Playing in less than ideal conditions – air temperature at 100 degrees with high humidity and purple courts raising the on-court temperature to almost illegal limits – they defeated Cathy Nelson and Mark Schwarting of Lincoln in round one of round robin play 7-6, 6-4. In round two, they played against Julie Benes and Stan Benes of Seward. They won the 1st set 6-2, and were up 3-0 when Julie had to retire due to the heat, giving Renate and Jon the title.

Congratulations on a good win and championship honors.

Others Fremont players competing in the Cornhusker State Games included Brian Mark who teamed up with Jon Rohloff in 4.0 Men’s Doubles. They lost in the first round to the eventual champions, Zachary and Doug Tegler of Eagle, 6-3, 6-3.

Dana Mark played in the 4.0 singles event, winning round one by default over Thomas Walker of Omaha. He then lost in round two to the No. 3 seed, Brian Richmeier of Omaha, 6-1, 6-3.

Josh Sammons played in the 3.5 singles event. He was unable to play his first round due to work schedule. That moved him into the consolation bracket where he won round one over Luke Derowitsch by default. He also won round two over Kunal Sharma by default. He then lost in the Semifinals to Kurt Weekly of Lincoln 6-1, 6-1.

In the Quarterfinals, Mark defeated Brad Miller of Omaha 6-4, 6-0, then downed Mark Jackson of Bellevue in the Semifinals 6-0, 7-5. In the Final, he was defeated by No. 2 seed, Kiran Poda of Lincoln in a 3-setter, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.

In the Men’s 4.5 doubles event, Mike Willman of Fremont and Roland Augspurger of Columbus also won runner-up honors. In round robin play, they defeated Ray Montejano of La Vista and Clark Thompson of Omaha in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. In round two, they lost to Jeff Fredricks and Lee Fredricks of Omaha in a 3-setter, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Brian Mark and Dana Mark teamed up in the 4.0 Men’s doubles. They won the semifinals over No. 1 seed, Mark Jackson of Bellevue and Joseph Lopez-Wilson of Omaha by default. They then lost in the Final to No. 2 seed, Ray Montejano of La Vista and Clark Thompson of Omaha, 6-1, 6-3 to also claim runner-up honors.

Thank you to all who participated in the tournament, and a BIG thank you to Diana Meyers and Justin Bigsby and their assistant, Amy Ahrens, for a well run tournament.

In the semifinals, they defeated Curtis Goebel of Columbus and Rick Spalding of Fremont 6-4, 7-5. In the finals, they won over Roland Augspurger of Columbus and Mike Willman of Fremont in a 3-setter 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, giving them the championship and runner-up honors to Augspurger and Willman.

Doug Hartman of Fremont and Jim Jorgensen of Blair also teamed up in the 45 doubles. They lost to Augspurger and Willman 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. They then defeated Curt Goebel of Columbus and Rick Spalding of Fremont 7-6(4) 7-6(3) to claim the consolation trophy.

In round robin play, Brian and Renate defeated Laura Smidt and Mark Smidt of Keokuk, IA in a 3-setter, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3. In round two, they had a straight-sets win over Carilyn Garrett and Kunal Sharma of Omaha 6-4, 7-5.

In the 1st round, they defeated Traci Harrison and Todd Muilenburg of Omaha 6-2, 6-0. In the semifinals, they defeated the No. 1 seed, Mary Seyler and Stephen Seyler of Omaha 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. In the final, they defeated the No. 2 seed, Liz Sambol and David Sambol of Omaha 6-3, 6-4.

In other events, Mark Leahy, Jon Rohloff, and Dana Mark played in the 4.0 singles event. Mark defeated Jon Rohloff 6-0, 6-2, and Tommy Harris of Bellevue 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semifinals. He then downed the No. 1 seed, Kiran Poda in a marathon match 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. In the final, Mark withdrew with illness.

John Rohloff defeated Skip Rice 7-5, 6-1 in round 1 of the 4.0 singles event, then lost to Mark Leahy 6-0, 6-2. Jon then defeated Skip Rice again in the consolation draw before losing in the consolation quarterfinals to William Dotzler of Sioux City, IA 6-4, 6-3.

In 4.0 singles, Dana Mark lost to Kerrick Stack of Sioux City, SD in round 1, 6-1, 6-1, then defeated Nick Harlow of Omaha 6-3, 6-3 in the consolation draw. Dana then lost to William Dotzler of Sioux City, IA 6-3, 6-2.

Mark Leahy also played in the 45 singles, where he defeated Brad Miller 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals, and was leading 6-2, 5-5 in the final when he retired with illness.

Mike Willman teamed up with Roland Augspurger of Columbus in the Men’s 4.5 doubles, losing a close 3-setter in round one to Jerry Brocky and Brian Richmeier of Omaha 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(8).

Brian Mark and Jon Rohloff teamed up to play in the 4.0 doubles, losing in round one to Thomas Andrews and Matt Olsen of Omaha, 6-4, 6-4.

In Men’s 45 doubles, Mick Willman and Roland Augspurger defeated Wesley Michaelson of Dakota Dunes, SD and James Michaelson of Brooklyn Park, MN in round one of a round robin 6-3, 6-0, then lost to Mark Leahy and Chris Westergaard 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.

