BY JEFF FALK
MOUNT GRETNA – It wasn’t like Mike Lesko was some sort of nomadic hired gun who blew into town looking for a game, because he had heard Lebanon County was so proficient at tennis, the tournament was so competitive and well run and the venue was simply perfect for its staging.
No, it wasn’t anything like that at all. But it could’ve been.
On Thursday evening, unseeded outsider Lesko earned the singles’ championship of Lebanon County’s biggest summer tennis tournament – the 48th annual Mount Gretna Tennis Club’s – by dispensing teenage prodigy Jack Muraika 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 in the finals. After the 14-year-old Muriaka had jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set, Lesko, who was competing in the iconic event for the first time, won 12 of the next 14 games.
Lesko emerged with the championship trophy from the week-long, 48-player singles’ draw, one that was populated with some of Lebanon County’s – and beyond – finest players, past and present. None of the seeded singles’ players – 1. Dave Wolfe, 2. Ben Smith, 3. Adam Behney, 4. Colin Muraika – reached the finals.
Then in a doubles’ championship marathon under the lights, C. Muraika and Galen McNaughton outlasted Steve Hass and Paul Elliot, 2-6, 7-6, (7-3), 6-3.
The locale is coming off a 2014-15 school year which was one of its most successful in the history of the sport. But the Mount Gretna Tennis Club tournament is the last remaining link to a past when multiple tournaments made tennis one of Lebanon County’s great summer past times.
“It’s cool,” said Lesko, a 23-year-old former college player at Shepherd University in West Virginia, who recently moved to the area for his job. “I’ve played a lot of tournaments. But this one, with the atmosphere, with the food, with the locals coming out and watching, I like it a lot. I like having more people watching. This was probably one of the most fun tournaments I’ve ever played in.
“I asked a couple of my college coaches if they knew of any tournaments in the area,” continued Lesko. “And they forwarded me an email from (tournament director, Mike) Mr. Rohrbach. I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll play’. That’s how I ended up here. It was a blast.”
“It’s a great venue for tennis, for sports,” said Rohrbach. “This is kind of the only big tournament left in the county. And Gretna is a great place to get away. It’s old friends getting together. It’s people reminiscing about tennis. It’s people meeting each other and connecting over tennis. It’s everything good about sports, in a beautiful social setting.
“This year it was stronger than ever,” Rohrbach continued. “We were basically maxed out (with 48 singles players and 22 doubles teams). I can remember during the early to mid 80s when there were crowds of hundreds out here. It’s a team effort. The courts are playing great. The grounds were redone. A lot of high school kids have been re-introduced to Gretna, and they keep coming back. And younger players like Jack Muraika want to be a part of it.”
The early portions of the championship match were all about Muraika, who had to play into the draw of 32.
With both players content to trade ground strokes from the baseline, and each on serve through three games, Muriaka came up with a service break in the fourth, and then held serve for a 4-1 advantage.
“I’ve always, always had slow starts,” said Lesko. “If I don’t have a good, 30-minute warm-up, I start slow. Once I’m in a rhythm, I’m good. Him taking the ball early was giving me some problems.
“I just kind of knew it (playing from the baseline) was going to happen,” added Lesko. “This is a slow surface. I knew from the first couple of games it had to be on my terms, or he was going to pass me. I knew he wasn’t going to come to the net a lot.”
“We had our deepest draw in years,” said Rohrbach, who coaches tennis and teaches at Cedar Crest. “Dave Wolfe was the defending champion. We had the District Three Class AAA champion (C. Muraika). The two Elco state champions (Adam Behney and Galen McNaughton). The Elizabethtown College head coach. Steve Hass, who hadn’t played in 25 years.
“The young kids keep getting better,” Rohrbach added. “None of the six seeds made a final. Mike (Lesko) was a little bit of an unknown. And Jack got on a great tennis roll.”
Something clicked for Lesko in the middle of the first set. He sandwiched a service break in Game Seven around a couple of ‘holds’ to forge a four-all tie.
From there, both players held serve to set up the tiebreaker, one that went Lesko’s way, 7-3.
“Things did not go good early,” said Lesko. “I like hitting heavy forehands, heavy backhands and heavy top-spin. Once I got into a groove, I felt good. I just had to settle down a little bit. It was important to stay strong and raise my game just a little bit.
“Winning the tiebreaker was key,” continued Lesko. “If I lose the first set, there’s a letdown. When it got to 3-0 in the second set, I just thought ‘stay strong’. And I began to think I was going to win it.”
With momentum now clearly on his side, Lesko swept through the second set. Try as he may, Muraika just couldn’t swing it back to his side of the court.
“He’s really good,” said Lesko of Muraika. “He’s steady off the baseline. He moves really well. He plays great defense.
“All the guys I played were really solid players,” Lesko continued. “I couldn’t just show up and not play well. I felt like when I was stepping in and taking balls early that I played my best.”
