CHOATE TENNIS 2001
Boys' Varsity Team Match Summaries

* indicates Founders League opponent
# indicates match not counted in NEITA season standings

2001 Kingswood-Oxford Invitational Tennis Tournament

Date: Saturday & Sunday, 31 March & 1 April 2001

Venue: indoor and outdoor courts, Kingswood-Oxford campus, West Hartford, CT

Conditions: overcast, mild, occasional sprinkles

Match Format: main draw matches are best-of-three-sets; consolation matches are eight-game pro-sets; all use no-ad scoring

Team Scoring: two points for each main draw in and one point for each consolation draw or third place playoff win

Individual match results:

Flight	Round	Players	Team	Scores
#1 singles	First Round	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	6
		Matt Grabala '04	Kingswood-Oxford	1	3
#1 singles	Semifinal	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	6
		Andrew Hubbell '02	Deerfield	4	1
#1 singles	Championship	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	5	6
		Peter Oman '01	Lawrenceville	4	7	4
#2 singles	First Round	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	7	6
		Ian McMurtry '01	Kingswood-Oxford	6(10)	4
#2 singles	Semifinal	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	7
		Alex LaPorte '03	Deerfield	1	5
#2 singles	Championship	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	1	7
		Jonathan Loveless '01	Hotchkiss	1	6	6(2)
#3 singles	First Round	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	6	6
		Devin Yawney '02	Taft	4	1
#3 singles	Semifinal	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	4	6	6
		Brooks Lyons '02	Deerfield	6	4	4
#3 singles	Championship	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	6	6
		Mischa Truong '01	Lawrenceville	1	1
#4 singles	First Round	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6	6
		Vincent Ng '01	Taft	2	1
#4 singles	Semifinal	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6	6
		Charles Benedict '02	Hotchkiss	2	1
#4 singles	Championship	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	3	4
		Ross Rosenstein '03	Lawrenceville	6	6
#1 doubles	First Round	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	6
		Stefan Patrikis '02
		Matt Lenore '01	West Hartford	1	0
		Austin Slitt '02
#1 doubles	Semifinal	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	5	5
		Stefan Patrikis '02
		Peter Oman '01	Lawrenceville	7	7
		Mischa Truong '01
#1 doubles	Third Place Playoff	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	8
		Stefan Patrikis '02
		Jonathan Loveless '01	Hotchkiss	4
		Cameron Waldman '04
#2 doubles	First Round	James Elsworth '01	CRH	6	6
		Jeremy Zuidema '02
		Trip Wellde '02	Westminster	4	1
		Scott Willis '02
#2 doubles	Semifinal	James Elsworth '01	CRH	6	6
		Jeremy Zuidema '02
		Adam Treiser '01	Lawrenceville	4	2
		Steve Wong '02
#2 doubles	Championship	James Elsworth '01	CRH	6	6
		Jeremy Zuidema '02
		Charles Benedict '02	Hotchkiss	4	1
		Reginald Stovell '01

2001 KITT Champions
Jeremy Zuidema '02, Stefan Patrikis '02, captain James Elsworth '01, and Andrew Jacobi '01 with the team trophy.

Coach's comments: "Choate players and doubles teams won 16 of the 18 matches they contested over the course of the weekend in securing the team championship at the 2001 KITT. This is the 28th edition of the tournament and the eleventh year that Choate has participated in the event. Since we treat the KITT as an early season scrimmage, I'm very happy that our guys stepped it up and played some good tennis. We posted some fine wins against League rivals Hotchkiss, K-O, Taft, and Westminster, and swept all three singles showdowns with archrival Deerfield. Winning the team title was a nice bonus. We still have some things to work on, but we're off to a fine start this spring."

Messrs. Elsworth, Patrikis, Jacobi, and Zuidema with singles and doubles trophies from the 2001 KITT.

Choate vs. Hopkins School (scrimmage: no team score kept)

Date: Wednesday, 4 April 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: partly sunny, mild

Match Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles and doubles matches played

Coach's Comments: "Today's scrimmage was a good chance to get in some more match play before the start of the dual meet season, particularly for those team members who did not play in the KITT last weekend. Even without captain James Elsworth in action today, in most positions we posted comfortable wins over the visitors from New Haven."

