Regentville vs. TFN Friendly
Since last August, there were a couple of talks about having a friendly game with TFN players. But this was hard to materialize as well as to coordinate, due to the tight schedule most of the TFN players had. Eric Wong, the team captain of TFN contacted me some weeks back asking if our Regentville players were still keen on the idea of having a friendly match with a TFN select team, comprising of 4 pairs of doubles teams, 3 men’s and one mixed.
The format suggested was a best of 9 games with no deuce (sudden death) so as to shorten the tie. Eric and I managed to nail down a date to finally get this friendly tie on the way on the 26 of February.
Representing team Regentville:
Apollo & Carl (1st Men’s Doubles Tie) Dennis & BK (2nd Men’s Doubles Tie) Ray & Tommy (3rd Men’s Doubles Tie) Sandra & Rico (Mixed Doubles Tie) Kenneth & Myself (Reserve)
There was large turn out for that day and this was the first time we saw that many players as well as supporters gracing courts 2A and 2B in Regentville. Most of our games were close, and much credit has to be given to both teams for providing us with some entertaining tennis and nail biting action. What mattered the most is that we all had fun and increased our circle of friendship through this great sport of tennis.
I would like to thank the TFN Selection for taking time off from their busy Sunday schedule to come play with us, as well as our very own Regentville players for putting our team on the local TFN tennis scene and making our first friendly match a great success!
I would like to also especially Thank Eric for being a fantastic coordinator and making sure everything went smoothly. There were a lot of texing back and forth to get all the details right but we managed to pull it off without much hiccups or delays. My wife Serene, for helping me coordinate everything from the court booking arrangements, getting the refreshments and coordinating the matches with Eric. Eric's write up on this event can be found on link.
I’ll leave you with some parting shots from the matches… taken with my trusty Canon EOS 300D and my EF17-35L F2.8 and EF70-200 F4L lenses. All the images have been resized so that it won’t take up too much space for my blog, but any of you want a higher quality image, please send me an email. Until the next friendly, Goodbye and keep on playing! If you want to see all the photos taken from last week's friendly, please go to this link.
The format suggested was a best of 9 games with no deuce (sudden death) so as to shorten the tie. Eric and I managed to nail down a date to finally get this friendly tie on the way on the 26 of February.
Representing team Regentville:
Apollo & Carl (1st Men’s Doubles Tie) Dennis & BK (2nd Men’s Doubles Tie) Ray & Tommy (3rd Men’s Doubles Tie) Sandra & Rico (Mixed Doubles Tie) Kenneth & Myself (Reserve)
There was large turn out for that day and this was the first time we saw that many players as well as supporters gracing courts 2A and 2B in Regentville. Most of our games were close, and much credit has to be given to both teams for providing us with some entertaining tennis and nail biting action. What mattered the most is that we all had fun and increased our circle of friendship through this great sport of tennis.
I would like to thank the TFN Selection for taking time off from their busy Sunday schedule to come play with us, as well as our very own Regentville players for putting our team on the local TFN tennis scene and making our first friendly match a great success!
I would like to also especially Thank Eric for being a fantastic coordinator and making sure everything went smoothly. There were a lot of texing back and forth to get all the details right but we managed to pull it off without much hiccups or delays. My wife Serene, for helping me coordinate everything from the court booking arrangements, getting the refreshments and coordinating the matches with Eric. Eric's write up on this event can be found on link.
I’ll leave you with some parting shots from the matches… taken with my trusty Canon EOS 300D and my EF17-35L F2.8 and EF70-200 F4L lenses. All the images have been resized so that it won’t take up too much space for my blog, but any of you want a higher quality image, please send me an email. Until the next friendly, Goodbye and keep on playing! If you want to see all the photos taken from last week's friendly, please go to this link.
The Players... Tommy
In my opinion, Tommy looks really like Thai tennis ace Paradorn Srichapan from the side profile. He is a physical education instructor in one of our local junior colleges here
in Singapore and a regular player with our Regentville tennis team.
A well built muscular chap, he game is based on sheer power, pace and speed. He has excellent ground strokes, off both the forehand and backhand sides, a great high bouncing kick serve.
I would rate him to have one of the best single handed backhands players in our group. Tommy’s racquet of choice the Wilson Ncode N61 95.
in Singapore and a regular player with our Regentville tennis team.
A well built muscular chap, he game is based on sheer power, pace and speed. He has excellent ground strokes, off both the forehand and backhand sides, a great high bouncing kick serve.
I would rate him to have one of the best single handed backhands players in our group. Tommy’s racquet of choice the Wilson Ncode N61 95.
Regentville Tennis Players Glenn
Glenn is a Filipino expat working here in Singapore. An engineer by profession, he has been residing in Singapore for quite some time. I got to know Glenn during some of our previous friendly matches with the Filipino tennis team from Normanton park.
Now he play regularly with the Regentville tennis team and has participated in a couple of tennis friendlies representing the team Regentville. Glenn is famed for his prowess on the tennis courts and a reputation on being a “ladies man”.
He’s game is based on sheer dogged determination and will run down each and every shot, producing spectacular counter attacking returns when you least expect it or when you already thought was a clean winner. He is able to vary his ground strokes from slow to pacey shots with spin and depth that will catch many of his opponents off guard.
Now he play regularly with the Regentville tennis team and has participated in a couple of tennis friendlies representing the team Regentville. Glenn is famed for his prowess on the tennis courts and a reputation on being a “ladies man”.
He’s game is based on sheer dogged determination and will run down each and every shot, producing spectacular counter attacking returns when you least expect it or when you already thought was a clean winner. He is able to vary his ground strokes from slow to pacey shots with spin and depth that will catch many of his opponents off guard.
