Manchester September 2010

For the first time I am the nr 1 seed in the regular D-Singles!
And even in D Doubles I am seeded. I am playing with Nigel again:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/seeds.aspx?id=6FC69F00-1A37-4B36-A7C7-9B2C9CD02188

First Round in Singles was against Tom, from Dublin:

I won 6-2, 4-6, 10-4 in 2 hours: the third set was a Champions Tie-Break (regular tie-break until 10 points).

The next round was the quarter final, and I played against Dennis, also from Dublin:

In a 2 hour match, I lost 1-6, 5-7. In the second set I came back from 3-5 down and played well.

The Doubles was Round Robin, and Nigel & I played 2 group matches.
The first one was against Irish guys Manu & Owen: we lost 3-6, 4-6 but played quite well.

The second match, played on on Sunday morning ,was against Mark & Malcolm, both from Bristol:

As you might be able to guess, by Nigel's proud smile, we won! After 0-3 down in the first set, we won 6-3, 6-3.

Here are the results:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=6FC69F00-1A37-4B36-A7C7-9B2C9CD02188&draw=6

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=6FC69F00-1A37-4B36-A7C7-9B2C9CD02188&draw=16

And here is the link to my personal stats of this tournament:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=6FC69F00-1A37-4B36-A7C7-9B2C9CD02188&player=32

London Sutton August 2010

The London tournament in Sutton is the tournament I have played most times: this is the 4th year in a row.
Also, it was the first time I "visited" London, after my move to Brighton.

I was the nr3 seed in D singles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/seeds.aspx?id=D9AD06D6-B064-4126-923E-01293316694E

My first round in singles was against Ian, who was very tall. In a very long match, 3 sets, I eventually lost 6-4, 2-6, 4-6. I was even 4-1 up in the final set!

The Doubles in D was Round Robin, so at least we got to play 3 matches.
Ed, Canadian in London, was a great doubles partner. You can see our results here below.

The Consolation draw in the singles was a rollercoaster ride:
The first round which was the Quarter Final was supposed to be against Phil, who I played against in Sutton in the past 2 years, but he had to withdraw with an injury.
So, the Semi Final then, against John, who is from Cork but lives in London.
At 6-3 for me, he suddenly left the match and said I won. He said I was dishonest and he didn't like me motivating myself (!).
So, I got to the Consolation Final! I played against Tomas from Prague. I played against him in Prague last year.

I won, after 2 and a half hours, 6-4, and I was 0-4 down (!), 7-6 (after 3-5 down!), 9-7 in the tie-break.
I had a matchpoint at 6-4 in the tie-break already.

This is my Spanish friend Jose Manuel, who I played against in Sutton last year. He won the D singles this year!

Here is the prize ceremony:

I was happy with my trophy, because after I lost my first round match, I thought it was going to be a bad weekend.

And here is the trophy in close up:

Here are the results for D Singles and D Doubles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=D9AD06D6-B064-4126-923E-01293316694E&draw=47

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=D9AD06D6-B064-4126-923E-01293316694E&draw=46


Here are the details of my matches:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=D9AD06D6-B064-4126-923E-01293316694E&player=11


I am even included in the winners, as Ed and I ended as 3rd in D-Doubles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=D9AD06D6-B064-4126-923E-01293316694E

Last but not least: Tony, thanks for your camera skills!

Cologne Gay Games August 2010

Just like the Olympics, the Gay Games are only held every 4 years, and after Chicago 4 years ago, the Games are now being held in Europe: how exciting!

Here is the list of seeded players: I am the nr2 seed! But the nr1 seed is Zaenuddin, who actually has too many ranking points to still be in D.... So he would need to play in C.

And Godelinde & me are nr1 seed in D Mixed Doubles! Wow!

