Just A Little Off

Sets 366-368:

Stuart v. Y. at Avery Ranch. Winner: Y. 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

My Mojo: Uncalibrated But Determined.

Sometimes you play a match where everything falls into place; your shots go right where you want them to, the stuff you aim at the line hits right on, your net bounces go right over the net, etc. This was not one of those times. My line shots were all going long, lots of my shots crashed into the tape on the net instead of going over, and I had to struggle for any kind of strategy. Still, what I did have in my favor for most of the match was perseverance and grind.

In the first set, I struggled to maintain parity, and crumbled at the end. I got a little behind, then caught up, then could not win any more games. It was frustrating me that my "edge" shots were not working, for the most part. I was also just a little bit slow on response, and that hurt me as I was catching too much stuff late. Another thing that was really frustrating me and affecting my mental state was that I was failing to convert advantages. There were many games in which I was up 40-15 or 40-love that he came back to win as I scattered when I needed to consolidate. My opponent seemed to be closing in more than I was, though I did manage to close in more toward the end of the match. My serves were decent but not spectacular. They were getting in the box, and where I wanted them to go for the most part, but didn't have a lot of oomph.

In the second set, I had a little more concentration but still was a smidge off on the money shots. My mental attitude was a little better, and my opponent seemed a little diminshed from what he had been in the last set, which allowed me to step up a little. Though we were neck-and-neck throughout most of the set, I broke out at the end, which improved my confidence (at least for a short time). The games were much more competitive in this set, and the fifth game of the set, which I won to get ahead 3-2, was very long, with Herculean rallies and many changes of deuce and ad points. I think winning this game gave me an edge in the set that I managed to hold on to.

I felt good going into the third set. I dominated the first game, but after that, I seemed to just about immediately deteriorate for a few games, and then again at the end of the set. Before I knew it, I was down 4-1, but I managed to win the next couple of games to take it to 4-3. I didn't win any more games, though, as my general malaise and lack of focus returned and scattered my play once again. Despite my inability to coalesce my game skills for most of the match, I felt that for the most part it was a very close match.