2 out of 7 teams won. Note that there are no matches next weekend, however players are encouraged to have a hit at Maccabi on Thursday night and on Saturday.

Tennis Victoria Winter Pennant

Grade 5 Section 3 Maccabi 1-2-42 defeated by East Malvern 5-8-58

Joel Fredman/ Marty Schwarz 6-8
Daniel Sneider/ Steven Kleytman 4-8
Joel Fredman 6-2 6-2
Marty Schwarz 3-6 6-7
Daniel Sneider 5-7 2-6
Steven Kleytman 3-6 1-6

It was a beautiful day but unfortunately Grade 5 Maccabi team couldn’t get the win today. Both pairs went down in the doubles against solid opponents. Joel played marvellously to win his singles in straight sets while Dan and Steve went down in two sets a piece. Marty fought hard but unfortunately couldn’t come back in the second set tie breaker.

- Marty Schwarz

Grade 7 Section 4 Maccabi 4-6-59 defeated Wellington 2-4-37 

Rob Minc / Geoff Rosenberger 8-1
Steve Gostin / Saul Muscatel 8-3
Rob Minc 6-7 4-6
Geoff Rosenberger 6-1 6-0
Steve Gostin 3-6 6-3 10-6
Saul Muscatel 6-7 6-3 4-10

A huge win against 2nd on the ladder has propelled us to 1st (after 1sts upset loss to 5th)!

Both doubles were one sided and at the half way mark we led 2 rubbers to 0. That wasn't enough the last time we met and with both Saul and Rob losing 1st set tie breakers, we were heading down the same (losing) path. 

 

Rob, playing against one of the best (if not the best) player in our division, was not far off the mark. He is our battering ram playing at 1 each week and is steadily improving and looking like he is really enjoying his tennis.

Saul broke back to win the 2nd set but fell agonisingly short (again) in a super tie break. 

That's 4 in a row for Saul. So he too is not far off from turning this around.

If one was to witness Geoff's warm up and place bets, it would be fair to say that most of the money would flow to those betting on his opponent. If one told you the scores would end up being 1 and 0, then one might say that would be a fair result.  But competitive sport has a way of making a mockery of situations. So it was today with Geoff making few errors, chasing every ball down leaving his teenage opponent bewildered and in disbelief.

Incredibly that still was not enough for Maccabi to win the day, with Steve needing 1 set to clinch the day. Steve, less than 100% (coming in with a cold) would have been a late emergency (if we had a healthy bench). Losing the 1st set, Steve willed himself against another young gun player to not only take the 2nd but continue with the super tie break! A herculean achievement and showing true character in not letting the team down or making excuses.

A week off then a huge chance to consolidate our place at the top of the ladder against the bottom side.

- Geoff Rosenberger

Grade 8 Section 3 Maccabi  3-3-46 defeated by Burden Park 3-7-58

Arvid Kreimer/ Ryan Behr 8-4
Adam Needleman/ Lachie Zuker 8-6
Arvid Kreimer 5-7 3-6
Ryan Behr 3-6 6-7
Adam Needleman 6-3 5-7 10-2
Lachie Zuker 2-2 (Retired hurt unfortunately with a hammy)

Playing the undefeated top team at their home ground was not going to be easy. However, all day and in all rubbers the contest was close and it was never clear who was going to win. Both doubles pairing got off to slow starts but slowly we got on top and both pairings ended up with good wins.  All four singles commenced at the same time . Unfortunately in the rubber we were hoping to win and which would have clinched the day Lachie Zuker, who had been hitting the ball sweetly all day and with power, tore his hamstring chasing a drop shot down. We sort of all drew a deep breath and sensed we need to win two of the three remaining singles . It was too big a task as the top team is very even and all are athletic players. We got one rubber to tie the contest 3-3 and although content felt that this was the day that the top team should have gone down. Next time.

- Adam Needleman

Grade 8 Section 3 Maccabi 2-2-46 defeated East Malvern 4-8-62

Ilay Givoni/ Nathan Rapoport 9-7
Joel Rabinov / Giora Lichtenstein 7-9
Ilay Givoni 2-6 3-6
Nathan Rapoport 3-6 6-7
Joel Rabinov 6-3 3-6 10-8
Giora Lichtenstein 4-6 3-6

At Maccabi on the windiest pennant day this season, we were ready for the doubles.

Ilay and Nathan struggled to get their game going, but when the opportunity arose, they stepped up for a 9-7 win in a match that would have taken at least 90 minutes.

For Joel and Giora, they got off to a great start against a pair of lefties (up a double break at 3-0). However they couldn't consoldiate, end up going down 7-9.

Ilay played against an opponent who liked the pace and absorbed what Ilay gave him. Ilay going down 2-6 3-6 in his first singles loss this season.

Nathan played in the longest singles match of the day (again, must have been about 2 hours) for a 3-6, 6-7 loss.

Joel played a familiar leftie: Joel did enough on the big points in the first set to take the last 3 games for 6-3. Joel continued in ther 2nd set, up 40-15. However all downhill from there. Ended up being broken and down 0-3 before getting another game. Ultimately got broken all 5 games in the set to lose 3-6. In the match tiebreaker, opponent led 2-0, 4-2 and 6-4 before Joel clawed back those deficits. Joel ended up winning the match with the deadest of let cords (the first one that went his way today, with multiple times throughout the day opponent getting dead let cords as well as getting even more first serves after a ball made its way onto court after a fault). 

