On a windy afternoon for tennis, 3 out of 6 Maccabi teams won.

A reminder that the Annual General Meeting is being held on Monday 20th October at 7pm. We will be handing out trophies for the 2025 Victorian Jewish Tennis Championships (Seniors).

BRTA Summer Pennant

Section 3 Maccabi 6-8-56 def Overport Park 0-0-16

Assaf Drori 8-0
Asaf Nagar 8-2
Jordan Jaffe 8-2
Jonny Henquin 8-5
Assaf Drori/ Asaf Nagar 6-0 6-2
Jordan Jaffe/Jonny Henquin 6-3 6-2

With being given the luxury of 4 courts, we all went on for singles first. Assaf, Asaf and Jordan were all dominant and in control of their matches. Winning all 3 and only losing a combined 4 games (Assaf won 8-0). Whilst Jonny was in a much tougher position and found himself down 5-1, until he was about to play more consistently and gain the momentum to win the next 7 games in a row and win 8-5.

In doubles, Assaf and Asaf were extremely dominant once again, defeating their opponents 6-0 6-2 and giving their opposition very little chance in each and every point. Jonny and Jordan had a tough match and struggled at times to close games but were able to stay on top of the points and win 6-3 6-2.

A very impressive 6-0 win today with a very strong team!

- Jordan Jaffe

Section 5 Maccabi 3-3-38 defeated by Hurlingham Park 3-5-47

Damon Flicker 8-6
Luka Federman 8-1
Ethan Kleiman 8-7
Blake Golden 2-8
Damon Flicker/ Luka Federman 6-7 4-6
Ethan Kleiman/ Blake Golden 1-6 1-6

Section 6 Kooyong 6-8-64 def Maccabi 0-2-44

Nathan Rapoport 7-8
Lior Rauchberger 4-8
Daniel Henquin 2-8
Charlie Landau 0-8
Nathan Rapoport/Charlie Landau 6-3 3-6 6-7
Ryan Behr/Daniel Henquin 6-3 4-6 6-7
 

Section 7 Tennis World 4-5-45 def Maccabi 2-3-30

Steve Bendel 1-8
Adam Needleman 4-8
Errol Dorfan 8-1
Daniel Vertes 1-8
Steve Bendel/ Adam Needleman 7-6 6-2
Errol Dorfan/ Daniel Vertes 2-6 1-6

Playing a team that has now won their first three matches was going to be a test. They had three players that were very good tennis players. I thought all our performances were solid and summarised by Daniel Vertes' last point. He made a good return . Then made his opponent hit a couple of backhand volleys. The last one Daniel Vertes  smacked an excellent forehand down the line but with incredible athleticism his opponent not only got to it but played a delightful cross court backhand volley angled drop shot for a clear winner. They were too good.

Special mention to Errol Dorfan who has toiled hard as he always does and got the reward for effort today with a steady error free winning singles performance. Poor old Steve Bendel came across a coach from Tennis World that has just arrived from NewZealand. His UTR is over 8 but I doubt anybody but Asaf Nagar could have beaten him from our club.

This is the third match in a row we have lost with two rubbers one short of the required amount. We were beaten by a better side but won a second rubber by accident. Steven and myself said we were pair 1 but they put their second pair against us. If they had played conventional pairing or forced to pair like winter competition  they would have won both doubles. Instead Adam Needleman and Steve Bendel beat their second pair.

 - Adam Needleman

Section 8 Maccabi 5-7-59 defeated Dendy Park 1-2-29

Liorah Levin 8-4
Aden Minaker 4-8
Wayne Myers 8-2
Daniel Brami 8-3
Liorah Levin/ Wayne Myers 6-0 6-7 7-6
Aden Minaker/ Daniel Brami 6-0 6-0

Liorah faced a fierce and determined opponent, but her experience and composure under pressure saw her through. She controlled the key points and sealed a hard-earned 8-4 win.

Aden encountered a tricky opponent an experienced, consistent player who was incredibly tough to break down. Aden played with intensity and power, but despite his efforts, he couldn’t break through the “wall” and went down 4-8.

Wayne, stepping in for a regular, admitted to being a bit rusty. Nonetheless, he made his singles match look easier than it was, controlling the tempo and cruising to an 8-2 win.

Daniel entered his singles match with focus and intent. He played smart tennis, tactically targeting his opponent’s weaknesses to earn a convincing 8-3 victory.

Wayne and Liorah came out firing, dominating the first set 6-0. They eased off slightly in the second, allowing their opponents to edge it in a tight tiebreaker. In the deciding third set, the Maccabi pair dug deep and closed it out with a clutch performance to take the win.

On the adjacent court, Daniel and Aden were on a mission after last week's narrow loss in a match they felt they should have won. They responded emphatically with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win. The match was one-sided, thanks to flawless teamwork and execution from the Maccabi duo.

- Daniel Brami

Section 9 Maccabi 3-4-43 defeated Highmoor Uniting 3-4-39

Ben Pollak 4-8
Sebastian Raboy 8-4
Stephen Kleid 8-0
Jacob Nathan 4-8
Ben Pollak/ Sebastian Raboy 1-6 6-7
Stephen Kleid / Jacob Nathan 6-3 6-3

Started with doubles:
Ben and Seb struggled in the first set but in the second played much better, volleyed better and was able to hold serve easier. However couldn’t quite win that second set going down 6-1 7-6.

Jacob and Stephen, played great and although the sets were both close in the middle, they were able to hold up well and win both sets 6-3.

In singles, Ben started great, going up 4-3 against a big server but lost patience as the game went on going down 8-4 in a very winnable match.

Stephen was awesome, he had a great day and his class showed, winning very easy 8-0.

Jacob in his first match of the season unfortunately couldn’t quite get on top from the middle of the match and although was close early, went down 8-4.

Going into the last match, needing a win to win the day, Sebastian was CLUTCH, was down early but managed to hold his nerve and changed his game plan to then get on top and outplayed his opponent in the end, winning 8-4.

Overall, fantastic start to the season, 3-0 to start with everyone in the team contributing so far, even Jack occasionally with his encouragement on WhatsApp!!

- Ben Pollak