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Marquee rematch is delayed by injury

Gregg Strange, who has tendinitis, won't face Vu-Anh Thai until April.

By STEVE LEE
Published February 25, 2005

LAND O'LAKES - A much-anticipated matchup of the top singles players of the past three seasons has been put on hold.

Gregg Strange, Mitchell's two-time district champion, and Land O'Lakes' Vu-Anh Thai, the defending district champ, did not square off in a Feb. 17 No. 1 singles match at Mitchell.

Tendinitis in Strange's right elbow left the Mitchell senior sidelined for singles play, though the injury did not prevent Strange and Mike Ciadella from defeating Thai and Ryan Macy 10-8 in No. 1 doubles play.

"It was very disappointing," Land O'Lakes coach Karen Turman said. "You gear up to play your rival, then he pulls up lame."

Added Thai, "That was a missed opportunity. It was too bad. It's always a good match."

Strange, the Times' All-County player of the year in 2003, and Thai, last year's Times top player, were scheduled to meet again Tuesday, but Turman and first-year Mitchell coach Joe Dixon agreed to reschedule the rematch April 12 to allow Strange ample time to recuperate.

"I wanted to move it closer to districts and we wanted Gregg to be 100 percent," Turman said.

Strange downplayed the rivalry with Thai, who in last year's district final beat Strange for just the second time in three seasons.

"If I have to play him, I'll play," said Strange, who said he is more focused on USTA matches. "I've done high school for three years."

Apparently Thai-Strange matches mean much more to the Land O'Lakes senior and his coach.

"For the most part, Gregg and I, and a handful of (county players) train outside of the school (teams)," said Thai, who last season briefly trained with Strange at Hillsborough Community College. "We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it."

"It's a battle every time," Turner said. "It's fun to watch."

Getting another shot at Strange is something Thai is nowhere near as apprehensive about as he was when Strange won both regular-season matches last year.

"For me, it evened things up," Thai said of last year's district final that avenged a loss to Strange in that round in 2003. "I felt a lot more relieved."

Delaying the Mitchell-Land O'Lakes match until next month, Thai said, "is fine with me as long as I get to play (Strange). Our games are pretty close. It's whoever has the better day."

Land O'Lakes has won the past two district championships and won the Feb. 17 meeting 4-3. A healthy Strange could help Mitchell reverse that course.

[Last modified February 25, 2005, 00:52:18]