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Dave and Bonnie's Excellent Adventure

October 1-19, 2025

 

About the event

https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/usta-announces-teams-for-2025-itf-masters-75---80-----85-and-ove.html

https://www.itftennis.com/media/15071/itf-masters-world-team-championships-bol-croatia-factsheet-updated-10th-september-2025.pdf

https://www.itftennis.com/media/15072/itf-masters-world-individual-championships-bol-croatia-factsheet-updated-september-10th-2025.pdf

 

Wednesday, Oct. 1 to Thursday, Oct. 2

Getting ready to go!  

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At Logan Airport, Dave forgot to take off his Shokz going through TSA and had to hand them over and then they went AWOL for a little bit.  So much excitement already.  Check out how the professionals travel -- with three loose racquets in hand.

Sunrise from our gate at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam:

And Dave has found friends here at Schiphol!  Fred Drilling from Naples -- he is captain of USA's 80's team.  And teammate Marc Mazo.

Dave reading Andre Agassi on the plane to Split, and another player further up in the plane with his Weed racquet :)

In Split there are high winds causing a rather bumpy landing.  We have to deplane down some stairs onto the tarmac and fight 30-40 mph winds to get to the terminal.  Bonnie nearly blows away.  We find out that the small private boat that Dave and Marc had arranged to take us directly to Bol on the island of Brac has been canceled.  Instead, we are very kindly invited to join the group of players who are being escorted by Adam Hutchinson, the USTA Director of Adult Competition, to ride on a bus to the big ferry port where we board the ferry to Supetar, the port on the other side of the island from Bol.  At Supetar, we board a bus, courtesy of the ITF, that takes us up and over the mountainous center of the island to Bol.

The next little part is not documented through photos because of the sheer hell of it.  The bus drops us off at the Hotel Bluesun Elaphusa, which is hosting the tournament on its 20 red clay courts.  It turns out all the resorts here are built up into the hillside, so getting from building to building and court to court involves steep winding pathways and stone steps.  A few people are staying at various other resorts but have to walk from this dropoff point and it isn't really clear at all how to get from Point A to Point B.  Eventually we manage, with all our luggage in tow, to get to the hotel where we will stay for two nights, as Elaphusa didn't have rooms available until Saturday.  Our hotel is two resorts over and is called the Zlatni Rat Beach Resort.  After getting settled in, it is around 6 pm and time to go look for dinner.  There is a restaurant at our hotel but the seating is all outdoors and it is around 50 degrees and still blowing.  Marc Mazo is at the Bretanide Resort in between ours and Elaphusa, and he suggests we meet for dinner there.  Fred says he will come down from his rental house and join us.  But it turns out the restaurant at the Bretanide is only for guests who are staying there, so we are rejected.  Marc stays for his dinner there, as it is included in his half pension room rate, and the rest of us go to the reception area to regroup.  The front desk staff says there is nowhere nearby to eat, but it is "only" a 15 minute walk to town.  It is clear at this point that we would not survive this additional adventure on this day, but a taxi driver named Emil providentially materializes and we manage to snag him.  We ask him to take us anywhere and he deposits us at a restaurant called Ranc where we snarf down some steak, risotto, and pasta, and share some Croatian beer.  Next to the restaurant is a little supermarket where we stock up on snacks for our rooms, and then Emil picks us up and takes us home for a good night's rest.

Friday, October 3

It's still windy and cold but Dave and Marc arrange to meet at the courts to practice.  Bonnie and I walk partway with them and then go on our own adventure.  We walk along the shore all the way to town and when the sun comes out it is actually quite nice.  On our way back we make our way up to the courts to see what's going on and stop at the stadium court to sit down and rest.  Dave and Marc are just finishing and come to find us.  After a little lunch and a rest back at the hotel, Dave is off to hit again!  Today Brian Cheney, the 75s team captain, has arrived on the island and has booked a practice court for the team.  After practice, they go to register and receive their tournament credentials.  

