Inside the Lines: Macon, France. 10k

Well my tournament here in Macon didn't go so well. I started off in the qualifying draw. First round I ended up playing a girl from France and won 6-0, 6-1. Then second round I played another girl from France and lost 6-7(5) 4-6. This match I thought I played well. I came to the net often and made her come up with the passing shots. I was down 5-2 and managed to hold serve then break her to get it back on serve at 5-4. I held and then broke her again. I was serving for the set at 6-5 and lost it on a long deuce game, and to make things worse at deuce I missed a shot that I've hit many, many, many times in practice and I'm able to make it 9 out of 10 times, well this shot was that 1 that I don't make. I was a bit upset at myself for that. Then in the tiebreaker I was still playing my game but I ended up missing yet another low forehand that I usually whip it inside in low over the net and follow it in, but missed that one on the top of the tape. Again another shot I practice, and I missed it during a critical time in the match. Had I made it and won the point that would have given me a good chance to take the tiebreaker but instead it was now 4-3 instead of 5-2. After a bunch of long rallies I ended up losing it 5-7. However, I wasn't upset, I played that set the way I wanted to and she made one more ball in then me on the bigger points. In the second set I continued with my game plan. But I ended up getting broken early. I still thought to myself that I had a good chance of breaking her, because I did it twice in the first set, but that wasn't the case this time around. Throughout the set I was still attacking anything that landed short, I was mixing in serve and volleying, even on second serves, I felt like I was moving and hitting the ball cleanly. Then at 2-3 I had a great opportunity to break her serve. I won the first point on her serve then the next point I hit a drop shot to her forehand side and she replied with a floater right in the middle of the court. I should have just put it away down the line, but instead I thought that would be too obvious and decided to go back cross court. Well she was waiting there and she hit a volley back at me and I hit the next volley deep into the corner of the court for a winner, but the umpire called it out. I looked at him like he was crazy, because the ball landed well inside the line, but he insisted that it was out, so I have to go with his call. So now it was 15-15 instead of 30-0. Then I won the next 2 points, giving myself break points (should have been my game, I'm not bitter or anything [sarcasm]) But I managed to lose those points after a missed return and a winner, and then I lost the game. So that was my only opportunity to break her. We both manage to hold serve the rest of the set, but seeing I was down a break I lost the set 6-4. Still I walked away from the match feeling like I was hitting well, moving well, thinking (most important), and competed up until the very end. The worst part about that match was that it was on my birthday, so that kind of dampened the mood a little bit.

But the next day I signed up for lucky loser and it turned out that one girl had to withdraw so I was able to take her spot in the draw. Lucky for me it was against the 1st seed Coin from France. She was a former college player at Clemson and she has played in a bunch of Grand Slams, so she has some experience playing in the big leagues. At the start of the match, I didn't know what to expect except for seeing her on the practice court that we shared the day before. Other then that, not much. But at the start I found myself in hole. She won her service game easily, with the help of 2 aces. Then she broke me the next game, so I was down 2-0. I managed to break her back after she missed a few first serves, and I was able to attack her second serve. So back on serve now, and I'm feeling a bit better now because we are even. So throughout the set I'm serving well, mixing up the spins and placement. Serving and volleying even on second serves. We both were holding serve until I got broken at 5-6. I still was coming in, and attacking as best I could from the baseline. But I made a few mistakes when I was serving and volleying. She managed to get a couple returns right at my feet and I couldn't do anything with the ball. One went into the net, and another I popped it up, short and she put it away. I managed to save 2 set points, one with an ace, the other with a well set up point with me hitting a drive forehand down the line and following that in to the net and putting the high floating ball away with a forehand volley cross court. But the 3rd set point she hit a deep return to my forehand side and then put the next ball away down the line, out of my reach. It was a good set again, just a point here and there was what it came down to. Then in the second set my goal was to continue to pressure her, keep mixing up the serves and take time away from her, by coming in or taking the ball early and on the rise. Well I was doing that and found myself up a break early. But again she came back and broke me. I was up 2-0, 2-1, 2-2, now down 2-3. Held 3-3. She held 3-4. Then I got broken. It wasn't the greatest game. The first point I completely botched a half volley. It didn't even come close to going over the net. But the next points were played well, she just hit some good passing shots because I didn't really stick my volleys in the court and away from her. They were where I wanted them to go, just they sat up and she was able to get to it and put it away. I thought after the match maybe I could have hit shorter volleys to make her move into the court instead of along the baseline which she was good at (moving side to side) but I wish I thought that sooner! But she then held to serve out the match, and that was that. Again, I was pleased with my performance. I challenged her the whole match, keeping the pressure on, but a few mistakes by me proved costly.

Both matches that I lost I thought I played well. I felt good out there. So I can only get better for the next one. I just need to improve my play on the big points and maybe the results will be different. But now I'm off to Bron, France, which is somewhere in the Southeastern part of France near Lyon. So hopefully next week will be better!!

Oh and here are a few pictures I took of the facility and the town!