Splittus Interruptus

Sets 417-418:

Stuart v. R. at Westlake High. Winner: Split. 6-2 (Stuart), 3-6 (R).

My Mojo: Tough But Slipping.

I started off playing a strong game. My footwork was excellent throughout most of the match and I was getting to shots that surprised even me when I got to them. Much of the stuff I was returning off the tip of my racquet I was able to hurl back solidly and with decent placement. At the beginning of the match, I was hitting powerful, deep strokes that allowed me to take charge of the carnival. My opponent tried to throw me off balance by hitting me some weak serves and drop shots, but I got to most of them, and I was able to turn the tables on him by playing a strong net game from where I ended up. I even dabbled in his strategy by hitting the occasional dink shot, just for amusement. It seemed to me that my opponent didn't handle most of the unexpected strategically weak balls nearly as well as I had done. So I felt like I won the first set pretty easily.

But in the second set, R, started surging back with strong shots and good strategy. My footwork was still strong, but I failed to maintain the focus on foot and body placement that I had previously had. He started playing good set-up shots for a net game, and then he was playing the net well when he got there. There's a doubles player's strategy for you. To top it off, many of my attempted lobs went embarassingly short, and that allowed him to dominate the net area and slam them down the court like bullets. Many of the second set's games were close, but he edged me out. I still felt like my energy was excellent, and I think I could have brought my focus into play again.

I was ready to play a third set, but he wanted to leave it where it was. There's a cognitive dissonance when the symphony is unresolved; I'd rather go belly up playing the oboe solo than walk away with the power chord hanging in the air waiting for closure. Oh well, next time I play a close contest like this, hopefully it'll be with someone who follows the sheet music all the way to the last trembling movement.