Sunday, July 15, 2001
Wolf, Puentes return to Men's Met finals
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The stage is set with the same cast as last year for today's championship match of the Thomas E. Price Metropolitan Tennis championship at Lunken Playfield.
Jeff Wolf
(Mike Simons photo)
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Defending champion Jeff Wolf faces 2000 runner-up Rey Puentes for the 2001 title.
Wolf advanced to the championship with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jason Zimmermann, the Division II state high school champion.
Despite a 25-minute delay, Puentes eliminated Isaac Yarrell 6-1, 6-3 to reach the championship for the second time.
The Wolf/Puentes match will be played 20 minutes after the conclusion of the women's championship between Tanya Luzhanka and Kara Molony-Hussey that begins at noon.
This will be the second time in four weeks Puentes and Wolf have played in a championship match.
Puentes defeated Wolf 6-3, 6-1 for the championship of the Sweet 16 Tournament at Harper's Point Racquet Club on clay courts.
“(Today) is a different day, and Jeff will play his best tennis,” Puentes said. “He's going for the record and will be tough to beat.”
Wolf is tied with his brother, Marty, and Charles Thomas for the most Met singles championships with five. But Jeff Wolf is the all-time leader for the most Met victories with 17, 12 in doubles.
“Losing to Rey was a good tool for me to find out how much higher I had to go,” Wolf said. “I hope to turn defeat into a positive but I expect a hard battle from Rey.”
Three-time Met champion Craig Boynton predicts “the best championship match in years.”
“I don't see a blow out, because these guys have played so many times and know what to expect,” Boynton said.
Wolf left no doubt of the semifinal's outcome, breaking Zimmermann's service twice for a 4-0 lead in the first set. In the second, Wolf broke at 4-3 and then held serve for the victory.
After the disastrous start, Zimmermann switched to a more controlled game.
Puentes held a 3-0 lead in the first set without hitting a ball because Yarrell arrived 25 minutes late and was issued the penalty, which the Florida A&M senior felt was fair.
“I played in a tournament this morning in Columbus and was late getting here,” Yarrell said. “I knew it would be tough winning the first set, but I wanted to come out and play strong to give him the message I was ready.”
Puentes easily won the first set but couldn't break Yarrell until 3-3 in the second to set the stage for the 6-3 victory and a spot in the championship match.
“Isaac hits a heavy ball and has a big first serve. I just wanted to keep the ball in play,” Puentes said.
Puentes grimaced when asked about last year's loss to Wolf.
“I had come off two tough (four-hour) matches against Amin Nabli and Craig Boynton,” Puentes said.
“I was mentally and physically exhausted and didn't drink enough water before the match.”
Boynton said Wolf's serve is key.
“If Jeff gets points off the serve, it can bridge the gap to any trouble he runs into,” Boynton said.
“On the flip side, if Rey returns well and makes Jeff see a lot of balls, it will be to his advantage.”
The 28-year-old Puentes agreed with Boynton.
“I've got to return Jeff's serve,” Puentes said. “That's the key for both of us.”
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Wolf, Puentes return to Men's Met finals
