Tournament - Day 9

SS Match 2 (Altimate Vikings v/s Ace of Pace)

I always tell my girlfriend to play it safe… I try explaining to her the dangers & the consequences… she never listened…& never understood until….
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…. until she saw the highlights of AV v/s AP super six match.
(ugh.. ugh..[clearing throat] we are talking tennis here)

On a day when safe game, level handedness & cool thinking won over aggression, pace and power, AV went home smiling, making one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, beating AP 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. When weather, wind (averaging 130 mph) & light played a major role for the evening, teams were left with no choice but to change venue mid way through the match, playing half game in Arlington heights court & remaining at mallard lake. Cant stop adoring the simplicity yet the effectiveness of AV’s game (Been saying this umpteenth time.. yet again.. teams, pluck a leaf from their game).
Ok.. now this stops the winning run APs had in the tournament & AV still remains unbeaten topping the super 6 tables.
“Its hard to play in such conditions & even harder to lose in such condition. This is just a start & we will correct our mistakes n come back strongly” Said Talat after the captain left the court in hurry.
“It’s a fantastic journey & I am loving it.. err.. WE are loving it.. We had our preparations & just wanted to give our best. Win is a bonus” said a jubilant Vanshi [with a wink] for AV.

The Tournament is on fire. Hoping for a good weekend weather & some exciting matches. That’s all for today folks. Happy Friday !!

PS: i-Bet is open now :) See the details below

i-Bet is here !!

ps: Pun intended

Tournament - Day 8

Calvin : “Dad.. what is meant by extended office?”
Dad pointed to Arlington heights tennis court & says “.. this is it.”
Calvin: “Isn't this just a bunch of crazy guys fooling around “
Dad: “you don’t see the fun there?
Calvin: “Nope I guess..”.. “Hobbes.. do you see any ?”
Hobbes: Nodes !!!
Dad: “Well, you gotta get into an office first, work your @$$ off for 8+ hours, hear all the cribs & screams from client, manage a whole load of people running 12 hrs ahead of you at other side of globe, then come out here in this chill weather, all of you together & fool around. Then you’ll realize whats fun in that”
Calvin: “err... that's too much of an effort for fun.. me & Hobbes have fun without all this as well”
Dad : “Because I pay for you”

Well … if any management guru (not our Guru) wanna pick a lesson for after office fun, then welcome to UL Infy tournament.
The Tournament takes a serious turn here.. Last match of group stage.

Match 9 (Super Kings v/s Drunken Monks)
Although the match did not stand up to it hype (which is nothing unusual), it had its moments of brilliance & fun. Super Kings wanting to prove their criticizers wrong about they are all just plans & no play. Drunken monks wanting to prove they are.. ahem ahem..[chuckling] good !! At the end of it all, Super Kings eased to Super six [huh.. its rhymes ] with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
So there we have the super 6 line up complete. So the tournament off to a fun-filled start, & getting into some serious business in coming days !!

but hey wait.. super 6 has already started.. first match of super 6 on the next court..

Super Six (SS) Match 1 (KIKO v/s AV)
AV & KIKO kicked off a competitive super 6 stage with a fitting 3 set match. After first match of the tournament, this was the first 3 setter match (Is every stage supposed to start with a 3 set match ?). After AV took away a tough first set 7-5, KIKO came back strongly, with a game plan & got back the second set 6-2 (Did KIKO read the super 6 preview ? Guess they definitely took note of it atleast.). AV was quick to learn from their mistakes & did nothing wrong in third set winning it 6-2 & also the first match of Super 6, continuing their unbeaten run in the tournament.

Note: Just noticed a coincidence. AV stands for Altimate-Viking & Ameya-Vanshi as well. Was is really a co-incidence ??

Interesting matches lined up for the day. Rockers v/s Ace of pace. Both of them have not lost a match till now & today one of them will :)
Another match, Glam Bros v/s Super Kings: Muscle-Power clashes with Brain-Power.

That’s all folks. See you all on court !! Chalo Teek hai :)

Super 6 - Preview

Its said “Everybody wants to be a winner. Who wouldn't want to reach the finish line first? But sometimes winning is not just about finishing first. The spirit of sportsmanship makes each of us a winner, whether we hold the trophy or not.”

Well … how true it stands.. hard fought wins, heavy loses, delayed starts, early exits, fierce battles, damp one siders, controversies, sledging (I am running for cover), tears, triumph.. We have seen it all over the first stage of UL Infy tennis Tournament.
But more importantly we also felt the fun, frolics & festival in it. The celebration it was, of spirit & untiy, sportiveness & jollity.


