Jon Hyett is on a roll. After winning last year’s Pro-Am with Dan Roberts, he successfully defended his title with new partner Scott Arnold with a four-game finals victory over Mac Davidson & Chris Callis in the 24th annual Pro-Am event at the University Club. Add to that Jon’s first US national title in the Century Doubles last season, and it’s easy to see why the bourbon prize for the Century disappeared so quickly.
The Putnam Pro-Am Doubles, with a Pro and Pro-Am division, was staged over the second weekend in January. For the fifth year, Putnam Investments was the title sponsor, using their marketing department to take full advantage of the opportunity with signage, publicity, and very attractive light green monogrammed shirts included in packages for amateurs and patrons. The University Club again shone as the host of dinner on Friday, a Sunday brunch, and all the creature comforts fitting for professional athletes at the pinnacle of their sport.
The Pro Doubles Championship and its accompanying tournament, the Pro-Am Doubles Championship, is a mid-January fixture on the newly formed SDA Professional Doubles Tour. With Putnam, 68 patrons, and 20 amateur players providing financial support for the event, the professionals competed in a mini Pro-Am for Super patrons and in both divisions for over $40,000 in prize money. A chance to see the top professionals in the world brought out standing room only galleries throughout the weekend. The professionals’ power, speed afoot, and stunning shots were the stuff of wishful thinking for the rest of us. The finals of both tournaments were played on Sunday with five Pro-Am finals followed by the Professional final. The latter was a decisive three-game shutout by Damien Mudge & Ben Gould (both from Australia) over former Trinity teammates Manek Mathur (India) & Yvain Madan (Switzerland). It was the second consecutive triumph for the winners in Boston and their fourth in the last five years.
EAST DRAW – Championship draw
For the third year, 20 amateur players teamed with professionals in opening round matches. Added to this number was Putnam’s Karan Sodhi, an accomplished singles player paired with Toronto’s Carl Baglio. Winners of these matches moved forward to the round of 16, where there were few, if any, places to hide. In the upper half, Hyett & Arnold dusted newspaper chief Steve Quigley & John Russell (England) in the only three-game match of the round. Next, Jamie Fagan & Shaun Johnstone (Zimbabwe) prevailed in five over Curt Lefebvre & Clive Leach (England), aided by a Leach groin pull suffered in the second game. The following five-game battle went to Chris O’Brien & Andres Vargas (Colombia) over tournament organizer Lenny Bernheimer & Imran Khan (Pakistan), followed by another five-game tussle with Dave Riccio & Graham Bassett (Boston) surviving over John Brazilian & Greg Park(Atlantic City).
The lower half was more of the same. Court Chilton & Will Mariani (Canada) rebounded from down 1-2 in games to overcome Natixis CEO John Hailer & James Stout (Bermuda). 2013 winner Amrit Kanwal & Ian Power (Canada) also prevailed in five over rookie Dave Hall, a former world class tennis professional, & Yvain Badan. Somewhat easier was Davidson & Callis in four over Morgan Poor, substituting for his injured father, and Fred Reid (Canada). And finally, the favorite to make a serious run, Charlie Humber & Robin Clarke (Canada) defeated Bill Keravuori & Ben Gould, 15-14 in the fourth game.
The quarters on Saturday morning introduced the stamina factor for the amateurs since all had played Friday afternoon/evening matches. Jamie Fagan was the first to show signs as he and Johnstone were brushed easily aside in the first two games by Hyett & Arnold. They recovered to win the third and then lost the fourth 15-14. Dave Riccio was the next to falter as he and Bassett submitted in quiet fashion to O’Brien & Vargas in three. Anything but quiet was Amrit as he & Power took the first from Chilton & Mariani but could not muster further opposition in the next three games. Davidson & Callis jumped to a surprisingly quick 2-0 lead over Humber & Clarke, then faced reality as Charlie refused to lose, tying the match at 2-all. The final game went to the wire with the Mac winning at 13.
The semi-finals on Saturday afternoon opened with Hyett & Arnold, aided considerably by Jon’s wife Monica’s shouts of encouragement, eliminating O’Brien & Vargas in four as Chris’s wife Paolo had her hands full with two young children at home. In the second match, Davidson continued to be a bulwark on the left side, and Callis continued his outstanding play to send Chilton & Mariani to the showers in three. The finals match on Sunday morning was a dogfight from the opening serve. Hyett & Arnold won the first at 13, then lost the second at 14 as Davidson & Callis changed tactics, sending the majority of balls to the professional Arnold rather than his amateur partner. It was an interesting move but couldn’t stem the tide as the next two games and title went to the defending champion.
