                   2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

NSTT FINALS - DOUBLES

Group Thomas/Van Pelt

Deanne Smith/Sara Zhuo (ETM)                    4   7   9
Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar (KHD/ETM)       6   6   7

Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier (RCN)            3   1
Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson (TJU)     6   6

Group Thomas/Van Pelt                         Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Valentina Spetsova/Austin McDanielson         2   2  0    4   1  +3    2
2 Deanne Smith/Sara Zhuo                        2   1  1    3   3   0    1
3 Camille Fournier/Inès Fournier                2   1  1    2   3  −1    1
4 Spencer Kohnhead/Marcus Hathwar               2   0  2    2   4  −2    0

Group Southgate/Elliott

Owen Simmons/Perry Walsh (KRY)                  7   3   5
Tamara Hucsak/Dominik Lintner (MTJ)             6   6   7

Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky (ETM)              7   5   6
Bartolo Sabanero/Qualo Tabos (AQL)              5   7   1

Group Southgate/Elliott                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Tamara Hucsak/Dominik Lintner                 2   2  0    4   1  +3    2
2 Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky                  2   2  0    4   2  +2    2
3 Owen Simmons/Perry Walsh                      2   0  2    2   4  −2    0
4 Bartolo Sabanero/Qualo Tabos                  2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

by **Squidroidia** » Tue Dec 15, 2020 6:13 pm

Game, set, match.

For whatever reason on the Diamond Trophy court, the Inkopolis University duo of Abe and Cowden were doing bits against their Group Steinigestrasse opposition. Against Barna and Henschel from Gergary, the boys got the work done against their opponents in 3 sets and as such basically booked their ticket to the knockout stages. They can lose against already eliminated Sovatin and Turnface from Kohnhead and even if the Ceni pair outlasts the one from Gergary they will at the very least finish 2nd place. For the pair it was everything they wanted - Invited in at the very last moment to join the Polaris team in Electrum following their ITT escapades, they were guaranteed a place in the quarters.

The same cannot be said for Polaris senior Toma Karga, eliminated from the Diamond Trophy in humiliating fashion against Ardil Navasal. She still had one game to go, yes, but with no sets won she was eliminated from the competition in her senior year. As she walked to her hotel room in Prescott, she felt her soul evaporating. One last chance for IU to notice her was gone. In an instant. She was set to spend the rest of her life in an Inkopolis hotel, hopelessly answering phones and bringing people their room service - From average joes to whoever was traveling to Squidroidia for the World Cup qualifier against the Inklings. Her tennis road ended here.

Then the hand of a blue squid touched her. It was Jewel Abe himself. His eyes were weary on the purple squid, seemingly worried about her. He was going to graduate from Inkopolis University soon, ready to run his taxis up and down Inkopolis for the tourists. "Toma, what's wrong?" He said, touching her shoulder.

"Yeah, I suck at tennis. Have you SEEN Lowes? That place made me the sideshow clown everyone was knocking down!"

"Slow down Toma... I know you're a senior in high school but you must not start thinking about this. You still have a good career."

"But how? I can't cut it for Polaris singles! Houston's been kicking Dominika's ass in the ITT, and what do I get? A SLAMMING OF THE POLE!"

"Toma, there's still doubles! I'm leaving IU!"

"Wait, you're not here next season?" Toma says with curiosity.

"Mhm. Senior's duties. I haven't been redshirted so I don't have to spend one more year with the team. A doubles spot is getting vacant!"

"Oh that's... Actually nice for a change. So I don't have to worry about Van der Hout?"

"Yep. Just slot on along with Cowden and you'll do fine, promise!"

With a sigh to Abe, she extended her hand. "If you say so. I'm going to IU in time for the Ceni tournament."

"Good choice Toma." Abe smiled at her and shook her hand. It was true - Toma Karga's final match for Polaris High was going to be her final singles match. As a member of Inkopolis University, she was going to do the doubles. All that pressure from the singles season went away. At the very least, try to go off with a win over Kis. Make your school proud in choosing you for girl's singles.

OOC: I won't be doing any Star Sentinel RPs for the rest of the Diamond Trophy. I plan for the next RP to be about who will replace Karga at Polaris High with their girls singles spot. In IC terms for NSTT, WGPC and NSSCRA, 1 season equals 1 year, and with the case for Polaris and IU the end of the season is also when the school year ends.

by **Diarcesia** » Tue Dec 15, 2020 7:11 pm

There are three main festivals in the Palaeodiarcesian Archonate of Eucaria; Arkess's Fest, Ancestor Day, and the Midsummer Festival. Each of these is celebrated by the people of the Archonate in commemoration of significant historical events. Arkess's Feast is celebrated at the anniversary of the First Monarch's birth (3 February) and is one of the only days of the week when they do not participate in sporting competitions. On Ancestor Day, parents give their oldest child a traditional bath and a "day" name. On the other hand, at Midsummer, gifts are given to grandparents, a tradition that originated during the union of Diarcesia and Hylvoria. A commonality in all three festivals is the consumption of specially-reared and slaughtered boars.

