Monday 7th October 2013
It was a day of mixed emotions today as Alex had a tough match against the 5th seed while Holly took out the 7th seed despite being unwell last night and all of today!
The day didn’t start too well with Holly informing me at 6.30am that she’d been sick in the night and was still feeling very unwell. She tried to eat some breakfast but couldn’t face it so after making up a little take away meal we headed off to the club at 7am.
Our hotel shuttle driver really did not know where he was going this morning and in the end we all directed him the right way to the club! When we arrived Alex and I went straight to his match court to warm up but due to the heavy rain overnight the court still had a lot of puddles on it. After a good physical warm up we managed to hit around the puddles for around 25-30 minutes to get Alex prepared for his match. The balls got quite heavy throughout the practice but Alex hit well and was feeling good before we left the court at 8am.
Due to the court still being a little wet Alex didn’t end up going on until just after 9am to face 5th seed Phillip De Bruyn from South Africa. Alex had trained with Phillip and Charlie Ridout on Saturday so we knew a little about his opponent but despite having a breakpoint in the opening game, Alex soon fell 3-0 behind. Phillip was playing a solid set but Alex was a little inconsistent with his level and struggled to get on top during the points. Alex held serve at *0-3 but Phillip continued to play at a high level to take the next 3 games and the first set 6-1.
The second set followed a similar pattern to the first set with Alex trying to find his range to get on top, while Phillip hit well from the back of the court. Alex again had numerous game points but couldn’t convert until he held serve at *0-4. At this stage Alex started to play better and create more chances to move forwards to finish the point at the net. Even though Alex’s level had increased, Phillip held serve to lead 5-1 but the set was far from over. Alex held in the next game then raised his level significantly to break for the first time then hold serve again to trail 4-5*. Alex was then 30-0 up on Phillip’s serve but some strong winners turned the game around and Phillip took the game and then match 6-1, 6-4.
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Alex taking control of a point at the end of the 2nd set
It took Alex a little while to get going in the match today but it was always going to be tough against a much stronger opponent. When Alex did find his level he played well and was very close to levelling the score at the end of the second set. A tough first round match but there were lots of positives to take from it.
Due to Holly not feeling well she didn’t hit this morning before her match and while Alex was playing she was off on her own trying to relax. As I left Alex’s court I walked past Holly’s court to find her in the middle of the warm up! She later told me that she just wanted to save her energy for the match and because of how she felt “nothing I could have said before the match would have made a difference” – fair enough!!
Her unusual preparation for the match actually worked so who says you have to hit or talk to your coach before you go on?! Holly fought hard throughout the match and even though I knew she was struggling she never once showed any kind of weakness. She chased every ball and took control of the opening set from the start winning it 6-0.
During the second set Sharlee played a couple of good games but Holly served very well and never looked in danger of being broken. Holly broke the 7th seed at 3-2* and then again at 5-2* to take the match 6-0, 6-2.
Holly attacking a backhand on her way to a convincing win
Even after she had won I don’t think Holly had enough energy to celebrate and so after a little smile from her and a high five from me we went straight back to the hotel for her to eat and then go back to bed!
Holly actually slept from around 2pm until 6.30pm this afternoon! During this time Alex and I went through a tough gym programme at the hotel and then took a Tuk Tuk to the tennis club to get a bit of physio treatment. We had also planned on watching some of Holly Hutchinson’s match but because of bad light her match got delayed until tomorrow.
When we got back to the hotel we woke Holly up and then headed to the swimming pool restaurant to get some dinner. Holly still wasn’t feeling hungry but when I gave her the option of having some ice cream her appetite suddenly increased! I didn’t mind as long as she got some food in her system but I think Alex was a bit jealous!!
After dinner we headed back to the apartment for an early night to get ready for another early start tomorrow.
Boy’s Doubles Draw
Girl’s Doubles Draw
Schedule for tomorrow:
(WC) Sadaf Sadeghvaziri (IRI) (UNR) vs Holly Horsfall (GBR) (1441) – 2nd match after 8.30am
Doubles to follow depending on scheduling