Choate 6, Loomis Chaffee School 1

Date: Wednesday, 11 April 2001

Venue: Loomis campus, Windsor, CT

Conditions: overcast, cool

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles and doubles matches played

Coach's Comments: "It was satisfying to get the first official dual match of the season under our belts. Our doubles pairs set the tone for the day with some devastating play. We were similarly dominant in about half of the singles positions, though a couple of the other players were a bit tight today. In any event, we are happy to start the season with a solid win heading into a showdown with a solid Phillips Exeter team this weekend."

Choate 4, Phillips Exeter Academy 3

Date: Saturday, 14 April 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: sunny, breezy, mild

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles match played

Coach's Comments: "One year ago, the Wild Boars trekked to New Hampshire only to end up on the short end of a 6-1 result against Exeter. This time around, however, Choate posted a dramatic win against a talented and well-coached squad of Exonians. We knew heading into the day that the doubles point would be critical, and indeed that turned out to be the case. Our #1 pair played unusually well en route to an impressive shutout of two strong players, while our second team struggled before folding in a tight contest. All eyes turned to court #14, where the Baccash/Osorio #3 combination fought to an eight-all deadlock in the pro-set before dominating the tiebreak 7-3 to clinch the swing point.
     "The singles play was very entertaining for the numerous partisans supporting one school or the other; all but one of the top six matches were genuinely competitive. Exeter's Abel Osorio--older brother of our Mauricio--was on fire in the #3 slot and handed Stefan Patrikis his first loss of the 2001 campaign. Captain James Elsworth locked up a win at #4 while doubles teammate Jeremy Zuidema dropped his #2 contest in two hard-fought sets. With the team score tied at two, Mark Goldberg lost a close one at #6 to give the visitors the lead, but Mauricio Osorio's third-set comeback win at #6 a few minutes later erased that temporary advantage. With a 3-3 team tally hanging over his head, Choate #1 Andrew Jacobi captured a close second-set tiebreak to level his match at one set apiece before taking the decisive set with some tough baseline play punctuated by the occasional foray into net. Andrew's victory thus sealed the win for the Wild Boars and preserved his own unbeaten streak this season."

Choate 7, Westminster School 0

Date: Monday, 16 April 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: cloudy

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles match played

Coach's Comments: "Today's match was a good outing for Choate against a team that always seems to play well against us. The Martlets clearly have improved since we last saw them at the KITT just over two weeks ago. But in spite of some game challenges from the visitors, we didn't drop a set this afternoon.
     "Our doubles teams continue to gel nicely and some savvy play by the tandems earned us the first team point in short order. Right down the singles line-up, the Wild Boars produced some strong tennis today. We hope to build on this momentum when we face NMH and Cheshire Academy later this week."

Choate 7, Northfield Mt. Hermon School 0

Date: Wednesday, 18 April 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: mild

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles and doubles matches played

Coach's Comments: "Although the weather reports made us doubt we'd get this match in today, it turned out to be a rather pleasant afternoon. The contest itself was a rather lopsided affair, as the NMH team graduated the three strong players from the top of its 2000 roster. But at the outset of a two-week stretch when we are playing three matches a week, I am pleased that we didn't drop a set against either Westminster or NMH. Such matches add to our players' growing confidence without taking too much of a physical toll."

Choate 3, Cheshire Academy 4

Date: Friday, 20 April 2001

Venue: Cheshire Academy campus, Cheshire, CT

Conditions: overcast

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional doubles match played

Coach's Comments: "After the strongest start to a season we've had in some years, the Wild Boars hit a bump in the road against Cheshire, dropping a tight 4-3 match. As expected, Choate dominated the doubles play, winning three of the four contests comfortably. We ran into trouble in the singles that followed, however, losing four of the six matches. The Cheshire players--far healthier than we had been led to believe--played quite well in the singles that they won, not letting their opponents work their way into the matches. And at the end of a seven-day stretch with four dual matches, we were just a bit too flat to contend with the fine play of our neighbors to the west. Consequently, #1 Andrew Jacobi and #5 Mauricio Osorio lost in singles for the first time this season and #2 Jeremy Zuidema lost to a player he's never failed to beat before. The commanding wins posted by James Elsworth and Mark Goldberg at #4 and #6, respectively, were not enough to secure the team victory. (Ironic comment of the day was overheard at the #4 post-match handshake: 'I can't believe I lost to you.')
     "An unexpected defeat early in the season can be a good thing in keeping our squad motivated and working hard on the things that need improvement. As we head into May--the part of the season when we face our major rivals--we hope to be a stronger team for having played this match."