Glaucy Görög/Annis Van Der Beek (DCS)       4   6   7
Jóna Cabrera/Veronika McPhee (SQR)          6   3   5

End of Event Recap

After a difficult first set, Glaucy Görög and Annis Vanderbeek regrouped in their game against the Squidroidian pair of Jóna Cabrera and Veronika McPhee. The second set started slow with each side exchanging points until they were both tied at one. Cabrera and McPhee soon rallied for 3-1, but the Diarcesians fended them off to get the second set.

Everyone clapped in applause when the final point was made in favor of the Diarcesians in the third set, with Görög surprising McPhee with an unorthodox swing as a punctation point in this exciting match.

by **Ceni** » Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:06 pm

Terranean Broadcasting Company

Diamond Trophy: Cenian players sweep all four matches, but not without drama

By Zion Berik
TBC Sport in Prescott

December 15, 2020

Ardil Navsal and Lonus Varalin are in pole position heading into the third day of group stage play, but the doubles teams still have their work cut out from them.

In Group Lowes, Navsal kicked off proceedings with a perfunctory 6-2, 6-2 win against the Squidroidian teenager Toma Karga. Lonus Varalin was not far behind, defeating Jeff Rogers of Grearia in a similar 6-3, 6-2 rout.

On the doubles side, Coosal Darlcheri and Gyrachor Rentos eked out a win in a roller-coaster match against Riley Dovatin and Melissa Turnface of Kohnhead, winning 8-6 in the final set after trading two sets, 6-2 apiece. And the Xal sisters redeemed themselves from their shocking loss to the Wasonian team of Kondratenko and Vlasov, beating the group's top seeds Oka Sulastra and Luh Putu Yundari of Pemecutan in a messy 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 match.

Only one of Ceni's four entries in the Diamond Trophy has secured passage to the quarterfinals. In Group Lowes, simultaneous victories by Bartholomew Pole of Kohnhead and Donat Kis of Gergary could send Navsal to third. But in Group Ubung, Lonus Varalin has secured his spot in the quarterfinals. Even if he loses to Joe Katsi of TJUN-ia tomorrow in straight sets and Rogers wins, he will still advance to the quarterfinals by virtue of set difference.

In the doubles, tomorrow's match against Miguel Taberon and Pedro Arrachar will be do or die for the Xal sisters: The winners of tomorrow's matches will proceeds, while the losers will go home. Darlcheri and Rentos face the same situation in Group Steinigestrasse, where they will face Alexandra Barna and Ralph Henschel of Gergary for that group's second quarterfinal spot.

Varalin gets his revenge on Rogers
The Grearish player Rogers had defeated Varalin 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the International Tennis Trophy, but Varalin squarely put that match behind him in today's victory. Rogers, the Grearian team's "national hero," is known for his groundstrokes, and Varalin sought to disrupt those as much as possible.

On the relatively quick hard courts here in Prescott, Varalin started out with a solid service game and never looked back. The fourth game was the turning point for Varalin, as he broke after a fiercely contested game that went all the way to deuce. In a critical break point, Varalin simply outran Rogers, forcing a backhand error after a point that was 27 shots long. The Cenian player closed the set off with a hold at love. '

In the second set, Varalin and Rogers traded breaks early in the set, but Varalin gained the momentum in the fifth game of the set as Lady Luck handed him a few points, first on a net cord winner that just landed in and second on a drop volley that managed to spin its way back over the net. Varalin closed out the match with a drop shot on match point.

"I was happy with my game today," said Varalin. "Jeff was a tough opponent in Somer, and he was a tough opponent today. He definitely made me ran."

"I'm glad that my drop shot game was on point today," added the world no. 16. "Half the time, my drop shots land in the net or are invitations for the other player to hit a smashing winner."

Darlcheri and Rentos save victory from the jaws of defeat
In the first set of Darlcheri and Rentos' match against opposition from Kohnhead, not a single player could hold serve as the players traded four breaks in the first four games. However, Rentos' serve kicked into gear, and both Cenian players held their subsequent games to put pressure on the Kohnheadian team, and neither Dovatin or Turnface held serve again in that first set.

