Tennis juggernaut rolls past Fort Myer team

By Jim Dresbach, Pentagram Staff WriterJuly 22, 2013

Tennis juggernaut rolls past Fort Myer team
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - An undefeated Fairfax Racquet Club tennis team has lost a total of five individual singles or doubles matches this spring and summer. July 13, the nationally-ranked group of former professionals and college standouts visited the Fort Myer Officers Club tennis courts, and the Fairfax netters left with a 6-1 victory over the Myer Officers Club squad during a hot, steamy morning of serves and volleys.

In singles play, Fort Myer's Billy Barton battled through three sets but dropped his match, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4; and former West Point and All-Army tennis team member John Johnson lost in straight sets 2-6 and 3-6 to Fairfax's David Emery.

'It wasn't the result I wanted, but it always feels good to represent Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and the Army again," former Cadet netter Johnson said of his match. "We played some high-level tennis.

"It was also an opportunity to showcase our first-class, clay court tennis facility, as well as JBM-HH, to area residents who may not have a lot of experience interacting with the military," Johnson added.

The teams played on Myer's six grass or clay courts, and Fairfax brought players who delivered court-time experience playing Atlantic Coast Confer-ence and high-caliber NCAA tennis.

"Currently, several NVTL clubs are made up of former professional tennis circuit and university division 1A players, and the competition has become extremely competitive," Fort Myer tennis team spokesman Larry Reiman said. "The Fort Myer Officers Club Tennis Team is in NVTL Division A, which is made up of the top five teams in the league."

Myer O Club team members include Club Professional Will Warren, Team Captain Abe Carmel, Bill Slenker, Bob Arberg, Andy Reynolds, Cam Funkhouser, George Topic, Dave Jonas, Page Hoeper, Sean Buck, Nick Morris, Tim Waters, Jack Ambrose, David Turner, Dan Simos, Don Brewster and Thierry Chiapello.