When the dust settles, 6 better teams stands armored for super 6 stage. A quick look at the super 6 lineup.

Group A - Winners (Ace of Pace)
Starting the tournament with a hard match against Glam Bros, Ace of pace was the first team to make it to super 6. Winning both matches from a tough group has boosted their confidence & stands as one of the tournament favorites.
Strength: Combination of Guru’s calm baseline play & Talat’s agility.
Weakness: Over commitment on the shots at times. Less of cool game.

Group A – Runners up (Glam Bros)
Started the tournament with a loss, but came back strongly to beat I 90 & make their place in super 6. Again match with AP has given them an exposure to one of the toughest opponent in the tournament.
Strength: Young, energetic & fierce. No Injury worries & fittest of all teams.
Weakness: Overconfidence & inexperience at big matches might kill their chances.

Group C – Winners (Rockers)
Keeping a clean sheet thought out the first stage, Rockers entered super 6 without dropping a single set.
Strength: Experience - Both players are well experienced, calm & powerful.
Weakness: Lack of coordination, as both of them haven’t played together too often this season.

Group C – Runners up (Kabhi In Kabhi Out)
After losing first match in style, although after a looooooong break they came back as much as in style to enter super 6. Interestingly their win-loss pattern stands ironic to their team name.(shouldve been Kabhi Out Kabhi In). Hope they change the fortune in super 6
Strength: Can be tough to beat on their day.
Weakness: Laid back game & lack of winner shots.

Group B – Winner (Altimate Viking)
The deadly hubby-wife combo, won both their matches to enter super 6 convincingly. Unarguably the coolest team in the tournament, with clean hits & neat game plan.
Strengths: Super cool. Always sticks to basic shots.
Weakness: Less aggressive & lack of offensive game plan.

Group B – Runners up (coming soon…)
Is it the Super-tacticians Super Kings or the Power-Gamers Drunken Monks ?
The line up will be filled tonight..

Don’t miss the most awaited action today evening at Arlington heights court
That’s all folks for now.. gotcha meeting :)

Tournament - Day 7

Match 8 (Rockers v/s Daring Strikers)

On a lazy, cold evening the match was nothing but a damp squib, Rockers making a strong entry into super 6 with second straight set (6-2, 6-2) win. Strikers made a promising start & provided few moments of resistance, but could not hold onto Rockers who were in a murderous mood.

"Injuries, team combinations, all have been our worries from Day 1 & so to end the tournament in such a low note is not a matter of surprise" Said Arthi who also promised for a strong comeback next season.
"We are not taking any team lightly, be it round 1 or super 6 & will try to win every match, every set, every game & for that matter every point" Rocker's rock-star Anbu commented after the win.



Folks.. the most anticipated match of the tournament, Drunken Monks v/s Super kings.. lined up for today..
Will the power & precision of DM be able to overcome the tricks & tacts of Super kings ?

Super 6 matches not far away as well.. Dont miss the actions in coming days.. Stay tuned !!

ps: Super 6 pre-match analysis report coming soon :)

Tournament Day 6

[pictures to come soon -- Unfortunately camera man was not available for the thriller matches]

On a windy evening today, when Vincent Gomez, a middle aged lawyer, driving his 2000 model Honda sedan, took a left turn on N Prindle ave, for a moment he thought there was some emergency in his locality, for he has never seen so many cars parked in the driveway, so many people in the tennis court opposite to his apartment, so much of excitement, so much buzz !!
Well.. cant blame him.. cos in his entire life, leave alone an IPL match he might’ve never watched a Indian gully cricket Istyles :)

What else can we expect when 3 most anticipated matches happen at same venue, when weather-trodden, delay-addicted, big-mouthed, tardy-beginners teams, all of it come together.. The party just begins!!!

Match 5 (I90 vs Ace of Pace)
Blue was the color of the match.. or was it black??

Finally weather took a days off on I 90 match day & the sky tuned blue,. Guru wore black t-shirt (as usual..) & for a change Joyan wore blue t-shirt.. But more importantly I 90 Cops were beaten black and blue :)

AP juggernaut continue to roll, into the super 6 with a convincing victory 6-2, 6-3.
“Well .. being in a tough group is always tough.. Never mind, there is always a season 2” quipped Joyan before quickly leaving the ground with Aldo to Arlington lake to cry out his defeat.
“We have arrived…” said a boisterous Talat (“well.. where do you think you were Talat?” we ask)

Match 6 (Kabhi In Kabhi Out v/s Daring Strikers)
Call it The Return Saga… Return of KIKO to the court.. Return of Arthi, from injury (on which by the way has a commission setup, to enquire on whose quotation did Ajay injure Arthi in basketball court). Anyway the new-bees has to wait a little more for super 6, as veteran KIKO beat them convincingly 6-2, 6-0.
KIKO did not show any signs of clumsiness of the long break and was by-far the better team today. Dheeraj shined in the victory for KIKO with some outstanding shots (standing outside the court). Ofcourse DS replied back with some wonderful outgoing shots as well :P
"The break was so refreshing & we are back 'In' now.." said Dheeraj for the winning side.
"This was just a warm up match.. there is so much more in our game that we just could not bring out today" Arthi commented for DS.

