Tennis Season 2010 - Grand Finals

2010 Champion Rockers (Anbu & Mahesh)
2010 Runner-Up Glamour Brothers (Subin & Vipin)

For high quality videos please go to UL Infy Channel

Match: Grand Finale (Rockers v/s Glam Bros)
Will share a little secret today. I always drafts the match report of our matches one day ahead of our match. Not cause we are confident or sure about winning, but it gave us a drive to make it happen, to prove an intuition right :) 2 Times... 2 times in the entire tournament, had I changed the report after the match. I was never glad or happy about changing it, except for today one last time, when I feel so fine to be changing it, for I know the champs are the champs :)

Providing a fitting opening to the finals of an exciting tennis season, teams tied up at first set 6-6. Fighting for each points, each game, Glam bros & Rockers put up a spirited fight which went upto a tie breaker game (the only 2nd of its, in the entire tournament). Glam Bros took away the set 7-6 to take a lead in the match 1-0. What happens when you throw those Chinese rubber balls onto the walls ?? Well, it bounces back at you with much force & so do the real champs. For Rockers the match wasn’t over if one set was lost, until the last set was done, the last point was captured. And that when rockers made sure the next two sets belonged to no one else proved the point – the championship trophy of season-I UL Infy Tennis tournament belonged to no one else as well !!

Rockers won the finals against Glam Bros 6-7, 6-2, 6-3.

“We knew it was going to take a tough fight to snatch this tournament from Rockers. We tried our best (well not the best of best.. still..), but probably we need to get the fact what we really are, is the second best” said Subin for runners-up Glam Bros.

“I am happy (infact exhilarated), that we won this cup. Obviously remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament & losing out in final would’ve been much unfortunate. But more importantly this has been a wonderful tournament, so organized & so involved by you guys. I want to thank each & everyone of you for making this happen, especially Prasad for all the efforts he has put into this. A big applaud for all of you” Said Mahesh as he was handed over the winners trophy by Bday Lady & chief guest of the day Girija.

“Ive seen everyone over here is very enthusiastic about sports or for that matter any event. This was our effort to bring in all the people together to a same ground n have a nice time” said Prasad the tournament chairman, the low-profile version of Modi :)

Ok .. so before we end, a small note of thanks for UL Infy Tournament …

Thanks for bringing the geeks & freaks to the tennis courts actions,
Thanks for making my friends envy my trimming tummy,
Thanks for giving us an opportunity to trash & beat our bosses,
Above all, thanks for bringing back that childhood days, when we wait for 5 pm, the ring of final bell of school to run to the play ground !!

This is not an end.. but a beginning.. Action packed season in waiting… Watch out this space for more..
As for now.. good bye folks & thank you for tuning in.

Let the summer begin to simmer, then sizzle !!!

Tournament - Day 15

[Picture will be updated soon...]

While most people were out playing Whirlyball, a different game was being played at the Brighton court in Wheeling. Rockers Vs. AoP.

The final game before the final and the final game of the super 6 (phew! too many finals) was not the one sided affairs seen as yet with the Rockers dominating the game. AoP played with spirit and clinched the first set 7-5 creating history in the tournament and breaking the 'no-set lost' run for the Rockers. The Rockers came back though, and with panache. They beat AoP 6-4 and 7-5 in the next two sets to remain unbeaten in the tournament.
This ended the dead rubber match (result did not impact who would go into the finals). "At least this time we didn't go down without a fight" said Guru for AoP. While Mahesh for Rockers mentioned, "It's good to go into finals with practice for a 3 setter. This is the first time we have had to sweat for the win yet."
Just thought I'll help out with this report and keep the blog complete.

by Talat

Tournament - Day 14

“Rain Rain go away, Come again another day
Little Johnny wants to play !! “
…was the chant in UL Infy room all through the day and why not, when two of the most anticipated deciders were scheduled for the day. Weather.com presented a bleak picture all through the day & there seemed no hope for any match to happen. Having spent a better part of day, permuting the finalists, the possibility of splitting points & ties started occurring through everyone’s mind. But seems like Zeus saw the passion we held for the game & put his flushing on hold …

Match 1 (Rockers v/s KIKO)
Eat your heart out for this one.. In the most thrilling upset of the tournament, super charged KIKO came from nowhere & beat the champions Rockers 6-0, 6-0

Are you shocked?? Then don’t be. This is a fake news !!
Actually a gluttonous-guilty-me typed this before the match, expecting some twist in KIKO’s tale, that they might bring in some change to their match report. So thought will put it anyway :)

Well the truth & the irrefutable fact is Rockers were too good for KIKO, as they made short work of the game beating KIKO 6-0, 6-1. Rockers thus stays unbeaten & enters the finals (or semis whichever) convincingly. Incidentally, KIKO ended super 6 with a clean sheet (5 matches, 5 loss). Nevertheless, the sportsmanship they displayed in every match was superb. Take a bow !!

