On a windy afternoon, 4 out of 7 teams got the win! A lot of Maccabiah bound players played in this round. Meanwhile the grade 8 derby lived up to the hype, with the result not decided until the final point!

Below: Grade 8 players (Darion Pohl,Ilay Givoni, Joel Rabinov, Nathan Rapoport, Lior Rauchberger).

Tennis Victoria Winter Pennant

Grade 12 Section 3 Maccabi 1-1-35 defeated by Yarra Glen 5-7-54

Stephen Gorenstein/ Stephen Kleid 4-6 4-6
Daniel Brami/ David Cropman 3-6 4-6
Stephen Gorenstein 8-9
Daniel Brami 8-5
Stephen Kleid 1-8
David Cropman 3-8

Windy conditions played a major role throughout the day, pushing balls long, disrupting timing, and making ball tosses particularly tough for servers. It was a challenging environment that required mental resilience and tactical adjustments from all players.

Stephen G. and Stephen K. played with determination and good energy but the wind and consistency of their opponents proved difficult to overcome. Stephen K., dealing with vision issues, showed great commitment despite the extra challenge. The pair lost both sets narrowly and remained competitive throughout.

Dan and David entered with solid intent, but it was clear early on that luck wasn’t on their side. Dan, typically strong from the baseline, struggled to find his rhythm in the wind, which led to some unforced errors. To make matters worse, Yarra Glen benefitted from an unusually high number of net cord winners several of which came on key points. Despite their best efforts and good teamwork, the combination of conditions and momentum swings proved too much to recover from in a 3-6, 4-6 loss.

Stephen G. put on a tremendous performance in the standout match of the day, narrowly losing 8-9 in a high-quality encounter. Facing a big-serving and highly consistent opponent, Stephen adjusted brilliantly to the wind and raised his level under pressure. The match drew a full audience for the closing games, with both players showcasing strong mental toughness and clean hitting. Understandably  Stephen was dissapointed with the tiebreak loss especially after starting strongly with a 3-1 lead, his effort and shot-making were top class.

Dan rebounded from his doubles frustration with a well-managed singles performance, winning 8-5. He kept his toss low to counter the wind and played a smart, controlled match. While not everything clicked—especially on the baseline—he stayed composed and used tactical placement to keep his opponent on the back foot.

Stephen K. faced not only a strong opponent but also personal challenges, including vision issues that were worsened by the swirling wind. Despite the 1-8 result, he showed commitment and a positive mindset throughout. His attitude remained strong, and he continued to give full effort on every point

David had bright moments in his singles match but found it difficult to sustain momentum The wind disrupted his depth and timing, especially on serve. After a competitive start at 3 all his opponent settled in and gradually took control. David battled until the end but was edged out 3-8.

 -  Daniel Brami

Grade 11 Section 2 Maccabi 3-4-43 defeated by East Croydon 3-4-47

Errol Dorfan/ Jesse Wilson 1-6 7-5 8-10
Russell Golden/ Blake Golden 5-7 6-3 10-2
Errol Dorfan 2-8
Russell Golden 8-5
Blake Golden 8-5
Jesse Wilson 6-8

Grade 10 Section 4 Maccabi 3-5-49 defeated Mentone 3-3-45

Henry Orner/ Daniel Goodrich 4-6 7-6 8-10
Sebastian Raboy/ Ashley Raboy 2-6 7-6 7-10
Henry Orner 8-6
Daniel Goodrich 8-1
Sebastian Raboy 5-8
Ashley Raboy 8-6

Grade 8 Section 3 Maccabi Blue 3-3-39 defeated by Maccabi Green 3-5-50

Marcus Frajman/ Lachie Zuker defeated Ilay Givoni/ Nathan Rapoport 7-6 3-6 10-4
Lior Rauchberger/ Darion Pohl defeated Joel Rabinov/ Ian Altman 6-3 1-6 10-8
Marcus Frajman defeated by Ilay Givoni 6-8
Lior Rauchberger defeated Joel Rabinov 8-5
Lachie Zuker defeated by Ian Altman 2-8
Darion Pohl defeated by Nathan Rapoport 7-9

With anticipation high for the derby, we brought it forward to midday. Unfortunately only Lachie and Joel were ready at the agreed time. Eventually the others did turn up and it was two close doubles matches that unfolded.

