Amateur Sports

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Feast, famine for tennis team

Big wins, big losses at Summer Games

By: Daniel Falloon

Posted: 08/17/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Manitoba's tennis team was on both sides of dominating performances at the Canada Games on Sunday in P.E.I.

After taking five of six matches from Team Saskatchewan, the tables were turned against Team B.C., who won five of six against the 'Tobans.

The duo that prevented the sweep, men's doubles team Sean Bailey and Chad Lacap, won both their matches. After downing Saskatchewan's Quin Pon and Jonathan Waslen 2-0 (6-1, 6-1), the pair took down Riaan du Toit/Justin Alexander Guay 2-0 (6-2, 7-6).

"I told them you don't have to win for the team," said head coach Peter Otto. "It's too bad you don't have to fight for the team, but play for yourselves. But they stepped it up and they have a good chance of winning the whole thing."

Even though Manitoba had already lost the series with B.C. when they took the court, Bailey, 17, said that he and Lacap, 16, tried to regain some of the province's swagger.

"Going into the match we were going, 'oh, our team has lost,' but 'Toba pride, we gotta win this one," said Bailey.

Bailey and Lacap fell behind 5-2 in the second set, but fought back in some hotly contested games to win the match.

"We lost about five games in deuce just because our opponents made some good shots or we screwed it up," said Bailey.

"Our teammates started cheering a little bit louder, so they really got us back into it. They were being pretty rowdy. Not disrespectful, but it's good to have them on our side."

The pair were put together for the 2007 Western Canada Games, but haven't been teamed together since. However, Bailey and Lacap have practised together for about five years, which helps ease the transition.

"We're starting to get some good bonding and we're starting to click," said Bailey. "We know each other really well, we're really good friends."

Each brings different skills to the court, which Bailey said could make them a dangerous team going forward this week.

"I would say my strength is my serve, and Chad's just got a wicked forehand, so it gives us some good momentum coming towards the net."

daniel.falloon@freepress.mb.ca

How Manitoba did

Women's Beach Volleyball

Chloe Reimer/Rachel Cockrell def. P.E.I. 2-0 (21-19, 21-10)

Women's Basketball

New Brunswick def. Manitoba 80-78

Softball

Manitoba def. New Brunswick 6-0

Tennis

Men's Singles

Igal Mostkov (Man.) def. Jordan Christiansen (Sask.) 2-0 (7-5, 7-6)

Eric Yee (Sask.) def. Muzeen Ismath (Man.) 2-0 (6-0, 6-1)

Nikolai Simon Haessig (B.C.) def. Muzeen Ismath (Man.) 2-0 (6-1, 6-0)

Filip Peliwo (B.C.) def. Igal Mostkov (Man.) 2-0 (6-2, 6-4)

Women's Singles

Alexia Cholakis (Man.) def. Fiona Elizabeth Conlon (Sask.) 2-0 (6-1, 6-1)

Evann Waschuk (Man.) def. Lisa Zhao (Sask.) 2-0 (6-4, 6-3)

Khristina Blajkevitch (B.C.) def. Evann Waschuk (Man.) 2-0 (6-0, 6-0)

Saroop Dhatt (B.C.) def. Alexia Cholakis (Man.) 2-1 (6-1, 5-7, 10-4)

Men's Doubles

Sean Bailey/Chad Lacap (Man.) def. Quin Pon/Jonathan Waslen (Sask.) 2-0 (6-1, 6-1)

Sean Bailey/Chad Lacap (Man.) def. Riaan du Toit/Justin Alexander Guay (B.C.) 2-0 (6-2, 7-6)

Women's Doubles

Clarissa Chen/Erika Fridrik (Man.) def. Kim Hartwig/Kendall Pon (Sask.) 2-0 (6-4, 6-4)

Alejandra Ederica/Madison Belle Shoemaker (B.C.) def. Clarissa Chen/Erika Fridrik (Man.) 2-0 (6-3, 6-1)

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 17, 2009 C4

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