Coverage of Mixed Nationals at Fox Chapel Golf Club, Pittsburgh, PA

Finalists John Milbank and Bobo Delaney and Winners Cindy Prendergast and George Zink
Finalists John Milbank and Bobo Delaney and Winners Cindy Prendergast and George Zink
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Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 5, May, 2001

The 2001 Mixed Nationals was held in Pittsburgh at the Fox Chapel Golf Club from March 10th to 11th. Last season’s Mixed champ Gerri Viant had to ‘dig up’ a body when told that her partner, Chris Gambino, was resting his tendonitis-plagued knees. Gerri and her fill-in, Mike Gillespie, teamed up in years past to win one Mixed National title. Gerri and Mike entered the event unseeded.

The 1999 champions, Scott Mansager and Sue Aery, felt good about their odds since they both won the previous season’s Open titles. Sue and Scott were the #1 seeds.

With Gambino out, John Milbank and Bobo Delaney, wouldn’t get their 2000 finals rematch; however, a title would work any way they could get it. John and Bobo were seeded #2.

George Zink returned to action after a one-season hiatus, teaming up with Cindy Prendergast. George and Cindy won the 96′ and 98′ titles and were placed as the #3 seed.

David Ohlmuller and Patty Hogan, seeded #4. They made it to the Mixed ’98 and ’99 finals and won it all in ’95.

The event began as planned at 8:30am and proceeded straight through to the semi-finals without upset or incident.

The semis were set: Delaney/Milbank vs. Hogan/Ohlmuller and Aery/Mansager vs. Prendergast/Zink. Everything was going as planned, that is, until the snow began to fall. At 2-2 in the first set, Zink was the first to request a snow-delay. With the ball skidding everywhere, all agreed and both courts were cleared. Speaking in the third person, Zink stated how “snow is like kryptonite to Superman.”

Thirty minutes later, the snow cleared and the courts were dry. Zink used his fast-as-a-speeding-bullet quickness to oust the #1 seeds. On the other side of the draw, Milbank and Delaney defeated Ohlmuller and Hogan to earn another shot at the Mixed title.

In the finals, Milbank and Delaney couldn’t find their kryptonite in their 6-2, 6-4 loss to Zink and Prendergast. With a healthy off-season rehabilitation for Chris Gambino, next season promises to offer another exciting National Mixed Championship.