Choate 7, Taft School 0

Date: Monday, 23 April 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: sunny, warm

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles and doubles matches played
[note: #3 doubles and #9 singles matches were abandoned]

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 doubles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	8
	Stefan Patrikis '02
	Alex Ginman '03	T	2
	Devon Yawney '02
#2 doubles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	8
	Jeremy Zuidema '02
	Mike Idy '02 (C)	T	2
	Angus Littlejohn '03
#3 doubles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	4
	Mauricio Osorio '04
	Connor Duffy '03	T	5
	Nick Fisser '02
#4 doubles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	8
	John Oster '03
	Vincent Ng '01	T	3
	Andrew Vinci '02
#5 doubles	Sean Robb '01	CRH	6
	Jeremy Van Fleet '01
	Cooper Wardell '02	T	8
	Joel Evans '02
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	6
	Connor Duffy '03	T	0	1
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	6
	Alex Ginman '03	T	0	4
#3 singles	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	6	6
	Mike Idy '02 (C)	T	4	3
#4 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	4	6	6
	Devon Yawney '02	T	6	0	3
#5 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	6	6
	Vincent Ng '01	T	3	2
#6 singles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	7	6
	Andrew Vinci '02	T	6(1)	4
#7 singles	John Oster '03	CRH	6	6
	Angus Littlejohn '03	T	3	2
#8 singles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	3	6	6
	Nick Fisser '02	T	6	1	0
#9 singles	Sean Robb '01	CRH	6(5)	3
	Joel Evans '02	T	7	2
#10 singles	Kris Paik '02	CRH	4	3
	Cooper Wardell '02	T	6	6

Coach's Comments: "Today's match against the Rhinos was a good opportunity for us to get back on track after Friday's loss. This edition of the Taft squad was young and--as always--a class act on and off the court. We brought a bit more experience to the table, but the visitors fought hard to make us earn our wins, particularly in the #4 and #6 singles. I was pleased by the quality of our play throughout the lineup. I am also grateful to Coach Frew for his willingness to bring over ten players so that both squads could get in a handful of additional matches.
     "We'll have played halfway through the League when we host T-P on Wednesday."

Choate 7, Trinity-Pawling School 0

Date: Wednesday, 25 April 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: overcast, mild

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles and doubles matches played

Coach's Comments: "Most of the day's matches were one-sided, with the notable exception of #1 singles, where the T-P player grabbed an early lead of 4-1 in the first set and fought hard the rest of the match, unloading huge forehand winners all over the court. Andrew ("the A-train") Jacobi fended off two set points while serving at 5-6 and then took the tiebreak 7 points to 4. Though his opponent forced Andrew to earn his points throughout the second set, in the end Choate's top player was a little too consistent."

Choate vs. Cheshire High School (scrimmage: no team score kept)

Date: Thursday, 26 April 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: sunny, pleasant

Format: we played a number of different formats to accommodate the participation of as many players as we could; eight doubles matches played first as eight-game pro-sets, followed by singles played either as best-of-three set matches or eight-game pro-sets

Coach's Comments: "On a pleasant spring day, this scrimmage with nearby Cheshire High School enabled us to get lots of kids out on the courts. We drew on our varsity, JV, and thirds squads in matching up eight doubles pairs and over a dozen singles players from each school. Choate swept all of the doubles play and won the majority of the singles, and some of the best matches were played at the varsity level. We got just what we hoped for from this day: the chance to play some high quality tennis against good players with neither side worried about the results. If anything, it was too much of a good thing, as the lateness of the hour forced us to abbreviate or abandon highly competitive matches at #1 and #4 singles.
     "We have now finished roughly the first half of the season and the guys will have a well-deserved rest over Long Weekend. In May, we'll have some much-anticipated showdowns with our greatest rivals, as well as the possibility of tournament play, so some down time right now is very valuable."

