NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA TENNIS CLUB
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After a rainout or two the Summer Slam in Simcoe interclub tennis series saw the latest match of the season finally play out.
With the annual event tied at a match apiece and the summer winding down, each match leads us closer to crowning the Summer 2024’s Slam Champions. Would the home team Bracebridge prevail or would Orillia pull of the road win?
Either way, local interclub tennis is the real winner and the Summer Slam Series continues to grow in popularity amongst local tennis enthusiasts.
Unlike previous and recent attempts to continue the series, weather was perfect for late summer tennis. Warm but not scorching with just enough breeze to keep things comfortable but not interfere with the matches themselves. Thanks to OTC Club President Kevin Smith for filing this court report we have the details of the match. The results for all four courts are as follows:
Court 1 - Dominic Vieira, from Orillia, played his first match this season and partnered with Nathan Hele. The guys played two very consistent sets, winning them both, over Peter and Jim from Bracebridge, 6-3 games and the second set 6-3 as well. This gave Orillia a 1-0 lead.
Court 2 - This was the longest match of the day, going to a third set tie-break. Orillia’s Bill Langlois and Kate Switzer teamed up and lost the first set, 6-1 to Gary and Christy from Bracebridge.
Orillia stormed back in the second set and won 7-5 in a thrilling and tight match that saw several dueces played out. Since they were tied at one set each, they had to play a 10 point tie-break to decide the match and award a point to one of the teams. Both teams battled hard and the score went back and forth, Bracebridge eventually won the tie-break 10-8, and therefore won the match 2-1. This result tied the overall match between the two cities at 1-1.
Court 4 - Linda Alm and Kevin Smith teamed up for Orillia, to play against Susan and Jon from Bracebridge. There was some good back and forth rallies, but Orillia eventually won both sets in this match, the first set 6-2 and the second set 6-3.
The results put Orillia up 2-1 in the overall standings. The win on Court 4 meant it would be up to Court 3 to decide whether the overall Summer Slam would remain tied or whether Orillia could pull out the victory. The match on Court 3 was close and as a result it went on for a bit of time.
Court 3 - Debbie Hele and John Jackson from Orillia battled hard and took both sets from Judy and Cathy from Bracebridge. The first set alone was hotly contested and went the distance. Orillia won the first set, 7-5 and then stormed ahead to win the second set 6-3. This match sealed the victory for Orillia, winning the day’s event 3-1.
Orillia now leads the series 2-1 with one match remaining, this coming Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Rotary Place in Orillia. If you enjoy live tennis come out to Rotary Place on Wednesday and bring a chair and enjoy amateur local tennis at its finest.
Should Orillia pull off the win they will seal their overall unbroken streak with another Summer Slam Crown. Bracebridge, however, no doubt has other plans and could put the overall series into a DRAW for this season. Come out Wednesday to see for yourselves.
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