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/seeds.aspx?id=5D8BA0EE-4BAC-4152-ABC6-3B3625CCAF7A

It really did feel like I was an Olympic athlete, as there were street signs in Cologne about the Games, and the Opening Ceremony was held in the big stadium:

This photo is a bit blurry, because the "Gay Games" text was moving from right to left. It was taken in one of the underground stations.

 

I had a bye in Singles first round, and in Round 2, I played fellow Dutchman Frank Ebbink:
I won 6-0, 7-6 (7-3 in the tie-break). In de second set I had to come back from 3-5 down, as Frank started to play really well.

Frank and I enjoyed a beer after our match.

The third round was against German guy Christian, who was way too good for me. especially in the first set, he showed me all corners of the court, proving he was more of a top C player than a D player.....
I lost 1-6, 4-6 in the end. In the second set I was leading 3-0, but after that, he "toyed" with me.

Proud Christian.

Then it was time for our first Mixed Doubles match. and because another couple had withdrawn, the winner of this match would play in the final. We played against Rob and Gladys, both also from Holland. I played against Rob in Amsterdam as well previously. Godelinde and I won 6-2, 6-1!

The Mixed Doubles Final was against Frank (again) and Annemiek, also Dutch.

This was the final point of the game.
After a very long match, more than 2 and a half hours we only lost 5-7, 5-7 but it was a great match. In the second set we were 0-4 down, but fought back to 5-4 ahead.

Here is the medal ceremony:

And because I am so proud of this medal, here it is in close up:

Here are the results for both D-Singles and D Mixed Doubles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=5D8BA0EE-4BAC-4152-ABC6-3B3625CCAF7A&draw=19

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=5D8BA0EE-4BAC-4152-ABC6-3B3625CCAF7A&draw=40


And here are the details of my matches:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=5D8BA0EE-4BAC-4152-ABC6-3B3625CCAF7A&player=131


And Godelinde and I are mentioned in the list of winners:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=5D8BA0EE-4BAC-4152-ABC6-3B3625CCAF7A

And a last word: many thanks Lies and Oliver for your camera actions!

Munich June 2010 (Masters)



First time I will play in the Munich tournament. It is always played at the Olympiapark, right behind the legendary, marvellous Olympia Stadium. The tournament is a Masters, so enough reasons to play well.

In D-Singles I am seeded nr3. Strangely enough, a female is seeded nr1, because she earned her points in the women's tournaments. Where there is a lot at stake in a Masters tournament, a very unexplainable decision.

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/seeds.aspx?id=D975D3EB-F98D-4FB7-8740-6EBF0D3A2A5F

My doubles partner in D is my good friend Christian from Aachen, Germany.

First round in singles I had a bye. Second round was against jolly Belgian Dominique.

Final matchpoint:

I won 6-0, 6-2.

Second round, QF, against Hynek, my doubles partner from Prague 2009 (where we were finalists).
So I knew it was going to be difficult.

I lost 2-6, 3-6. Especially in the first set, I played really bad...

The Doubles: 1st round was a bye, and the second round, QF, was against nr1 seeds Spanish guys Gabriel & Joan. We lost, but nearly won: 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 7-10 (Champions Tie-break). In the second set at 4-4, we had 4 breakpoints we did not convert...
In the Champions Tie-break I scored an incredible point at the net, 2 impossible quick reactions within 5 seconds.

Here are the results for D-singles and D-doubles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=D975D3EB-F98D-4FB7-8740-6EBF0D3A2A5F&draw=9

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=D975D3EB-F98D-4FB7-8740-6EBF0D3A2A5F&draw=10

My stats for this tournament:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=D975D3EB-F98D-4FB7-8740-6EBF0D3A2A5F&player=45


Thank you so much Christian for being a great friend, a wonderful doubles partner, and an amazing camera handler!

Amsterdam May 2010

I registered late for this tournament, as I was not sure if I was able to attend.
Therefore, I was too late to enter D-Singles, so I entered D-Singles 40+. I am 41, after all...

Also, I am playing mixed doubles again with Godelinde!