“We are great touch & hope we keep this till the very end. We will not lose the focus & hope to win the tournament” Said Mahesh for Rockers.
“We tried our best, gave our best in every match. This was a disappointing tournament for us. We hope to come back much stronger next season” promised Prasad

Match 2 (Glam Bros v/s Ace of Pace)

Pre-Match: Do or die for AoP, after losing unexpectedly from SK, a must win situation to stay afloat. For Glam Bros its avoiding getting into any number games & entering straight to finals. AoP confident of the win they had at group stage, Glam Bros confident of the form they have been maintaining for last couple of matches.
At-Match: It was like AoP saved their worst for this day as they were mercilessly mauled over by Glam Bros. 6-0, 6-2 was the score of second outing of the two teams, who ironically provided one of best match of the tournament in that thrilling tournament opener.Today Glam Bros were in their bullish best and AoP simply had no answers. There were moments for AoP but were scarce & far apart for even calling it a fight.
Post-Match: “This was one of our worst outing. I know telling that we are not in our physical best is not an excuse for the loss, nevertheless we would’ve given better fight had we been in healthier shape.” Said Talat for AoP
“We are in good form & we want to win the tournament. We know there are really good teams to beat to win this, but we will be giving our best in final or semis which ever it is” Said Subin for Glam Bros.

Match 3 (Super Kings v/s Altimate Viking)
Although if no semifinals, this match had no relevance in the context of tournament, but for AV & SK fans, this was a decider. Same number of wins, same number of loss, win against same teams (KIKO & AoP), loss against same teams (Rockers & Glam Bros), almost same set win%. Going into a match, what more similarity can we ask for from two teams, who have played their heart out in this whole tournament?

But then match did not end up proving who was best, did not end up showing the better of the best, infact it did not end up itself :)
Result: Match abandoned due to rain
Rumored to be a tie & split points. Committee will confirm.

Well, for all the romanticism it possible entailed, there was never a better end than to finish this in a tie !!
Win or Lose, you both teams have already won the hearts & soul of friends & foes alike.

“We were in momentum, when rain interrupted the game. Would’ve loved to end this tournament on a high note. But never mind, cause being an underdogs, we have ended far higher than we expected” Said Anna for SK (& yeah if considered set % win they end up third in the super.)
“We were looking good in second set & would’ve been nice contest had we got a chance to complete the match. Cant do much about rain though” Said Vanshi (for a change) for AV.

That’s all for me folks.
This Journey is about to end in couple of days, but not before we have a grand finale (& Semis if any) & of course not before revealing the blogger in the last blog of the tournament tomorrow :)

Tournament - Day 12

Warning: Nothing is working.. so for a change today, its a yuck report!
[skip the blog if corny humor is not your cup of tea. ]

SS match 6 (Glam Bros v/s Super Kings)

Mukku & Sarru, went up the hill,
To fetch a set from glamour..
Scores were tied, at second set,
But SK came trembling after
.
.
Says it all, the final scores,
Winners were, the glamour Bros.

Saranava Says..
“Might be their day, might be our day,
All we say, is Chalo teek hai”

Subin Comments
“Win was good, we are happy..
But loosing a set, was for sure crappy”

ps: GB won 6-4, 4-6, 6-0

SS Match 7 (KIKO v/s Ace of Pace)

Bah Bah KIKO have you any wins,
No sir no sir, 3 big loss.
One from the APs,
One from the kings,
And one from Glamour Bros,
Who lives in their dreams.
.
.
Tiny-winy, shots they might play,
But APs won the match of the day.

Dheeraj Says
“We fight with will, play for wins,
All we get is, safety pins”

Guru Says
“We are here, to take the cup,
Rest of you, please wake up”

ps: AP won 6-4, 6-2

SS Match 8 (Rockers v/s Altimate Vikings)

Twinkle Twinkle, mighty shots,
How I wonder, do they stop,
Up above the points table,
Fighting for a leader's label.
.
.
When Rockers hit those tweaky winners,
Ameya wished atleast a leaky dinner.
Five-Seven did A-Viking stand,
But Rockers today were, almighty brand.