Choate 6, Brunswick School 1

Date: Wednesday, 2 May 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: partly sunny, warm

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles and doubles matches played
[note: third set of #3 singles abbreviated to a tiebreak once team result was determined]

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 doubles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	8
	Stefan Patrikis '02
	William Broadbent '02	B	4
	Gavin Watson '01
#2 doubles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	8
	Jeremy Zuidema '02
	Peter Brosens '04	B	3
	Sam Epstein '02
#3 doubles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	9
	Mauricio Osorio '04
	Breck Bailey '02	B	7
	Andrew Small '04
#4 doubles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	8
	John Oster '03
	Marcus Lindholm '02	B	5
	Matt Vascellaro '03
#5 doubles	Sean Robb '01	CRH	8
	Jeremy Van Fleet '01
	Roland Lamb '02	B	6
	J.J. Oshins '01
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	6
	Gavin Watson '01	B	1	1
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	2	6
	Peter Brosens '04	B	3	6	4
#3 singles	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	7	3	1
	Sam Epstein '02	B	6(4)	6	0(3)
#4 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	7	6
	William Broadbent '02	B	5	2
#5 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	6	6
	Andrew Small '04	B	2	3
#6 singles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	5	6	2
	Breck Bailey '02	B	7	1	6
#7 singles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	6	6
	Marcus Lindholm '02	B	2	0
#8 singles	John Oster '03	CRH	6	6
	Steve Perlis '03	B	4	0
#9 singles	Sean Robb '01	CRH	6	6
	Roland Lamb '02	B	4	3

Coach's Comments: "Though the Bruins fought hard throughout all the matches, Choate swept the doubles and prevailed in all but one of the singles. Brunswick was able to bring a handful of extra players, so there was plenty of tennis for all today. Our doubles play continues to be impressive, and wins in all five pro-sets established a good foothold for us heading into the singles."

Choate 3, Deerfield Academy 4

Date: Saturday, 5 May 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: partly sunny, mild

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles and doubles matches played

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 doubles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	9
	Stefan Patrikis '02
	Andrew Hubbell '01	DA	8(3)
	Doug Weeden '02
#2 doubles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	8
	Jeremy Zuidema '02
	Brooks Hopple '03	DA	2
	Alex LaPorte '03
#3 doubles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	8
	Mauricio Osorio '04
	Brooks Lyons '02	DA	6
	Alex Wheat '02
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	6
	Andrew Hubbell '01	DA	1	1
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	7
	Alex LaPorte '03	DA	1	6(3)
#3 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	2	2
	Doug Weeden '02	DA	6	6
#4 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	3	3
	Brooks Lyons '02	DA	6	6
#5 singles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	3	6	6(5)
	Alex Wheat '02	DA	6	4	7
#6 singles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	5	6	3
	Brooks Hopple '03	DA	7	3	6
#7 singles	Sean Robb '01	CRH	3	5
	Perry Palmedo '03	DA	6	7

Coach's Comments: "Our eagerly awaited showdown with Deerfield took some unexpected twists and turns and ended in a defeat by the slimmest of margins. We knew that even though Choate was favored in this match-up based on our head-to-head encounters at the Kingswood tournament earlier this season, today's tilt would be a hard-fought affair. It was indeed just that.
     "The Wild Boars continued to demonstrate doubles dominance in the opening round of play, though we eased up from 7-3 and 5-0 leads at #1 and #3, respectively, before sweeping all three pro-sets. That sort of sloppiness and streakiness would rear its head later in the singles play as well.
     "In starting the singles, we were forced to move most of our players up a position and steal Julian Baccash from the top JV slot when an ailing Stefan Patrikis determined he was not fit to play the #3 singles match. Consequently, our odds of victory suddenly were evened considerably. Choate's top two players posted convincing wins quickly (though we nearly squandered a 4-1 advantage in the second set of the #2 match). Below those positions, however, things got complicated. Captain James Elsworth simply had trouble finding the court with his shots at #3 and thus fell in straight sets. Mauricio Osorio did not fare much better at #4, battling hard before surrendering in two sets with a flurry of uncharacteristic unforced errors.
     "The team result then hinged on the outcome of the #5 and #6 singles matches; Choate needed but one win in order to cement the victory. As the pair of contests wound down in the gloaming, it looked like the Blue and Gold would likely take #6--where we held a 3-0 third set lead--and probably drop the #5 match, where we were looking down the barrel of a 0-5 score. But it wasn't over quite yet. Julian Baccash, who dropped his opening set after building a 5-0 margin, saw another lead get whittled away as his legs turned to jelly and his volleys repeatedly found the net cord. Before he knew what hit him, he had lost the final six games of his match and Deerfield pulled even in the team tally at three-all. Mark Goldberg seemed to steal his teammate's momentum, however, heroically charging from the abyss to even the third-set score at 5-all and eventually force a tiebreak. Mark stared down a match point while serving at 5-6 en route to that 'breaker and was attacking relentlessly to finish points. He fell behind in the tiebreak 4-1 and once again pulled the rabbit from the hat in leveling things at five points all. Tension surrounded the Hunt Courts and spectators were having trouble breathing as the drama unfolded. And just as quickly, the momentum Mark was riding evaporated, as Deerfield won the final two tiebreak points, clinching the win.
     "This was understandably a disappointing outcome, but again an experience rich in lessons for us. We'll need to exorcise whatever demons plagued us today as we prepare for a handful of big matches yet ahead of us."