Marcus/Lachie had a very close match with Ilay/Nathan with some impressive shotmaking from all players.

Lior and Darion and Joel and Ian were in a bit of a scrap at 3all (with the occassional good point). Lior and Darion then stepped it up to take the opening set 6-3. The 2nd set couldn't have been more contrasting. Darion double faulted 3 times to donate the opening game to Joel and Ian (which was the boost they needed) to get out to a 3-0 lead and despite a little hiccup on Ian's serve, closing out the set 6-1. The match tiebreaker was close all throughout. The point at 8all decided the match: Joel (at the net) was ready to hit a backhand up the doubles alley for a winner. However the ball had a Warnesque spin on it, bouncing away from Joel, with Lior and Darion taking the match tiebreaker 10-8 (in a quick match, with the other home teams still warming up).

Lior used his big left handed serve and aggressive play to get out to a 7-2 lead against Joel. Then it became tricky for Lior to close it out. Joel finally held serve to get it back to 4-7: and must have saved 8 match points to get it to 5-7. But it wasn't to be for Joel, with Lior taking the win 8-5 in the longest singles match of the day.

Ian with the task infront of him was ready against Lachie as he got out to a lead: and kept it for 7-0, before closing it out 8-2 in the quickest match of the day.

Ilay and Marcus didn't play their best in the windy conditions and some strong serving from Ilay was important to close the match out.

Darion and Nathan was always going to be a close match, with two players who play similarly. Match experience mattered as Nathan ended up getting the win for 9-7 and to seal the win for his team in a derby for the ages!

Overall: The derby was worth the wait! Adam's side holding the doubles edge, whilst Joel's having the edge in singles.

For Joel: not going to be winning any singles matches by only managing to hit 2 winners (and one of those was an ace). Forehand not where it needs to be. But a great position by the team to be unbeaten a month into the season, despite not having hit top gear yet! Promising times ahead.

 - Joel Rabinov

Grade 7 Section 4 Maccabi 4-5-54 defeated Mayfield Park 2-3-43

Rob Minc/ Geoff Rosenberger 6-2 6-4
Steven Gostin/ Jan Tenenberg 5-7 6-7
Rob Minc 7-9
Geoff Rosenberger 8-6
Steven Gostin 8-3
Jan Tenenberg 8-4

A solid win today in sunny but windy conditions at home.

Jan and Steve in a close and long tussle were unable to take control in a match that could easily have gone our way. 

Rob/Geoff proved too strong in a powerhouse display.

To the singles and Rob lost the unthinkable. Up 72, it all fell apart, hardly winning a point! It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion....

But we all know with sport that losses can harden your resolve for next time and Rob is too good a player not to bounce back.

Jan, coming into today with a glute/hip injury could easily have thrown it away in the singles. But this is the new and improved Jan. He did not let his injury be an excuse, comfortably outplaying his opponent for a very important win.

Steve is hitting 3 days a week now and it showed. Hardly raising a sweat and playing really good solid tennis.

And to Geoff who has been given permission to gloat from his team mates. Down 26 against a big game player. Fast serve, heavy top spin ground strokes and volleys that would impress Joel Fredman. Incredibly that that was not enough to win on the day with Geoff winning 6 games in a row for an 86 victory!

Our team is looking really really strong.

Can't wait for next week!!!

- Geoff Rosenberger

Grade 5 Section 3 Maccabi 6-8-56 defeated Notting Hill 0-0-22

Assaf Drori/ Asaf Nagar 6-4 6-1
Jonny Henquin/ Marty Schwarz 6-3 6-2
Assaf Drori 8-2
Asaf Nagar 8-2
Jonny Henquin 8-3
Marty Schwarz 8-5

On a windy but sunny afternoon, Maccabi delivered a composed and commanding performance to secure a 6-0 clean sweep. Assaf/Asaf were an unstoppable force in doubles, attacking the net with precision to win 6-4, 6-1. Jonny/Marty backed that up with a rock-solid 6-2, 6-3 win, playing consistent and aggressive tennis. In the singles, the team kept the momentum rolling. Assaf ground out a strong 8-2 win, while Asaf also powered through 8-2. Jonny controlled his match for an 8-3 victory, and Marty closed out the day with an 8-5 win. A fantastic all-round team performance in testing conditions.

- Marty Schwarz