Regentville Tennis Players Didier
Didier Wenger or Didi, for short, is a Swiss expat based here in Singapore and works in the IT sector. He is one of the latest members of the Regentville tennis team. Hailing from the land of current world’s number one tennis player, Roger Federer, I would describe Didi’s game as one of mastery and precision very similar to the Swiss ace.
I like to watch him play with total dominance in all areas such as ground strokes, volleys and the serve. His speed, quickness and on court coverage is phenomenal. it’s really hard to really find a player who has such an all round complete game such as Didi’s.
It’s also amazing to watch him wield such a heavy stick the European version of the K61 90 that weights a hefty 340 grams unstrung which he hits so effortlessly with it. It nice watching him also rip those cross courts or down the line winners against his opponents with so much ease with his solid single handed backhand or forehand.
Having played tennis competitively from an early age, one can understand why he possesses such a great game, fantastic footwork and lightning quick reflexes which explain how he pulls off those amazing shots and winners from all section of the tennis court leaving his opponents admiring his shots.
I like to watch him play with total dominance in all areas such as ground strokes, volleys and the serve. His speed, quickness and on court coverage is phenomenal. it’s really hard to really find a player who has such an all round complete game such as Didi’s.
It’s also amazing to watch him wield such a heavy stick the European version of the K61 90 that weights a hefty 340 grams unstrung which he hits so effortlessly with it. It nice watching him also rip those cross courts or down the line winners against his opponents with so much ease with his solid single handed backhand or forehand.
Having played tennis competitively from an early age, one can understand why he possesses such a great game, fantastic footwork and lightning quick reflexes which explain how he pulls off those amazing shots and winners from all section of the tennis court leaving his opponents admiring his shots.
Regentville Tennis Players Raffy
Raffy is a Filipino expat based here in Singapore. He is an engineer by profession and has been residing in Singapore for close to 9 years. He started tennis at an early age of 14 in the Philippines and continued playing while he was working in Qatar. Now he is enjoying and playing one of his best tennis here in Singapore.
I got a chance to meet Raffy during a mini tennis session organized last year and bumped into him a couple of times during the Filipino Tennis Club matches as well as some of the earlier friendly matches against some Filipino based teams. He is currently one of our new acquisition for the Regentville tennis team. One of the guys I like to partner in doubles, as he has a big first serve and 2nd serve. Solid at the net and good ground strokes. With his vast tennis background and experience while playing in 3 different countries there is lots we can pick up from Raffy. What I love best of all about Raffy is his great sense of humor which we need sometimes during tight matches.
I got a chance to meet Raffy during a mini tennis session organized last year and bumped into him a couple of times during the Filipino Tennis Club matches as well as some of the earlier friendly matches against some Filipino based teams. He is currently one of our new acquisition for the Regentville tennis team. One of the guys I like to partner in doubles, as he has a big first serve and 2nd serve. Solid at the net and good ground strokes. With his vast tennis background and experience while playing in 3 different countries there is lots we can pick up from Raffy. What I love best of all about Raffy is his great sense of humor which we need sometimes during tight matches.
Regentville Tennis Players Nick
Nick is an American national currently based in Singapore. He is an IT Project Manager by profession and working for major health institution here in Singapore. Prior to moving to Singapore, Nick picked up his tennis in the US and was a regular club level player.
Nick’s greatest strength is at the net. He is very tough to pass at the net and has great ground stokes. He also possesses a good slice serve to compliment his great net play as well as a good approach shot to finish at the net with his pickup and smashes.
I am hoping to see more of Nick play competitively during our friendly matches as he missed out on the last one with Normanton Park.
Nick’s greatest strength is at the net. He is very tough to pass at the net and has great ground stokes. He also possesses a good slice serve to compliment his great net play as well as a good approach shot to finish at the net with his pickup and smashes.
I am hoping to see more of Nick play competitively during our friendly matches as he missed out on the last one with Normanton Park.
Regentville Tennis Players Sean
Sean plays with impressive top spin game on both flanks. He’s Singaporean and a Remiser by profession. What I find amazing about Sean’s game is that he can induce such power and pace with a racquet which is more than 20 years old! He is yielding the classic Wilson Jack Kramer graphite oversized wide body edition a “dinosaur” by modern days racquet standards and technology.
He’s game revolves around the heavy topspin and quickness around the court. I find to effectively play against Sean you’ll need to hit the ball constantly on the rise… easier said than done! Sean had been playing tennis regularly until injury sidelined him out of the game for about a year or so.
He has just recently returned from injury and is showing some fine form as he still managed a win in our last friendly match against Normanton Park.
He’s game revolves around the heavy topspin and quickness around the court. I find to effectively play against Sean you’ll need to hit the ball constantly on the rise… easier said than done! Sean had been playing tennis regularly until injury sidelined him out of the game for about a year or so.
He has just recently returned from injury and is showing some fine form as he still managed a win in our last friendly match against Normanton Park.
Regentville Tennis Players Chris
Only just joined us for the 2008 season, Chris is a US born Korean expat who had recently moved to Singapore and is currently working in the banking sector. He was formerly staying in New York and was playing regularly there before he moved to Singapore.
Chris has powerful ground strokes on both wings. He moves well on the court and possesses a wide array of shots. He’s quick on the ball and is able to find great depth and angle to compliment his pacey ground strokes. He also has good access to both first and second serves which he can very both with pace, spin and direction.
A very tough opponent and since he has been playing in the US a very experienced tennis player a major acquisition for team Regentville and I expect Chris to do very well in our upcoming friendly matches we have planned for 2008.