But in the second set, the tables were turned as Turnface found her return, and the Kohnheadian team handed Darlcheri and Rentos a 6-2 defeat.

The third set would be much more competitive as seemingly nobody could hold their serve. Normally, a break is a much-wanted competitive advantage in tennis, but it was the default in this game. A much needed hold from Darlcheri in the 14th game of the third set sealed the deal for the Cenians as Dovatin plowed a routine backhand into the net to give Darlcheri and Rentos the match.

"This was a very topsy-turvy match," said Darlcheri. "We are very glad to be able to fight on another day." Neither player addressed the rumors that they will soon break up heading into season 7 of the NSTT.

Darlcheri and Rentos weren't the only Cenian doubles team to face a dramatic match as the Xal sisters squandered match point opportunities in the second set only to lose it 7-5. Nonetheless, they stormed back against their high-quality opposition from Pemecutan to take the third set at love.

Fia Xal dismissed rumors about a possible medical condition or injury, given that she has played so sluggishly in the last couple of games. "I am perfectly healthy for now," she said.

Elia pleaded with the press to stop feeding the rumor mill. "We are trying to focus on the next game here, which is truly critical for us," she said. "We don't need any more press attention to distract us at this time."

by **Pemecutan** » Tue Dec 15, 2020 11:14 pm

Wednesday, 16 December 2020 (Buda Umanis Wuku Prangbakat, Pawukon 1780)
Muliawan Gain Another Victory
The Others Are On the Loss

Prescott, Electrum - The second match day of NSTT End of Year Tournament have been very hard for Pemecutan. Only 1 out of 4 Pemecutanian players who gain victory. It is Ngurah Putra Muliawan who scored another victory after defeating Mattias Burges in a tight 3 sets match. Burges is very confidence in the first set. Gaining many points while Muliawan also playing in the same level as his. The set goes very tight as they end up in 5-5 deuce setting. Unfortunately, Muliawan unable to steal another games and Burges finally grab the set by 5-7. In the second set Muliawan take control of the match right from the start. Confused with the sudden change, Burges lost his focus and keeps making errors throughout the second set. This situation give advantage to Muliawan. He win easily by 6-1. Burges try to gain his focus in the third set. He doesn't want to failing again. But Muliawan is still on fire. Burges is able to steal and win several games although in the end Muliawan keep his performance and rise as the victor. With this win, Muliawan is currently at the second place in Group de Surmar. Only losing set wins from Pelissa Giannapolous of Electrum.

Another Pemecutan single, Dewa Putu Adrian Putra is facing 2nd ranked player, Dominika Lisicki of Mattijana. Adrian Putra couldn't do the magic that was happened with Muliawan when he defeated 1st ranked, Bartolo Sabanero in his first match. Adrian Putra have to accept Lisicki superiority after he is being defeated in 3 sets match of 2-6, 6-1 and 5-7 for Lisicki. The result makes Adrian Putra's position in the Group is quite fragile as Andrew Simmons gain his victory against Ricardo Toli. Adrian Putra have to win in his last match against Ricardo Toli to open his path to the knockout stage.

In Diamond Trophy, both of Pemecutanian doubles are losing their second match. Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati is having their second losses after being defeated by Britonish pair, Leone Na/Abi Forrest in rubber set of 6-1, 3-6, 4-6. The result makes Antari/Andreawati placed in the last of their group. A situation which is not very good for them. Their last match against Jona Cabrera/Veronika McPhee of Squidroidia might not make any different for them but it is a crucial match for Squidroidian pair. If they win against Antari/Andreawati and Leone Na/Abi Forrest is defeated by Glaucy Gorog/Annis Van Der Beek then they might have a chance to advance to the knockout stage.

Lastly in Group Shinzoba, Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari is having a hard time when facing Elia/Fia Xal of Ceni. The 3 sets match is ending with the victory for the Xal's sister. The result makes the group quite messy, added with Miguel Taberon/Pedro Arrachar win against Evgeny Kondratenko/Oleg Vlasov of Waisnor. With all pair gain 1 win and 1 loss, the last match is ultimately the decision maker. Whoever win in the last match will proceed to the next round. Sulastra/Yundari next opponent is Waisnorian pair, Kondratenko/Vlasov. Their result in Diamond Trophy is quite unstable. They are in their prime performance when beating Xal's sisters while their performance falling apart when facing Acastanhada pair. Either wise, Sulastra/Yundari still have to keep their eyes open for their performance and always stay focus so they can win the match.

[Tennis/NSTT] Season 6 Finals [RP/Results]

[Tennis/NSTT] Season 6 Finals [RP/Results]

DEUCE: The End Of The Road Is Nigh...

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