Choate 6, Kent School 1

Date: Wednesday, 9 May 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: sunny, warm

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point)

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 doubles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	8
	Stefan Patrikis '02
	Cooper Clark '01	K	2
	Tim Hadsel-Mares '01
#2 doubles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	8
	Jeremy Zuidema '02
	Eric Mason '04	K	2
	Greg Rogan '03
#3 doubles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	8
	Mauricio Osorio '04
	Josie Hines '03	K	0
	Eric Turri '03
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	1	6(5)
	Tim Hadsel-Mares '01	K	6	7
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	6
	Greg Rogan '03	K	0	3
#3 singles	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	6	6
	Cooper Clark '01	K	1	2
#4 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6	6
	Eric Mason '04	K	2	2
#5 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	6	6
	Eric Turri '03	K	1	0
#6 singles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	6	6
	Josie Hines '03	K	2	1

Coach's Comments: "Our boys executed brilliantly in the doubles against the less-experienced visitors and swept all but one of the singles. Kent's strong #1 dominated the first set before Andrew Jacobi fought his way back into the match, only to drop a close second-set tiebreak."

Choate 6, Kingswood-Oxford School 0

Date: Friday, 11 May 2001

Venue: indoor (#1-4) and outdoor (#5 & #6) courts, K-O campus, West Hartford, CT

Conditions: sunny, warm outdoors

Format: 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches played first (advantage scoring throughout); doubles abandoned once team result was determined

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	6
	Matt Grabala '03	KO	3	1
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	6
	Chris Grace '01	KO	1	1
#3 singles	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	6	6
	Christian Hyde '02	KO	0	0
#4 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6	6
	Sam Peelle '03	KO	1	2
#5 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	6	6
	Anil Magge '03	KO	1	3
#6 singles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	7	6
	Geoff Cotter '01	KO	5	1

Coach's Comments: "Our boys were in fine form today, handling a Wyverns team that has struggled throughout the season. The Kingswood lads competed hard and with fine sportsmanship, but we appeared to have too much firepower throughout the line-up and we efficiently kept our focus on the job at hand."

Choate 4, Phillips Academy 3

Date: Saturday, 12 May 2001

Venue: Phillips Academy campus, Andover, MA

Conditions: partly sunny, very warm

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point)

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 doubles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	4
	Stefan Patrikis '02
	Matt Dougherty '01	PA	8
	John Pearson '01
#2 doubles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6
	Jeremy Zuidema '02
	Ramesh Donthamsetty '01	PA	8
	Adam Sklar '01
#3 doubles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	8
	Mauricio Osorio '04
	Joe Musumeci '03	PA	4
	Matt Natale '01
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6	3	6
	John Pearson '01	PA	4	6	4
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6(5)	6(4)
	Matt Dougherty '01	PA	7	7
#3 singles	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	1	2
	Ramesh Donthamsetty '01	PA	6	6
#4 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6	6
	Joe Musumeci '03	PA	4	1
#5 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	6	6
	Adam Sklar '01	PA	3	4
#6 singles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	7	6(4)	7
	Tyler Mixter '02	PA	5	7	5