Chris has powerful ground strokes on both wings. He moves well on the court and possesses a wide array of shots. He’s quick on the ball and is able to find great depth and angle to compliment his pacey ground strokes. He also has good access to both first and second serves which he can very both with pace, spin and direction.
A very tough opponent and since he has been playing in the US a very experienced tennis player a major acquisition for team Regentville and I expect Chris to do very well in our upcoming friendly matches we have planned for 2008.
Regentville Tennis Players Richard
One of the latest 2008 additions to our team. Richard is a Filipino expat working here in Singapore. He is an engineer by profession. Richard comes to us with years of experience both as a player and as a match organizer. Many of you would have recognized him as the organizer for both the Regent Grove Condo and Normanton Park friendly tennis matches we had last year.
We’re delighted to have Richard on board as he has decided to come play for team Regentville and we’re expecting to see him on a more regular basis here. As a tennis player, Richard is an extremely consistent and crafty player. He is highly intelligent and adept at the net complimented with his formidable ground strokes and deft touches. A stylish, calm and collected player that’s how I define Richard’s game. Rarely get’s worried or fazed by the current situation he’s in winning or losing. I find him a difficult player to crack under pressure situations as he always very calm and is in control of the situation most of the time.
Richard's a major coup for the Regentville tennis team both an experienced organizer and seasoned player and you can expect to see more of Richard in 2008.
We’re delighted to have Richard on board as he has decided to come play for team Regentville and we’re expecting to see him on a more regular basis here. As a tennis player, Richard is an extremely consistent and crafty player. He is highly intelligent and adept at the net complimented with his formidable ground strokes and deft touches. A stylish, calm and collected player that’s how I define Richard’s game. Rarely get’s worried or fazed by the current situation he’s in winning or losing. I find him a difficult player to crack under pressure situations as he always very calm and is in control of the situation most of the time.
Richard's a major coup for the Regentville tennis team both an experienced organizer and seasoned player and you can expect to see more of Richard in 2008.
Regentville Tennis Players Jason Qian
Jason Qian who hails from Canada is the latest member of the Regentville Tennis Team. A hardware design engineer by profession, he is currently working for a German based semi-conductor company and has only just started playing more competitive tennis in singapore.
Having been playing tennis since 2001, Jason mixes up his game with powerful serves and ground strokes with his precision volleys and tricky drop shots. He has good hands at the net and is a great all round striker of the ball. Jason loves to impart heavy spin on both wings (plays single handed backhand) and varies between the very flat and heavy topspin serves so you'll be always left guessing where his next big serve will go? It is no wonder why his favourite players are Marat Safin and current world's number 1 Rafael Nadal! His formidable playing style are evident when you watch the two of these two great players play.
Jason like myself loves to try out different tennis racquets and we generally share the same interest of racquet collecting, racquet research and playing with different types of tennis racquet. Jason Qian's current racquet of choice is the Wilson K Blade 98.
Having been playing tennis since 2001, Jason mixes up his game with powerful serves and ground strokes with his precision volleys and tricky drop shots. He has good hands at the net and is a great all round striker of the ball. Jason loves to impart heavy spin on both wings (plays single handed backhand) and varies between the very flat and heavy topspin serves so you'll be always left guessing where his next big serve will go? It is no wonder why his favourite players are Marat Safin and current world's number 1 Rafael Nadal! His formidable playing style are evident when you watch the two of these two great players play.
Jason like myself loves to try out different tennis racquets and we generally share the same interest of racquet collecting, racquet research and playing with different types of tennis racquet. Jason Qian's current racquet of choice is the Wilson K Blade 98.
Head Flexpoint 4 Review
Ever since last August, I had this very bad case of tennis elbow. Many of my friends attributed this problem to the racquet I was using. It unfortunately my favorite racquet, the Babolat Pure Drive Standard (see, my personal review of the Babolat Pure Drive) I really loved the racquet a lot, but I personally felt that the stiffness of the racquet, as well as the larger than usual grip size gave me this tennis elbow problem. Incidentally, I played and felt less pain after I removed the original grip and used 2 overgrips instead, the downside of this is that you constantly felt the wooden handle and the bevel of the racquet. Although reducing the racquet grip size benefited slightly, I was already in much pain, so that didn’t really make much of a difference as my elbow was already inflamed.
I started out on my quest to find another racquet that will play and feel something very similar to the Babolat Pure Drive Standard. It however needed to be something noticeable less stiffer to alleviate the pain in my elbow. I thought of trying something lighter thinking that it will cause considerably lesser pain in my elbow. I made a mistake of not researching for a racquet that will suite my immediate needs. I should have read this excellent article about tennis elbow treatments and the ideal tennis racquet for tennis elbow injuries. Another great site in my opinion will have to be racquetresearch.com. They dwell into specifics and highlight crucial details that many racquet review sites miss, such as the dynamics of the tennis racquet, human bio-machanics and how they affect play, cause injuries and most importantly selecting the right tennis racquet.
I went down to Queensway Shopping Center to source for a new racquet not having any idea what might come into the picture. I was recommended the Head Flexpoint 4. It felt very light and slightly head heavy. It also had an oversized frame. Although I can play with various frames from midsized to oversized ones, I personally prefer mid sized models. I compared it with it’s predecessor, the Head Liquid Metal 4 which had a mid sized frame but since it was cheaper by something like SGD$20, I decided to give the new Head Flexpoint technology a whirl. I bought the racquet for SGD$290 with Toalson Apex strings strung at 57 pounds and put it through it’s paces.