Saturday, October 4

The wind has finally died down and it is a beautiful sunny morning.  The front desk staff person, a very nice young man named Dusan, has offered to help move our bags to the Hotel Bluesun Elaphusa, where we are moving today and where we will stay for the duration of the tournament.  But after breakfast Dusan regretfully informs us that the battery in his electric cart seems to be dead so he will not be able to help us after all.  Brian, who was an Air Force pilot, saves the day with his technical prowess.  He troubleshoots the battery and we are good to go!  We load up the cart, and Dusan drives off with Dave and Brian, who have a practice court scheduled for noon after they drop off the bags.  Bonnie and I go for a walk down to Zlatni Rat beach, where there are quite a few beachgoers today, a number of them swimming in the clear water.

At the tennis courts, Dave's team gets off the practice courts and we have a lunch break in the cafe at the clubhouse, joining Roz King of the USA 85s women's team.  Then it's time to check into the Hotel Bluesun Elaphusa and then go to the Opening Ceremony!  Videos of the team procession and opening ceremony can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDTLcX3fSAw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pFSL1vVDlE and photos below include some from the ceremony, including Bonnie hopping the wall to join the team on the court afterwards and then the cocktail reception where we try some sweet red alcoholic stuff which I believe is called teranino.  Zivjeli!

The day ends well with dinner at the hotel -- clockwise from left: Marc, Brian, Norman Ashbrooke (who just arrived today from California, heroically, to sub in for Michael Beautyman who had to pull out due to injury) and his wife Gail, Bonnie and Dave.  Tomorrow match play starts early but there is rain and wind in the forecast starting around midday.

Sunday, October 5

The weather is mild in the morning and the matches begin as scheduled. First up against the Irish team is Marc at second singles and he dispatches his opponent in under an hour.  While Dave starts warming up for his first singles match, Bonnie and I meet some of the people in the Irish contingent and they are as nice as anything.  Dave is also efficient in taking down his opponent, and that allows Brian and Norman to finish off their match with a third win for the team just minutes before the rain arrives.  It pours rain most of the afternoon, but during a lull in the weather Dave and Bonnie walk into town.  They wanted to get some more supplies at the little market called Tommy, but it is closed for Sunday so the trip will need to be repeated on another day.  Today there are some new arrivals to add to our group:  Brian's wife Anne along with friend Alice Prendergrast, the widow of Armistead Neely.

Monday, October 6

Today Dave's team faces Sweden and it is a clean sweep again!  After they are done, I get to see the US ladies' 85s doubles team of Roz King and Donna Fales defeat Australia.

Here are a date tree and a lemon tree from the hotel grounds:

In the evening, the ITF hosts the official tournament dinner in the dining room of our hotel:

Tuesday, October 7

It's a beautiful day and today the team has a bye.  But they have practice courts at 4:30 pm.  In the morning they go to scout the other teams a little.  Here is a local snack that Bonnie and I shared, a spinach burek:

We watch Roz and Donna a bit, at their doubles match vs. Germany.  There, Dave runs into Bruce Barrett of Florida.  Bruce has just arrived as he is going to play in the individual tournament here next week.

In the afternoon, we decide to test the Adriatic waters, so we go across the path and down to the beach, which is all rocks and pebbles.  The water is quite cold but we enter it to varying degrees.  After that, we go back to the hotel jacuzzi to warm up.  

Dave joins his team for the practice as scheduled.  At dinner, the team discusses tomorrow's match.  It will be against Australia and will go on first thing.  The interesting thing about Australia is that their top player, Tony Dawson, actually lives in the US, and these guys all know and like him.  He is a formidable player and a charming person, and I believe had signed up to play for Australia not knowing that he could have qualified or petitioned to play for the US.  So now he is an adversary!  We find out that in today's match against the Netherlands, he played both first singles, and also doubles.  There is some debate about how this affects our lineup.  The verdict for now is that Marc and Dave will play second and first singles, respectively, as usual.  If they both win or both lose, then Norman and Brian will play the dubs.  If they split, Dave and Marc may play the doubles.  With this in mind, the team disbands early to get their beauty rest.

 

Here's a photo, in Dave's words: "Marc and myself with legendary players Fred Drilling and Jim Baker, an American playing for Slovenia."

Wednesday, October 8

The team eats breakfast early and goes off to the courts.  Bonnie and I take a more leisurely meal and Bonnie tries a couple new things and likes them: chia seed pudding with red currant jam, and an Italian prune plum.