Mark Leahy and Chris Westergaard defeated Roland Augspurger and Mike Willman in round robin play, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4, and Wesley Michaelson and James Michaelson 6-0, 6-3, giving them the title in the 45 doubles.

On his way to the championship, Mark advanced through five rounds without dropping a set, including wins over:

1. Todd Hultman of Omaha, 6-1, 6-3.
2. Jeff Holland of Omaha, 6-4, 6-1.
3. Mark Jackson of Omaha, 6-1, 6-3.
4. Robert Harris of Omaha, 7-6, 6-0.
5. and No. 1 seed, Joseph Shea of Omaha, 6-1, 6-3.

Mark also teamed up with Mike Willman in the 4.0 doubles division. They advanced to the finals with the following matches:

1. Quarterfinals – win over Wesley Michaelson of Dakota Dunes, SD and James Michaelson of Brooklyn Park, MN, 6-4, 6-3.
2. Semifinals – win over No. 1 seeds, David Angelloz and Joseph Shea of Omaha, 6-3, 6-2.
3. Finals – loss to Raymond Montejano of La Vista, NE and Clark Thompson of Omaha, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Brian Mark and Dana Mark also teamed up to play in the 3.5 doubles and 4.0 doubles. Their results:

1. 3.5 semifinals – loss to Bruce Schenck of Glenwood, IA and Craig Lambert of Omaha, 6-1, 7-5.
2. 4.0 quarterfinals – loss to Joseph Lopez-Wilson and Brad Miller of Omaha, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

For those who are keeping track, that makes three in a row for Brian and Dana. They won the 3.5 doubles title at the Cornhusker State Games, at the Fremont Open, and now at the Omaha City Championships.

You may see all the results at TennisLink, Omaha City Championships.

Listed below are all the participants from the Fremont area and their results:

Singles Events:

• Jon Rohloff – Men’s 4.0 Singles
• lost to Yan Si of Omaha, 4-6, 2-6.
• Dana Mark – Men’s 3.5 Singles
• Round of 16 – defeated Warren Wolf of Omaha, 6-4, 6-4.
• Quarterfinals – defeated Mark Johnson of Omaha, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0(7).
• Semifinals – lost to No. 2 seed, Nick Harlow of Omaha, 4-6, 6-4, 0-1(8).
• Joshua Sammons – 3.5 Singles
• Quarterfinals – lost to Kerry Lampe of La Vista, 0-6, 1-6.
• Trey Mueller – Boy’s 14 Singles
• Round of 16 – lost to Jon Bass of Omaha, 0-6, 0-6.

Doubles Events:

• Brian Mark/Dana Mark – Men’s 3.5 Doubles
• Finals – defeated Deo Reloj/Edwin Uwanaka of Omaha, 6-2, 6-0.
• Luke Prescott/Matthew Eglseder of Omaha
• Semfinals – lost to Connor Brown/Peter Furlow of Omaha, 6-7, 3-6.

Jon Rohloff won the Men’s 3.5 Singles championship.

Brian Mark and Dana Mark won the Men’s 3.5 Doubles Championship.

Dana Mark won the Men’s 3.5 Singles Consolation Bracket.

Other championships were won by Jessica Spalding in Women’s Open Singles, Doug Hartman and Chris Westergaard in the Men’s 55 Doubles, and Amy Graver and Myron Sikora of Omaha in the Combined Mixed 7.0 Doubles.

For all the Fremont player results, go to Fremont Player Results.

To see the results for all players and divisions, go to Fremont Open Tournament Results.

Championships were won this year by Jessica Spalding in the Women’s Open Singles, Jon Rohloff in the Men’s 3.5 singles, and Brian Mark and Dana Mark in the Men’s 3.5 doubles, Doug Hartman and Chris Westergaard in the Men’s 55 Doubles, and Amy Graver of Fremont and Myron Sikora of Omaha in the Combined Mixed 7.0 Doubles.

Thanks to all the players, and congratulations to the champions.

Listed below are all the participants and their results.

Singles Events

• Jessica Spalding – Women’s Open Singles
• Semifinals – defeated Diana Dobey of Omaha, 6-3, 6-0
• Finals – defeated Amy Arnold of Lincoln, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3.
• Mark Leahy – Men’s 4.0 Singles
• Round of 16 – defeated Chad Kramer of Marysville, KS, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.
• Quarterfinals – lost to #1 Seed, Kiran Poda, 7-6(5), 6-1.
• Jon Rohloff – Men’s 3.5 Singles Champion
• Quarterfinals – defeated Steve Cross of Lincoln, 6-2, 6-3.
• Semifinals – defeated Dana Mark of Fremont, 6-2, 6-3.
• Finals – defeated Mike Day of Omaha, 6-1, 6-2.
• Dana Mark – Men’s 3.5 Singles Consolation Champion
• Quarterfinals – defeated Michael Higgins of Omaha, 6-4, 6-3.
• Semifinals – lost to Jon Rohloff of Fremont, 2-6, 3-6.
• Consolation Semifinals – defeated Jerry Pivovar of Omaha, 6-1, 6-4.
• Consolation Finals – defeated Michael Higgins of Omaha again, 7-5, 6-2.
• Brian Mark – Men’s 3.5 Singles
• Quarterfinals – defeated Jerry Pivovar of Omaha, 6-1, 6-1.
• Semifinals – lost to # 1 seed, Mike Day, 0-6, 0-6.
• Consolation Semifinals – withdrew (injury).
• Joshua Sammons – Men’s 3.0 Singles
• Semfinals – lost to #1 seed, Donald Gildon of Omaha, 1-6, 0-6.
• Consolation Semifinals – defeated Scott Arnold of Lincoln, 7-5, 7-5.
• Consolation Finals – lost to # 2 seed, Scott Hagewood of Omaha, 1-6, 1-6.
• Roger Luiken – Men’s 50 Singles
• Round Robin Rnd 1 – lost to Von Bachle of Murdock, 0-4, Ret (inj)

