Merola into Moore Family Office final after saving match point against Josephs
Rob Fahey wins the battle of the Fahey household
Nino Merola has won though the semi-finals of the Moore Family Office Spring Challenge in dramatic fashion, saving match point against Jack Josephs in the second set at the Oratory on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Rob Fahey took down Claire Fahey in front of a packed house on their home court in straight sets.
The evening began with the much anticipated semi-final between Radley pro Nino Merola and the tournament wildcard Jack Josephs. An anxious start from Merola saw him concede the first three games of the match. He was experimenting with his serve, but no matter what he tried, Josephs was able to step inside the ball with his open-stance foorehand, playing it under the galleries and engaging in a backhand rally. With the rally established, Josephs’s retrieval was solid and dependable, while Merola’s unforced errors began to bite. Eventually, Merola struck a vein of form, beating game point in the fifth game with a series of heavy cut shots to beat worse than 2. But at game point at 3/2, playing better than the door, Merola slid the ball into the door gallery instead to lose the chase. Josephs now had the advantage again, using the handicap as wind at his back as he went on to take the first set.
Merola was more more positive at the start of the second set, but at the expense of more errors. Josephs was unphased by Merola’s antics at the other end, going about his business as he had done for the whole match. Both players were in search of the right balance in their play. For Merola, he needed to find the right level of attack without giving away too many free points or letting Josephs into the rally. For Josephs, it was about not getting suckered in to playing an expansive shot and deviating from his game plan. Josephs went up 4/1 in the second set before Merola’s balance finally got established. He brought the deficit back to one game. Josephs had a match point in the 5/4 game, which Merola defended with a cut-volley that curved into Joseph’s body, cramping him for room and sending the set into a deciding game again. Merola opened with back-to-back galleries, before stepping up to serve an ace on a pique serve. His play on the tambour gave him the advantage, winning the set after the second change of ends.
Merola carried his run through to reach 2/0 in the third before hitting another fallow patch. Josephs was ready to capitalise, fighting through the next three games and holding the lead again. He was just about to make the advantage decisive, with Merola setting a ball up off the back wall on game point in the 3/2 game and giving Josephs a clear shot at the open grille. However, he missed high, with Merola able to step in and play the ball deep into Josephs’s backhand instead. Merola finally stepped up to finish the match off, winning the last four games and securing his place in the final.
The galleries packed out for the second semi-final to see two of the most prolific players in the history of the game face-off. 13-time World Champion Rob Fahey played 8-time Ladies World Champion Claire Fahey for just the third time in the careers in a competitive context, and for the first time in eight years. From the first ball, it was clear that both had put their pride on the line and were not treating it as a light exhibition. Rob Fahey was keen to control the play, finding an extra step in his movement across the court — something he normally only brings out in decisive games late in a set, but this time it was from the first ball onwards. Claire Fahey was having to deal with the extra heat, not helped by some poor serving early in the set, setting up Rob for repeated shots at the main wall dedans. Nevertheless, she brought her best defensive play out, with few mistakes in open play meaning each rally had to end in a winner one way or the other. Rob Fahey won the first four games before dropping off his intensity slightly, allowing Claire Fahey to get back into the match with her extreme cut shots. She came within one point of levelling the scoreline at 4-all but Rob Fahey was able to find yet another main wall force at the decisive moment, pressing on to win the set.
Though the early stages of the second set were once again even, sharing the games to 2-all, Rob Fahey was too strong on any ball given to him in open space. Even when Claire Fahey did manage to generate some difficulty with a ball jamming against the wall or off the tambour, he was able to dance across and play it back safely, backing himself to recover the rally again at a later point. Despite Claire Fahey’s repeated winners and fast forces, Rob’s shot quality was superior, as he marched home with the final four games of the match. After the match, they embraced in the middle and took a moment to appreciate the crowd, applauding them for several minutes before leaving the court.
The tournament concludes on Friday with the final, which will be played as a best-of-5 set match. Fahey will attempt to win his first handicap competition since the 2004 Roo Trophy, where he defeated Julian Snow in the final, while Merola searches for his first piece of silverware since the 2024 Category A Open.
Match results:
5:00 PM: Jack Josephs (Rec 1/2 15) lost to Nino Merola (Owe 1/2 15) 6/2 5/6 6/3
7:00 PM: Robert Fahey (Owe 15) def Claire Fahey (Rec 1/2 15) 6/3 6/2
Order of play for Friday:
6:00 PM: Robert Fahey vs Nino Merola