Coach's Comments: "A Choate-Andover contest always seems to get the juices flowing for both teams, no matter the sport. Since this senior-heavy team from Andover has posted only one win against a Class 'A' opponent this season--that was Taft--we knew the Blue would be eager for our scalps. This match, played in the heat of the day, certainly generated some sparks.
     "The motivation of the Andover squad was apparent in the opening round of doubles pro-sets, as very scrappy play by the P.A. pairs--along with some sloppiness from their Choate counterparts--enabled them to secure the doubles point by winning at #1 and #2. The Choate #3 tandem preserved its unbeaten status and our #2s almost came back from a 4-7 deficit, but the Wild Boars ended up dropping the doubles point for the first time all season. A year ago, Choate won the doubles against Andover, only to lose four singles matches afterward. Suddenly the challenge this year was for us to pull off that same feat in reverse.
     "The home team drew first blood in the the singles play, with a straight-set win at #3. Though team captain James Elsworth avenged his 2000 loss with a commanding victory at #4 this time around, his doubles partner Jeremy Zuidema lost two tiebreakers and thus the match at #2 after squandering his chances while serving for both sets. Very quickly Andover was within one point of the team win.
     "But the Choate boys steeled themselves in the face of adversity. Third form wunderkind Mauricio Osorio nailed down the next point for the visitors with a 6-3, 6-4 dismantling of an opponent three years his senior at #5. Then in the #1 contest, Andrew Jacobi completed his assignment by posting a victory in the third set to level the team score at three apiece.
     "For the second time in a week, all eyes turned to Mark Goldberg with the team outcome hanging in the balance. The Choate #6 man led at one point 7-5, 5-2 but was edged in a second-set tiebreak. The third set wasn't pretty tennis on either side of the net; both players knew the match was on the line and had some trouble executing in light of the understandable nervous tension. Mark served for it at 5-4 in the third but was broken, breathing life into the hopes of the vocal home team partisans. Much to their dismay, however, the Choate player steadied himself in the next two games, finally prevailing after a seemingly endless last point.
     "We were relieved to pull off this win under challenging conditions. And we are grateful to an Andover team that offered great competition; the boys in Blue fought hard and made us earn the points we won. We'll turn our focus now to preparations for the impending Hotchkiss match. The Bearcats are the only team other than Choate ever to win the Founders League title in boys' tennis. We'll want to regain our form and put our best foot forward in Wednesday afternoon's showdown at the Hunt Tennis Center."

Choate 7, Hotchkiss School 0

Date: Wednesday, 16 May 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: overcast, cool

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point); additional singles match played
[Note: #1 doubles abandoned once doubles point decided.]
[Note: third set of #1 singles abbreviated to a tiebreak after team result had been decided.]

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 doubles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	5
	Stefan Patrikis '02
	Jonathan Loveless '01	H	4
	Cameron Waldman '04
#2 doubles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	8
	Jeremy Zuidema '02
	Charles Benedict '02	H	1
	Reggie Stovell '01
#3 doubles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	8
	Mauricio Osorio '04
	Mike Hammond '03	H	3
	Seth Pierrepont '01
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	7	4	1
	Jonathan Loveless '01	H	5	6	0(2)
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	6	3
	Cameron Waldman '04	H	4	0	ret.
#3 singles	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	6	6
	Charles Benedict '02	H	2	0
#4 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6	6
	Reggie Stovell '01	H	4	3
#5 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	6	6
	Mike Hammond '03	H	3	2
#6 singles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	6	3	6
	Mike Rapetti '02	H	0	6	2
#7 singles	Sean Robb '01	CRH	2	2
	Seth Pierrepont '01	H	6	6

Coach's Comments: "The Choate players walked onto their home courts with one clear goal in mind: to keep the Founders League plaque in the trophy case of the Torrence Hunt Tennis Center for yet another year. Knowing that Hotchkiss is the only other team ever to win the League crown in boys' tennis and that both squads were entering the match with perfect 6-0 records within the League was ample motivation for the Wild Boars this afternoon. A victory at the Bearcats' expense would lock up at the very least a share of the League title. (Choate needs to beat Avon next Wednesday to guarantee sole possession.)
     "The boys played some very fine doubles to secure the first point of the day and rode that momentum right through the singles matches. We got off to slow starts in a few places in the latter round--down 1-4 at #1 singles and 1-3 at #5 singles, for instance--but took the first sets in each of the six showdowns. The wins were rather lopsided from #2 through #5 and even in the other two tilts where we dropped a set, the Choate players always seemed in control of their own destinies.
     "Today's match was a satisfying team win and should help us earn a more favorable position in this weekend's playoffs. We'll know more about our draw in the next twenty-four hours. But tonight, we'll kick back and relish a well-deserved victory.
     "Choate has now won the Founders League championship in four of the past five seasons."

