The mid-October rains brought an end to a very successful 2019 clay season at PLTC.  Now is the time for hibernating (except for unseasonably warm days when we may see you out on the hard courts), dreaming of spring, and pondering what you might like to see happen at PLTC in 2020.  So shoot us an email with any suggestions you may have.

The PLTC held its 2019 Fall Open Championships from September 12th-15th, with a couple of dozen competitors taking to the clay courts in both the Singles and Doubles competition.

Mother Nature cooperated, with the only interference being only a persistent drizzle on opening night that postponed just one of the Thursday evening matches. The remainder of the tournament saw plenty of great weather and great tennis. Players included club members as well as others from outside the area who traveled a good distance to do battle on some of North Jersey’s finest clay courts.

Four days of action came to a climactic finish on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. 

In the singles final, talented lefty Peter Barrowclough outslugged Lee Rong Wu to capture the trophy with a hard-fought, straight-sets victory.

Meanwhile, on the next court, the very entertaining doubles finale went down to the wire. Packanack club members Jack Jerome and Nathan Fernandes, owners of a perfect 7-0 record as a doubles team in the North Jersey Spring League, continued their winning ways in this tournament as they cruised through the early rounds to reach the championship match. Their hard-hitting opponents, Jeff Silverman and Marijus Kuzavas, powered their way through the early rounds also reaching the final without too much trouble. 

The Silverman/Kuzavas pair were widely seen as the favorites to win the crown. But the Jack & Nate team had other ideas. They raced to a shocking 5-0 lead in the opening set. Then came a furious 5-game rally by the Jeff/Marijus duo to even the set at 5-all, before Jack & Nate rebounded to claim the first set 7-5. Set number two was just as thrilling and even closer. It went to Jeff and Marijus 7-6, after they prevailed in a tense tiebreaker. 

Time for the decisive 3rd set! It too was a real nail-biter. Both teams had their moments and they traded games to reach 4-all before Jeff and Marijus grabbed a late service break and captured the final set 6-4. 

As the trophies and gift-cards were awarded, a crowd of friendly spectators applauded the players for their high-quality, spirited play.

PLTC would like to thank all the players who participated. Thanks also to tournament director Alan Hughes and the many other volunteers who pitched in to make the 2019 Packanack Open Championships a great success.