Friday 25th November 2011
It was a much lighter day today as the players were need of some rest after competing and training for the last 7 days in a row.
As matches were scheduled to start at 10am this morning we had a bit of a lie in and all met up for breakfast at 7.40am. Thankfully by this time breakfast was out and we even had the luxury of Rice Crispies!!
As normal the players warmed up 25 minutes before we were due on court and as I was joining in hitting during the session that meant that I was warming up too (got to be careful now I’m getting old!). Julia had the choice of who she wanted to hit with as she was the only one competing today (after Jack had a walkover) and to my surprise she chose me!! After a good 30 minutes Julia was ready for her match but Mia and Jack stayed on with me for another 15 minutes which concluded their training for the day.
The consolation event that the tournament has arranged has been absolutely fantastic for the players and for the coaches as it gives the players the opportunity for more competition. Every player in the draw can continue competing until tomorrow as, even if you lose, you keep going until you achieve your specific position from the main draw e.g. you’re placed between 17 – 32 (not great if it turns out you’re the weakest player in the draw though!).
Julia ended up going on with the 1st round of matches as there had been a walkover in the previous round so just after 10am see took to the court to face Mia’s opponent from yesterday. Julia was really up for taking some revenge on Mia’s behalf but she didn’t get off to the best start going 0-2 down. She then settled down and won the next 3 games in a row before being broken again at *3-2. Despite playing a much better set than any other she’s played so far Julia struggled a little to hold serve but was breaking serve easily. This pattern continued until Giselle held at 5-5 but Julia responded with a solid hold of her own with 3 winners from the back of the court to take it to a tie-break. Julia served at 83% in the tie-break which, after going 0-3 down at the start, helped her to fight back and take it 7-5.
She then relaxed in the 2nd set and played even better than in the 1st set clocking up 16 winners and 14 unforced errors on the way to taking the set and the match 7-6(5), 6-3. She was a little disappointed when she came off the court as she thought the match should have been easier but after hearing the stats, especially the serving percentage, she was a lot more upbeat.
Following Julia’s match I debriefed Mia on her match from yesterday and then we headed back to the hotel for some lunch. As we were done for the day by 1pm I suggested to the players that we leave the hotel and go just up the road to a small Italian restaurant. They all jumped at the chance to eat somewhere different and the food ended up being really good!
After lunch we went back to the club to cheer on the WIN Tennis Academy team as Robbie and Charlie Ridout were in the semi of the boy’s doubles while Ruby Grant was in the girl’s doubles final. Unfortunately Rob and Charlie lost 10-6 in the 3rd set match tie-break but Ruby and her partner won their match tie-break 10-8 to lift her first ITF trophy. Ruby’s had a great week in both singles and doubles; she’s worked very hard and truly deserved her victory today and the points that go with it!
Jack, Julia and Mia had a couple of hours from 4-6pm to get stuck into some school work before we all met up again for dinner in the hotel.
Schedule for tomorrow – Final Consolation Matches:
9th / 10th Place Playoff – Julia Weisel (USA) (1052) vs Lesedi Jacobs (NAM) (UNR) – 2nd match after 12pm
13th / 14th Place Playoff – Mia Smith (GBR) (UNR) vs Nelise Vester (RSA) (1116) – 2nd match after 12pm
33rd / 34th Place Playoff – Jack Large (GBR) (UNR) vs Keegan Sullivan (RSA) (1741) – 2nd match after 12pm