Giora played at a good level today (an easier opponent than last time). However too many costly double faults resulted in a 4-6 3-6 loss to a leftie.

Overall: A tough loss. Possibly the worst day of tennis i've been involved in for a while. In my doubles, on average there was a double fault every 4 points: and somehow I wasn't the main culprit (I would have been the least, with about 3 across 4 games). Never seen anything like it (not even juniors). We were a lucky match tiebreak away from us losing all 4 singles to a side who hadn't beaten anyone. Personally, I'm nowhere near the level: I only dropped one game to this opponent over summer 18 months ago. Today I stole a match I had no right to win, playing passively (and probably only hitting 7 winners for the match). Thankfully we didn't have to play another set, as I would have lost 0-6 ( my serve stopped in the 2nd set and the little foot movement I had came to a halt). We need this break to reset and regroup: because we are good enough at this level, however we are in a form slump and it is costing us big time.

 - Joel Rabinov

Grade 10 Section 4 Maccabi 2-4-42 defeated by Monash University 4-6-54

Ben Pollak/ Jack Stock 1-8
Sebastian Raboy/ Ashley Raboy 8-6
Jesse Stowe-Lindner 0-6 3-6
Ben Pollak 6-2 7-6
Sebastian Raboy 2-6 6-7
Ashley Raboy  6-1 3-6 7-10

Venue: Monash University
Opponent: Monash University (Top of the ladder)
Result: A fiercely fought battle between No. 1 and No. 2 on the ladder

On a crisp winter’s afternoon at Monash University, Maccabi Grade 10 faced off against the ladder leaders in what was always going to be a high-stakes contest. And while the final result didn’t go entirely our way, the team left the courts with heads held high, having shown heart, resilience, and sportsmanship in spades.

The opening doubles match saw Ben and Jack take on a polished Monash pairing. Despite their best efforts and a clean game free from too many unforced errors, the boys just couldn’t build any momentum. Credit to their opponents who played with exceptional power and consistency, eventually running away with the match 1-8. A tough lesson, but a valuable one.

In contrast, our second pairing of Seb and Ash found themselves in a gripping arm-wrestle. With the match on a knife’s edge for most of the way, it was the Maccabi duo who stepped up in the big moments, showing poise under pressure to close it out 8-6. A gutsy, well-earned win that kept team spirits high.

Up against Monash’s top player James, Jesse fought valiantly and refused to go down without a fight. Despite the 0-6, 3-6 scoreline, Jesse showed glimpses of brilliance and determination that will only grow stronger with each match. Special thank you for filling in for our team.

Ben brought his A-game in singles, playing with purpose from the first point. He dictated play in the opening set, racing to a 6-2 lead. The second set was a battle of wills, going game for game with no breathing room. In a dramatic tiebreaker, Ben came back from 4-6 down to clinch it 8-6, winning the second set  7-6 and sealing a straight sets victory and showing what champions are made of. 💪

Sebastian was locked in a marathon against Ken. He went down in the first set 2-6 but regrouped brilliantly in the second, pushing it all the way to a tiebreak. With both players refusing to give an inch, it was Ken who edged it 6-7 (5-7). A gritty effort from Seb that deserved more on the scoreboard.

Ash’s match was a rollercoaster. He came out blazing, storming through the first set 6-1 with aggressive hitting and confident court coverage. But Boris fought back hard, taking the second set 6-3. In a tense super tiebreak, Ash gave it everything but narrowly went down 7-10. A heartbreaking loss, but a performance full of promise and fight.

Final Thoughts

While the final result leaned Monash’s way, this clash between the top two teams showed just how competitive and close the season is. Ben’s heroics in singles, Seb and Ash’s doubles victory, and the collective fighting spirit across the board give us every reason to believe Maccabi is right in the hunt.

We'll take the lessons from today, sharpen our weapons, and come back stronger next week. Eyes on the finals – we’re not done yet. 🎾🔥

- Ash Raboy

Grade 11 Section 2 Maccabi 3-7-53 defeated East Croydon Kilsyth 3-3-29

Aden Minaker / Jonah Stowe-Lindner 5-8
Raphael Diamond/ Asher Brami 6-0 6-0 (Walkover)
Aden Minaker 2-6 6-4 8-10
Jonah Stowe-Lindner 2-6 6-4 6-10
Raphael Diamond 6-1 6-0
Asher Brami 6-0 6-0 (Walkover)

Grade 12 Section 3 Maccabi 1-3-37 defeated by Yarra Glen 5-7-60

Daniel Brami/ David Cropman 3-8
Jonathan Krywicki/ Paul Kovacs 1-8
Daniel Brami 7-6 6-7 8-10
David Cropman 1-6 3-6
Jonathan Krywicki 1-6 3-6
Paul Kovacs  6-4 6-3

Dan and David struggled to find their rhythm early in the doubles and were unable to recover, eventually going down 3-8.

It was a tough outing for Paul and Jonny, who faced strong resistance and couldn’t get into the match, falling 1-8.

 

In singles, Dan was locked in a marathon. He edged the first set in a tiebreak and pushed the second to another breaker, but narrowly lost a thrilling super tiebreaker 8-10.

David, recently returned from overseas, found it tough to regain his match sharpness. Up against a consistent opponent, he couldn’t mount a comeback, losing 1-6, 3-6.

Despite a more competitive second set, Jonny couldn’t turn the tide and went down 1-6, 3-6.

Paul delivered a strong performance, showing composure and control to secure a straight-sets win: 6-4, 6-3.

 -  Daniel Brami