"Dust"-ed in the win!
Despite Dustin's denials, Farmer finds tactical change to win Gladiator war
Sedgwick Park, La Grange- Marty Farmer opened defense of his 3.0 Far East Division Gladiator title in style with a grueling 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3 win over Dustin Baldassari at Sedgwick Park on Sunday afternoon.
Playing in pleasant but cool conditions with a swirling wind, Baldassari seized an early 3-1 lead before Farmer battled back to secure an opening set tiebreaker. At 3-all in the decider, Baldassari gagged a few volleys and Farmer took full advantage closing the set with an emphatic down the line forehand winner.
"I'm sure Dust wishes he had a few of those volleys back," Farmer said about his close friend's missed opportunities. "He's an extremely dangerous player, kind of like Shinsako on steroids. When Dustin is on, he can take the racquet out of your hands. On the flipside, he plays such an aggressive brand of tennis, I just tried to hang in there an pick my spots."
Baldassari again showed who's boss early in the second set racing out to a 5-1 lead. Farmer climbed within 5-3 before calling "Danza" on the set.
Stretching into a third hour, the combatants waged was at 3-all in the third. After holding serve to go up 4-3, Farmer found the decisive break he was looking for in the eighth game. At 30-all, Farmer threw in some drop shots which unglued Baldassari.
"Guys like Dust, Curtis Wyrick and Adam Brune, they are what I like to call CTA players," said Farmer, who has won three Gladiator titles over 7 seven seasons. "These guys are red line all the way hitting for lines. It's a mixed bag if you're on the other side of the net. He's a tough guy to collect information on because he's so aggressive.
"I
made a change tactically, which was to mix up my shots with slice,
spin, different paces and basically junk ball Dust in spots. Thank God,
it worked."
As for Baldassari, don't bet against the uber-talented 27-year-old Westchester resident.
"I had trouble with the sun and wind," Baldassari said. "I prefer playing night matches, but I managed as best I could. I think both of us didn't play our best, but it was very fun and competitive match."
Next up for Farmer is John Tomasias (both players are 1-1), while Baldassari takes on Jon Epstein in match between 0-1 players.
The hard-fought victory capped off a whirlwind week for Farmer.
"I left my [beloved] Sun-Times job, started a new one [Sports Editor of the Oak Park Journal] and was invited by the Bulls media relations to atend Heat vs Heat Games 3 & 4. Then, this match with Dust. It's been exciting and a bit nerve-wracking."