Match 7 (Altimate Vikings v/s Drunken Monks)
Bingo !!! Going into their first match, DM had everything against them. Jetlag of star player Kalesh. Deba’s unfamiliarity with his new accessories (sponsored by Nike). AVs family sentiments, for which a family-returned Kalesh had already fallen (read pre-match report) and the late start of the match (of course we know long-lived guys have trouble seeing in dark).

Up against the wall, DM was supposed to come up with the match of their life, & so they did, to just lose on a edge of seat thriller 6-2, 6-4 (did you smell a sarcasm here?). Not to take away any credit from dinner-paranoid AV, they did well & yet again stuck to basics of tennis. Other teams should definitely pluck a leaf from their neat game :P
"Its a nice feeling to be keep winning.. I just cant express the feeling of this wholesomeness." Said Ameya slowly patting his stomach.
"When & where is our next match??" asked Deba before quickly leaving the ground. Was it a hurry to finish off a losing cause or was it a challenge for upcoming match?

well.. we will know shortly. That was all for a loooong day...Another long day coming up..

But more importantly.. a reminder.. Controversies, quotes, online poll, match fixings.. all coming up soon. Stay tuned folks !!

Tournament Day 6 (Pre-Match Media Conference)

In a day lined up with meetings and hectic schedules, the media still managed to get all the players together for a conference.

In a match always being re-scheduled, Prasad for KIKO mentioned that the probability of his team making to Super-6 has not reduced even a slight bit despite the return of DS's potent weapon Arthi.
Arthi for DS responded with an equally STRIKING message saying 'Even though I am injured, I will make Prasad eat his own words'. Kiran said 'I just want my 2 points. I don't care if they are offered to us (by match being cancelled) or we beat KIKO to get them'.

In another do or die match, Joyan for I-90 was upto it once again saying that the ULINFY media was not disciplined and all his comments were 'Bent'. He added that the pressure will be totally on AP to win the game.
Talat in response for AP just said 'Bring It On'.

In the match guranteed to pull a lot of crowd, Kalesh has returned from his hectic international tour for Monks. He spoke 'I am in an emotional dilema whether to deprive the opponents of their dinners or to win the games'. Deba (the other Monk) said 'I don't speak to media before the game. They are invited to watch me play'
Vanshika for AV said 'Don't take the Monks lightly'.

Tournament - Day 5

Bad weather continue to play spoilsport at I-90 Cops matches. After their first match got postponed due to windy weather, yet another match on day 5 of the tournament was called off due to heavy drizzle. I-90 Cops fighting for survival in the tournament & APs looking to continue their winning streak will have to wait another couple of days to slug it out, as rain has left most of the tournament venues damp.

"A rest day was indeed desired by us after that tough match against Glam Bros" said Joyan (tough match ..huh.. really ??)
AP was not available for comments.

Nothing else for the day folks.. have a good weekend ahead !!

Tournament - Day 4

Match 4 (Glamour Brothers v/s I-90 Cops)
The match had it all, even before the first ball was served. The pre-match war of words, media hype (or was it over-hype), Fan's Dilemma (read Aldo) to support which team, last minute venue changes.. But alas.. the tale was completely different once on court, as in a dead-rubber game, Glam Bros unceremoniously trashed I-90 Cops 6-2, 6-2.

Going into a much anticipated, all mallu game, both teams had a point to prove. Glam Bros, one of the tournament favourites, after their hard lose against APs had all at stake to enter super 6 and I-90, looking for an upset here, wanted the title of dark horses of the tournament. And so did I-90 start off with a flyer, claiming first 2 games taking 2-0 lead into the match. Though Joyan's sparkle of brilliance & Sanal's uncanny returns got GM stunned initially, the pyrotechnics did not last long as Glam Bros quickly found their rhythm back & claimed the set 6-2 & later the match as easily.

"I was thinking of making them sweat their blood for this win, but seems like the weather was a bit too cold for them to sweat.." Said the losing captain Joyan, who is never short of words(duh.. rather excuse ;)
"Good we are back in tournament. The first game was a shocker to lose & hope we keep this momentum if we make it to super 6" Menon spoke for Glam Bros.

