By Darlene Jackson

The 2000 Fleet Newtown_Open is up and running with more participants than ever before and with many talented players vying for the championships.

More than 241 players will be participating in 11 different events and draw sheets were delivered this week.

The men’s draw has some excellent competition with Akash Lamba and Ritush Venugopal seeded first and second, respectively. Joe Bouquin of Germantown Tennis Courts, seeded #15 nationally in the United States in the 45-and-under class, is #3 with Newtown’s Bob Elliott at #4.

But there is also a new man in the tournament, Alejandro Andres, reportedly the #1 player in Venezuela. He is seeded #5 here, with Tom Conrod, Michael Bailey and Al Turner #6, #7, and #8.

Owen Robertson and Ward Januzzi have the top two seeds in the men’s 40 singles with Chip McKee,_Tom Bozarth, Brian Stephens, Carl Bailey and Mel Powers completing the seeded lineup.

Many of the seeded men’s doubles team involve the same players while Shirley Avril and Randy_Sa’adeh and Lorraine and Gene Chappell hold the one and two seedings in mixed doubles.

The top women’s singles seeds are Julie Sanderude and Kristin McNiff in the regular draw and Elaurie Appelloff and Diane Gucciardo in the women’s 40.

So, the complete draw is as follows (with the top seeds listed):

MEN’S SINGLES

1. Akash Lamba

2. Ritush Venugopal

3. Joe Bouguin

4. Bob Elliott

5. Alejandro Andres

6. Tom Conrod

7. Michael Bailey

8. Al Turner

FIRST ROUND: Akash Lamba vs Shawn Stillman; Penko Ivanov vs Philip LaFleche; Tom Conrod vs Anthony Ditulio; Frank Seyer vs Charles Rogers; Joe Bouquin vs Gonzalo Suarez; Daniel Oprea vs Duncan Morris; Michael Bailey vs Fabio Anello; Brooke Baxter vs Manny DeGalzain; Mark Stirivant vs JH Swain; Dan Cotton vs Alejandro Andres; David Beauchemin vs Paul Stauffer; David Labriola vs Bob Elliott; Chris Kerin vs Sean McWhinnie; Francis Chach vs Al Turner; David Stone vs Mike Catuccio; Adam Levy vs Ritush Venugopal.

Finals scheduled for June 4 at 10:30 am at Dickinson Park.

WOMEN’S SINGLES

1. Julie Sanderude

2. Kristin McNiff

3. Holly Robinson

FIRST ROUND: Julie Sanderude (bye); Cindy Vavrek vs Sui-Ying Wong; Holly Robinson (bye); Susan Langer vs Linda Hatcher; Lois Hoffman vs Judy Toth; Lauren Elliott (bye); Deborah Eddy vs Trudy Meyer; Kristin McNiff (bye).

Finals scheduled for June 4 at 10:30 am at Dickinson Park.

MEN’S DOUBLES

Consolation Draw

1. Lamba/Venugopal

2. Lapple/Turner

3. Elliott/Robertson

4. McKee/Rives

5. Howie/Stephens

6. Conrod/Stauffer

FIRST ROUND: Akash Lamba/Ritush Venugopal (bye); Tom Holeva/Bill Simon vs David Stone/Peter Sumners; Steven Knortz/Chris Radford (bye); Zbigniew Iwinski/Val Ray vs Jigs McHugh/Pat Smith; Chip McKee/Tim Rives (bye); Gene Chappell/Tom Roesch vs Bill LaForgia/John Prittie; Randy Howie/Brian Stephens (bye); Chad Smith/Sean Smith (bye); Brad Harrington/Shawn Stillman vs John Meskill.Rich Terrast; Tom Conrod/Paul Stauffer (bye); Dan Cotton/Jim Love vs David Beauchemin/Ed Perez; Bob Elliott/Owen Robertson (bye); Manny DeGalzain/David Senseney (bye); Roy Mirchandani/David Vatti (bye); Fabio Anello/Mike Catuccio vs John Grim/Penko Ivanov; Bob Lapple.Al Turner (bye).

Finals scheduled for June 4 at 12 noon at Dickinson Park.

WOMEN’S DOUBLES

Consolation Draw

1. Avril/Reed

2. McConnell/Sanderude

3. Mead/Payne

4. Sutor/Turner

FIRST ROUND: Shirley Avril/Betsy Reed (bye); Dianne Kelly/Susan Langer vs Claudia Baxter/Phoebe Hodge; Georgianne Sutor/Debra Turner vs Marie Ampeloquio/Lillian Valentine; Sandi Fainer/Diane Gucciardo vs Teresa Kennedy/Sharon Lees; Sarah Hottois/Lorraine Wilson vs Kathy Lifland/Barbara Murphy; Jeanne Mead/Virginia Payne (bye); Susan Bishop/Trudy Meyer vs Nicole Ditria-Klarides/Amy Read; Laura McConnell/Julie Sanderude (bye).

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 12 noon at Dickinson Park.