“It’s like any sport right now. There’s so many options for kids,” said Rohrbach, who was running the event for the sixth year. “But Lebanon County just produced a state champion and a district champion. A small county with no indoor facility. There’s a lot of good tennis being played in Lebanon County. And this is a great place to celebrate it and promote it.”
During the seesaw, back-and-forth doubles’ final, C. Muriaka and McNaughton completed their rally by capturing the last three games of the final set. After opening with a break of service, C. Muraika-McNaughton gained control of the decisive set by winning the fourth and fifth games, to establish a 3-2 advantage.
C. Muriaka-McNaughton had forced the third by taking a second-set tiebreaker, after establishing a 4-3 edge midway through it.
The opening set was all Hass-Elliot, after the veteran tandem captured five of the match’s first six games.
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Mount Gretna Tennis Club Tournament
Past Singles’ Champions
2015- Mike Lesko
2014 – Dave Wolfe
2013 – Eric Weitzel
2012 – Eric Weitzel
2011 – Mike Rohrbach
2010 – Nick Bybel
2009 – Erik Vargo
2008 – Chris Heilman
2007 – Erik Vargo
2006 – Erik Vargo
2005 – Chris Heilman
2004 – Mike Rohrbach
2003 – Mike Rohrbach
2002 – Mike Rohrbach
2001 – Mike Rohrbach
200o – Mike Rohrbach
1999 – Cancelled, drought
1998 – Dave Wolfe
1997 – Dave Wolfe
1996 – Andy Folmer
1995 – Matt Garman
1994 – Cliff Meyers
1993 – Andy Folmer
1992 – Tom Brink
1991 – Andy Folmer
1990 – Tom Brink
1989 – Mark Moshos
1988 – Mark Moshos
1987 – Mark Moshos
1986 – Mark Moshos
1985 – Steve Hass
1984 – Steve Hass
1983 – Mark Moshos
1982 – Mark Moshos
1981 – Andy Folmer
1980 – Cliff Loercher
1979 – Cliff Loercher
1978 – Cliff Meyers
1977 – Cliff Meyers
1976 – Cliff Meyers
1975 – Cliff Meyers
1974 – Cliff Meyers
1973 – Sam Miller
1972 – Sam Miller
1971 – Sam Miller
1970 – Sam Miller
1969 – Sam Miller
1968 – Sam Miller
Mount Gretna Tennis Club
Past Doubles’ Champions
2015 – C. Muraika-G. McNaughton
2014 – A. Behney-T. Deimler
2013 – M. Rohrbach-R. Gallo
2012 – M. Rohrbach-R. Gallo
2011 – M. Rohrbach-R. Gallo
2010 – M. Rohrbach-M. Zimmerman
2009 – M. Rohrbach-E. Vargo
2008 – C. Heilman-M. Bender
2007 – M. Rohrbach-E. Vargo
2006 – E. Vargo-N. Slachta
2005 – M. Rohrbach-P. Rader
2004 – M. Rohrbach-P. Rader
2003 – A. Folmer-J. Montgomery
2002 – M. Rohrbach-T. Bixler
2001 – M. Rohrbach-T. Bixler
2000 – S. Miller-B. Hulme
1999 – Drought, cancelled
1998 – D. Wolfe-M. Garman
1997 – M. Garman-E. Provencio
1996 – M. Garman-E. Provencio
1995 – S. Miller-B. Hulme
1994 – S. Miller-B. Hulme
1993 – C. Meyers-A. Folmer
1992 – T. Brink-E. Weaver
1991 – T. Brink-E. Weaver
1990 – T. Brink-E. Weaver
1989 – C. Meyers-A. Folmer
1988 – T. Brink-E. Weaver
1987 – S. Hass-M. Moshos
1986 – S. Hass-M. Moshos
1985 – S. Hass-M. Moshos
1984 – C. Meyers-A. Folmer
1983 – S. Hass-M. Moshos
1982 – C. Meyers-A. Folmer
1981 – D. Royer-M. Moshos
1980 – R. Early-M. Moshos
1979 – D. Royer-B. Loercher
1978 – C. Meyers-L. Kreider
1977 – D. Royer-B. Loercher
1976 – D. Royer-J. Davis
1975 – S. Miller-L. Kreider
1974 – S. Miller-L. Kreider
1973 – S. Miller-B. Berman
1972 – S. Miller-B. Loercher
1971 – S. Miller-B. Loercher
1970 – S. Miller-B. Loercher
1969 – S. Miller-B. Loercher
1968 – S. Miller-B. Loercher
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Great story on a storied Tournament. You’re still covering tennis like a pro. Enjoyed your reporting on one more Gretna tennis tournment. An added note to the event, simply there are no other open amateur tennis tournaments like it where anyone can enter. As you might know, amateur U.S.T.A. events are by age and costly, so the Gretna green clay event (slow and great on the joints) is unique, and draws entries of all ages and experiences from throughout the mid-state. Also, congratulations to Mike for recruiting a great draw each year.