Doubles Events

• Jessica Spalding & Erica Dickmeyer – Women’s Open Doubles
• Semifinals – lost to Jennifer Allison of Bellevue & Kim Miksich of Omaha, 2-6, 1-6.
• Mike Willman & Ronald Augspurger of Columbus – Men’s 4.0 Doubles
• Quarterfinals – defeated Chad Kramer of Marysville, KS and Kiran Poda of Lincoln, 6-3, 6-3.
• Semifinals – lost to # 1 seed, Jay Barbuto and Mike Gay of Lincoln, 5-7, 7-6(6), 5-7.
• Mark Leahy & Rick Spalding – Men’s 4.0 Doubles
• Quarterfinals – lost to Tracy Minnich and Myron Sikora of Omaha, 3-6, 5-7.
• Brian Mark & Dana Mark – Men’s 3.5 Doubles Champions
• Semifinals – defeated Jon Rohloff and Joshua Sammons of Fremont, 6-1, 6-3.
• Finals – defeated Steve Cross and Murali Vegi of Lincoln, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4).
• Jon Rohloff & Joshua Sammons – Men’s 3.5 Doubles
• Semifinals – lost to Brian Mark & Dana Mark of Fremont, 1-6, 3-6.
• Doug Hartman & Chris Westergaard – Men’s 55 Doubles Champions.
• Round Robin Rnd 1 – defeated Bruce Van Maanen and David Weber of Omaha, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
• Round Robin Rnd 2 – defeated Thomas Huffman and James Lang of Omaha, 6-1, 7-6(2).
• Amy Graver & Myron Sikora of Omaha – Combined Mixed 7.0 Doubles Champions.
• Quarterfinals – defeated Liz Sambol & David Sambol of Omaha, 6-3, 6-2.
• Semifinals – defeated Renate Mark and Brian Mark of Fremont, 6-1, 6-3.
• Finals – defeated Randy Gawthrop of Bowling Green, KY & Joni Woodruff of Papillion, Walkover(illness).
• Renate Mark & Brian Mark – Combined Mixed 7.0 Doubles.
• Semifinals – lost to Amy Graver of Fremont & Myron Sikora of Omaha, 11-6, 3-6.

Brian and Dana played in the Men’s 3.5 doubles. In the final, they defeated Stephen Cross and Murali Vegi of Lincoln 7-6 (4), 6-3 to bring home a Gold medal.

Jessica Spalding and Erica Dickmeyer teamed up as the No. 2 seeds in the Women’s Open Doubles. They were defeated by the No. 1 seeded team of Frauke Hachtmann and Michelle Liseo-Talarico of Lincoln 6-2, 6-3 in the final to bring home a silver medal.

Jessica Spalding was also the 2nd seed in the Women’s Open Singles. She lost her first round, then won the final in the consolation bracket against Lee Cooney of Omaha 3-6, 6-0, 1 (10-7) for the Bronze medal.

Jon Rohloff and Josh Sammons also played in the 3.5 doubles. They lost a very close match in the 1st round to Gary and Kevin Rademacher of Nebraska City, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6(10-8).

Jon Roloff, Brian Mark and Dana Mark also played Men’s 3.5 singles. Jon won his first round match 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (11-9) over Tim Dunning of Omaha, then lost to the No. 1 seed, Barry Bucknell of Lincoln 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (11-9).

Brian lost his first round match to Craig Palik of Lincoln 6-3, 6-3. Dana won the first round against Nolan Dewispelare of Lincoln 6-2, 6-3, and won the 2nd round 6-1, 6-3 over the No. 3 seed, Viji Pushkaran of Lincoln. He then lost in the semifinals 6-4, 7-5 to Craig Palik, the eventual champion.

Brian and Dana also played the Men’s 4.0 doubles, losing in the first round to Mark Jackson and Joseph Lopez-Wilson of Omaha 6-2, 7-5.

Renate Mark played in the Women’s 4.0 singles. She lost her first round to Stephanie Larson of Lincoln 7-6, 6-2, and lost her first consolation match 6-1, 6-0 to Kimberly Gradoville of Omaha.

Congratulations to the medal winners for bringing home a Gold, a Silver, and a Bronze medal for Fremont, and thanks to all Fremont participants for playing. It was great to have a good Fremont showing. See you at the Fremont Open.