The first match goes on at 8:45 am and is Marc Mazo vs. Geoff Voller of the Australian team.  It's a good match and Marc prevails in straight sets.  Next up is Dave vs. Tony Dawson and it's also a good match but goes Tony's way, also in straight sets.  So it comes down to the doubles point.  The winning team will go into the semifinals and the losing team will compete for 5th through 8th place.  Each team plays its first and second singles players in the doubles match.  So it is Dave and Marc vs. Tony and Geoff.  It's a seesaw match and the sun is a major factor but Dave and Marc have very complementary games and manage to win the first set 6-2 with the teammates supporting and coaching.  In the second set they get behind 3-5 but win it 7-5 in a thrilling comeback!  Onto the semifinals!

In the evening, USTA hosts a nice dinner for all our teams in the tavern room.  Kathy Settles gives a little welcome speech.

Thursday, October 9

Today Dave's team faces off against Spain for a spot in the finals.  First Marc wins his #2 singles match and then Dave is up at #1 singles.  He gets up a break early and secures the first set 6-3 but then the opponent makes an inspired comeback and wins in three sets.  So once again it is down to the doubles point.  Captain Brian puts Marc and Dave back in for dubs and after a one-hour break, they are back on court.  The opponents play their #1 singles guy and a new, fresh player with him.  Marc catches his foot on the clay and takes a tumble early in the match, landing straight on his hip.  He dusts himself off but in a hard fought match the Spaniards take it in straight sets.  So now the US will play Canada for #3.

Friday, October 10

Today's match starts off with Norman playing at #2 singles followed by Brian at #1 singles vs Canada.  Norman's match goes three sets and nearly three hours but unfortunately Canada takes the point.  Brian loses his match in straight sets.  So Canada clinches the bronze and USA will get the copper medal!  Brian returns to play the doubles match with Dave, and they dominate, 6-1 6-1.  After the match, we go down to the stadium court for the medal ceremony.  USA teams have done extremely well.  Women's 75 and 85 teams win gold and women's 80s wins silver.  Men's 85s wins bronze, 80s takes the gold, and Dave's team wins copper.  Team dinner in the dining room is festive and we celebrate the medal, Norm's birthday, the finding of Marc's passport that went missing for a day, and the recovery of Brian's phone that he left at the reception following the medal ceremony.  Tomorrow everyone has a bye in the first round of the 128-draw individual tournament, so it will largely be a rest day.

Saturday, October 11

Today I have a little cough so I am keeping my distance from everyone just in case.  Anyway, it is the first day of the individual tournament and the singles draw is a 128 draw with only 6 matches in the first round, so the guys all have a bye.  It's a good day for Dave to have just one practice session and otherwise rest and recharge.  I head into Bol with Marc -- it's just under a mile --  to get some drinks and snacks for him and Dave at the market.  We bring my rolling carry-on suitcase so we don't have to carry everything all the way back.  

Sunday, October 12

At breakfast, Dave and Bonnie run into some very good old friends, Ted and Nanny Hoehn, who have arrived in Bol to play in the mixed doubles.  Dave says Ted's father was the pro at Longwood when Dave was growing up, and Ted ran the Windridge tennis camp in Vermont for many years.

 

Today Dave plays in the round of 64 and beats Swiss player Rene Bortolani 6-1 6-2.  He hits a lot of drop shots, very mean.  Marc, Brian, and Norman all win their singles matches too. See the draws, schedule of play, and more info here: https://itfmasters.tournamentsoftware.com/tournament/78bd69ca-501e-486d-bd6c-1144a10a694a/matches/20251013 .  Here's Fred Drilling escorting Bonnie down to the court where Dave's match is taking place.  And Dave and Bonnie out for an evening stroll on the waterside promenade:

I stand corrected.  Dates grow on palm trees.  So what is that which I ate a few "dates" off of, and which I made Dave and Bonnie also try?  Luckily none of us is dead yet.  I'm going to go out on a limb here (no pun intended) and say it is a jujube tree.  Here's another mystery tree with little round fruits which seem to turn from yellow to orange to red.  I think it may be a strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo).