New England Team Championships
quarterfinal match: Choate 1, Deerfield Academy 4

Date: Saturday, 19 May 2001

Venue: Hunt Tennis Center, CRH campus

Conditions: sunny, pleasant

Format: matches played in NEITA 7-point format (3 doubles pro-sets followed by 6 best-of-three-sets singles matches; advantage scoring throughout; doubles collectively worth one point)

Position	Players	Team	Scores
#1 doubles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	5
	Stefan Patrikis '02
	Andrew Hubbell '01	DA	4
	Alex LaPorte '03
#2 doubles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	2
	Jeremy Zuidema '02
	Brooks Hopple '03	DA	8
	Doug Weeden '02
#3 doubles	Julian Baccash '02	CRH	6
	Mauricio Osorio '04
	Brooks Lyons '02	DA	8
	Alex Wheat '02
#1 singles	Andrew Jacobi '01	CRH	6(5)	2
	Andrew Hubbell '01	DA	7	6
#2 singles	Jeremy Zuidema '02	CRH	2	3
	Alex LaPorte '03	DA	6	6
#3 singles	Stefan Patrikis '02	CRH	0	3
	Doug Weeden '02	DA	6	6
#4 singles	James Elsworth '01 (C)	CRH	6	4
	Brooks Lyons '02	DA	4	3
#5 singles	Mauricio Osorio '04	CRH	6	6
	Alex Wheat '02	DA	3	3
#6 singles	Mark Goldberg '03	CRH	6	6
	Brooks Hopple '03	DA	3	5

Coach's Comments: "Above the doorway to Centre Court at the All-England Club is Kipling's line about meeting Triumph and Disaster and treating the two imposters just the same. Certainly our squad met with this pair of entities this week, as we played our best match as a team--against Hotchkiss with the League title on the line--and then had our worst outing just three days later.
     "When the squad learned it had drawn Deerfield as a quarterfinal opponent, there was a palpable sense of anticipation: this was a rematch to which we were looking forward. Choate had lost to the Big Green just two weeks before, but we were not at full strength on that occasion and we hoped for the chance to settle the score in the tournament.
     "Deerfield was not short on motivation either, however, and from the outset of the match it was very clear that our rivals were playing to win. Whereas we swept the doubles last time, Deerfield took a close #3 tilt and handed us our heads at #2 to secure the point. In the singles, the Wild Boars had posted convincing wins at #1 and #2 in the last showdown, but the vanquished Deerfield players from two weeks before were able to reverse those results this time around.
     "Our team performance was not without its bright spots: Mauricio Osorio was commanding in victory at #5 and Choate players were in a position to close out matches at #4 and #6 when play was halted because the team result had been decided. So the 4-1 final tally does not reflect how close this match really was.
     "Especially troubling, though, is the fact that we simply let matches escape our grasp. Our #3 doubles tandem led 4-0 and 6-2 in the pro-set before dropping the final six games. And at #1 singles, we saw a collapse of monumental proportions, as Andrew Jacobi appeared on track for a repeat of his 6-1, 6-1 win of two weeks before with break points at 5-1, love-40 in the first set. It was not to be, however, as points, games, and ultimately sets just slipped through Andrew's fingers.
     "In the three years there has been a team tournament, Deerfield has a history of overachieving and Choate has yet to advance from the first round. That pattern clearly was in evidence today. The Deerfield competitors played well and fully deserved the win. We were at full strength and have no excuses for our failure to convert matches.
     "To say that our boys were disappointed is an understatement. The team had grand ambitions in this tournament and in fact may have looking ahead to later rounds when we should have been more focused on our first round opponents. But we'll try to learn something from the experience, which is how we've dealt with our other losses this season. And we still have business ahead of us: Choate faces a solid Avon squad on Wednesday and then will see action in the Invitational next weekend. We'll endeavor to finish with our best feet forward."

Choate vs. Avon Old Farms School
contest cancelled due to inclement weather

2001 New England Prep School Invitational Tennis Tournament

Click here for detailed results.

Upshur Moorhead '30 Cup

Click here for detailed results.

[ 2001 season results | Choate Tennis Home Page ]

Produced by the Sports Information Office, Department of Athletics, Choate Rosemary Hall.
Last revised: 23 May 2002
Copyright © 2001 Choate Rosemary Hall. All rights reserved.

Number of visits to this page since 4/1/01: