Tri vs Rahber—After a long season, with many injuries and some up and down play from everyone else, the two most consistently strong players this year were Tri and Rahber. Rahber took out Tri in the regular season, which was his only loss, and Rahber has not lost this year. Both players had some challenges in the playoffs, in which Rahber was pushed in both his quarter and then ESCAPED in semifinals in tiebreak. Tri had tighter first sets in both his playoff matches, particularly a spirited battle with yours truly in which it took him 4 set points to win a 10-8 tiebreak or that match could have different result. Tri then exerted his superior offensive game however to fly into final.

Both players play with offense off the ground, with Rahber showing off a bigger serve particularly a harder 2nd serve which makes attacking difficult. Tri similarly has been hitting hard groundies for years, but his deceptive 2nd serve which slices low and fast, along with good placement on first consistently sets up his big forehand. Both players play strike first and go to net sparingly but are effective and consistent when at net. This match should come down to: 1. Who can take control consistently longer with forehand 2. Who can serve better to get some free points. 3. Defense? Tri’s defense has always been there, but he showed off some nicely placed lobs against me from very defensive positions. Similarly, Rahber usually gets in control of point quickly, but in times when he is pushed to defense, his deep returns are generally intelligent enough to get him into point.

This should be a great match! Good luck !