I am seeded nr 1 in D-Singles 40+:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/seeds.aspx?id=818680DB-BE6F-4F2C-AA84-BAF0E76B0AEB

First round mixed doubles, against Dutch duo Rob & Willemien. We won 6-2, 6-3! What a start!

First round in D Singles 40+ was QF, against Bob, who I played against last year in Amsterdam.
I won 6-0, 6-1.

Secound round mixed doubles was QF, against very experienced Dutch duo Niels & Emma.

We lost 2-6, 3-6. But we played well, especially in the second set.

Semi-Final in Singles against Dutch guy Erik:

I lost 6-1, 3-6 (after leading 3-1!), 2-6. Until 3-1 in the second set I played really well, but after that nothing worked anymore...
That is what I told Godelinde in the post-match interview, in Dutch:

Here are my results:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=818680DB-BE6F-4F2C-AA84-BAF0E76B0AEB&draw=28

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=818680DB-BE6F-4F2C-AA84-BAF0E76B0AEB&draw=36

And here are my stats for this tournament:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=818680DB-BE6F-4F2C-AA84-BAF0E76B0AEB&player=425

Dusseldorf April 2010

I was seeded Nr 3 in D singles, and I played in D-doubles with my German friend Christian as doubles partner.

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/seeds.aspx?id=D69531FC-0478-4901-A607-DF15210CF23F

First round Singles was against Stephan from Germany, who beat me in Dusseldorf last year in the doubles, with Giraldo.

Here a great, almost imposible point by Stephan: I promised him to upload this for him.

I won 6-4, 6-2.

Second round, quarter final, was against my doubles partner Christian:
I won 6-4, 6-2.
Unfortunately there was nobody available at 8AM to take photos or videos of the match...

Semi Final against my nemesis Giraldo:

Here is the final matchpoint:

In more than 2 hours I kept my cool, and my tactics worked:
I won 7-6 (7-1 in the tie-break), 5-7, 6-2. I won it on Giraldo's service at the 7th matchpoint!

In the Doubles, our first round match was against Giraldo (!) and Rafael, who plays in C now:
Christian and I played very well, especially in the 2nd set, but it was not enough: 3-6, 4-6.

So I reached the D-Singles Final! I played against Zaenudin, another nemesis.

He proved again he that belongs in C, as I lost 4-6, 4-6. But I fought really hard and played really well.
In the second set I was 0-4 down and I fought all the way back, by changing my tactics into attacking play.


A proud moment, the trophy ceremoney:

Here are the results for D-singles and D-doubles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=D69531FC-0478-4901-A607-DF15210CF23F&draw=4

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=D69531FC-0478-4901-A607-DF15210CF23F&draw=16

Here are my stats for this tournament:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=D69531FC-0478-4901-A607-DF15210CF23F&player=2

Thanks so much Christian for being such a great friend, camera handler and doubles partner!

Also lots of thanks to Gilles, Tony and Declan for your support.

Eindhoven February 2010

Exciting, as this is my first tournament where I play in Mixed Doubles!

The lovely bubbly Godelinde Gubbels is my partner in the D Mixed Doubles.

In D-singles I am seeded as nr 2:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/seeds.aspx?id=9E0BFDA7-E510-410B-8E7F-E3257FCA07A9

My first match in D-Singles was the 2nd Round, as I had a bye in Round 1. My opponent was Randal, who I met just a week before in the Champions Race Tournament in Amsterdam:

I played really well and won 6-2, 6-1.

The first round match in D Mixed Doubles was against the nr 1 seeds, but we never played , as my back became too painful just before the match started!

Then luck stroke me as fast as my backpain: my Singles opponent in the Quarter Final, Oliver, had withdrawn because of an injury! So I had a whole day to rest my back.

Semi-Final in D-Singles was early on the Sunday, against Giraldo, my angstgegner...

Again, he was too strong for me, but this time I played well (unlike in Manchester last year): 2-6, 3-6.

