4 out of our 7 teams collected the win. We now have a week's break due to the Kings Birthday weekend. However there will be a hit on Saturday.

Below: team captains Joel Rabinov and Geoff Rosenberger with the new Maccabi shorts! Each Maccabi member can collect a pair at the club - this is included in your membership.

Tennis Victoria Winter Pennant

Grade 5 Section 3 Maccabi 6-10-64 defeated Harkaway 0-0-15

Assaf Drori/ Asaf Nagar 8-1
Gilad Nagar/ Daniel Sneider 8-0 (Forfeit)
Assaf Drori 6-2 6-3
Asaf Nagar 6-1 6-2
Gilad Nagar 6-0 6-0 (Forfeit)
Daniel Sneider 6-4 6-2

On a cold and overcast day but with light winds, Maccabi played at home against Harkaway.

The opposition forfeited their number 3 shortly before the start of play which meant we had secured 2 rubbers before play had begun. Asaf and Assaf took the court to play doubles first. They played solid attacking tennis, finishing points at the net to comfortably win 8-1.

In the singles Assaf Drori came up against a tough and consistent opponent who had big ground strokes particularly off the forehand wing. Assaf was able to weather the storm of long rallies, serving well and playing smart tennis to outlast his opponent in straight sets 6-2 6-3.

Asaf Nagar came up against a very talented younger opponent. Likewise, he was able to stay consistent whilst managing a back niggle to win in straight sets 6-1 6-2."

The sun came out later in the afternoon and conditions were near perfect. Daniel took the court to seal the 6th rubber for Maccabi, playing aggressive tennis and serving well to win in straight sets 6-4 6-2.

- Daniel Sneider

Grade 7 Section 4 Maccabi 3-5-51 defeated Mentone 3-5-43

Geoff Rosenberger/ Ryan Sharp 4-8
Saul Muscatel / Steven Gostin 8-2
Geoff Rosenberger 4-6 2-6
Saul Muscatel 6-3 5-7 10-12
Steven Gostin 6-3 4-6 10-7
Ryan Sharp 6-1 6-1

Great win in a danger game down at Mentone!

Ryan came in with a glute injury (from playing pickleball) and midway through the doubles hurt his left wrist taking away his trademark backhand weapon and with it and our match.

Saul and Steve easily countered for their opponents in what seemed like a close and fiery affair.

To the singles and Geoff's match was nothing short of a slog. Leading 42 couldn't keep hitting 10 to 15 balls per point. Never out of it but not dangerous enough when required.

Steve having to leave early to attend his wife's gallery opening made short work of his opponent in the 1st set. A drop off in the 2nd before cruising to another victory in what is turning into a nice season for Steve.

Ryan got the long straw playing an opponent who clearly doesn't belong in this grade or the 3 below. Fortunately no new injuries to add, getting the job done for the team by only dropping 2 games.

Saul in the final match of the afternoon/evening (finishing up at a lazy 6:30pm). Sizzling form against a very hard hitter. Saul going toe to toe in an awesome display, combining nice touch with clever backhand slicing to compliment his exquisite one hander.

Could have won in straight sets giving away an early lead which sent the match to a super tie breaker.

Down 18 just didn't feel right after all his efforts, and Saul felt the same winning 7 on the trot to give new life to what was already a classic.

Unfortunately at 10 11 his opponents low shot clipped the net and that was that.

A serious highlight for Saul's reel (where was his drone?). In the 2nd set, getting lobbed, decides there's only one stroke to play, a tweener of course!!!

But the point was far from over... a few more rallies until a superb low volley cross court ends the point. A mid match handshake from his opponent was richly deserved and a nice touch.

This win sends us up to 1st on the ladder with the week off for our beloved King.

- Geoff Rosenberger

Grade 8 Section 3 Maccabi 3-6-53 defeated East Malvern 3-4-47

Ryan Behr/ Daniel Henquin 4-8
Lior Rauchberger/ Darion Pohl 8-4
Lior Rauchberger 3-6 4-6
Ryan Behr 6-1 7-5
Daniel Henquin 6-4 6-4
Darion Pohl 6-3 3-6 1-10

After a rocky start to the season, we were desperate for win this week, and the team delivered.