Lotsa Interesting matches lined up..
Will the star player Kalesh shine for Drunken Monks after his hectic international tour ? What will be the new plans from strategist team 'Super Kings' in next match ? Will Kabhi in Kabhi Out make it to the court ever again ?

Look out for this space.. as all of it unravels in coming days...
The sun sets for the day here. Thanks for tuning in folks !!

Tournament - Day 3

Fans were eager to watch the big chase of I-90 Cops against Glamour Brothers. "(Speeding) Tickets to Glamour Brothers will be given to watch the rest of the tournament" said I-90 Cops captain Joyan. Clash for the title from kids sons of God's own country didn't happen has scheduled due to bad weather :) Stay tuned, one day it will happen.

Injury cloud over I90 Cops’ first match

Injury doubts over I90 Cops’ star striker Joyan Joseph hits the team's preparation ahead of their first match of the season against season favorites – Glamour Brothers.

Joyan limped off the court after hurting his right knee during a practice session on Tuesday evening.

“Though we are injured, we would play and we would not let Glamour Brothers win without sweating their blood...” Joyan told in a pre-match media conference on Wednesday. That's something to cheer about for Joyan's fans!!!

Availability of Joyan for today’s match will depend on team physio’s report on players’ fitness, which will be submitted to the team management this afternoon.

Catch Them Young (CTY)

Catch Them Young (CTY), a two-week program has been initiated as part of this tennis season. We have invited Vaishu for our first CTY. Top performers get an opportunity to work with experienced professionals on exciting match :)

CTY is conducted in three phases:

1. Selection

2. Training

3. Hands-on Match

Tournament - Day 2

Match 3 (Super Kings v/s Altimate Viking)
In an amusing seesaw match, AV beat SK 6-3, 3-6,6-0 (damn if the score is wrong!!). It was SKs strategies against sheer basics from AV. From playing single side (even during services), zig-zag shuffling, shouting vigorously, SK tried everything from their trick-book to distract AV. Cant say that failed completely, for having lost first set & trailing 0-3, SK made a stunning comeback to take second set 6-3. But not long could tricks hold on & wits had the last laugh of the day.

"Chalo.. Teek hai" is all what Saravana, the captian of losing side had to say.
"I am happy to get my dinner tonight atleast.." Ameya, AV captain said in relief :)

Thats all folks.. "Chalo Teek hai.. "

Tournament - Day 1

Day 1:
Tournament off to a hot start !!

Match 1 (Ace of Pace v/s Glamour Bros)
When the final shot was hit in near darkness of Arlington Heights center court, the scorecard read AP beat GB 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(8-6).
In a marathon tournament opener, AP & GB battled nearly 2 hrs, fighting tooth & nail to produce one of the finest matches in history of UL Infy Tennis Tournament (Not that it has a long history). For 3 sets, where both teams fought for every single point, braving fading lights, unattentive umpires & distracted scorers, AP held on to their nerves, to clinch a crucial victory.
"Its impossible to explain how I felt after the match." Guru said after the match. "Probably my hardest loss ever since I took tennis racket" said losing captain Subin.

Match 2 (Rockers v/s Kabhi In Kabhie Out)
In a much contrasting one-sided affair, Rockers bulldozed through KIKO 6-2, 6-0, to register their first win of the tournament. Mahesh & Anbu Playing for Rockers put together their experience & innovation to bring home a straight set cynical victory.
"The start was a little rusty. We are not yet 'OUT' & will be 'IN' with next game" commented Prasad, the losing captain.
"Well.. its good to start off with a win, but there are still few areas of improvement which we will work on before the more important super 6 stage" a jubilant Mahesh said after the match.

Thats all for today Folks !! Thanks for tuning in :)

Group Draw

The moment tennis season was under discussion workplace turned more lively :) Nine teams were formed in very short span of time. Every team came up with fancy/catchy names. Round robin tournament was decided and 3 groups have been formed for prelims. Two top teams from each group will go to super six. Group draw was decided to select the teams for each group.

Amey and Vanshika generously arranged for group draw in their home. One player from each team was invited to group draw at Apr 18th 1:30PM. Amey, Vanshika, Subin, Vipin, Anbu, Kiran, Prasad and Joyan convened. Aldo selected team for each group by random pick. Groups with team combination is as follows


Prelims


Group A
Glamour Brothers
Ace of Pace
I-90 Cops


Group B
Drunken Monks
Super Kings
Altimate Vikings


Group C
Daring Strikers
Kabhi In Kabhi Out
Rockers




Please check Schedule Link / Home Team Online for further details

Team Details