it was the big tournament day here.
I had 2 entries one in the 40-49yo category and in the open category.
There were only 15 people registered in the quadra cat, and actually one of them didn't even show up so in my group of 3 , we were only 2, and I met this guy whom i always meet recently and win 3-0 and it was the same outcome again. It must not be fun for him.
Just one win already means I'm through to semis, where i meet a guy whom i've played with perhaps back in 2005 or 2006, and he has always beaten me 3-0 straight in tournaments as far as I can remember. Not that he's THAT much better, (perhaps 50-100 points equivalent ?) but when you always lose the same guy, then it becomes a habit, and especially the end of sets are very difficult to handle with the nervosity.
He's got a very classic attacking game with a strong lefty FH and no totally obvious weaknesses although his BH is weaker. I think I may have posted a video of some earlier encounter this year. This time, by superstition i decided not to film anything although I brought the cam.
In the first set, he had the better start but then it was close, but "as usual" 11-9 for him. Its a hard blow again and he's cruising 9-3 in the second. But somehow i start to come back in the match, i get used to his serve. His main tactic was serving short to my FH and attacking strongly my BH. but i can make better quality receive to make his first attack more difficult and i am quick enough to block as the match progresses. Also my combo long BH serve + strong first attack starts to work very well. i make a come back but i lose 9-11 and i'm down 0 sets to 2 but i've come mentally back in the match, tchoooing on every winner and i start to believe i can win.
in the 3rd set and 4th set, i am in the zone, i can't remember everything, but i kept the same tactics, there were some FH to FH countertop rallies, i could block 2-3 times in a row , i even remember some down the line BH counter-blocks that surprised both him and myself ! So not only i win 1 set for the first time, but a second as well, but at this stage i feel nothing is done and that i could collapse any moment
Fortunately my mates keep cheering for me and i'm still pumped up tchoooing every point (not very nice but thats usually a good sign when i do so) and there is no collapse at all, the level of play is very good, I'm always ahead in this set as well and i win 11-8 this set and the match !!!! at this moment i'm happy like a cadet player having his first over 2000 win
Because im on the lighter side of the draw, there is a long waiting before the final. I can observe my opponent, i never played before, he plays PH, and has a good FH drive, very low and spinny, but seems to have some weaknesses because no BH with his style. I think i am way too anxious and also a bit colder than him when we play the final. The first two sets are a bit of a disaster, im too tense and serving too high, and he just attacks everything. his FH drive being low and spinny its very difficult to block and im not moving well enough to counter him
In the 3rd set i play much better but its a bit too late. i manage to keep serves lower, and to attack a few balls with my BH cross court. Thats really whats needed to beat PH but i didn't try hard enough with my BH from the start. I also score some points with my 3rd ball attacks now my serves get better. im down 8-10 with me to serve, i save the first match point but i make a serve miss on the 2nd one, which is just another proof i was too tense.
Its disappointing because clearly i left too much influx in the semis, i wasnt moving well and lacked confidence from the start. honestly if i played like my normal level it should have been 50/50 or even me a slight favorite for this match.
In the afternoon open its 88 entrants, and im in a mini league of 4 people where i'm placed 2nd. i play the weakest guy first and have a quick easy victory. i play the 3rd player, he's in his 50s and honestly i should be 100 or 200 points above, because even though he's got some good attacks, he's not very consistent. The problem is, my mental energy is still low and i don't have time either to grab lunch as i had to play as soon as the final was over. i was easily ahead 7-3 in the first game and the problem is i thought the match was already over. i give away a silly point and before i cool down i've lost the 1st set 9-11. In the 2nd, he starts to play even better and i become nervous, making easy mistakes being too tense and not moving at all. he's pumped up and starts tchoooing a lot as well
Im not panicking yet, i know that if i manage to recover mentally and move normally i should win. i take a good start in the 3rd, and i start tchoooing again which is a good sign. i win the 3rd and 4th set easily.
However in the 5th set i don't make a headstart, i make a few mistakes again being more nervous and we're at 7-7 with my serve. i have a high chance ball after an attack but there's backspin on it, i don't adjust my feet, still go for a topspin winner but it ends up in the net, thats a beginner's mistake. then i miss the serve, its 7-9, im collapsing mentally 7-11.
To make things worse, before playing this last set i start to have negative thoughts because this guy lost 0-3 to the top player of the group that even if i lose, all i have to do is win the top guy anyway. but that was silly because when thinking about it a second time, it actually means i have to beat him 3-1 !! I realize my mistake and that puts extra pressure on me when facing the tough player. he's a 53yo playing a classic PH with short pips. This is the style i hate most and have the worst record i believe. And he's really good, his drive is not fast but excellent placement and consistency, while keeping the ball low.
And the guy was playing at least 100 points better than me... he had a head start , already 0-5 in the first set and given the situation, i think im unconsciously giving up too easily. And the guy is really moving a lot. despite being older, he was getting everything back, even some very shots, attacks or blocks which were clear winners. He would even try to get them while he was far ahead. -4 -5 -2 is my punishment. Even if I played my best, i think i have only 20%-30% to win max, but i played really far from my best, even though i'd say the worst match was the one i lost in full sets.
so 3 wins and 3 losses today, but the most painful one is of course the defeat in the final, even if a tournament win would have been technically only 3 matches won (2 tough ones), i am very upset because I very seldom go that far in tournaments. I wouldn't have minded to lose the next 5 matches in a row if i had got this title !!! I just have the satisfaction to have beaten my usual enemy for the first time in so many years... a pack of 3 star balls, a pair of socks and a piece of paper for being 2nd.
in Japanese they have a (new?) euphemism "JUNYUUSHO" for the losing finalist. YUUSHO means winner, and JUN means something like "pseudo" or "quasi-" like "quasi-winner". maybe in the same way that you don't say this guy is obese but he's overweight... So thats whats written on my piece of paper with my name, the usual prize for our efforts here.