Exactly even after doubles, with the 2025 Maccabiah dynamo duo Lior & Darion winning 8-4, offsetting a rather ordinary performance by yesteryear’s Maccabiah pairing of Daniel & Ryan.

Singles was tough going – every match a slog!

Lior fought hard against a tricky left hander, who’s defensive play was impressive, going down in two (despite winning most of the showcase rallies, to the delight of the crowd).

While Darion pushed his giant of opponent to a super tie-break, after a gusty performance, Goliath then raised his level winning (possibly a club record) 9 points in row to take the match.

Ryan breezed through the first set, then faced a much tougher opponent in the second, went on to save a set point to win in two.

Down to the last rubber.

Daniel took the court after a long wait, and he sure didn’t disappoint winning in straight sets, with (as one would expect) a multitude of high-quality baseline rallies.

A pivotal win for our team – onwards and upwards.

- Ryan Behr

Grade 8 Section 3 Maccabi 2-5-55 defeated by BLTC 4-5-57

Nathan Rapoport/ Ian Altman 5-8
Jay Landau/ Zvi Schweitzer 9-7
Jay Landau 7-6 3-2 (Retired)
Ian Altman 5-7 6-2 7-10
Zvi Schweitzer 5-7 3-6
Nathan Rapoport 6-4 6-4

At home against Bltc, we had some newish pairs playing together.

Nathan and Ian played well to get out to a 4-2 lead. However the opposition stepped it up to take the next 5 games before closing it out 8-5.

Jay and Zvi played well in their first match together: getting the win 9-7.

Jay got off to a great start for 3-0 and at 4-1 looked in control of the match. However his opponent stepped it up and served for the set at 5-4 and 6-5, yet couldn't close. Jay himself couldn't close the first set, with 6-3 in the tiebreaker (as well as a lot of set points after that), before doing enough in the longer rallies to take the set. Jay again off to a great start at 3-0, however his body failed on him, having to stop at 3-2.

Ian played against an opponent who likes hitting it hard and flat. It was a frustrating one for Ian; he was the better player in the first set, yet couldn't get the break (multiple break points at 15-40 at 2all and 3all yet couldn't break). Ian capitalised on his chances in the second set for 6-2, before falling short in the match tiebreaker 7-10.

Zvi kept losing the 50;50 points and games, going down 5-7, 3-6.

Nathan was clutch when he needed to be. Serving for the set at 5-4, he was down 0-40 before taking the set 6-4. He also trailed 1-2, 0-40 before holding serve and winning 6-4.

Overall: another close match for us. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. But this was a better result than I was expecting (given Bltc have been our bogey team over the years). Plenty of 0-6 and 1-5 drubbings. Anyway we have an extra week to get things right, against the top of the table Burden Park on their en tout cas. We should go in with a side who can take the challenge and get the win.

 - Joel Rabinov

Grade 10 Section 4 Maccabi 4-7-59 defeated Black Rock 2-3-44

Daniel Goodrich/ Ben Pollak 8-5
Henry Orner/ Sebastian Raboy 6-8
Henry Orner 6-0 7-5
Daniel Goodrich 3-6 7-6 8-10
Ben Pollak 3-6 7-6 10-3
Sebastian Raboy 6-1 6-1

Ben and Daniel got a great start up 4-1 early then 7-4. They kept in most of the rallies and despite losing a few serves games, they were able to get back in control to win 8-5.

Henry and Sebastian were up 4-0 r the opposition picked up their level. Overall played well and score was 6-8.

Ben started off ok but was purely out powered after the first game, going down 4-1 and although he felt like he was hitting it better and was in more points, he lost the first set 6-3. Second set knew he could get back in it, which he did, breaking in the first game, but after a few gifts, Ben was down 2-1. Fortunately Ben managed to really hold strong and get back to 2all and then eventually take a 4-3 lead, although he really choked at 6-5 40-0 up, then losing the next 7 points and going down 4-1 in the breaker. Then Ben became clutch, winning the second set 8-6 and then winning the 3rd set tiebreak fairly easy.

