On a perfect day for tennis (or Valentine's day), two out of six Maccabi teams won.

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BRTA Summer Pennant

Section 3 Maccabi 3-4-44 defeated by Carmelite 3-4-48

Jonny Henquin 4-8
Marty Schwarz 8-6
Daniel Sneider 8-7
Jarred Krowitz 4-8
Jonny Henquin/ Marty Schwarz 4-6 3-6
Daniel Sneider/ Jarred Krowitz 7-6 6-1

In the doubles Marty and Jonny played a good match but went down in a close match against very strong opponents.

Daniel and Jarred fought hard to win the first set and played extremely well to dominate in the second set.

Jonny was getting blown off the court by his opponents forehand and serve and went down 5-1, but changed strategy by taking returns a lot earlier to get back to 4-5. However, after 2 high quality games that lasted 20 minutes he ultimately went down 4-8.

Marty played extremely solid and smart tennis to win a tight and tense match 8-6 , with some very long and intense rallies against a very fired up opponent.

Daniel played aggressive tennis to win a long and hard fought match against a tricky opponent in a tie breaker.

Jarred went down against a very solid player 4-8, with good rallies on a perfect sunny day to play tennis.

- Jonny Henquin 

Section 5 Maccabi 3-5-53 defeated BLTC 3-4-46 

Damon Flicker 6-8
Ilay Givoni 8-6
Marcus Frajman 8-3
Luka Federman 3-8
Damon Flicker/ Ilay Givoni 6-2 6-2
Marcus Frajman/ Luka Federman 4-6 6-4  6-7

Damon fought hard at the end to really challenge his hard-hitting opponent, saving four match points and coming back from 3-7 down before eventually succumbing. Ilay continued his rich vein of form with another impressive victory. 

Marcus was comfortable in his win. Luka, perhaps tired from morning competition, didn't play his best today but has been our rock all season. 

On to doubles and it was even on rubbers and games. Despite never having played together, Damon and Ilay produced a strong performance to win the day. Marcus and Luka showed glimpses of their potential and importantly won the second set.

- Marcus Frajman

Section 6 Maccabi 5-7-51 defeated BLTC 1-1-44

Dean Steinberg 8-7
Ryan Behr 8-7
Nathan Rapoport 8-5
Charlie Landau 2-8
Ryan Behr/ Nathan Rapoport 6-2 7-6
Dean Steinberg/ Charlie Landau 7-6 6-3

- Nathan Rapoport

Section 7 Maccabi 3-4-45 defeated by Clarinda 3-5-56

Dean Jackson 7-8
Adam Needleman 8-4
Errol Dorfan 4-8
Blake Golden 8-6
Dean Jackson/ Adam Needleman 2-6 0-6
Errol Dorfan/ Blake Golden 7-6 2-6 7-6

Today summarises the whole season. Close but not quite good enough.
Blake was good and again won his singles and went one better today
partnering Errol Dorfan to win a close doubles.  Blake is playing with
good intensity and moving nicely.
Dean was unlucky to lose his singles in a tie break.
Not much else to add except we are now officially unable to make finals so we can enjoy and try a few things in our final two remaining matches.

 - Adam Needleman

Section 8 Maccabi 1-1-29 defeated by Coatesville 5-7-53

Henry Orner 3-8
Joel Rabinov 6-8
Aden Minaker 8-4
Stephen Gorenstein 3-8
Henry Orner/ Stephen Gorenstein 1-6 1-6
Joel Rabinov/ Aden Minaker 1-6 6-7

At home against Coatesville, we had 4 courts.

Henry couldn't get going, going down 3-8.

Joel played in by far the closest singles match of the day (though sure didn't feel like it, with the amount of unreturned serves in the first 6 games for 2-4). In a match that Jack Stock would be proud of for net clearance on groundstokes ( more than 1m from both players), the rallies got longer the match went on. Joel on the wrong side of a 3-7 scoreline, before fighting it out for a 6-8 loss.

Aden put in a dominant display, winning 8-4.

Stephen going down 3-8.

Henry and Stephen continued their day of having stinkers, going down 1-6, 1-6.

Joel and Aden gave up a 0-4 head start before they got going (1-6, with 3 close games). 2nd set had chances, however always behind (other than leading 6-5), going down 1-7 in the match tiebreak.

Overall: Aden's most complete performance (though he did break a string in the doubles for a fault), whilst an absolute stinker of a day for the rest of us 3. For me personally, had chances in both matches. Unfortunately couldn't hit clean forehands in the singles, whilst 2 games I'd want back: after doing the hard work to get the break back (for 3-4 and 6-7) only to put in stinkers of games with 4 straight points of unforced errors costing me the singles win. Meanwhile my confidence deteriorated on serve in the doubles, resorting to lollipoping in the 2nd set (and giving Aden no chance of a win). Onto next week at Hawthorn against an old club-mate...

- Joel Rabinov

Section 9 Maccabi 3-5-53 defeated by Lauriston 3-5-63

Jesse Stowe-Lindner 7-8
Sebastian Raboy 5-8
Ash Raboy 8-7
Jacob Nathan 1-8
Jesse Stowe-Lindner/ Jacob Nathan 2-6 6-4 7-6
Sebastian Raboy/ Ash Raboy  4-6 6-4 7-6

What a thrilling home fixture for Maccabi Section 9, taking on a strong Lauriston TC outfit in a tightly contested battle!

Playing on just the two courts — Courts 5 and 6, initially,  the afternoon had an intense, focused atmosphere from the very first serve. With limited court availability, every game mattered and momentum shifts were magnified.

We opened the match with our Singles No.1 Jesse and Singles No.2 Sebastian leading the charge. Jesse showed grit and composure at the top position, working hard in long rallies and setting the competitive tone early, but just getting pipped 7-8. On the neighbouring court, Sebastian battled just as fiercely at No.2, refusing to give Lauriston any easy points and keeping the pressure firmly on, with his opponent hitting in being ultra consistent, eventually succumbing 5-8.

As the afternoon unfolded, our doubles combinations brought energy and teamwork to the contest. There were momentum swings, clutch holds of serve, and some outstanding net play that kept spectators engaged throughout. Every set was fiercely fought, with games often going deep and neither side giving an inch. our No. 1 Doubles Pair, Sebastian and Ashley won a tough and tight match to the wire, riding their 2nd set win to take out the Super Tie-Break 10-5, final scores 4-6, 6-4, Super Tie Break 10-5! Our No. 2 Doubles Pair Jesse and Jacob also had a tough and tight match, finally winning their match, 2-6, 6-4, and winning their Super TieBreak too!

The singles matches continued to showcase determination across the lineup. Ash delivered a standout performance at No.3 with strong shot-making and smart court coverage, from initially coming out the gates with a 5-2 lead, but then his opponent started lifting his game, coming back, but Ash kept grinding and upping the pressure to eventually win 8-7, while Jacob showed resilience at No.4, digging in against tough opposition, but went down 1-8.

In the end, Lauriston edged ahead on games in what was an incredibly close contest, but the final scoreline doesn’t tell the full story. With only two courts in action and constant pressure on every point, the team demonstrated resilience, sportsmanship, and true Section 9 spirit.

A fantastic effort from everyone — the fight, teamwork, and determination were on full display. We’ll take the positives, build on the experience, and come back even stronger next round!

Go Maccabi! 💙🎾"

- Ash Raboy