At first, like any virgin tennis racquet, that has not been “broken” the strings felt really stiff and I had problems hitting balls over the net. After about 10 minutes, it started to feel better and I was beginning to hit some pretty decent shots deeper into the base line region. After the first hour, I started feeling the full potential of what the Head Flexpoint 4 is capable of. I found that my volleying and smashing practically improved overnight probably due to the combination of it’s lightness and head heaviness giving me the added maneuverability for both volleys and smashes. Power was a little bit compromised for an oversized racquet, but I was amazed that although it was light, it did not lose it’s control like most lightweight tweener racquets. It did not feel really whippy and produce wild shots like most tweener racquet do. It surprising played with a lot of control and I was hitting pretty good shots off the backhand and forehand. Heavy topspin was eminent from the start and being light and head heavy, it had a perfect blend for individuals who love to hit with a lot of topspin.
Conclusion
The Head Flexpoint 4 is an ideal racquet to keep the opponent behind the baseline, so that they cannot really hurt you, but unfortunately it lacked the crucial bite or kill factor to make it a killer racquet with the ability to finish points with one shot. It definitely did not have the same bite as the Babolat Pure Drive Standard did in that department.
The other thing was that since it was head heavy, the forward momentum was pulling my elbow forward aggravating my tennis elbow even more. This was not a good sign and I decided that this racquet was not for suited for me with my present condition. It’s a great racquet but did not fit my current needs of something that will cause less pain to my elbow or help me on my road to recovery.
I would however highly recommend this racquet to ladies who needs a ligher racquet and hits with lots of top spin. It is also great for the Week End Warrior kind of players as well as doubles play. With this racquet, I became a great volley and smasher overnight. This was incredible, but it did not fix my problem, as the head heavy frame was causing my elbow to really hurt. I finally sold this racquet off and started on my quest to find the next suitable racquet. I ended up with the Head Liquid Metal Prestige… Here’s my personal review of the Head Liquid Metal Prestige.
I started out on my quest to find another racquet that will play and feel something very similar to the Babolat Pure Drive Standard. It however needed to be something noticeable less stiffer to alleviate the pain in my elbow. I thought of trying something lighter thinking that it will cause considerably lesser pain in my elbow. I made a mistake of not researching for a racquet that will suite my immediate needs. I should have read this excellent article about tennis elbow treatments and the ideal tennis racquet for tennis elbow injuries. Another great site in my opinion will have to be racquetresearch.com. They dwell into specifics and highlight crucial details that many racquet review sites miss, such as the dynamics of the tennis racquet, human bio-machanics and how they affect play, cause injuries and most importantly selecting the right tennis racquet.
I went down to Queensway Shopping Center to source for a new racquet not having any idea what might come into the picture. I was recommended the Head Flexpoint 4. It felt very light and slightly head heavy. It also had an oversized frame. Although I can play with various frames from midsized to oversized ones, I personally prefer mid sized models. I compared it with it’s predecessor, the Head Liquid Metal 4 which had a mid sized frame but since it was cheaper by something like SGD$20, I decided to give the new Head Flexpoint technology a whirl. I bought the racquet for SGD$290 with Toalson Apex strings strung at 57 pounds and put it through it’s paces.
At first, like any virgin tennis racquet, that has not been “broken” the strings felt really stiff and I had problems hitting balls over the net. After about 10 minutes, it started to feel better and I was beginning to hit some pretty decent shots deeper into the base line region. After the first hour, I started feeling the full potential of what the Head Flexpoint 4 is capable of. I found that my volleying and smashing practically improved overnight probably due to the combination of it’s lightness and head heaviness giving me the added maneuverability for both volleys and smashes. Power was a little bit compromised for an oversized racquet, but I was amazed that although it was light, it did not lose it’s control like most lightweight tweener racquets. It did not feel really whippy and produce wild shots like most tweener racquet do. It surprising played with a lot of control and I was hitting pretty good shots off the backhand and forehand. Heavy topspin was eminent from the start and being light and head heavy, it had a perfect blend for individuals who love to hit with a lot of topspin.
Conclusion
The Head Flexpoint 4 is an ideal racquet to keep the opponent behind the baseline, so that they cannot really hurt you, but unfortunately it lacked the crucial bite or kill factor to make it a killer racquet with the ability to finish points with one shot. It definitely did not have the same bite as the Babolat Pure Drive Standard did in that department.
The other thing was that since it was head heavy, the forward momentum was pulling my elbow forward aggravating my tennis elbow even more. This was not a good sign and I decided that this racquet was not for suited for me with my present condition. It’s a great racquet but did not fit my current needs of something that will cause less pain to my elbow or help me on my road to recovery.
I would however highly recommend this racquet to ladies who needs a ligher racquet and hits with lots of top spin. It is also great for the Week End Warrior kind of players as well as doubles play. With this racquet, I became a great volley and smasher overnight. This was incredible, but it did not fix my problem, as the head heavy frame was causing my elbow to really hurt. I finally sold this racquet off and started on my quest to find the next suitable racquet. I ended up with the Head Liquid Metal Prestige… Here’s my personal review of the Head Liquid Metal Prestige.
The Players... Jason Low
Jason is the newest team member to team Regentville. He is currently working as an analyst in compensations and benefits. He used to play a lot of tennis during his teens but lost touch during his days in the army and university. Jason is now back on the courts hoping to pick up where he last started.
According to Jason, tennis is currently his only interest, he doesn’t really have any favorite players but he mentions that he kinda of like Andy Roddick and Michael Chang. Jason’s racquet of choice the Head Flexpoint Radical Mid.
