A Reasonably Good Start

So it kicked off today, with the first match against EP being crucial in getting us into the next round. Thank goodness JM managed to win the first point, YL and K clinched the 2nd point, and S the 3rd. Unfortunately, YR and J lost the 4th match, and WL didn't perform well in the 5th match as she was having some problems adjusting her backhand cut in that match. All the matches against EP were really close and are just not meant for the weak-hearted. I realised how nervous I could get watching them play, most probably something like 10 times more nervous than when I myself am playing. The umpire, a friend of mine, actually came over to tell me nicely to not give instructions when the players are playing(for fairness sake) and yes, I gotta admit that I couldn't quite control myself. =P Also, looking back at today, I realised that my tone of voice when I talked to the players after each set was perhaps a little harsh(or at least I think so when I look back now...). Think I should try to be more conscious of that for I don't want to 'scare' them with the wrong tone of voice. =S

What next after the win against EP? Fear set in. Fear that EP might win Pei Chun and result in a tie among 3 schools. Then it would be terribly hard to predict which 2 schools would get into the next round and who knows we might just get kicked out. With such fear came anxiety and the desperate desire to win this game against PCPS.

Again, JM played the first match. This time round, she faced a rather tough opponent and the gap between their standards was quite obvious. The worst thing was, her playing style kinda pissed me off. Even asking her to just cut and forget about attacking(she only managed to get about 20% or less balls that she attacked in) was difficult. Add up the scores she managed to win in the 3 sets, they totalled less than 11. It was a real disappointment. Plus her stubbornness... sometimes it really pisses me off. My philosophy is this: If you are GOOD ENOUGH(i.e. consistently getting into the top 4 in national age group tournaments), you can afford to be stubborn. Otherwise, FORGET IT... Anyway, I think my attitude during this match wasn't good. I think I ought to reflect as well. In short, I simply wasn't so interested in that match for a variety of reasons. Maybe I'm just a little biased and practise a bit of 'favouritism' not-so-consciously.(Sometimes just can't help it right...?)

The 2nd match was played by K and YL. It wasn't as tough a fight as the previous match against EP though it still did make me sweat a little. We thus won this match and I am quite happy with the performance of K and YL. On the whole, both of them did well today, being able to withstand the immense pressures being put on them and yet being able to deliver the wins. No doubt they needed constant reminding and pushing to carry out their respective 'roles' but still, they ought to be applauded for being great fighters today. Also glad that YL played without showing any signs of being sick even though she was still sick. That's the kind of attitude of a good sportsperson and I'm extremely glad that she has displayed that. As for K, it was probably a 'breakthrough' for her as she attacked well today even at the most crucial points and I'm certainly glad she did. I hope that those great shots boosted her confidence in her attacking skills.

The 3rd match was played by S. She didn't perform so well and after 5 gruelling sets(if I didn't remember wrongly), she was pinned down by her opponent. Her stubbornness did piss me off too. I'm sure she would have done better if she had varied her services and had given her opponent more short serves to the right rather than to the left. But since she chose to ignore the advice, well, what could I do except to just sit(to be exact, stand) there and watch her get 'slaughtered'... Again, my attitude here wasn't exactly good but I think there's nothing much that can be done to one who isn't very receptive to advice? =S

The 4th match was quite a breeze for YR and J. I'm glad that J did not make as many mistakes with her forehand cuts in this match as compared to the previous match against EP. As for YR, she made quite a number of mistakes in her forehand smashes but on the whole she still performed quite up to standard I thought. Kudos to the both of them for being able to withstand the pressure of being down 2-1 and winning this match. I'm also glad that the both of them seem to be able to get along fine and I hope that my short talk with them yesterday about the importance of being encouraging and understanding towards each other when playing doubles helped. (seems like playing doubles and being in a relationship has many similarities. =P)

The 5th match was the determining factor for this game against PCPS. While the 2nd doubles of YR and J were playing, I decided to train a little with WL. Not that such last minute training would really help improve her playing, but I thought it might help to boost her morale and make her feel more prepared and calm. Thank goodness she played well in this match and was able to keep her cool despite having played not-so-well in the previous match against EP. She won the first 2 sets quite easily but got 'stuck' in the 3rd set, even trailing 9-10. But she fought on and won back that set. WL sure deserves a big pat on her back for that(a gentle one... not the YR type of pat =P).

Oh and something which I missed out... in the midst of the game against PCPS, the umpire(a different one this time) came over (again) and asked me to =x. Looks like its really not easy for me to control my mouth when I'm watching them play... *grin*

To conclude the day's performance, I think that each and everyone of the players have played a significant role in winning their matches against EP and PC. YL and K deserve the most praise for winning BOTH their crucial matches and the others all deserve some praise for winning in either match. Hence, we have now safely gotten into the top 8 of the nationals. Cheers. Hope that we will all proceed further into the top 4. Will give the girls a treat if they achieve that target... (so start drooling now~!)

After the matches ended, it was already about 5.45pm and I went on to have a fantastic evening. 27 June 2006 was a great day for me and I hope it was also a great day for you.

May the NH TT girls keep up their winning streak!