Glidewell-Alvir win by a whisker
By Peter Brewington
Estimates vary on how much more air Thiago Barbosa needed on his drop volley late in the third set of Sunday’s Fauquier County Tennis Championships men’s “A” doubles final in Warrenton.
One fourth of an inch, an eighth of an inch, or 1/16th of an inch?
Whatever, it was a tiny amount, and no one disagrees that had the shot had that miniscule degree of extra loft, Barbosa and his partner, Vinnie Khera, would have won the title, since the miss came on match point.
But the green fuzzy orb hit the tape and didn’t go over, the match went on, and was ultimately captured by local standouts Eddie Glidewell and Francis Alvir.
Glidewell-Alvir’s 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 victory at Chestnut Forks Athletic Club kept the title in Fauquier County hands — but it sure wasn't easy.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky then good,” said Alvir, a Chestnut Forks pro who has won the county's top men's doubles title before, although not recently.
Thanks to the dominating play of Barbosa, a 6-foot-6 Brazilian who is an assistant coach at Shenandoah University, this match was a see-saw affair.
After winning the first set comfortably, Glidewell and Alvir fell apart in the second, before resurfacing to take command in the final set.
Ahead 5-2 and serving for the match, they stumbled badly, losing four straight games to fall behind 6-5 as Khera stepped up to serve for the championship.
That's when Barbosa had a chance to win it with his tricky volley. For a second — which played out like an eternity — the assembled crowd of almost a hundred fans held their breath.
Barbosa, who made that identical drop shot a few moments earlier, knew how close he came.
“I was already celebrating in my head,” said Barbosa, 22.
Two other match points also slipped away, and the match eventually went to a tiebreaker, which Glidewell and Alvir won 7-5...
See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.