According to Jason, tennis is currently his only interest, he doesn’t really have any favorite players but he mentions that he kinda of like Andy Roddick and Michael Chang. Jason’s racquet of choice the Head Flexpoint Radical Mid.
The Players... Jimmy
Jimmy is a regular fixture in the Regentville tennis team. A secondary school teacher (multimedia study) by profession during the day and certified swimming instructor in Ang Peng Siong’s (APS) swim school every weekends, this mild manner, decent looking chap turns into a crazed tennis maniac when he hits the tennis court :) So beware of the one they call “Jimmy” Hmmm, nevertheless Jimmy is a passionate tennis player and really enjoys the game to the fullest. Being Regentville’s “PR Officer” you will see him organizing games or friendly with other tennis groups or individuals.
Jimmy’s game is mainly based on his speed around court. His tall and lanky profile makes him ideal to run down shots from ever corner of the court. Since he is really tall, he manages those quick and easy put away volleys easier. It’s not easy to lob or pass Jimmy due to his height and agility… Not one who out muscles his opponents through raw power play, his sheer determination, quickness and height makes up for this for this. Many players tend to underestimate Jimmy, but those do so at their own peril as his defensive shots can easily turn into a counter attacking move in a blink of the eye. His height also gives him a big serve from time to time.
The other thing with Jimmy is that he gets highly motivated and charged up during matches and the other I thing I almost forgot to mention is that Jimmy has the most important asset to a tennis player… His ability or rather talent to play “mind games” with you if you get distracted by what he says, that’s already one up for Jimmy. His dry wit and humor is already enough to bore you down :)
Jimmy’s racquet of choice is the Head Liquid Metal Prestige that helps him deliver the control and consistency required during fast defensive and counter offensive exchanges. His favorite player? None other that the 12 time grand slam champion the legendary Pete Sampras. Apart from Tennis Jimmy enjoys swimming, playing mahjong, singing, kids… (maybe looking for a wife) to have kids with :) His parting quote: “I am who I am! I can lose my game but will note lose my mentality!” Hmmm still trying to figure this one out Jimmy :)
Jimmy’s game is mainly based on his speed around court. His tall and lanky profile makes him ideal to run down shots from ever corner of the court. Since he is really tall, he manages those quick and easy put away volleys easier. It’s not easy to lob or pass Jimmy due to his height and agility… Not one who out muscles his opponents through raw power play, his sheer determination, quickness and height makes up for this for this. Many players tend to underestimate Jimmy, but those do so at their own peril as his defensive shots can easily turn into a counter attacking move in a blink of the eye. His height also gives him a big serve from time to time.
The other thing with Jimmy is that he gets highly motivated and charged up during matches and the other I thing I almost forgot to mention is that Jimmy has the most important asset to a tennis player… His ability or rather talent to play “mind games” with you if you get distracted by what he says, that’s already one up for Jimmy. His dry wit and humor is already enough to bore you down :)
Jimmy’s racquet of choice is the Head Liquid Metal Prestige that helps him deliver the control and consistency required during fast defensive and counter offensive exchanges. His favorite player? None other that the 12 time grand slam champion the legendary Pete Sampras. Apart from Tennis Jimmy enjoys swimming, playing mahjong, singing, kids… (maybe looking for a wife) to have kids with :) His parting quote: “I am who I am! I can lose my game but will note lose my mentality!” Hmmm still trying to figure this one out Jimmy :)
The Players... George
George is one of Regentville’s latest acquisition; he is quantity surveyor by profession and works for a construction firm. George brings along a wide array of shot making pedigree to our team. A stylish player by nature, he possesses a big serve and excellent flowing ground strokes off his backhand and forehand. George has fantastic reflexes at the net and has on many
occasions, pulled off those astounding reflex volleys ala Mercedes Benz “Play of the Week” shots from out of nowhere… His shots never ceases to amaze us! To top that up, he has great all round court coverage and anticipation that has gotten him out of many difficult situations countless of times.
His favorite shot I would have to say is his huge forehand. His racquet of choice, none other then the Head Flexpoint Radical OS similar to that used by tennis great, and not surprisingly his favorite player Andre Agassi, which he wields with great effect to nail that big forehand of his.
Besides tennis, George’s other passion is his fascination for sports cars.
occasions, pulled off those astounding reflex volleys ala Mercedes Benz “Play of the Week” shots from out of nowhere… His shots never ceases to amaze us! To top that up, he has great all round court coverage and anticipation that has gotten him out of many difficult situations countless of times.
His favorite shot I would have to say is his huge forehand. His racquet of choice, none other then the Head Flexpoint Radical OS similar to that used by tennis great, and not surprisingly his favorite player Andre Agassi, which he wields with great effect to nail that big forehand of his.
Besides tennis, George’s other passion is his fascination for sports cars.
The Players... Damon
Damon aka “Heavy Metal” is a program engineer by profession. He is one of the newest team member to team Regentville. And No, he is not into heavy metal music! He gets this unusual nickname as various parts of his body are covered by metal plates. He sustained multiple fractures all over his body when he was involved in a motor cycle accident some years back.
As a result of this, most of his body is fused by metal. We should be calling him Mr. Liquid Metal instead :)
Damon’s strength is his uncanny ability to hit clean angled winners off from his forehand and backhand. To top that off, his crafty drop shots would send his opponent scrambling to the net time and time again. This makes him a really formidable opponent to contend with. His racquet of choice, the Babolat Pure Drive Standard, which is perfectly suited to his powerful game play.
His favorite players, none according to him but leaning slightly more to Roger Federer (Mens) and Justine Henin-Hardenne.
