davced1
Hall of Fame
So I played this match today in my group league at my club. Last game of the season. At stake for both players, promotion to group 6 (out of 9). The rules are simple. Six players in each group, two are promoted and two are relegated. Won set equals 3 points, having the lead in unfinished set by a margin of at least two games equals 2 points and tied set or a margin of one game only equals 1 point and if the first set is not finished both players recieve 1 point for the second set. If two players end up on the same total score in the group game difference is decisive. One hour of play including 10 minutes warm-up, no ad scoring.
The scenario coming in to this match was exciting. The player in the 2nd promotion spot had 14 points and had finished all his matches. Me in 3rd place had 12 points and my opponent 11 points. So the winner of the first set is promoted, pretty simple. Match starts and the information I have on my opponent is that he plays soft and high balls and occasionally likes to follow up on the net. My gameplan is this. I will be patient and just junk ball him back even softer and higher and hopefully he will get impatient and come to the net. Perfect I have good lobs and passing shots.
As the match progressed I noticed that I did get some oppurtunites myself to close in on the net and put away some volleys so I used that too but mainly I had patience and just put safe balls back in play. The strategy worked out just fine. He did come to the net a few times, I ended up winning most of those so the score was 4-0- I thought to myself, yeah this is going well I got this guy. Then I relaxed a bit and lost two games in a row but won the next so score is now 5-2, about 10 minutes left on the clock and I am on serve. Got the lead 40-0 so with no ad virtually four set points. I was so close to that sweet promotion so for the first time in the match I got just that little bit nervous. I hit the ball a little bit softer, with more margin, tentative at coming in to the net. But I mean four set points, no way I will screw this up. Yep, my opponent was content to just keep the ball in play so the points dragged on for very long, somehow I had lost all four set points and now time was almost up. I had to get this done somehow.
On to the next game. Two net attacks from my opponent, two lob winners from me and 0-30. One more point for me so 0-40 and I had another four set points. Same story as last game, he stopped taking any risks at all, me too just trying to move him left and right and maybe get some oppurtunity to close it out. The points are long, two very patient players and at 30-40 I got the oppurtunity with a smash. Hit a decent smash but he got it back but I had a good oppurtunity to put the next smash away from a position to the right just behind the service line. It was a good lob but I made good contact with the ball aiming for his forehand corner. This was it surely. No it was out wide by a feet or so. I had a hard time believing what was unfolding here. Well 40-40 one last oppurtunity.
The time is up so this point is all or nothing. The point dragged on and on and on. I tried to move him a bit but no success, just high floating balls back at me mid court. And then after what felt like 100 times over the net I put too much on a forehand, an inch too long and it was over. In the lead 5-4, still up a break but time was up. My game plan worked great until the very end but unfortunately because of my gameplan the points had dragged on for too long so I did not get any more oppurtunites to close out the set. The irony though is that if the previous games had been even longer and the score ended 5-3 I would have been awarded with 2 points for the set, just enough to clinch that 2nd spot for promotion. Now with the score 5-4 I ended up on 14 points in the group but already knew I would lose out on game differential.
Two losers left the court. Mixed emotions, a feeling of anticlimax but I could not be too dissapointed, my game plan worked, I had the lead and was so close but time and nervousness got me this time around. Lesson learned is to go for more with that many set points no matter what but it is easier said than done. That was the beauty and cruel nature of league play.
The scenario coming in to this match was exciting. The player in the 2nd promotion spot had 14 points and had finished all his matches. Me in 3rd place had 12 points and my opponent 11 points. So the winner of the first set is promoted, pretty simple. Match starts and the information I have on my opponent is that he plays soft and high balls and occasionally likes to follow up on the net. My gameplan is this. I will be patient and just junk ball him back even softer and higher and hopefully he will get impatient and come to the net. Perfect I have good lobs and passing shots.
As the match progressed I noticed that I did get some oppurtunites myself to close in on the net and put away some volleys so I used that too but mainly I had patience and just put safe balls back in play. The strategy worked out just fine. He did come to the net a few times, I ended up winning most of those so the score was 4-0- I thought to myself, yeah this is going well I got this guy. Then I relaxed a bit and lost two games in a row but won the next so score is now 5-2, about 10 minutes left on the clock and I am on serve. Got the lead 40-0 so with no ad virtually four set points. I was so close to that sweet promotion so for the first time in the match I got just that little bit nervous. I hit the ball a little bit softer, with more margin, tentative at coming in to the net. But I mean four set points, no way I will screw this up. Yep, my opponent was content to just keep the ball in play so the points dragged on for very long, somehow I had lost all four set points and now time was almost up. I had to get this done somehow.
On to the next game. Two net attacks from my opponent, two lob winners from me and 0-30. One more point for me so 0-40 and I had another four set points. Same story as last game, he stopped taking any risks at all, me too just trying to move him left and right and maybe get some oppurtunity to close it out. The points are long, two very patient players and at 30-40 I got the oppurtunity with a smash. Hit a decent smash but he got it back but I had a good oppurtunity to put the next smash away from a position to the right just behind the service line. It was a good lob but I made good contact with the ball aiming for his forehand corner. This was it surely. No it was out wide by a feet or so. I had a hard time believing what was unfolding here. Well 40-40 one last oppurtunity.
The time is up so this point is all or nothing. The point dragged on and on and on. I tried to move him a bit but no success, just high floating balls back at me mid court. And then after what felt like 100 times over the net I put too much on a forehand, an inch too long and it was over. In the lead 5-4, still up a break but time was up. My game plan worked great until the very end but unfortunately because of my gameplan the points had dragged on for too long so I did not get any more oppurtunites to close out the set. The irony though is that if the previous games had been even longer and the score ended 5-3 I would have been awarded with 2 points for the set, just enough to clinch that 2nd spot for promotion. Now with the score 5-4 I ended up on 14 points in the group but already knew I would lose out on game differential.
Two losers left the court. Mixed emotions, a feeling of anticlimax but I could not be too dissapointed, my game plan worked, I had the lead and was so close but time and nervousness got me this time around. Lesson learned is to go for more with that many set points no matter what but it is easier said than done. That was the beauty and cruel nature of league play.
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