Bloomberg, Proskauer Win Corporate League Fall Titles

December 22, 2015 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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The Fall 2015 season of the Metro Corporate Leagues came to a close last Thursday as the Advanced (4.5+) and Advanced Intermediate (4.0+) finals, along with an end of season party, took place at the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club.

The matches were made up of five different no-ad sets to six games (Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles).

The Advanced Intermediate Division final was between Proskauer and Deutsche Bank. After a 6-1 win at Men's Singles, the Proskauer Men's Doubles tandem added to its team's lead as Daniel Desatnik and Ted Tywand got up an early break on Joseph Kung and Charlie Hildebrand of Deutsche Bank and never looked back, winning the set 6-0.

Despite Deutsche Bank responding with a 6-3 win at women's doubles, the Proskauer squad, which is captained by Roger Cohen, was too much on the evening, going on to win the title to cap off a great season in the Metro Corporate League.

"It's just great being out here after a full day of work, it's definitely the highlight of the week," said Desatnik, who played his college tennis at Emory University in Atlanta. "The energy is great, everybody is really happy to be playing and the league is a fantastic idea and great way to meet new people. My partner Ted Tywang (who played at Georgetown University) is a great player. We work together and so that really translates to good synergy on the tennis court."

With the win, Proskauer will move up to the Advanced Division in the spring season.

In the Advanced Division final, Bloomberg knocked off Credit Agricole to win the championship.

Bloomberg captain Vighnesh Venkatesan, who was a top junior player in India, and Peter Aarts, who played at Michigan University, picked up a big win at Men's Doubles, defeating Eric Tomasini and John Palmeri 6-2.

Venkatesan and Tomasini do business together off the court, making the win that much sweeter for Venkatesan.

"I play with Eric sometimes on his 5.0 and 5.5 teams. But there is absolutely no friendship on the court," he said jokingly. "It's a total rivalry."

The deciding match for Bloomberg would come from Women's Singles, as Michelle Sulahian defeated Allison Adamski of Credit Agricole 6-4.

Sulahian built an early 4-1 lead before Adamski subbed in and responded with two breaks to trim the deficit to 4-5. But Sulahain would win the next game to win the set and clinch the match for Bloomberg.

"I think we just had to stay calm," said Sulahain. "We just had to let our players stay focused and play their own game, and not let any close points get in our head. And I think we did that."

There was more than just tennis being played at the end-of-season party as a buffet dinner and open bar were available to the participants of the event, and caricature artist Dale Gladstone was there to make caricatures for all attendees.

Afterwards, Luis Espinoza, League Administrator of the Metro Corporate League, discussed some new developments the Metro Corporate League is making.

“We are really excited to present a new division to help companies and their employees find a fun and healthy way to get in shape while learning and practicing the sport of tennis. The new division, Hi-Five, will debut on the upcoming Winter 2015/2016 season. This marks a new and exciting chapter in the growth of our league. We are proud to be a partner to many companies that allow their employees to participate in an enjoyable and competitive environment.”

The new Hi-Five Division will be for those teams that aren’t looking for a competitive format, want to get in shape, or just get their old rusty tennis skills back in working order. It will incorporate heart pumping fitness drills, tennis skills drills and fun games," added Espinoza.“It’s a great way to get back in the game, take your skills to another level, or just experience the pure joy of play”

Scenes from the Metro Corporate League Fall Finals (Credit all photos to Sidney Beal III @ Clique Photography)

 

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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