MIXED DOUBLES

Consolation Draw

1. Avril/Sa’adeh

2. Chappell/Chappell

3. Mead/Ray

4. Beatty/Moran

5. Harrington/Robinson

6. Gabriel/Tupper

7. Bozarth/Dey

8. Pagliuco/Swanson

FIRST ROUND: Shirley Avril/Randy Sa’adeh (bye); Dan Yee/Helen Yee vs Brenda Dye/Johnny Dye; Joan Pagliuco/Marc Swanson vs Loretta Bohnen/Michael Donadeo; Charles Rogers/LeAnn Rogers vs Cindy Vavrek/Larry Vavrek; Amanda Beatty/Mariano Moran vs Chris Taylor/Trish Taylor; John McKay/Nancy McKay vs Nancy Bento/Gene Caruso; Brad Harrington/Holly Robinson vs Marie Ampeloquio/Andy Vonguonvahn; Jana Barry/Howard Lasher vs Stephanie Oefinger/John Prittie; Corky Clark/Sue Clark vs JH Swain/Lisa Swain; Bill Laforgia/Anna Zohn vs Jean Gabriel/John Tupper; Denise Dougiello/Gil Roberts vs Linda Hatcher/Terry Hewitt; Jeanne Mead/Val Ray (bye); Sean Hope/Lillian Valentine vs Chuck McConnell/Laura McConnell; Didi Tulloch/Edmund Yoe vs Tom Bozarth/Gremmy Dey; Hilliard Klipstein/Susan Klipstein vs Alex Tolor/Lori Wilson; Gene Chappell/Lorraine Chappell (bye).

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 4:30 pm at Dickinson Park.

MEN’S 40 SINGLES

1. Owen Robertson

2. Ward Januzzi

3. Chip McKee

4. Tom Bozarth

5. Brian Stephens

6. Carl Bailey

7. Mel Powers

8. Marc Swanson

FIRST ROUND: Owen Robertson (bye); Dan Yee vs Anthony Ditulio; Marc Swanson vs Ted Darling; Larry Vavrek vs John Hartford; Tom Bozarth vs Bill Meier; Stephen Olsson vs Vince Mauriello; Brian Stephens vs Ray Bucknam; Charles Nanavaty vs Randy Adams; Douglas Hart vs Curt Logan; Peter Summers vs Carl Bailey; Bob Delfay vs George Green; Bruce Ratcliffe vs Chip McKee; Kevin Bennett vs Waiming Tam; Chick Cockburn vs Mel Powers; Michael Burns vs Roger Reiss; Hilliard Klipstein vs Ward Januzzi.

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 1:30 pm at Dickinson Park.

WOMEN’S 40 SINGLES

1. Elaurie Appelof

2. Diane Gucciardo

3. Lois Hoffman

FIRST ROUND: Elaurie Appeloff (bye); Muriel Schmitt (bye); Meredith Dommu (bye); Andrea Ondak vs Jana Barry; Julie Stern vs Helen Yee; Lois Hoffman (bye); Dianne Kelly (bye); Diane Gucciardo (bye).

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 1:30 pm at Dickinson Park.

MEN’S 40 DOUBLES

1. Bouquin/Januzzi

2. Daloisio/Starbuck

3. Beatty/Knortz

4. Bailey/Moran

FIRST ROUND: Joe Bouquin/Ward Januzzi (bye); Steve Cornell/Rod Taylor vs Gary Colombe/Stephen Schwartz; Walter Beatty/Steven Knortz (bye); Kevin Bennett/Bruce Ratcliffe vs Bob Delfay/Rich Dilley; Larry Holtgrewe/Jonathan Seymour vs Mike Czerenza/Charles Nanavaty; Michael Burns/Rich Terrasi vs Carl Bailey/Mariano Moran; Paul Meisel/Robert Meisel vs Arnold Fagan/James Langone; Tony Daloisio/Ferdinand Starbuck (bye).

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 3 pm at Dickinson Park.

WOMEN’S 40 DOUBLES

1. Gibson/Payne

2. Arconti/Lee

3. Knapp/Wildin

4. LaGratta/Varvaro

5. Appeloff/Dommu

FIRST ROUND: Kathy Gibson/Virginia Payne (bye); Barbara Margherio/Anna Zohn (bye); Elaurie Appelloff/Meredith Dommu (bye); Patty Gabal/Dixie Moran (bye); Connie LaGratta/Karin Varvaro (bye); Lynne Kahn/Lori Wilson (bye); Nancy Bento/Megan Will (bye); Pam Amman/Janet Pagano vs Darlene Jackson/Julie Stern; Mary Quinn/Muriel Schmitt vs Nancy Giddings/Judy Lambert; Deborah Gray/Cathy LeBlanc (bye); Sue Clark; Stephanie Oefinger (bye); Bonnie Knapp/Prawphan Wildin (bye); Loretta Bohnen/Denise Dougiello (bye); Debbie Cohen/Lisa Pottasch (bye); Judy Kowalchik/Joan Pagliuco (bye); Susan Arconti/Joyce Lee (bye).

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 3 pm at Dickinson Park.

MEN’S 55 SINGLES

Consolation Draw

1. Dom Nocturne

2. Bill Schmid

3. Ferdinand Starbuck

4. Rod Taylor

FIRST ROUND: Dom Nocturne (bye); Howard Lasher vs George Green; Ferdinand Starbuck vs Leon Barkman; Ed Regner vs Stephen Olsson; Harry Weichsel vs Richard Sol; Jack Schrier vs Rod Taylor; Alex Tolor vs Robert Feinson; Bill Schmid (bye).

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 4:30 pm at Dickinson Park.

MEN’S 55 DOUBLES

Consolation Draw

1. Craven/Suttor

2. McShara/Nocturne

FIRST ROUND: Ray Craven/John Suttor vs Bud Miller/Bill Wyman; Fred Luedke/Wayne McCormack vs Roger LaGratta/John Pompea; Ed Soderlund/Harry Weichsel vs Robert Feinson/Ed Regner; Art Goldblatt/George Mpazicos vs Jack McShara/Dom Nocturne.

Finals are scheduled for June 4 at 12 noon at Dickinson Park.