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A Double-dipping
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Curt Stall reaches for a ball in the first round of the Mens Class A bracket on Saturday. Stall and partner Elton Farr topped Artem Beer and Jim Kundert, 6-2, 6-4.
MONROE - The finals of the 38th annual city doubles tournament had some familiar faces and stunning play.

Kristin McArdle and Ellie Shuda defended their crown against Kelsey Erickson and Emily Grossen, while Al Schroeder and Scott Schleis knocked off defending men's Class A champions Joe Soddy and Dan Bartholf.

"We had a real quality doubles tournament. I was really pleased with the draw," said Jim Bartholf, lead organizer for the city tennis tournaments.

McArdle, a junior at Monroe and Shuda, a sophomore, are two of the top singles players for Monroe. In the semifinals, the pair knocked off teammates Ashley Hermanson and Gwen Sutter, 6-2, 6-0. Erickson, a senior, and Grossen trumped Kiera Berger and Pam Lehman 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.

"I felt like we got it going a little bit in the second set of the first match," McArdle said.

A change in playing style made the difference Shuda said.

"Once we started attacking the net, we played much better," she said.

In the finals, McArdle and Shuda continued rushing the net and took the first set, 7-5. In the second set, the pair found their groove and finished the match with a 6-1 second set.

Despite the win, the two said that they would not be looking into playing in doubles when the fall season starts up in a few weeks.

"It's way different than singles. I'm more of a baseline player and I'm not used to the net. And with doubles you have to be in communication, and not just worry about yourself," Shuda said.

Berger and Lehman knocked off McKensie Bruce and Rachel Root in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-3, and Hermanson and Sutter topped Alysia Quinn and Lily Priewe 6-1, 6-3.

Berger and Lehman went on to win he third place match, 6-1, 6-2 over Hermanson and Sutter.

"The high school girls are going to have a super team this year. Up and down the line they are good," Jim Bartholf said.

Schroeder, a Monroe insurance agent who has won four singles titles, claimed his first doubles title with the help of Schleis, a friend and Beloit College men's tennis coach.

"It was a fun weekend. I was happy to get to play doubles for the first time in three years," Schroeder said. "There was a lot of good, quality teams. Scott and I have been playing at a serious level for a while now. You have to be relaxed under pressure and try to execute what you know you can do. Not too much, but execute what you can do."

Dan Bartholf and Soddy had won three of the previous four titles, but Schroeder and Schleis devastated their opponents with great net play and hard smashes, winning 6-3, 6-4.

"We played pretty well. We served and volleyed well," Schleis said. "It's good to play with someone who you know well. You get good position on the court and have good communication."

In the semifinals, Schleis and Schroeder topped Kevin Monahan and Steve Flanagan, 6-4, 6-1. Bartholf and Soddy knocked off Mike Nortman and Chris Garrow in three grueling sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

"The four men's semi-finalists are all very good. I really think any one of them could have won," Jim Bartholf said.

Monahan and Flanagan won the third place match, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Frank Meier and Willie Noriega topped Christian and Kevin Noriega 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the Class B men's final. In the 14-and-under division, Matt Miller and Jeremy Miller topped Kevin Noriega and Austin Murphy, 5-1, 6-4.

"Overall I think the tournament was really good. There were a ton of quality kids, even on the girls side," Jim Bartholf said.

In three weeks, the city mixed doubles tournament will be played. According to Bartholf, the mixed doubles tournament is a fairly popular event.

"There's going to be some great combinations. If some of the guys from this past year's high school team group with the girls right now, it's going to be a real quality tournament," Bartholf said. "It's usually the younger kids that get into the mixed doubles, though. It's been pretty popular lately."