2015 Whitney Cup
By Barney Tanfield
The 82nd Whitney Cup was hosted by the Racquet and Tennis Club December 11-13th. The Whitney remains one of the true highlights in the USCTA calendar, drawing the very best players from each club in the states.
Six teams consisting of ten players each competed for the title. An influx of new talent from six new players spiced up the fervor already surrounding the event. Eager onlookers from around the country came to lend support to their respective teams, adding several decibels to the usually tranquil East and West courts.
Group 1 consisted of Philadelphia, Tuxedo-Chicago and New York. Philadelphia’s side, rejuvenated by the reemergence of Mike Noll and Tom Brownlie had a strong showing against Tuxedo-Chicago, carving out a 4-1 win. The defending champions, New York shared similar success against the Tuxedo-Chicago pair besting them 5-0. In the deciding matchup, New York put in strong showing against Philadelphia producing a 5-0 win and birth in the Final.
Group 2 consisted of Greentree-Aiken, Washington and New England. New England started well with a 4-1 win against a strong Washington team. Their next match against Greentree-Aiken went right down to the wire and tied at 2 matches all, the Whitney perennials Bob Hay and Simon Aldrich produced a good win against George Bell and David Schenkein. Greentree-Aiken continued the momentum and triumphed over Washington 5-0.
The Finals featured the familiar match of New York vs Greentree-Aiken. The first match set the stage for an exciting day of Finals. The Aldrich/ Hay pairing again generated a big result again with a massive come from behind win over Bruce Manson and Lincoln Frank. New York leveled the score with a three set victory from Tom McGinnis and Zach Sacks over Rakesh Jasani and Jason Mengel. New York then followed with another tough three set victory from their first pair, Spike Willcocks and Jonathan Larken over Addison West and Ben Cook. In the fourth match, a healthy Nicolas Victoir and steady Will Thompson sealed the victory for the New York team with a straight set win over Peter Pell and Noah Wimmer. In the dead rubber Greentree-Aiken’s pair of Brook Hazelton and new-comer Ben Stein took down the formidable New York Pair of Lex Miron and Peter Cipriano.
Congratulations to New York captain Lex Miron and his team on their 24th team victory.
Thanks go to Tournament Chairman Peter Pell and the staff of the Racquet and Tennis Club.