Time for the Consolation Draw in D Mixed Doubles.
The Semi-Final was against fellow Dutch players Luc & Judith. We won 8-2!

So we played the Consolation Final, against Belgian Genevieve & French guy Nicholas:

We won the Consolation Final 8-4, and took home the trophy of WINNER Consolation!

Here are the results of D-Singles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=9E0BFDA7-E510-410B-8E7F-E3257FCA07A9&draw=25

And D Mixed Doubles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=9E0BFDA7-E510-410B-8E7F-E3257FCA07A9&draw=31

All my results at a glance:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=9E0BFDA7-E510-410B-8E7F-E3257FCA07A9&player=40

And the Winners' listings:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=9E0BFDA7-E510-410B-8E7F-E3257FCA07A9

The trophy in close up:

Godelinde, thank you so much for being my successful partner!

Dear Firman, many thanks for your support!

Amsterdam Champions Race January 2010

After New Year celebrations with my family in Holland, I received this email:

Your official invite to the GLTA Championships in Amsterdam.
Congratulations Peter,
You are officially invited to play in the GLTA Champions Race (singles D) in Amsterdam.
Please let us know if you can attend at the Champions Race finals.
If you can't play, please let us know as well. We will then invite the next on the list.
Can you please respond soon, because otherwise we need to move on to the next on the list.
Hopefully looking forward seeing you in Amsterdam in January
Kind regards
Hein Jan Lapidaire
GLTA Commissioner.

Needless to say I replied straight away confirming my presence. Great start of 2010!

Also, because of a late cancellation, I was asked to play in D-doubles as well, which I gladly accepted.

The updated draw shows I am seeded 6th in D-singles, and I am in Group B:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/event.aspx?id=96892D6B-9852-4796-9489-0DAF420C85E1&event=9

First Singles match was against Joan, again...

Unfortunately I lost, after a long, tight match, in 3 hours: 7-6, 4-6, 4-6.

Next match was against the lovely Brian from Chicago. In a strange, 2-hour long match, I eventually won
6-4, 0-6, 6-1:

After this, it was Doubles time: playing 3 matches with the same 4 people, so with 3 alternate partners:
First match was with Joe from Florida, who's partner Bruce was here with him (!), against fellow Americans Randal and Brian:

Joe and I were leading, but we could not finish our match, as time was up...

Next day, last group match in Singles, against good friend Tony Pham, who I met in last year's Champions Race Tournament in Hollywood:

Tony was too good for me, but it was a lovely match: 3-6, 2-6. No semi-finals for me this year.
But later on, it was Doubles time again:
Joe and I finished our first match, winning 6-4, 6-3.
Straight after, it was Brian & me against Joe & Randal: we lost 3-6, 4-6.
And like true die hards, we played our last group match as well.
This time it was Randal & me against Joe & Brian. We lost 5-7, 3-6.

Everything wa splayed in good spirit. It was then cruel, that Randal, Brian and me all ended in 2nd place, with the same amount of sets won and lost! So, our names went into the hat, and Brian was the lucky one to proceed to the Doubles Final.
In that final, he and fellow American Kevin beat Joe & Tony Pham to take home the D- Doubles Winners' Trophy!

The GLTA Awards Ceremony also signalled the goodbye of Hein Jan as GLTA board member.
Here is a photo of the GLTA board:

During the ceremony, all qualified players were honoured:

And here is my Certificate of Excellence:

Poor Tony Pham lost the D-Singles Final, against Chrisian Kuster: Tony's second lost Champions Race Final in a row, but he does win the price for the nicest guy.

Here are my results in D-singles:
http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=96892D6B-9852-4796-9489-0DAF420C85E1&draw=14

And my results in D-Doubles:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=96892D6B-9852-4796-9489-0DAF420C85E1&player=229

My stats for these Championships:

http://glta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/player.aspx?id=96892D6B-9852-4796-9489-0DAF420C85E1&player=229