They defeated the No. 1 seed, David Northy and D.J. Northy 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals, and James Fonda and Marcus Hansen 6-4, 5-7, 1-0(1) in the finals.

Good job Mike and Roland!

In round one, they defeated Dan Canfield and Mike Friedman of Omaha, 6-1, 6-2. In round two they defeated Paul Greunke, Omaha and Geoffrey Brown, Vermont, 7-5, 6-1. In the finals, they played Todd and Lee Hultman of Omaha, losing 6-3, 2-6, 0-1(8).

Brian also played in 3.5 and 4.0 singles. He lost to Steve Sindelar, Omaha, 1-6, 2-6 in 3.5 singles. In 4.0 singles, he lost 1-6, 1-6 to Larry Abel, Lincoln. Larry Abel won the 3.5 singles, and made it to the finals in 4.0, which was postponed to Aug. 13 because of rain.

Dana also played 3.5 singles, losing in round one to Paul Greunke, Omaha, 1-6, 1-6.

Dana and Renate Mark were the only Fremont area participants, and played in the 8.0 Mixed Doubles division.

In round one they were defeated by Mark Schultz and Lisa Smith of Lincoln, 2-6, 2-6.

In the consolation bracket, they were defeated by the No. 1 seeds, Joseph Lopez-Wilson and Tiffany Wilson of Omaha, 2-6, 4-6.

The 8.0 division was won by Jay Barbuto and Michelle Liseo-Talarico of Lincoln.

Brian and Dana Mark were the only Fremont area players participating. They might have set a new record for 3rd set tiebreakers, although the official record has not yet been located.

3.5 Singles
In the 1st round, Brian, the 3rd seed, played Larry Abel from Lincoln, losing in straight sets, 4-6, 0-6. It was a tough draw for Brian, as Abel ended up winning the championship. In the consolation bracket, Brian had a very close match and the first of his 3-set tiebreakers, losing to Nolan Dewispelare of Lincoln, 7-6, 5-7, 6-7.

Dana played against Matthew Binderup of Omaha in round one, losing in straight sets, 2-6, 2-6. In the consolation bracket, Dana had the first of his 3rd set tiebreakers, losing to the # 2 seed, Keith Bucknell of Lincoln, 2-6, 7-5, 6-7.

So, in singles, Brian lost to the eventual champion, and Dana lost to the runner-up.

3.5 Doubles - almost a Bronze Medal!
In doubles, Brian and Dana played the # 2 seed team, Matthew Binderup and Paul Rios of Omaha. They lost a 3-setter with the 3rd set a tiebreaker. Score: 5-7, 6-1, 6-7. In the consolation bracket, Brian and Dana pulled out a win in with a 3rd set tiebreaker, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 over Bob Branchaud and Richard Robison of Lincoln. In the consolation finals, playing for the Bronze medal, Brian and Dana lost with another 3rd set tiebreaker to Donald Ediger and John Keller of Lincoln, 7-6, 3-6, 6-7. The final tiebreaker score was 8-10, and a disheartening loss.

So, Brian and Dana fought valiantly, but in the end five 3rd set tiebreakers proved to be one to many, and they fell just a few points short of bringing home a medal.

Next weekend, Dana and Renate Mark will participate in the 8.0 Mixed Doubles portion of the Cornhusker Games.

On his way to the championship, Shane defeated:

• Brad Miller of Omaha, 6-0, 6-0
• the No. 5 seed, Jeremy Hoshor of Lincoln, 6-1, 6-2
• the No. 1 seed, Kiran Poda of Lincoln, 6-1, 6-0
• Bob Wirth of Papillion 7-6(4), 6-3
• and the No. 2 seed, Kelby Deese of Bellevue, 6-3, 6-0

As you can see, Shane was quite stingy about giving any games away, especially in the second set. His opponents won only five games in five matches during the second sets. That’s how you win a championship! Congratulations Shane! Well played.

On their way to the 4.0 doubles championship, Shane Placek and Rick Spalding defeated:

• Dave Blumel/Clark Thompson both of Omaha 6-3, 6-3
• the No. 2 seeded team of Kiran Poda of Lincoln/Doug Tegler of Eagle 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
• and Jeff Fredricks/H.D. Osborne, both of Omaha 5-7, 7-6(5); 1-0(5)

Well done. The final match was a thriller to watch. Our Fremont team was strongest in the end. Great job guys!

Doug Hartman, Burdell Harnish, Jim Johnson, Jim Jorgensen, Shane Placek, Rick Spalding, and Chris Westergaard all won championships at the Centre Court-KFC-Jim Johnson Ins. Fremont Adult Tournament which was played July 10-12, 2009 at the Fremont High Tennis Complex. In addition, Zach Weaver was a winner in the consolation bracket.

Men’s 4.0 Singles: Shane Placek was the champion, defeating Brad Miller, Omaha, 6-0, 6-0, the No. 5 seed, Jeremy Hoshor, Lincoln, 6-1, 6-2, the No. 1 seed, Kiran Poda, Lincoln, 6-1, 6-0, Bob Wirth, Papillion, 7-6(4), 6-3, and the No. 2 seed, Kelby Deese, Belevue, 6-3, 6-0.

