Played a tournament today. Got there late because my car didn't start as the battery had worn down. When I got there, I found out that they had put the girl who beat me on Tuesday in my RR for the U2350. Her and a guy now in college who I don't think I have beaten in almost a year now. Oh well - I go hit the practice tables. MY camera is damaged so I have to get a new one - I am pissed.
So when I come back, I play the guy. I win the first game 11-9 and I am up in the second game 7-4. Am I going to end the year of losing to this 2200 kid? As good as my forehand was, it was not to be. I started missing, lost the second game at 9, lost the third game, and in the fourth game, was up 10-8 but ended up losing 13-15. Sucks balls, man.
Then I play the girl. And like Tuesday, I go up 2-0, firing away on almost all cylinders as I am warmed up this time. Like Tuesday in the 3rd game, I go down 1-5. Like Tuesday, I lose the 3rd and 4th game and go into a deciding 5th. Not looking good. Unlike Tuesday, I am the first to get to 5 and go up 6-3. They call a timeout for the girl, but the time out throws her off - she has some high ball issues - in general, she missed easy shots - I wish I could have called it some great play of mine that made it 11-4, but other than the third ball loop kill to end the match, it was really bad play after the 3rd game.
Then in the quarters, I played the kid with medium pips who I lost to in the semis of the U2000 last time. In the first two games, he returned my backspin serve really badly. In the 3rd game, we were tied at 6-6 and then I win 4 points in a row to get to match point. And then he wins 3 in a row to get to 9-10. I served, he pushed , I looped, he blocks with the pips, I loop again and he blocks long - PHEW!
So now I go play my U2000 RR. I play an older blocker who I have played quite a few times at that tournament - he usually pisses me off with his stomping, I call him on it and he stops doing it, he wins the first game, then I come back and win the next 3 comfortably. We start the first game and I am murdering him. It's like 8-2 in a jiffy and 10-4 after that. He comes back to win the game 13-11. WTF?!?!?!? And of course, like clockwork, I win the next three games at 4,5 and 8.
In the semis of the U2350 , I play a 2300+ guy. Men, this guy serves heavy reverse sidespin with his backhand into my wide forehand. Let's just say that if I could have returned his serve reasonably well, then MAYBE I would have made the match interesting. But other than a few good highlight shots, I was roadkill.
I then play the 3rd place match of the 2350. I was playing a forehand looper and I just could not avoid his forehand. I think that changes in my forehand technique played into his hands as I was trying to be more aggressive. In any case, I lost 3 straight. He was the same guy I beat twice to break USATT 2000 almost 2 years ago now.
Then I came back to my U2000 RR and played an older guy who plays at the club. He plays me a lot and I usually torture him, though recently, by using a fast Andro blade with skyline on forehand and OVA on backhand, he has gotten more consistent with his style, which is to drop even long pushes short until you pop up his short balls, after which he goes Jet Li on you. I wasn't looking forward to this. I won the first game at 8, he won the second game at 8. And in the 3rd game, I can't make a shot and I am popping up the ball and I go down 8-2. So I say freak it and stop hitting the ball hard against his openings or pushes unless he floats a push long. And weirdly, he starts missing. I get it to 8-8 and win the game 11-9. That must have broken his heart as he lost the last game at 1.
In the U2000 QF, I play the son of a buddy of mine. The kid is 10, maybe 11 and pretty short like his father. But the annoying thing about kids who are short is that they keep the ball low, tend to know what to do with low backspin, and hit the ball with full strokes. That said, I know a thing or two about playing kids who have not developed good footwork. I push to their backhands and let them open, forehand or backhand. I then block with my backhand from the forehand side into their wide forehand. I may use my forehand sometimes as well. When they chase that ball and bring it back, usually hihg, I sent it back into their backhand side with pace. I repeat this run around sadistically until the match is over or in this case, I do it a bit nicely since he is a buddy.
In the semis, I get another guy who is 1700 but really underrated and doesn't play enough since he is a family man. He was 1500 when I was 1300 and is a fantastic counterlooper. Now though, my all round play and defence was a bit too consistent.
So in the finals I am playing a kid that has an annoying awkward game and good touch. As with all kids, one day, he will leave me behind. But right now, it is annoying to lose to a kid who backs off the table and puts the ball into the sky. He serves short topspin so that you can hit the ball long or pop it up and then he can get into his theatrics. He sometimes hits the ball hard so you can't fall asleep. He also floats the ball sometimes or drops it short to toy with you. I go up 2-0 by attacking his short high topspin serve. The thing is that if you kill the ball towards him, he uses your pace to bring the ball back while you are over the table. So I mostly flick the ball to his wide forehand or backhand to move him out of position and try to make the block back. Then going for a loop in game 2, up 8-4, my muscles start tightening in my elbow and just give way. From then on, even though I won that game, the match was not the same. I could not open with my backhand without fatiguing it and I lost the match in 5. 2nd place in the U2000 was annoying, though after all I Was top seed and did lose to the second seed. But if my elbow had not deserted me, it would have been more.
I considered pulling out of the U2200 but said what the heck do I have to lose. I played the C player first and won in 3 straight - he had major issues returning my backspin serve and I think he got frustrated. Then I played my buddy D - won that in 4, but it is never fun or easy playing him. In the quarters, I had a bye as the #2 seed and in the semis, I got to play the kid that beat me in the U2000 final. I won the first two games easily just like in the U2000 finals. Then I went up 9-1 in game 3 and I knew it was over, so over that my body stopped playing and then it was 9-5. Then I got it to 10-5 and I lost 3 more points and it was 10-8. Then I called timeout. Then it was 10-9... then we play a point and loops long and I let out a loud CHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
And in the finals, who is waiting for me? THe medium pips kid! He upset the #1 seed, who I had lost to in the 3rd place match of the 2350. The medium pips kid had the kid I just beat and two other kids (the girl I beat in the morning and her friend) cheering loudly against me, joined by the father and the coach. Playing in the away club can be tough and I think I rushed too much and didn't play with enough spin. I lost in 3 straight. Other than the first game, not really competitive. Maybe beating the kid too easily in the morning hurt me.
So what were the takeaways? Some good improvement on my forehand in general and I think that is only going to get better as long as I stay healthy as I have found technique that taxes my shoulder less and rotates my core more even if imperfectly. I now need to be able to use it to counterloop with a short stroke and drill some footwork into the new forehand. MY backhand over the table and aspects of my mental game need improvement - need to keep concentration till the last point. I also need to work on serving to spots that force people to move and not straight into people's strokes. All in all, it is a good day when you make all your entry fees back even if you didn't win any event outright.
