Inside the Lines: Knokke, 10k

This week I played in Knokke, Belgium, a beachy tourist town in the northwest corner of Belgium. Of all the nice things I heard of this place I was glad it was my last tournament in the six weeks of playing. I got here on Friday thinking I was in qualifying because the acceptance list said I was two out of main the day before. So I go to sign in and they tell me I got into the main. So I had three days of practice before the main draw started. Well in those three days I only got to hit for about three hours. It rained every day so I was lucky to hit even if it was just for three hours. I thought it was great preparation for this tournament…

So finally the main draw gets underway and I have to play my doubles partner Elyne first round. Tough start to the tournament. We each know how the other plays and to play a friend makes it more difficult. But as I expected it was a close match. The first set was decided in a tiebreaker, which I lost 7-1. But I shouldn’t have. I was up 5-2 and 40-15 returning. The first set point I missed a running backhand and the second she hit a forehand winner. I ended up getting broken the next game, then we each held serve the rest of the set to force a tiebreaker. The second set was also close. I won it 7-5. I broke her at 6-5 and that was that. But I played that set very well, and I served great. Elyne even said after that I played that set amazing and all she did when returning was watch the serve go past her for an ace. But that set I was relaxed and just swung freely. I had a few break points but couldn’t convert any, but I was just focusing on holding really. Then in the third set I remember breaking her in the 3-3 game after what seemed to be about 15 deuce points, but then the next game I lost my serve easily. Then we each held until the tiebreaker which I ended up winning 7-0. I just wanted to get more points than I did in the first set, but I ended up with 7 straight. That was an improvement. But it was a great match, then two hours later we both were back on the court again to play doubles which we won 6-0,6-1. We wanted to win the doubles so she didn’t have two losses on the day. So we made sure to win, which we did.

The next day in my second round match I played an Italian Scimone and won 6-2, 6-1. But during the match I was up 4-1serving and I went to toss the ball to serve and felt my knee (the problematic one) pop a bit and just pain. So I grabbed the ball walked to the fence to see if I could walk it off, then go to serve again but still the same pain. So I thought just great! It always hurts when I’m winning. So I just serve the ball without bending and then I lose the game because I can’t run. But I won my return game by just trying to hit winners. On the changeover at 5-2 the trainer came out and put tape on it and I was good to go. It has happened before so I knew the pain would subside, which it did and I was able to serve out the set and win the second set too.

In the quarterfinals I played a Belgian Oyen and ended up losing in three sets, but it was a good match. I started the first set up 3-0 then I had a game serving where I missed a forehand wide and doubles faulted twice. Not good. Momentum snapped. Then it was 3-1, 3-2, 4-2 where I had a game point for 5-2 but missed my shot deep while running forward to get a drop shot. So then it went 4-3, 4-4, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6 and I had a game point serving but she blasted a backhand return down the line on a first serve for a winner. Then I lost the game and the set 5-7. In the second set I played really well again. I didn’t miss much, she made most of the errors. I won the set 6-1. In the third set I wish I kept up my play, but it didn’t happen. I got broken in the first game and she held so down 0-2 and my next service game I was down 40-0 and somehow came back to win the game and stay in the match. In the next few games however I was unable to get the break back and she broke me at 3-5 for the match. It was a competitive match. I wish I got more shots in the court at the end but she hit a lot of good shots that I was unable to attack. Later that day we were back playing doubles against each other but I won this round. 6-2, 6-2. Not losing two times in one day. That’s a big no no for me.

Then in the semifinals of doubles we lost 6-7(4),6-0,8-10. I didn’t play my best doubles. Maybe in the second set we stepped it up but that tiebreaker for the third is tricky. One or two points can go either way to decide the match and I think that is what happened. We felt like we were the better team who came out of the losing end. Nothing we could do about it after, but I think we should have played more aggressive in the first instead of waiting on our heels. So that would be my only criticism, oh and for me to just play better. Ha.

Well that was this week. It was a good tournament. Had close matches. Won some points to move my ranking up. Now it’s back to the drawing board for two weeks, then I’ll start again. So until then…

Some pictures for you guys.