Henry came out playing at a better level than his opponent winning the first set 6-0. He lifted his game and Henry remained the same when he should have lifted which made a close second set where Henry won 7-5. 
 

Sebastian's Singles, his opponent made him play differently, and not play his own nornal game, but managed to beat him pretty well.

Daniel played in a two hour long match under the lights. He lost the first set 4-6. He was up 5-4 in the second but a bad serves game allowed his opponent to come back (5-6), however he pushed himself to stay in it to take the second 7-6. Unfortunately, he just lost it 8-10 in the super. It was a close encounter with some amazing points played.

Well played for yesterday too 👏 👍 🙌 👌 💪
Beating the No. 1 Black Rock team top of the ladder 🪜 at Maccabi Tennis Courts.

- Ash Raboy

Grade 11 Section 2 Maccabi 3-5-44 defeated by Blackburn 3-5-46

Russell Golden/ Blake Golden 2-8
Errol Dorfan/ Daniel Vertes 8-4
Russell Golden 1-6 1-6
Daniel Vertes 6-7 1-6
Errol Dorfan 7-6 6-1
Blake Golden 6- 1 6-1

Our second consecutive loss by a couple of games.

Daniel's working with children check was needed today. The opposition's top three played well above their youthful experience.

Russell was up against a strong no.1 with a UTR of 6.5. Daniel's match went for over two hours due to most points with 10+ shots. Embarrassing to admit that he was up 6-1 in the tie-break only to fall short 6-8. The third game in the second set alone was over ten minutes. Despite the loss, Daniel was very pleased with his consistent performance throughout the match.

Errol secured his first singles victory this season by overcoming several set points in the first and then took the tie-break 7-0. Well done! 

- Daniel Vertes

Grade 12 Section 3 Maccabi 2-2-37 defeated by East Croydon 4-8-63

Daniel Brami/ Stephen Gorenstein 9-8
David Cropman/ Paul Kovacs 4-8
Daniel Brami 5-7 4-6
Stephen Gorenstein 2-6 1-4 (retired)
David Cropman 3-6 2-6
Paul Kovacs 6-4 1-6 10-8

Our team made the trip to East Croydon Kilsyth TC in the heavy afternoon traffic for what turned out to be a long, sunny afternoon of tennis. With only two courts available, matches were staggered throughout the afternoon, Here's how it all went down.

Dan and Stephen picked up where they left off as a successful pairing. Despite not playing together for a few weeks, they maintained their undefeated record, overcoming a talented young duo. The match was closely contested, going all the way to a tiebreaker. With composure and smart shot-making, they won the match breaker 7-3.

David and Paul teamed up for the first time. The match was tightly contested in the early stages, with both pairs exchanging strong holds and testing each other’s reflexes at the net. However, as the match wore on, their opponents began to assert control and closed out the match convincingly.

Dan took on Kilsyth’s top player, known for a strong serve and awkward variation. It was a challenging matchup, and Dan struggled at times to find rhythm on return. That said, both sets were competitive, and he had opportunities in each. While the scoreline didn't fall in his favour, it was a closely fought contest with good takeaways for future matches.

Stephen faced a returning player who played well above the typical Section 12 level. True to form, Stephen competed hard and played with commitment, but unfortunately had to retire due to injury. We’re hopeful he’ll recover fully over the break and be back on court soon.

David came up against a highly skilled opponent who displayed a strong all-round game — powerful serving, a solid one-handed backhand, and great court coverage. While the result was one-sided, David fought for every single point. 

Paul played a talented and energetic 15-year-old in a match full of momentum shifts. He used his experience to control the first set with thoughtful placement and consistency. The second set saw a clear shift as his opponent lifted his level to force a match tiebreak. Paul raced to an 8-2 lead, only to see it narrow to 8-8 before holding his nerve to close it out 10-8. A hard-earned win and a solid performance under pressure.

 -  Daniel Brami