Ameya Says
“Bad it was, to lose a thriller,
but good I dint throw away yesterday’s dinner”
Anbu Says
“Lost the grip at start, only to find it
We are still at top, everyone just mind it !!"

ps: Rockers won 7-5, 6-1

Please excuse me if you are feeling sick after reading this. Else before we end here we go folks...
Humpty dumpty sat on a wall,
News for day, that is all ;)

Tournament - Day 11

[Pictures will be posted soon]

While on a call, offshore gal says “yaar, I think I caught fever”. A-surprised-me says “Leave office early at 6pm & get some rest.”
She smiles, chuckles & replies “No that’s ok. I am fine”

While at home my roomie says “Dude, I think I caught fever”. A-little-concerned-me says, “Take an early dinner & get some sleep”
He smiles, laughs & replies “No that’s ok. I am fine”

Girlfriend calls up to say “Honey, I think I caught fever”. An-overly-concerned-me says, “Get an aspirin, go see a doc, take proper rest.”
She smiles, giggles & replies “No that’s ok. I am fine”
Just as I was wondering what the hell is this, she says” Its not aspirin-waala fever, its your UL Infy Tennis Fever” :)

Duh! After affecting 18 contenders, 10 support staff, seems like UL Infy Tennis fever has spread wide & far across, swaying the unshakable, hugging the untouchables. Crossing mountains, rivers, sea n continents, finally the fever has reached the other side of NBK UL building also. What else can explain the presence of even Maruti & family at a super Six match venue on day 11 :)

SS match 5 (Rockers v/s Super Kings)
When an In-form Rockers gets into mood, it’s a hard chance for any team these days. But with Super Kings the case is never so cut & dried, or so did Super Kings fans hoped. They flocked from near & far (even from other end of UL building) to watch Super Kings humbling Rockers.
But there was no twist in the tale, as Rockers, rocked the world of Super Kings to make a clean sheet 6-2. 6-0.
“We were not scheduled to play today, but did not want to lose the momentum we got from last game. So decided to play & it turned out a good day for us.” Said Mahesh

“If we play like we usually play in practice, we would even beat Federer, but don’t know in matches we hold back a bit.” Said an ever smiling Saravana ..
Win or loose you guys have a huge fan support.. So Rock On Super Kings :)

SS Match 7 (Glam Bros v/s KIKO)
KIKO seems to be lurching from crisis to crisis, as they yet again received a straight set defeat from Glam Bros 4-6, 0-6. Needing a win, both team started off with a competing first set, even tying up at 4-4 at one stage. But there was no looking back for Glam Bros after that as they took 8 sets straight to end KIKO’s misery.
This win was some tonic the off-color Glam Bro needed after an awful match against Rockers.
“We needed to win desperately & we are happy about the result. But I still think there is lot of improvement needed in our game if we have to even have an outside chance to take a poke at the championship” Said one of the Glam Bro Vipin
“No excuses for playing not-so-good, but the form we expected to pick up at super six stage is still very far from us. We will try to give our best in coming matches.” Said Prasad for KIKO, who now has 3 loses from 3 matches in Super Six & is virtually out of contention for the championship.

That’s all for the day folks. An off-court report series coming soon. So stay tuned.
Have a great day !!

Tournament - Day 10

SS Match 3 (Rockers v/s Glam Bros)
When Anbu lobbed a volley to the net, Vipin jumped up to finish off an easy kill, only to hit the edge of his racket. Unable to believe the idiocy of his shot, Vipin knelt down, ramming the racket on the court. Well.. that pretty much summarizes the whole match !!

Technically match was between Rockers & Glam Bros, but it seemed like the competition was between Vipin n Subin as of who will hit more number of faults in the match. [like some prize waiting at the end of match]. When an (uncharacteristic)Glam Bros forgot even the elements of tennis, Strikers made an easy win 6-1, 6-3 starting the super six in style.

“We were expecting much tougher match, but this did not even turn out to be a practice match. In any case we are happy cos we won. Also I needed some rest as my "BICEPTS-MUSCLES" were paining a bit.” Said Anbu for Rockers.
“I have no words to explain the pathetic game we displayed. Totally disappointed with ourselves. I think we will take some time off the ground & come back fresh.” Said losing captain Subin

SS Match 4 - (Super Kings v/s KIKO)
In a totally contrasting match, a re-invented, re-freshed & re-juvenated Super Kings put up an inspiring show to keep Kabhi In Kabhi Out at bay, winning their first super 6 match 7-6 (tiebreak), 7-5. KIKO also fired up, tried their best, but today their best was not good enough. KIKO can atleast be happy they kept their name, as their win loss series goes L-W-L (Out-In-Out).. That sends out a warning message to next KIKO opponents, Boy..its going to be a “W”(In) !!
“Me & Mukesh have been practicing hard, we have our plans & our combination is working wonders, like Ram-Shyam, Jai-Veeru, Paes - Bhoopathi, our pair (what.. Mukku-Sharu ??) will be remembered forever :) Said an all-smiles-Saravana
“Not our day, I guess.. But we tried our best & there are lots of positive to come out of it.” Said Dheeraj, before quickly heading for next meeting.

As Super 6 progresses, tables have tilted, favourites have changed & more exciting actions coming up. Watch out this space for more .. For now, have a nice day ahead folks !!

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 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 :)