Men’s 60 Singles: Jim Jorgensen was the champion, defeating Skip Rice in a round-robin match, 6-0, 6-3. Jim’s other round-robin opponent, Raymond Montejano, Blair, was a no show. Since they are both from Blair, Raymond must have known how tough Jim is, so why bother?!

Men’s 4.0 Doubles: Shane Placek and Rick Spalding were the champions in the Men’s 4.0 Doubles division. They defeated Dave Blumel & Clark Thompson, Omaha, 6-3, 6-3, the No. 2 seeded team of Kiran Poda, Lincoln & Doug Tegler, Eagle, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, and Jeff Fredricks & H.D. Osborne, Omaha, 5-7, 7-6(5), 1-0(5).

Men’s 3.5 Doubles: Burdell Harnish and Kent Johnson, Omaha, teamed up to win the 3.5 Men’s Doubles. They defeated the No. 2 seeded team of Jerry Pivovar & Michael Pivovar of Omaha, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0. In the championship match they won over Todd Hultman & Lee Hultman, Omaha, 6-2, 7-5.

Men’s 55 Doubles: Doug Hartman and Chris Westergaard teamed up and won the Men’s 55 doubles. In round-robin play, they went undefeated, beating Kent Johnson, Omaha & Burdell Harnisch, Fremont, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Jim Johnson, Fremont, & Jim Jorgensen, Blair 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Johnson/Jorgensen also defeated Harnisch/Johnson 6-1, 6-2 in the other round-robin match.

Men’s 70 Doubles: Jim Johnson and Bill Waito, Lincoln, won the Men’s 70 Doubles division. In round-robin play, they defeated Jack Mallett, Council Bluffs, & Bob Margin, Omaha, 6-1, 6-1, and L. Paul Comeau & John Kellogg, Omaha, 6-0, 6-3.

Men’s Open Singles: Zach Weaver was the consolation winner in the Men’s Open Singles. In the main draw, he was defeated by Frederick Hotz, Grand Island, 6-3, 6-0. In the consolation bracket, his first opponent didn’t play. He then defeated Luke Samuelson, Fremont, 6-0, 6-1. His next opponent withdrew because of injury, and Zach then won the consolation final over Joseph Murray, Lavista, 6-4, 7-5.

Other Fremont Area players:

Luke Samuelson played in the Men’s Open Singles. He was defeated by Joseph Murray, Lavista, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round. In the consolation bracket, Luke’s first opponent didn’t play. Then fellow Fremonter, Zach Weaver, defeated Luke 6-0, 6-1.

Brady Zoucha and Luke Samuelson teamed up in the Men’s Open Doubles. They were defeated by Maruice Higgins & Nathan Hoppe, Lincoln, 6-1, 6-0.

Brian Mark, seeded No. 4, was a 1st round winner in the Men’s 3.5 Singles, defeating Francis Cuba, Omaha, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-1. In round two Brian was defeated by Terry Fuller, Omaha, 6-3, 6-4. In the consolation bracket, Brian was beaten by Nick Harlow, Omaha, 7-5, 1-0 (retired-injury.) Brian rolled an ankle during play and was not able to continue.

Renate Mark was the No. 2 seed in the Women’s 4.0 division. She was defeated by Amy Arnold, Lincoln, 6-2, 6-0. Amy was the eventual champion. In the consolation bracket, Renate was beaten by Joy Kramer, Marysville, KS, 7-5, 4-6, 1-0(7).

Mike Willman and Roland Augspurger, Columbus, played in the Men’s 4.0 Doubles and Men’s 4.5 Doubles. In 4.0, they were defeated by Jeff Fredricks & H.D. Osborne, Omaha (no score given). In 4.5 Doubles, Willman/Augspurger defeated Kaushik Patel, Omaha, and Andrew Reynolds, Blair, 7-5, 6-4. They were then defeated by Keith Nielsen, Omaha, and Robert Pass, Omaha, 6-3, 6-4.

Dana and Renate Mark teamed up for the Mixed 8.0 Doubles. They were defeated in round one by Joseph & Yaravi Lopez-Wilson, Omaha, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Brian and Dana Mark played in the Men’s 3.5 Doubles (with Brian hobbling around on a sprained ankle). They were defeated by Todd Hultman & Lee Hultman, Omaha, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Congratulations to all our winners, and thanks to all who played. It was a great tournament. We’ll look forward to seeing here again next year!

If we missed any Fremont Area Players, please let us know. Thanks.

Boys 18 Singles: Zachary Weaver went into the tournament as the No. 1 seed. In the first round, he defeated Matthew Alexander of Columbus, 6-0, 6-0. In the Semifinals, Zach defeated Jakob Strawhecker of Kearney, in a close 3-setter, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (10-4). In the Finals, Zach lost to Zachary Northey of Lincoln, 1-6, 5-7. Good run at it, Zach!

Men’s 4.0 Singles: Brian Mark played in the 4.0 division. In the first round, he lost to Jeremy Hoshor of Lincoln, 1-6, 1-6.

Men’s Open Doubles: Mike Willman teamed up with Roland Augspurger of Columbus in the Men’s Open Doubles division. In the first round, Mike and Roland were victorious over Josh Slawski and Jakob Strawhecker, both of Kearney, 6-4, 6-2. In the Semifinals, they were defeated by the No. 2 seeded team of David Northey and Zachary Northey, both of Lincoln, 1-6, 3-6.