As a result of this, most of his body is fused by metal. We should be calling him Mr. Liquid Metal instead :)
Damon’s strength is his uncanny ability to hit clean angled winners off from his forehand and backhand. To top that off, his crafty drop shots would send his opponent scrambling to the net time and time again. This makes him a really formidable opponent to contend with. His racquet of choice, the Babolat Pure Drive Standard, which is perfectly suited to his powerful game play.
His favorite players, none according to him but leaning slightly more to Roger Federer (Mens) and Justine Henin-Hardenne.
The Players... Beng Koon (BK)
Beng Koon or “BK” as we affectionally call him is the most senior player in team Regentville. Despite him being a veteran, he plays very solid and consistent tennis and uses his subtle defensive touches to his advantage. He has the ability to use much of the power generated from his younger opponents to fuel his counter attacking game just like what Martina Hingis does. Many of our younger players have suffered his wrath as he is able to turn his defensive shots into excellent counter attacking touches that leaves many of his younger counterparts completely stranded.
His strength mainly lies in his intelligent counter attacking game and this ability was demonstrated to the fullest when he upset the eventual Bullion Open tennis champion, Apollo in the group stages of the tournament. Apollo was handed his only defeat during the group stages, although he eventually went on to win the tournament, much credit has to be given to BK for upsetting the tournament’s 3rd seeded player and eventual champion.
BK pictured (right) during the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup held in Shanghai.
His strength mainly lies in his intelligent counter attacking game and this ability was demonstrated to the fullest when he upset the eventual Bullion Open tennis champion, Apollo in the group stages of the tournament. Apollo was handed his only defeat during the group stages, although he eventually went on to win the tournament, much credit has to be given to BK for upsetting the tournament’s 3rd seeded player and eventual champion.
BK pictured (right) during the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup held in Shanghai.
Regentville Tennis Players Andre
Andre is Francis’s regular hitting partner and doubles partner. Like Francis, is a Filipino national working here in Singapore. Andre’s strength is in his ability to run down each and every shot and is an extremely speedy player. Those seemingly impossible to return shots that are in fact clear winners are nothing for Andre as he always seems to some how gets there in time to return them surprising his opponents.
Andre's form that been steadily increasing after joining the Regentville Tennis group which culminated in him winning two Filipino Tennis Club class C tennis doubles tennis titles back to back amazingly with two different partners (one title with Hector).
After that Andre had been sidelined with a severe case of tennis elbow which sidelined him for a couple of months. He had to work hard from scratch to get his game back on track. Eventually all the hard work paid off resulting in the biggest win for him so far. Andre has been always known as a doubles specialist, but he made a personal best by winning the Filipino Tennis Club Class B singles title for the first time.
After this victory, Andre has proven to his Regentville team mates that he is a formidable singles player and not just a doubles specialist. We clearly appreciate the contribution Andre has brought to the Regentville condo team by having another champion amongst our ranks.
Andre's form that been steadily increasing after joining the Regentville Tennis group which culminated in him winning two Filipino Tennis Club class C tennis doubles tennis titles back to back amazingly with two different partners (one title with Hector).
After that Andre had been sidelined with a severe case of tennis elbow which sidelined him for a couple of months. He had to work hard from scratch to get his game back on track. Eventually all the hard work paid off resulting in the biggest win for him so far. Andre has been always known as a doubles specialist, but he made a personal best by winning the Filipino Tennis Club Class B singles title for the first time.
After this victory, Andre has proven to his Regentville team mates that he is a formidable singles player and not just a doubles specialist. We clearly appreciate the contribution Andre has brought to the Regentville condo team by having another champion amongst our ranks.
Regentville Tennis Players Francis
Francis is a Filipino national currently working here in Singapore as an engineer. I had the opportunity to get to know Francis during last year’s Bullion Open tennis title. He played against Arnelio and booted him out of the tournament during the group stages with an impressive win.
The first thing that struck me about Francis is his serving accuracy of his extreme slice serve. He has the ability to put the serve right at the corner of the service boxes with great ease. The other about his serves are not only that they are very fast, but it skids very low making it very tough to return the shot with pace and deep into his court.
The other highlight to Francis’ game is his consistency and movement about the court. He is able to read the game and control the game based on his all round consistent play which is a huge benefit to the player and his doubles partner. Francis's consistent game play and hard work had brought him the Filipino Tennis Club class B2 singles title as well as several close matches that nearly brought him a mixed doubles class C title. Unfortunately he felt short in the semi finals.
Besides being a formidable tennis player, Francis has a very interesting pastime. He modifies and customizes his own racquets modifying the length of the tennis frame, adding lead tape and customizing the balance of each individual racquet to his personal liking. Among all the Regentville tennis players Francis is the only player that has to expertise to do his own tennis racquet customization.
Francis is clearly a player to look out for and I am sure we'll see more success for Francis in the next few Filipino Tennis Club tournaments to come. We wished him continued success in his game and value his contribution to the Regentville tennis team being an integral part in our future success as a team.
The first thing that struck me about Francis is his serving accuracy of his extreme slice serve. He has the ability to put the serve right at the corner of the service boxes with great ease. The other about his serves are not only that they are very fast, but it skids very low making it very tough to return the shot with pace and deep into his court.
The other highlight to Francis’ game is his consistency and movement about the court. He is able to read the game and control the game based on his all round consistent play which is a huge benefit to the player and his doubles partner. Francis's consistent game play and hard work had brought him the Filipino Tennis Club class B2 singles title as well as several close matches that nearly brought him a mixed doubles class C title. Unfortunately he felt short in the semi finals.
