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| Both finalists were spotted only hours later at one of Williamsburg's trendy eateries and the mood was much lighter than it will be Tuesday |
Friday Semifinals
(1) Estenger def (4) Paredes 6-3, 6-3
(3) Aponte def (2) McFarlane 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Tuesday June 4
Championship Match 4:15 PM
Today's semifinal matches at the Bernard McIlwain Tennis Center provided some incredible thrills for the several hundred fans who came to watch the tennis action. The biggest headline belongs to # 3 seeded Virgil Aponte who came from behind to stun the #2 seeded favorite Corey McFarlane. Aponte lost a tough first set before his superior conditioning wore down the much younger McFarlane. The two could not present a bigger contrast; McFarlane is built for speed and the quick strike, Aponte is built of steel and fortitude. He literally wears you out until you cry uncle. Today, McFarlane cried uncle and with it any chance of winning the elusive GSC TT trophy and McFarlane also lost out on a $5,000 sponsor challenge.
The final two sets saw a series of astonishing points with overhead lob after overhead lob by Aponte forcing McFarlane to retreat to the baseline. McFarlane also missed some easy overheads plopping them into the net and by the end of the match a worn and weary McFarlane (who is 25 years old) looked more like 75. Aponte's rise in the 2012 Tournament has been nothing short of remarkable. He had never advanced past the Quarterfinals in any of his previous appearances and yet here he is poised to make a serious run at this year's title. But unlike his opponent McFarlane who could not handle the pressure today when it counted the most, he will face the 5-time defending champion Max Estenger who has never lost a match or even a set in the six year history of this tournament.
Estenger won his 18th straight match today as he faced his rival the Peruvian, Segundo Paredes who succumbed 6-3, 6-3 under brutal wind conditions--some gusts were measured as strong as 42 mph. The first set started promising for Paredes as he served on serve at 3-4, but then a few loose points and the break was all that Estenger needed to go up 5-3 and then wrap up the set with a strong service game. The second set proceeded along the same lines until Estenger broke at 4-3 to take a 5-3 lead. He served it out in an interminable service game due to the fact that Paredes began to cramp very badly. With both his spirit and body broken he finally lost the set 6-3 as Estenger smashed a powerful serve that Paredes feebly deposited back to net. Afterwards, a bitter and visibly shaken Paredes blamed the wind and then his cramping for his loss, unable to come to terms with his fourth loss to Estenger in this event as well as three losses in three years at Huntington.
What will happen in Tuesday's final is anyone's guess. Certainly Estenger will be the heavy favorite to make it six titles in a row which would put him in some illustrious tennis company, but he has never faced anyone like Aponte in the finals. Aponte does not quit and will fight to the end to take home his first major. He has already received an invitation to play in this August's prestigious Huntington Invitational but his focus is on Tuesday's epic battle with Estenger. The weather forecast is for 68 degrees and that should help Aponte.
