Upcoming Events
SPEC Tennis
There will be a SPEC Tennis social this Sunday August 10 from 4-6pm (prior email mistakenly said Saturday). Try SPEC for a fun, easy-to-pick-up alternative to tennis. Equipment and instruction will be provided. Chas Luca is the host of the event. If you have questions you can contact him at chas.luca@verizon.net. You may register to participate using Yourcourts. There is no cost to participate.
Mixed Doubles Tournament
Fresh off of a successful Doubles Tournament, we eagerly look forward to the annual Mixed Doubles Tournament, scheduled for the weekend of August 16th and 17th. This event is open to all STC members.
Similar to the Open Doubles Tournament, there will be separate A, B+, and B level draws if there are enough teams entered. Up until the semifinal and / or final, matches will be set in a round robin or group play, so you’ll get to play at least two or three matches. The B and B+ divisions will likely start earlier in the morning than the A division, at least on the Saturday. Before signing up, players should ensure that they are available both days.
Please sign up by Monday, August 11th on yourcourts.com
If you have difficulty finding a partner, email sazenack@comcast.net.
We'll help, but we cannot guarantee that we'll be able to match players up. Because there appears to be a shortage of female partners (or a surplus of male partners, depending on how you want to look at it), we will consider non-member partners on a case-by-case basis.
The tournament entry fee is $10 per person ($20 per team). Tennis balls, snacks, and drinks will be provided.
Social with Charles River Club
We have arranged a social tennis event with the Charles River Club on Saturday August 30, from 2-4pm, at their location at 11 Massasoit St, Medway, MA 02053. Open to all members.
Each club will field 16 players for casual match play. The event is pot-luck. If you have questions, please contact Karen Brenner at kbrenner9@gmail.com.
Please register on Yourcourts. First-come-first serve for enrollment.
Court Brushes and Line Sweepers
You may have noticed that we now have enough brushes and sweepers for each court to have its own pair at each end. Yes, I know that we all learned the value of sharing at a very young age, but there is now no longer a need to share equipment between courts.
So the new protocol is: Hang the brush and the sweeper at the back of your court when you are done sweeping (rather than between the courts). Please help us to keep equipment from migrating all over the club.
Doubles Tournament A-Division Final Result. War And Peace edition.
Your President was unable to attend the resumed session of the Doubles Final for the A-Division. Fortunately, our Field Correspondent, Bob DiCara – known affectionately to his friends as “Caveman,” and himself a double-digit doubles champion — was there, and submitted the following report:
I want you to think back on all the unbelievable moments in sports history. Is it the time Don Nelson of the Boston Celtics hit that magical shot at the buzzer to win the Seventh Game of the 1969 NBA Finals in Los Angeles vs. the Lakers? The shot hit the front rim bounced straight up and then straight down to win the Championship. Nelson's shot wasn't about basketball; it was about life's unpredictability. It showed that sometimes, even when the odds seem against you, the universe can bounce in your favor.
How about the New England Patriots’ unbelievable Super Bowl 51 victory where they were down by 25 points and not only needed to do everything right for a whole quarter, but also needed the Atlanta Falcons to comply on their end with decisions that they will regret into infamy?
Who will ever forget the Boston Red Sox, who suffered one of the longest curses of not winning a World Series, and were down 3-0 to the Bronx Bombers in the American League Championship Series. Then came back to win that series and blow out the St. Louis Cardinals in a four-game sweep.
Well, on July 29th, 2025, a miracle happened at a small tennis club in Sharon, Massachusetts. The defending champions Rick “The Mastermind” Riess and his partner Russell “The net Maestro” Neale were up against two players who had different resumes. One of them, Scott “The Rocketman” Zenack had 11 STC Doubles Championships under his belt along with 6 Singles Championships. That's right…18 in total! The other Jeff “Smooth Stroke” Coppelman was entering his first doubles tournament at the STC. His days of glory consisted of winning 3 games against James Blake while in high school.
The Finals began on Sunday, July 27th and the defending champions took a very competitive first set 7-5. The match had to be suspended because of rain. This gave both teams time to digest their unforced errors and correct them when they resumed the match on Tuesday, July 29th at 6 PM. The temperature on the courts was a balmy 90 degrees, but the players did not let it affect their game. Scott and Jeff pulled out the 2nd Set 6-4 as Scott's overheads did not miss this time.
Well, the 3rd set is what you can only describe as unbelievable! Rick and Russell proceeded to take a 5-1 lead with a well-balanced offensive and defensive game that entertained the many spectators that were there to watch. It looked as if Scott and Jeff could not replicate what they did in the second set. At 2-5, they overcame three match points against them in a crucial service hold. On the third match point, Russell earned the Hustle Award. Scott’s overhead went off the very top of his frame, over the net, and started to spin back towards the net. Russell made a full dive to try and get the ball back. You can't teach that! The match eventually went to a third set tiebreaker and Scott and Jeff pulled it out 7-2! The most unbelievable comeback in a doubles final in the long and storied history of the Sharon Tennis Club!
Thank you, Bob. If you need to experience even more of this, Brain Galford shot a video of the final day of the match, which you can find here.