Besides being a formidable tennis player, Francis has a very interesting pastime. He modifies and customizes his own racquets modifying the length of the tennis frame, adding lead tape and customizing the balance of each individual racquet to his personal liking. Among all the Regentville tennis players Francis is the only player that has to expertise to do his own tennis racquet customization.
Francis is clearly a player to look out for and I am sure we'll see more success for Francis in the next few Filipino Tennis Club tournaments to come. We wished him continued success in his game and value his contribution to the Regentville tennis team being an integral part in our future success as a team.
Regentville Tennis Players Luis
Luis is clearly one of the most colorful characters in the Regentville tennis team. A guy with great knowledge and with intimate knowledge and insight to the game of tennis, I can always readily rely on him for information on tennis and much about anything else. A seasoned traveler as he has worked in so many different continents, Luis had his early tennis grounding in the US and in the Philippines. A Filipino national who used to work in Singapore in the Telco industry as a consultant, Luis has traveled the world and experienced the many surfaces of tennis. From the European hard clays to the US hard courts he has played on them all. His younger brother had the potential to turn pro at an early age but choose to pursue a different path in life.
Luis used to play competitively during his younger days in college in the US and was in the college team. Here he had suffered a serious fracture in his leg that required metal plates and rivets to be inserted into his leg and knee. It promptly ended his competitive tennis days. I had the pleasure of knowing Luis when he was transferred to work in Singapore. He soon became a regular in the Regentville tennis fold. With his intensity of play and easy going nature. Luis is an integral part of the team and a well liked amongst the players. Luis had started playing more seriously when he was in Singapore as much of his injuries were healed by then. The local weather also did not put any strain on his joints that used to cause him problems during the European winter months.
Since Luis had played competitively before he had all the arsenal of a top player available to him. His main weapon of choice is the hefty Tecnfibre T Fight 325 which he wields with absolute precision and power. He absolutely loves to play this racquet with the Luxilon Big Banger strings that he claims provides him the spin he requires. Luis plays with an extreme western backhand grip which he had picked up when playing on the Red Clay in Europe. His best shot would be clearly his double handed backhand which is almost impossible to return when he nails it. He can also find some ungodly angles with his double handed backhand that clearly has some very wicked spin imparted on his shots. Besides that, he is fast on the courts and trying to wear him down by having a baseline rally with him would be definitely not a good idea. To top that up, Luis has a great serve and a consistent forehand that will keep his opponent rooted to the back of the courts waiting to nail that double handed backhand of his.
Luis due to work commitments has currently left Singapore for at least half a year and would be back in Singapore sometime in August 2007 at least that what he told me ;) He is clearly an important team member in the Regentville tennis team and a great asset to have in terms of providing us a lot of valuable information about playing tennis at the highest level. Luis will be clearly missed by his team mates in the Regentville condo and we await for his return soon to be able to play more competitive tennis with us soon.
Luis used to play competitively during his younger days in college in the US and was in the college team. Here he had suffered a serious fracture in his leg that required metal plates and rivets to be inserted into his leg and knee. It promptly ended his competitive tennis days. I had the pleasure of knowing Luis when he was transferred to work in Singapore. He soon became a regular in the Regentville tennis fold. With his intensity of play and easy going nature. Luis is an integral part of the team and a well liked amongst the players. Luis had started playing more seriously when he was in Singapore as much of his injuries were healed by then. The local weather also did not put any strain on his joints that used to cause him problems during the European winter months.
Since Luis had played competitively before he had all the arsenal of a top player available to him. His main weapon of choice is the hefty Tecnfibre T Fight 325 which he wields with absolute precision and power. He absolutely loves to play this racquet with the Luxilon Big Banger strings that he claims provides him the spin he requires. Luis plays with an extreme western backhand grip which he had picked up when playing on the Red Clay in Europe. His best shot would be clearly his double handed backhand which is almost impossible to return when he nails it. He can also find some ungodly angles with his double handed backhand that clearly has some very wicked spin imparted on his shots. Besides that, he is fast on the courts and trying to wear him down by having a baseline rally with him would be definitely not a good idea. To top that up, Luis has a great serve and a consistent forehand that will keep his opponent rooted to the back of the courts waiting to nail that double handed backhand of his.
Luis due to work commitments has currently left Singapore for at least half a year and would be back in Singapore sometime in August 2007 at least that what he told me ;) He is clearly an important team member in the Regentville tennis team and a great asset to have in terms of providing us a lot of valuable information about playing tennis at the highest level. Luis will be clearly missed by his team mates in the Regentville condo and we await for his return soon to be able to play more competitive tennis with us soon.
Regentville Tennis Players Juan
Juan in my opinion has clearly one of the best single backhands in the Regentville tennis team and its no surprise that his backhand his one of his biggest weapons. Juan is a Filipino professional and is working in Singapore as an embedded systems engineer.
To compliment his backhand, Juan has a big serve and comes into the net pretty often. He has also a great forehand and plays much of his shots to set up for his big backhand. When he nails his backhand, its most of the time a clear winner. If a shot does come back it will be an easy put away for him.
He can vary both his backhand to chip, add tons of topspin or hit it flat. His single handed backhand reminds me of Roger Federer's "no look backhand" when Roger Federer hits the backhand without looking at the shot. Its surprise that his racquet of choice is Roger Federer's Wilson K Six One 90 Tour which he wields with great effect and excellent precision and accuracy. Trust me, you do not want to be on the receiving end of Juan's backhand...
To compliment his backhand, Juan has a big serve and comes into the net pretty often. He has also a great forehand and plays much of his shots to set up for his big backhand. When he nails his backhand, its most of the time a clear winner. If a shot does come back it will be an easy put away for him.
