Date: Fri 06-Sep-1996

Author: KIMH

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Stroock-Tournament-1996

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Stroock Tournament - 1996

B Y K IM J. H ARMON

Something new . . . something familiar.

There was a little bit of both at the 23rd annual Bertram A. Stroock Tennis

Tournament, sponsored for the Newtown Tennis Association by the Richard and

Victor Coopersmith families.

As for the new, Justin McCarthy became a first-time Men's Singles champion

when he upended 1995 defending champion Bob Elliot 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.

As for the familiar, Wendy White and Shelby Lance won their seventh

consecutive Women's Doubles championship with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Diane

Gucciardo and Joanne Klopfenstein.

Something new . . . something familiar.

The New Champ

Justin McCarthy knew a little something about Bob Elliot - the hard service

and the way he plays very fast on the hard courts - and McCarthy also knew

that he had lost to Elliot during the Stroock draw in 1995.

The crossed paths again in 1996, as most everyone knew they would, and this

time McCarthy was the one - like Elliot in 1995 - winning his first Stroock

singles championship.

" I practiced with him a few times, " said McCarthy, " so I knew he had a

really strong serve. He also plays fast on hard courts. To be honest, I was

just hoping to get his service back. "

McCarthy, who played high school tennis in Massachusetts and was a member of

the Division I-AA University of Rhode Island men's tennis team, upened Chris

Kovacs in the semi-finals and then had to outlast Elliot in a grueling

three-set match.

" I really wish I was playing him on a clay court, " said McCarthy. " I was

hoping that if I could get his service back I might be able to out-rally him.

" After his singles championship, McCarthy teammed with Drew Arnold to capture

the Men's Doubles championship with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Leon Barkman and Ray

Craven . . . former winners in 1990 and 1994.

Gucciardo Returns

For Diane Gucciardo, the only thing that could have been better than winning

her second consecutive Women's Singles championship is winning her third

consecutive Women's Singles championship.

Three years ago, Gucciardo stumbled in a championship match against Shelby

Lance and was forced to default with a wrist injury. All she did was get back

on the court in 1995 and win that championship that eluded her.

And in 1996, she defended that title.

" Feels good . . . feels lucky, " said Gucciardo.

Gucciardo defeated Sonja Haskel in the semi-finals last Saturday and then, on

Sunday, played steady tennis and defeated Julie Stern - the 1993 champion - in

a 6-0, 6-2 affair.

" I played pretty conservative all the way through, " said Gucciardo. " Sonja

gets to everything, so I played conservative and outlast her. It was the same

with Julie. She likes to hit on the run and a few times I came to the net she

passed me, so I really tried to be patient. "

Gucciardo later teammed with Joanne Klopfenstein in a Women's Doubles final

against Wendy White and Shelby Lance, but Gucciardo and Klopfenstein quickly

found themselves out of a match - a 6-0, 6-3 decision for White/Lance - that

could have been so much closer.

" From the very first point, " said Gucciardo, " they didn't give us a chance

to really sink our teeth into anything. "

Seven Straight

Seven in a row.

When Wendy White and Shelby Lance hooked up for a doubles match some eight

years ago, did anyone have any idea that the Women's Doubles championship of

the Stroock Tournament would be spoken for each of the next seven years?

Probably not, but that's what has happened.

After White won the Women's Doubles championship in 1989 with Debbie Rouatt,

she met Lance down at the Candlewood Racquet Club in New Milford and - as it

has been said - that's all she wrote.

Seven years . . . seven titles.

The latest was an surprisingly easy 6-0, 6-3 win over accomplished players

Joanne Klopfenstein and Diane Gucciardo.

" Our philosophy is to come out strong, very offensively strong, and to take

control right at the beginning of the match, " said Lance, while White added,

" And that's basically what we did. We didn't relent. "

Klopfenstein is a five-time Women's Singles champion and Gucciardo is a

two-time Women's Singles champion, but White and Lance took control of the

match immediately and held on tight.

But they remained wary.

" Being down 5-40 doesn't mean anything to us, " said White. " We've been

there many times and we know you can come right back and win the game. "

White went on to win the Mixed Doubles championship with Leon Barkman, a 6-3,

6-4 decision over Lynda Doyle and Steve Singer.

Consolation Finals

Doug Miller defeated Wes Baff 6-3, 6-3 in Men's Singles.

In Men's Doubles, Dom Nocturne and Jim Karin upended Alex Aitchison and Bud

Miller 6-4, 6-3.

In Mixed Doubles, Sonja and Larry Haskel defeated Beth Wetherill and Roger

Giordano.