Monday, October 13

Today Dave has a singles match at 11 am, against a Danish player named Frans Norby.  Frans is well known and well liked, it seems, by everyone on this tour.  Dave comes out swinging, placing balls side to side and running Frans all over the court.  Nanny and Ted Hoehn have come to watch Dave play.  It looks like a routine day at the office as Dave steps up to serve out the match at 6-1, 5-4.  Alas things are not to be that simple.  I think it is 40-15, double match point, when his legs suddenly stop doing what he wants them to do.  He loses his serve and now Frans is serving at 5-5.  Dave's legs wake up just long enough to break back and give him a chance to serve it out again at 6-5 but sadly the resurgence doesn't last.  He is too exhausted to hit his shots, loses his serve again, and we are in a set tiebreak.  Frans, who looked pretty down and out 15 minutes ago, has a burst of energy and confidence.  He plays inspired tennis to go up 6-0 in the tiebreak, and it ends 7-1.  Onto the third set.  A small crowd has gathered.  The momentum stays on Frans's side and he quickly gets to 3-0.  Dave sits on the bench, and as he says it, tells himself he is not ready to leave this court and this draw.  He gets up and wins six straight games and survives to get into the round of 16!

We go down to the stadium court where Marc is engaged in a similar saga, with the added element of a strained groin.  But Marc pulls it out as well, with us watching from one side and Brian on the other.

It's a good result.  Norman has also won his singles match and later will also win in doubles.  Marc and Bruce Barrett lose a heartbreaker in the dubs, 8-10 in a match tiebreak.  Brian has lost his singles match against the top seed -- unlucky draw.  Tomorrow Dave and Brian enter the doubles draw, having had a bye today.  But first Dave has a singles match against the #4 seed at 9 am.

Tuesday, October 14

Dave goes down to Court 17 for his match against Niall Sweeney, the #1 player for Great Britain.  It is one of the lower courts with trees all around, so there are shadows on the court at most times of the day.  Bonnie and I take our time to get to the court and find a nice spot to sit and watch, and when we get there the match is underway and Niall is serving at 2-1.  The game goes back and forth, too many deuces to count.  Dave is playing great, returning really well and hitting deep shots to both corners of the court, sharp angles to the sidelines, slices down the line.  Niall answers in kind.  Dave gets many break points but this guy Niall is 6'3" and a fantastic mover, and makes some impossible gets, and always saves the break point.  Finally, after 25 minutes, the game goes to Niall.  The rest of the match plays out with more deuce games and with Dave finding some opportunities but not being able to get the games.  After an hour and a half, Niall wins match point and Dave's excellent singles run is at an end.  He doesn't have too much time to be sad because Niall and his wife are so nice, and treat Dave and Bonnie to a coffee at the clubhouse.  I hear later that Niall beat this tournament's #1 seed a few weeks ago at another tournament!

After a break and some lunch, Dave and Brian play their doubles match at 2 pm, against a pair of Dutch players, Tjoen Lew Lim (Indonesian by origin) and Frank van Lerven.  Tjoen is the one who played singles against Marc yesterday, and he is really a charming and sportsmanlike character.  He has an entourage of family members from Holland and from Canada with him, including a couple of grandchildren, and they are equally charming and sportsmanlike, and we all cheer together for everyone.  But these nice guys are no match for our nice guys, and Dave and Brian prevail, 6-1 6-1, to book a spot in the quarterfinals for tomorrow!

In other news, Norman is through in both the singles and the doubles.  Marc wins his singles match in straight sets, despite being in the early stages of a nasty cold.  There is plenty more action coming up tomorrow in the quarterfinal rounds.  

Wednesday, October 15

The day starts off with a practice session for Dave and Brian, who will play their doubles match at 11:30.  After practice, Dave joins me and Bonnie to watch Norman's 9 am singles match against the top seed, the energetic Spaniard Jairo Velasco Ramirez.  Norman loses in straight sets but it's a good match.  Marc's singles match follows.  Sadly, he is a shadow of himself, having spent the night medicating, coughing, and having chills.  He falls quickly to the #2 seed.  Then it's time for Dave and Brian's match.  It's over almost as fast as it began, 6-0 6-1, and they keep the dream alive to advance to the semis!  We hike up to the top courts to do a little scouting and find out that the pesky Jairo and his partner, the #2 seeds, have also made short work of their opponents, so that is who Dave and Brian will face tomorrow in the semis.  There are still a few American men left in the tournament in other age groups.  Jimmy Parker is still in the singles in the 80's, and he and Fred Drilling are in the doubles semis.  David Dollins and Jody Rush are also in the semis, so maybe it will be an all-American final... On the USA women's side, Gwenda Ward is in the semis for both singles and doubles, and Liane Bryson and Ann Stanley are in the doubles.  In the women's 80's, Sue Kimball is into the singles semis as well as the doubles, with partner Betty Wachob.  Carolann Castell is in the other doubles semifinal with her German partner Telsche Andree.  In the women's 85's, Donna Fales and Roz King are both in the singles semis, and are playing together in the doubles.  