He can vary both his backhand to chip, add tons of topspin or hit it flat. His single handed backhand reminds me of Roger Federer's "no look backhand" when Roger Federer hits the backhand without looking at the shot. Its surprise that his racquet of choice is Roger Federer's Wilson K Six One 90 Tour which he wields with great effect and excellent precision and accuracy. Trust me, you do not want to be on the receiving end of Juan's backhand...
Regentville Tennis Players Hector
Hector is a Filipino professional working here engineer here in Singapore. He is one of the most craftiest players in the Regentville Tennis team. He has some very unorthodox strokes and techniques that would leave some of our more seasoned players scratching their heads in amazement.
Hector goes by the nickname "UFO" cos he possesses a very extreme slice serve that is not only unorthodox but has a very weird bounce that would catch many of our players off guard. Some other trivia about Hector is that his full name is Hector Coria and many people thought at first he was of relation to former ATP top ten player Guillermo Coria of Argentina. Hector is also the only Regentville player who uses a glove to play tennis cos he has sweaty palms. That works very well for him and his extreme slice serves.
His extreme slice serve has clearly evident when we played against the SPANS team. He was the only player, with his serve could hit a few aces compared to our bigger servers. The extreme slice serve is clearly his biggest weapon.
Besides is tricky serve, Hector has other weapons up his sleeves, he can regulate playing a very slow patient defensive game to suddenly changing the pace to confuse and sometimes overwhelm his opponents. Hector comes with us having won the Class C doubles event with Andre in the recent Filipino Tennis Club tournament and having competitive experience brings an additional advantage to Regentville condo arsenal of players.
Hector goes by the nickname "UFO" cos he possesses a very extreme slice serve that is not only unorthodox but has a very weird bounce that would catch many of our players off guard. Some other trivia about Hector is that his full name is Hector Coria and many people thought at first he was of relation to former ATP top ten player Guillermo Coria of Argentina. Hector is also the only Regentville player who uses a glove to play tennis cos he has sweaty palms. That works very well for him and his extreme slice serves.
His extreme slice serve has clearly evident when we played against the SPANS team. He was the only player, with his serve could hit a few aces compared to our bigger servers. The extreme slice serve is clearly his biggest weapon.
Besides is tricky serve, Hector has other weapons up his sleeves, he can regulate playing a very slow patient defensive game to suddenly changing the pace to confuse and sometimes overwhelm his opponents. Hector comes with us having won the Class C doubles event with Andre in the recent Filipino Tennis Club tournament and having competitive experience brings an additional advantage to Regentville condo arsenal of players.
Regentville Tennis Players Jacques
Jacques is a French national who currently a teacher in the French School of Singapore or Lycée Français de Singapour. He currently teaches history and mathematics. Formerly a competitive player when in France during his younger days, Jacques is very much a traditional tennis player who has fluid strokes and great mechanics seen during his ground strokes.
He would make his opponents scramble back on forth and is difficult to read his game and his most deadliest shot would be considered his backhand slice which he is able to vary between both short and deep to confuse is opponents. He has a great serve and has a consistent chip and charge game. More of a singles player, Jacques, can easily switch to play doubles as well.
Jacques has just recently came back from a long lay off due to an injured shoulder that required surgery that has restricted much of his tennis game. We consider him to be an integral part of the Regentville tennis team and hope he fully recovers to bolster Team Regentville during our friendly matches.
He would make his opponents scramble back on forth and is difficult to read his game and his most deadliest shot would be considered his backhand slice which he is able to vary between both short and deep to confuse is opponents. He has a great serve and has a consistent chip and charge game. More of a singles player, Jacques, can easily switch to play doubles as well.
Jacques has just recently came back from a long lay off due to an injured shoulder that required surgery that has restricted much of his tennis game. We consider him to be an integral part of the Regentville tennis team and hope he fully recovers to bolster Team Regentville during our friendly matches.
Regentville Tennis Players Yoshi
Yoshi is a Japanese national who currently works in Singapore in a US based MNC. Before that he used to teach English to Japanese students. He coaches tennis during his spare time and is active in softball and soccer as well. Yoshi like Rico, is a traditional doubles player who plays a solid serve and volley game with excellent ground strokes.
Their deadly combination was exploited during a couple our matches with excellent results when we played both Yoshi and Rico as our top doubles pairing. Excellent at the net and very comfortable with overhead smashes Yoshi is able to compliments Rico’s attacking game and having a good understanding with his partner as well as being readily able to adapt to various players. Yoshi is an instrumental player in the Regentville Tennis Team and plays the game with a calm and collected approach to the game of tennis. We hope to see more of Yoshi playing more competitive friendly matches for team Regentville.
Their deadly combination was exploited during a couple our matches with excellent results when we played both Yoshi and Rico as our top doubles pairing. Excellent at the net and very comfortable with overhead smashes Yoshi is able to compliments Rico’s attacking game and having a good understanding with his partner as well as being readily able to adapt to various players. Yoshi is an instrumental player in the Regentville Tennis Team and plays the game with a calm and collected approach to the game of tennis. We hope to see more of Yoshi playing more competitive friendly matches for team Regentville.
Friendly Match with Tennis Friendz Network (TFN)
Eric Wong the team captain of (TFN) Tennis Friendz Network has invited team Regentville for a friendly game. The friendly will be held on the 26th February 2006 from 5pm to 8pm. There will be a total of 4 teams. 3 doubles pairing and a mixed double pair. The games will be played in a best of 9 game format with the "No Ad Scoring System" (Sudden Death). More information and photos of the event will be posted next week.
Nawin
Nawin