Thanks for representing the Fremont Tennis Association in the Columbus Tournament.

Calling all Fremont Area Players: the Centre Court/KFC/Jim Johnson Ins. Fremont Adult Open is coming up July 10-12. You can sign up online at TennisLink, or you may print a Fremont Open Entry Form. Let’s have a good representation from Fremont!

Boys 14 Singles: Luke Prescott was defeated by Trent Gardner of Omaha, 0-6, 1-6 in the first round. In the consolation bracket, Luke lost to Michael Mellen of Omaha, 0-6, 1-6.

Boys 16 Singles: Luke Samuelson and Brayden Zouch were entered. Samuelson lost to Vince Van Dyke of Omaha in his first match, 2-6, 1-6. Zoucha defeated Ethan Gart who withdrew because of an injury. Zoucha then lost to Decature Banker, the # 1 seed from Omaha, 2-6, 1-6.

Boys 18 Singles: Joseph Hoffman played the Boys 18 Singles event. He lost to Matthew Hrdlicka of Omaha in the first round 4-6, 2-6. In the consolation bracket Hoffman lost to Scott Slezak of Omaha, 1-6, 4-6.

Boys 18 Doubles: Luke Samuelson and Brayden Zoucha came up against the No. 1 seeded team of Decature Banker and Eric McKnight, both of Omaha, in their first round. Samuelson and Zoucha were defeated 1-6, 2-6.

The Omaha players just seemed too tough for our Fremont players in this tournament. But it was good to see them participating. Keep working at your games, continue to build up your confidence, and soon we’ll see some matches in the win column! Thank you for representing the Fremont Tennis Association in this Jr. Tournament.

Renate Mark played in the Women’s 4.0 Singles Division. In the first round she was defeated by Amanda Crook of Peru, NE, 5-7, 2-6. In the consolation round, Renate had a victory over Sara Crook, also of Peru, 6-3, 6-3. In the post-match interview, Renate was very excited to have a win in the 4.0 division in her first tournament back on the circuit. It seems she has re-caught the tournament fever. The 4.0 division was won by Callista Pass of Omaha 6-2, 6-0 over Amanda Crook.

Men’s 3.5 Singles Division: Brian Mark and Dana Mark played in the Men’s 3.5 Singles Division. In the first round, Brian lost 6-4, 2-6 to Paul Beutler of Omaha. Brian later posted on Essential Tennis Forum, “(My opponent) went to a serve and drop volley game that totally befuddled me. I could get to a lot of them, but he was standing right there to put it away. It didn’t matter too much what I did against him at net, he was quick enough to get to lobs and had a huge wingspan, making it really tough to pass him… He chopped at a lot of stuff and never really knew where his shot was going… and when he didn’t know, I had no way of reading it.” Brian now has his sights set on the Columbus Summer Open tournament scheduled for June 13-14.

Dana Mark also played in the Men’s 3.5 singles division. Dana won his first round match, 6-2, 7-6 (2), over Francis Cuba of Omaha. He then lost in the semifinals 2-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6 to Brian Richmeier of Omaha. Richmeier was the winner in the Final, 6-4, 6-4, over Jeff Holland of Omaha.

On a somewhat sad note, at 3-5 in the last set, up 30-5, Dana pulled a groin muscle. He played the game out, but lost the game, which was the end of the match. However, that was not the end – there was still a doubles match to play. Read on.

Men’s 3.5 Doubles Division: Brian and Dana still had a doubles match to play. It was the finals, and Dana didn’t want to let Brian down, so he played with a pulled groin. (not the smartest thing he ever did.) With Brian having to cover most of the court due to Dana’s injury, they lost the match 6-4, 5-7, 5-7 to Larry and Eric Marrow, another father-son team from Lincoln.

Dana later posted on the Essential Tennis Forum, “Brian played an excellent doubles match which was more like him playing singles against the other two with me in the way. I had no business being out there playing with an injury, but I didn’t want to let Brian down and I thought we had a good chance to win even with my injury (which was almost true). I basically stood in one place and hit anything I could reach without moving more than a step or two, and Brian covered about 95% of the court. As you can tell from the score, he did a great job covering my back.”

Dana will be out of tennis for a while to recover from his injury. So Renate and Brian will have to carry the Mark Family tennis banner.

By the way, you can see a photo of a Tennis IronMan at Essential Tennis Forum!

The original post here, Omaha Adult Open Tournament results for Fremont area players, has also been updated with the correction. So if you saw the original post stating Shane and Mike were the runners-up, please note this correction and when you see them, congratulate them for their great championship win!

55 Singles: Jim Jorgensen was the champion in the 55 singles division. The event had three entries, so it was played as a round robin. The scouting report must have gotten out indicating how good Jim is, because his first opponent didn’t show up (he must have been scared!). So Jim won his first match over Raymond Montejano of La Vista by default. In the 2nd round, Jim defeated Rick Huetson of Omaha 6-1, 6-4 to win the championship. Congratulations Jim!

4.0 Doubles Shane Placek and Mike Willman had a great run in the Men’s 4.0 Doubles division, ending up winning the Final 6-2, 6-2.