NORTHEAST DRAW – round of 32 losers
Putnam’s Karan Sodhi adjusted pretty quickly to the doubles game, having never played before his first match on Friday morning. He and Carl Baglio lost that one in four. On Saturday morning they took on JJ Hearty & Viktor Berg (Canada), narrowly lost the first two, coasted to win the third, then played evenly in the fourth before losing at 13. That win set up a brother vs. brother semi with rookie Will Hearty & Damien Mudge. With mother and father watching (not taking sides), the elder JJ was again triumphant (although shouts from both sides were abundant) in three. The lower semi pitted two rookies and their partners. Mauro Stuparich, watched closely by his wife and two children, and Manek Mathur against Chandler Willett, a Rhode Island resident but New York fugitive, and Dan Roberts. The latter team prevailed in four, then battled Hearty & Berg in the finals to a 14-all fifth game standstill. With a deep breath Chandler got the last one by JJ to take the match. Mauro, however, had some consolation as he and Mathur pulled out a five game marathon over will Hearty & Mudge to take 3rd place.
WEST DRAW – East Draw round of 16 losers
Vanquished in the round of 16, eight teams faced off Saturday morning, still smarting from their early dismissal the day before. Lefebvre & Leach, with the latter operating on a bandaged groin, defeated Quigley & Russell in four, much to the consternation of Steve’s son Ruslan. Khan & Bernheimer pulled off an amazing five game victory over Brazilian & Park after being down 2-1, then winning the last two games at 15-14! John Hailer’s many lessons with Dan Roberts almost paid off as he and Stout went the full distance with Hall & Badan only to fade in the fifth. The final quarter brought Ryan Mullaney in to substitute for Morgan Poor with Fred Reid against Keravuori & Gould. Having just graduated from Franklin & Marshall and having played some doubles, Ryan was dominant in a three game win. In the semis, Khan & Bernheimer once again turned miracles in a five game, 15-13 fifth, over Lefebvre and Leach. In the other half, Ryan again provided the spark in four games over Hall & Badan. In the finals, Lenny finally slowed as youth was served in a four game victory for Mullaney & Reid.
SOUTHWEST DRAW – West Draw quarter final losers
Every team has at least three matches in this event, so the entrants in this draw were really smarting from two consecutive losses. One more loss leads to the sideline. Russell & Quigley, working hard to preserve some dignity in his son’s eyes, enlisted his wife Alicia’s presence in his semifinal match against Brazilian & Park. Alas, it did not make the difference as they went down in four. Ruslan volunteered to work his father hard in practice for the full year before January 2016. With Patriots’ tickets in hand, John Hailer graciously defaulted the other semi to Keravuori & Gould, who then went on to win the final over Brazilian & Park in four games.
SOUTHEAST DRAW – East Draw quarter final losers
Here dwelt the teams, winners of their first match but losers of their second, of dashed promise. Johnstone & Fagan opened the proceedings Saturday evening with a surprisingly easy three game triumph over Riccio & Bassett. Dave may have been too eager to host dinner and cigars at his restaurant, a popular Boston destination for many of the professional players. The second semifinal featured an ultra-competitive showdown between last year’s State B champions, Kanwal and Humber, against one another. Charlie, already bloodied from dives, was clearly ready for more damage and with partner Clarke won the first two games. Amrit promptly switched sides, moving to the backhand and putting partner Ian Power on his more familiar forehand. It worked at 6. In the fourth, the Humber-Clarke duo focused on driving Amrit deep, then going short, eventually producing an error. Even then, they barely escaped with the fourth at 13 and the match. The momentum was enough to carry them through Johnstone & Fagan in the Sunday morning final in four games.
This year’s event was especially successful with Putnam’s presence and representation through Karan Sodhi, the addition of four rookie amateurs, spirited play, and full galleries, all supplemented by a delicious dinner Friday evening and brunch Sunday. The Pro-Am has increased the interest in doubles in general and in particular afforded all the chance to see great athletes (the professionals!) in action. The doubles league enters its fourth season and along with events such as this has spurred doubles at the University Club and Boston in general. The States, which begin in early March, will provide wide ranging competition for close to 200 players this spring, an indication that doubles has come a long way in Boston.