Bonnie may or may not be coming down with the cold many others have had.  She takes a rest in the hotel room while Dave and I walk into town.  Dave buys a souvenir and some snacks for Bonnie.

Thursday, October 16

Dave and Brian win the doubles semifinal in straight sets!  Finals are tomorrow!!

Ray Rockwell, who was not on the team during the first week, but came for the individuals week and played doubles with Norman, helps celebrate by inviting us to drinks at the beach bar called Noa, just beyond the wall where the local cats like to hang out.  Anne joins us but Brian stays in the hotel room as he is coming down with the nasty cold that is going around.

Friday, October 17

Dave and Brian's finals match against the reigning champions of this tournament, the Canadian pair Tim Griffin and Chris Burr, is set for 10 am on Court 3, one of the courts with a bank of seating for spectators.  It is a nice cloudy morning, so no sun and shadows to contend with.  No wind either.  There is even a chair ump!  Brian is snuffly but is game to play.  Dave and Brian get up a break early in the first set and take it, 6-2.  It's a great match with a little of everything and Brian is amazingly focused considering he is sick.  The second set is closer; again Dave and Brian get up an early break but the opponents come back to tie it at 4-4.  Dave holds his serve.  Tim gets down 15-40 and we have two match points!  Tim and Chris save one of the match points but then Tim double faults on the second one and our guys have done it!  They have won the men's 75 doubles championship!

After all that excitement, it's time for lunch.  We go back to the hotel restaurant and tuck into some well-deserved bacon cheeseburgers.

Then it's back up the hill to the stadium court for the medal ceremony!

The trip back to reality starts tomorrow.  We will take the ITF bus to Supetar and the ferry to Split.  

Saturday, October 18

Dave and Bonnie's last look at the water in front of our hotel:

After breakfast we get on the 9:10 am bus to Supetar, arranged by the ITF.  There is some confusion and we get a late start at 9:35 am, prompting the driver to drive like a madman on the winding mountainous roads.  He makes what was a 45 minute drive last time into a 35 minute sprint, whipping around all the curves.  Bonnie takes three Dramamine but is still quite carsick for the whole ride.  It takes a little while to recover, but sitting up deck in the breezy fresh air on the ferry helps.  In Supetar we march along the entire length of the pier to the place where we can be picked up by an Uber.  Another half hour and we are in a fine little hotel up on a hillside in an area called Mastrinka, just a few miles from the airport but on a tiny island accessed by a drawbridge.  The proprietor is friendly and kind and carries our two 50-lb. suitcases, one in each hand, two flights of stairs up to our rooms.  Not sure how we will get them downstairs at 4:30 am, long before he gets here in the morning, but we will worry about that later.

After getting settled in, we decide to call another Uber and go check out the nearby little medieval town Trogir.  It's nice to wander around and we sample a local sweet called rafiol, which is a little empanada-looking pastry with a sweet filling based on almonds (although there were variations in different flavors too).  Then we walk along the waterfront and see a castle or fort kind of thing and as we near it, we see an awesome soccer field behind it.  There is a youth soccer match or tournament going on, with teams that include NK Zagreb and HNK Gorica, and we sit in the stands and watch for a while with the parents shouting "Bravo!", and other kids crowding at the fence cheering.

We have a quick early dinner at a place called Tunaholic; Dave and Bonnie share a tuna burger and I get deep fried smelts with fries.  Then straciatella gelato on the way back to the waterfront, where we get a ride back to the hotel to turn in early so that we are ready for our taxi to the airport in the morning.

Sunday, October 19

Our taxi arrives to take us to the Split airport at 4:45 am.  There we see many of our tennis friends, a number of whom are on the same flight with us to Amsterdam.  Others are flying to Zagreb.  

As with many trips, the journey home seems faster.  Before we know it, we are transiting through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, boarding our flight to Boston, and finally back at Logan Airport.  So this adventure is over and it has been a successful one :)

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