In the 1st round, they took out the No. 2 seeded team of Mike Deal of Council Bluffs, and James Lopez of Omaha, 6-3, 7-5. In round two, the Quarterfinals, they trounced Pascal Renault and William Stephens, both of Omaha, 6-1, 6-2. They continued to show no mercy in the Semifinals against Michael Magnuson of Papillion and Jared Rathe of Lincoln, with a 2-set victory, 6-4, 6-4.

In the Finals, they were pitted against the No. 1 seeded team of John Crook and Thomas Huffman, both of Omaha. Even with the home-court advantage, Crook and Huffman were no match for our tough Fremont team. Shane and Mike took them down 6-2, 6-2. That gave Shane and Mike the championship honors. Congratulations, and great job guys!

Thanks Jim, Shane, and Mike for doing a great job of representing the Fremont Tennis Association at the Omaha Adult Open.

Calling all FTA players – be sure to enter the next nearby tournaments coming up in June, the Nebraska City Open, June 5-7, and the Columbus Summer Open, June 12-14. We’ll see you there!

Brian Mark and Dana Mark entered the 3.5 Men’s doubles event. There were only three teams entered, so the event was played as a round robin. Brian and Dana won their first match against Craig Matulka of Bee, NE, and Steven Page of Lincoln, NE, 6-3, 6-0. In the 2nd round, Brian and Dana were defeated by Bernal Quesada and Bob Branchaud, both of Lincoln, NE, 6-3, 6-3. Branchaud and Quesada won their 2nd round over Matulka and Page 6-1, 6-1, giving Brian and Dana the runner-up status.

Brian and Dana also played singles. Brian lost his first-round match to Myron Sikora of Omaha, NE, 6-4, 6-1. Brian is picking up where he left off last year, getting a tough first match opponent. Sikora made it to the finals where he lost a 3rd-set tie-break to Dan Hrivnak of Bennington, NE. Brian then lost a consolation 8-game pro-set 8-2.

In singles, Dana was defeated by Bernal Quesada of Lincoln, NE, 7-5, 6-0. He then beat Jim Shanklin of Maryville, MO, in a consolation 8-game pro-set 9-7.

The weather was excellent, and the tennis was good. You should have been there! Be watching for the sign-up deadline reminder for the next tournament coming the end of this month.

After losing their first match in the Main Draw (6-4, 6-1) to Alfred Hagan and John Wilkerson, both of Houston, TX (with an obvious unfair home court advantage!), they moved to the consolation bracket. In the round of 16, they defeated John Martin and Larry Plasek 6-3, 6-0. Martin and Plasek were also both from Houston, so Johnson and Tharp were able to overcome the home court advantage this time and post the win.

In the Quarterfinals, Johnson and Tharp played Bob Bobbitt of Encinitas, CA and Johnny Sanchez of San Diego, CA. After dropping the first set 3-6, they rallied and won the second set 6-4, and then a match tie-break 1-0(2).

After that, it was smooth sailing for the tough team of Johnson and Tharp. In the Semfinals, they ran over a New Jersey team of Mark Forrester of Moorestown, NJ, and James Rauch of Annadale, NJ, 6-1, 6-4. By the Final match, they were smoking, and captured the championship 6-2, 6-2 over Keith Hostetler of Gainesville, FL and William Vogt of Maunaloa, HI.

Johnson and Tharp also played in the Men’s 70 Singles draw. The singles didn’t go quite as well for them. Johnson lost the first round 6-4, 6-1 to Richard Andersen of Houston, TX (again the home court advantage!). In the first round of the consolation bracket, Johnson lost to William Vogt of Maunaloa, HI in a close match, 7-6(3), 6-3. Vogt ended up losing in the Semifinals in the singles. It was probably sweet revenge for Johnson and Tharp to then defeat Vogt and Hostetler in the doubles consolation Final.

Tharp made it to the Quarterfinals of the Singles main draw. In round one, he defeated Doyle Leslie of Austin, TX, who withdrew because of an injury. He then beat Leonard Lindborg of Laguana Beach, CA, 6-3, 6-2. Tharp gained another victory over William Wolff of Forth Worth, TX, 4-6, 5-2, when Wolff retired due to an injury. (Tharp is apparently rough on his oppontents!) Tharp then lost in the Quarterfinals 6-3, 6-4 to the 4th seed, Robert Quall of Meroed, CA. Quall ended up winning the championship match, so Tharp made a good showing.

Congratulations to Jim Johnson and Kenneth Tharp on some good wins, a consolation championship, and for making a name for Nebraska Tennis!

Men’s Open Doubles:
Mike Willman and his partner, Roland Augspurger of Columbus, were defeated in the 1st round 6-2, 6-2, by Ron Betts and August Hogan of Omaha. Betts and Hogan made it to the finals where they were defeated by the No. 1 seeded team of Scott Broady and David Treichel of Lincoln.

Men’s 4.0 Doubles:
Christ Westergaard and John Waters of Papillion defeated Mike Willman and Rolland Augspurger 7-5, 6-4 in the opening round. Westergaard and Waters lost 3-6, 1-6 in the next round, which was the finals, to Rob Dittmer and Bryan Pregon of Council Bluffs, IA.

