By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dan Kronauge may have taken a little extra time to get to Lunken Playfield Friday night, but that doesn't mean he's slowed down over the years.

After showing up 10 minutes late for his finals doubles match because of a traffic jam, the 33-year-old Kronauge joined 37-year-old Jeff Wolf in quickly defeating a pair of 20-year-olds.

Kronauge and Wolf beat Jason Zimmermann and Ryan McCarthy 6-4, 6-1 to become the 2003 Thomas E. Price Cincinnati Metropolitan Tennis Tournament doubles champions.

After the pair shared a big hug in the center of the clay courts and received their trophies, Kronauge boasted that he has now won six Met doubles titles in a row, tied for the record with Wolf, who had won six in a row with his brother Marty.

Kronauge paired with Wolf for all but one of his last wins, when he and Kelly Jones won in 1999.

It was Wolf's 14th doubles and 20th overall Met title.

"I thought this was the year we'd have a changing of the guards," Kronauge said. "With the way (Zimmermann and McCarthy) played Wednesday night, I thought we were going to be in a little bit of trouble. They're playing every day.

"While we're working, they're practicing. I thought this was the year youth was going to beat the older guys."

Being the "older guys," Kronauge and Wolf decided only to compete in the doubles matches this year.

"My body doesn't recover as fast as it used to," said Kronauge, who was at one time ranked in the top 170 in the world in doubles.

"If I were playing singles, I probably wouldn't be able to walk off the court now, let alone win. It would kill me to lose a doubles match, but singles it's OK."

Kronauge, who married Wolf's niece on May 31, needed to talk Wolf into participating.

"It's an effort. I hate to come out unprepared," Wolf said. "I love to train and work out, but it takes away from my work and family to do that. So I modified it a bit, and hoped for the best. I am (happy) now. Now I can relax."

Kronauge said they'd be back next year. Wolf said he might need more convincing.

WOMEN'S DOUBLES: Playing in her first Met, Keri Preng joined Angela Wilson to defeat Lyndsey Molony and Kara Molony-Hussey for the women's doubles title.

After losing the first set 3-6, Preng and Wilson focused on their original plan to play up at the net and unseated the Molony sisters 6-2, 7-6 for the trophies.

"I'm not a real big singles player," Preng said. "We just felt comfortable in our doubles skills. Personally, I don't think I'd do too well against either of them in singles."

The Molony sisters had won the 1998, '99, '01 and '02 doubles titles.

Preng, a 35-year-old originally from Dallas, who played at Florida State, and Wilson, who went to Indiana University, have been playing together since September.

They work at Five Seasons together, where Preng said they would display their trophies.

It was Wilson's first Met in 12 years and her first doubles championship. She won a singles championship in 1988.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE: The men's and women's singles semifinals will begin at 11 a.m. today, when Cedric Kauffmann plays Rob Bakker, and Tania Luzhanska faces Lyndsey Molony. At 12:30 p.m., Isaac Yarrell will take on Jason Zimmermann, and Angela Wilson will play Kara Molony-Hussey.

The women's final will be noon Sunday. The men's final will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Admission to the weekend matches will be $2.

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E-mail ckane@enquirer.com.