The 4th Annual Marion Tennis Masters Concludes
By Thiroshan Chetty, Director of Tennis, Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club
As the fourth annual Marion Tennis Masters at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club came to a close, there is only one word that comes to mind: hot! The tennis was hot, the players were hot, the Porsches were hot and the weather was hot!
The event this year was sponsored by Porsche of Ocala, which made the club sparkle with a variety of pristine Porsche makes and models. The festivities began on April 27 with first round action. Men and women’s 7.0 squared off and battled with both divisions leaving the courts feeling pumped up for the rest of the week.
April 28 picked up with some super close matches. Women’s open team Ingrilli/Ingrilli dominated its first set 6-0 against Drawdy/Graham. Drawdy/Graham adjusted its tactics and came back to win the second set 6-4. Team Ingrilli turned it up in the tiebreaker to take the win 10-6.
April 29 was full of high-intensity play. In the women’s 7.0, team Nwakoby/Seek fought hard to take a close first set 6-4 against Dean/Knox. However, Dean/Knox turned it around in the second set to take it 6-3. After both teams battled back and forth in the tiebreaker, Dean/Knox prevailed for the win. After the matches wrapped up on Friday, all the players gathered in the clubhouse for a gala where Chef Rick Alabaugh and his staff had put together a beautiful and delicious spread.
With the majority of the matches played on April 30, temperatures soared well into the 90s. Despite the intense heat, teams pushed themselves towards victory.
The Tournament’s Longest Match Was Played on April 30
In the longest match of the tournament, 6.0 men’s team Astrom/Astrom took on team Claus/Finke in an epic battle for the ages. Claus/Finke won the first set in a nail biter 7-5. After another hour and a half of tennis and a very emotional set, Astrom/Astrom took the second 7-5. Going on three hours of tennis both teams rallied back and forth in the third set tiebreaker. With multiple match points on both sides of the net, Claus/Finke secured victory 14-12.
The final matches having been concluded May 1. The winners and finalist are listed below:
- Women’s 6.0 – Kovalenko/Hagan (winner), Mendola/Kintzele (finalist)
- Women’s 7.0 (round robin) – Dean/Knox (winner), Nwakoby/Seek (finalist)
- Women’s 8.0 (round robin) – Wigelsworth/Watts (winner), Okonkwo/Ray (finalist)
- Women’s Open (round robin) – Ingrilli/Ingrilli (winner), Perkins/Debra (finalist)
- Men’s 7.0 – Proccacini/Crispell (winner), Anthony/Nandur (finalist)
- Men’s Open (round robin) – Carsten/Wigelsworth (winner), Sperling/Mendola (finalist)
For the second year in a row, we were able to raise funds for the Ocala families in need through the Ocala Outreach Foundation.
Contact one of Golden Ocala’s tennis professionals today at 352-402-4351.
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