Men’s 3.5 Doubles:
Brian Mark and Dana Mark defeated Jerry Pivovar and Michael Pivovar of Omaha in the opening round 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. They were then defeated 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the Semifinals by the # 1 seeds Matt Fowler and Paul Rios of Omaha. Fowler and Rios then lost in the finals to the No. 2 seeded team of Dave Blumel and Raymond Montejano of Omaha.

Men’s 3.5 Singles:
Brian Mark was beaten in the opening round by the # 3 seed Dan Hrivnak of Bennington 6-3, 6-1. Hrivnak was the eventual champion, defeating the No. 2 seed, Brad Miller of Omaha. Tough draw, Brian!

In the consolation round, Brian got to the Semifinals when Al Backes of Omaha withdrew because of an injury. In the Semifinals, Brian was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Joseph Shea of Omaha. Shea went on to win the consolation round defeating Stephen Seyler of Omaha in the final match. So, Brian lost to two eventual champions. Again, tough draw, Brian!

Thanks everyone for representing the Fremont Tennis Association at the Nebraska Open. Now we have the indoor season to prepare for next year, when we’ll go out and leave our mark on Tennis history. At least, Mark & Mark are dreaming of leaving their mark!

Erica Dickmeyer played in two events. She played in the Girls’ 18 singles, losing in the 1st round to Alexis Bartek of Lincoln 1-6, 0-6. Bartek was a finalist, so it was a tough draw for Erica. The Champion in Girls’ 18 Singles was Anna Bogdanov of Omaha.

Erica then played against Caitlin Christy of Bellevue in the consolation bracket. Erica had to withdraw due to an injury.

Erica teamed up with Jessica Spalding, also of Fremont in the Girls’ 18 Doubles. They lost to the only other team entered, Heather Hottman and Mary Lausten of Omaha 1-6, 2-6.

Luke Prescott played in the Boys’ 12 Singles. In his first round, he defeated Joshua Gottschalk of Bellevue 6-0, 7-5. He then beat the # 1 seed, Nicholas Tran of Omaha 6-2, 6-0. He then lost to Michael Clinch of Lincoln in the Finals 3-6, 2-6. Great playing Luke!

Luke teamed up with Nicholas Tran of Omaha to play in the Boy’s 14 Doubles. They lost to the only other team entered, Erik Anderson of Bellevue, and Gabe Shrank of Omaha, 0-6, 0-6.

Three Fremont Juniors played in the Boys’ 16 Singles.

Alex Hamilton had a 1st round BYE, then lost in the 2nd round 1-6, 2-6 to the 2nd seed, Eric Binkley of Omaha. Binkley was a finalist, so Alex got a tough draw. The Boys’ 16 Singles champion was Ethan Gart of Omaha.

Alex then made it through three rounds of the consolation bracket defeating Daniel Marty of Omaha 6-2, 4-6, 1-0(4), Ian Jun of Omaha 7-6(6), 6-4, and Tyler Anderson of Omaha in the Quarterfinals 6-4, 6-1. He then lost in the Semifinals to Seth Shimerda of Lincoln 2-6, 3-6. Good run, Alex!

Joseph Hoffman played Ian Jun of Omaha in the 1st round, losing a close match 6-4, 5-7, 0-1(7). He then played fellow Fremonter, Brady Zoucha in the consolation bracket, beating him 6-4, 6-1. In the Quarterfinal round he beat James Richardson of Omaha, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0(9). Way to hang in there Joseph! He then lost 1-6, 0-6 to the eventual consolation champion, Nicholas Amin of Omaha.

Brady Zoucha had a 1st round BYE, then lost a very close match to Nathan Foje of Omaha, 6-4, 4-6, 0-1(10). Brady then ran into fellow Fremonter, Joseph Hoffman in the consolation bracket, losing 4-6, 1-6.

Alex Hamilton and Brady Zoucha entered the Boy’s 18 Doubles. They lost their 1st round match to Ethan Gart and Nicholas of Omaha 6-7(8), 1-6.

Three Fremont players also played in the Boys’ 18 Singles.

Spencer Brown had a 1st round BYE, then lost in the 2nd round to Eric Binkley of Omaha 4-6, 1-6. Binkley was a Semifinalist, so a tough draw for Spencer. In the consolation bracket, he lost his first match 2-6, 1-6 to Zach Clark of Omaha.

Joseph Hoffman played Eric Binkley in the 1st round of the Boys’ 18 Singles, losing 1-6, 1-6. Binkley made it to the Semifinals, so he was a tough player to meet up with in the 1st round. Joseph then made it through two rounds in the consolation bracket, defeating Garin Leehy of Omaha 6-2, 6-2, and Sean Stepanek of Omaha 6-1, 6-1. Joesph then lost the Quarterfinal match 1-6, 1-6 to Gregory Beaufait of Omaha. Good run, Joesph!

Zachary Weaver was the # 1 seed in the Boys’ 18 Singles. He withdrew in the 1st round because of an emergency. Tough break, Zachary.

Thank you to all who participated, and to all who worked the tournament. It is good to be able to sponsor great tournaments like this. Great playing Fremonters!