Compass Draw Finals Are In Full Swing Singles players meet each other on the courts for the final matches of the season

Thursday June 19, 2008 Women’s 2.5 Compass Draw Finals          LAKE NORMAN, NC- The consolation final of the Women's 2.5 division of the Compass Draw was played on June 8, 2008. The match was held at The Point in Mooresville, North Carolina. Chu Wong, the number 13 seed ,and Amy Gay, the number 28 seed, played against each other in the match. Chu won the match over Amy in three sets. The match finished with a score of 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.          Chu Wong had never participated in the Compass Draw before, this was her first time. She didn't do anything special to prepare for the match except make sure she ate before hand, and kept hydrated by drinking plenty of water. After winning the first set, Chu dropped the second set to her opponent. She felt the heat was starting to get to her at that point, the temperature was in the high 90's. She was having a hard time concentrating because of the heat but she pushed through it and won the third set, which made her very proud. When asked how she felt she played during the match she said it was a very competitive match and that Amy was tough and had great skills. "It was a close match and I think we both played well," she replied.          This was the first time Amy participated in the Compass Draw as well, and she enjoyed it. When asked how she felt she played during the match she replied, " I felt I played the best I could during the match." Even though she didn't win, Amy said that Chu and herself were very evenly matched. They had many amazing rallies and many deuce points. Chu also agreed, she said that it was a very competitive match but it was also a fun game with good shots and rallies. Women’s 3.5 Compass Draw Finals               LAKE NORMAN, NC- The Women's 3.5 Main Draw Finals of the Compass Draw took place near one of the players homes. Cindi VanWingerden, the number one seed, and Elke Neumann, the number 3 seed, competed against each other in the finals and took it to three sets. Cindi won the match with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 after coming back from a 5-2 defecit in the third set.             Cindi and Elke have been friends for several years and Cinidi admits that it's hard playing a good friend. One of her goals during the match was to not think about playing her friend. She admitted, " I kept telling myself to pretend like she was someone else." Overall, Cindi felt she played well during her finals match. Even though she gets distracted when playing her friend, who she believes is very tough mentally and has " an awesome cross-court forehand" she kept telling herself "one more point, one more game" and it it helped her get through the last difficult set.             This is not the first time Cindi has participated in the Compass Draw. She has taken part in it since the Summer of 2005. At that time it was only a 3.5/4.0 division and she decided, as a 3.0 player, she would play up. She admits she got demolished by an opponent 6-0, 6-0, but since then has improved. Cindi has now won the last two 3.5 Women's Compass Draws.             Cindi has competed in the Compass Draw several times but her opponent Elke is a new participant this season. She has never played in the Compass Draw before. Even though she didn't leave the court with a win, she had a good time playing. She was feeling perfect and the game was very relaxed. When asked how she felt about the match Elke responded, "I was hoping to win of course...maybe next time. Congratulations Cindi."       Women’s 4.0 Compass Draw Finals             Lake Norman, NC- On Wednesday June 4th Janet Szilagyi, the number three seed, and Warnie Riley, the number eleven seed, competed in the Compass Draw Final in the Women’s 4.0 Division. The match was played at River Run Country Club in Davidson, NC. Warnie won the match in two sets with a score of 6-1, 6-1. This is the first time Warnie has ever played in the Compass Draw. She doesn’t do anything specific to prepare for her matches but she tries to get a good night sleep. Warnies goals for the match were to play consistently, be patient and not over hit the ball. Janet Szilagyi and Warnie Riley are friends but had never played singles against eachother before. Warnie had heard about Szilagyis style of play, very consistent and gets everything back, and knew she had to go into the match and not let her play that kind of game. She needed to play her own type of game and try her best.             When Warnie was asked how she felt she played during the match she said, “I thought I played pretty well.  I felt good about the match.”   Women’s 4.0 Compass Draw Consolation Finals            Lake Norman, NC- On Friday May 30th Barb Brasier, the number six seed, and Emily Bauguss, the number nine seed, competed in the Compass Draw Consolation Finals in the Women’s 4.0 Division. The match was played on clay courts at Charlotte Racquet Club North which is located in Charlotte, NC. Barb won the match in two sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Emily Bauguss is no newcomer to the Compass Draw. This was her third time participating in this event. “It is a great way to meet people who play at your level and have a competitive match,” Emily stated. When it came to her consolation finals match, Emily didn’t prepare before hand. She goes out on the court and plays to win but also plays for fun. When asked how she felt about her play during the match, Emily felt she played better in previous matches but that she was outplayed. Overall Emily said that she had a great time and enjoyed playing with Barb. This season was the first time Barb had ever played in the Compass Draw. She didn’t have any particular strategy going into her matches, except to have fun. She prepared for her Compass Draw matches the same way she prepares for any other tennis she plays. She participates in tennis clinics, working out and playing matches. When asked which has been her toughest match of the season she replied, “All the matches have been great - challenging in different ways.”

Men’s 3.0 Compass Draw Finals   Charlotte, NC- On Friday May 30th Nick Guglielmi, the number two seed, and Joel Crisp, the number six seed, in the Men’s 3.0 division of the Compass Draw, played their main draw finals match. The match was played in Mooresville, NC at The Point Lake and Golf Club. Nick won the match in three sets with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. . Though both players didn’t have any particular strategy going into their match, due in part to the fact they had never played against each other before, they both got out on the tennis courts and practiced before their matches. “I try to play a couple of times a week before all my matches just to feel comfortable hitting shots and moving around the court,” Nick replied. Joel also finds that getting out on the court and hitting, whether it be playing some singles and doubles matches, or practicing with his USTA team, helps him prepare for his matches. Both men had participated in the Compass Draw before, but neither had ever gotten into the main draw finals. The first time Nick Guglielmi played, he ended up making it into the Men’s 3.0 Consolation Finals and winning. Joel Crisp made it into the semi-finals of the main draw last season but ultimately lost to the number one seeded player, who ended up winning the draw.

Men’s 3.0 Compass Draw Consolation Finals   Charlotte , NC -Shawn Devinney and Neil Baffoni, the number 9 and 11 seeds in the Men’s 3.0 division of the Compass Draw, were the first to complete their finals match, in the consolation round. They played their match last week in North Myrtle Beach , where they both happened to be visiting at the same time. They took some time out of there trips to meet up and play. They took the match to three sets, with Shawn Devinney winning the match with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.             This was Shawn’s first time participating in the compass draw. He has only been playing tennis for about eight to ten months. When asked to describe the play during their match, Shawn responded by saying he thought that both men played okay but that he thought both of them were not playing their normal tennis. Shawn believes it could have been that he was playing conservatively because of the situation. Overall Shawn said he had a fun competitive match and his opponent, Neil Baffoni, was very gracious.