Rombeau at a Loss to Explain His Win

Houston’s Jim Rombeau couldn’t remember how he won or why he won the USTA Men’s 50 National Hardcourt title. He simply knows he was the last one standing after nearly four hours of grueling tennis at the Lindborg Racquet Club Sunday afternoon. Rombeau, seeded second, outlasted top-seeded Brian Cheney of Chandler, Ariz., 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (10-12), 7-6 (7-1), and avenged last year’s finals defeat to Cheney.

After winning, an exhausted Rombeau staggered to the microphone to accept his fourth gold ball, his reward for winning a USTA national title.

“Brian served better, moved better, volleyed better,” Rombeau said. “I don’t know how I won that match.”

Rombeau was so focused on winning that he didn’t even remember playing three tiebreakers.

“I don’t play long matches,” he said. “I’m a serve and volleyer. I like to get them over in a hurry, but Brian wouldn’t acquiesce.”

Cheney saved three match points in the second set, two in the tiebreaker, and recovered from a 4-2 deficit in the third set to force a tiebreaker. Both players like to serve and volley, but Rombeau stayed aggressive longer and that eventually proved to be the difference.

“For me, it takes a lot more energy to stay back,” said Rombeau, a tennis pro in Houston.

Cheney, 51, said his two three-set matches on Saturday took their toll on his legs.

“I’d have liked to serve and volley more, but midway through the second set I decided I couldn’t,” said Cheney, who played World Team Tennis for three years and is now a teaching pro.

Cheney forced a third set by recovering from a 4-1 deficit in the tiebreaker. At 10-10, a deep approach caused Rombeau to hit a passing shot wide and then a backhand volley winner wrapped up the set.

Cheney, whose son Andrew recently finished a playing career at UC Irvine, later won his 33rd national title by teaming with Peter Bronson of Scottsdale, Ariz., to win the 50 doubles title, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5, over Tom Leonard and Jerry Van Linge.

Rombeau, who played collegiately at Houston, has captured the 35 hardcourts singles and doubles, the 45 hardcourts and now the50 hardcourts in his second attempt.

“I don’t think this was the best quality of tennis Brian or me has played, but it was the most exciting,” Rombeau, 50, said.

In the 55 singles final, top-seeded Dick Johnson of Ballwin, Mo., defeated second-seeded Leland Housman of San Diego, 6-1, 6-4, to win his 28th national title.

Johnson got his 29th title when he and Jodi Rush won the 55 doubles, 6-0, 6-1, over Jackie Cooper of Louisville, Ky., and Juaquen Demonet of Atlanta.