tennis, life and a few things in between

I’m doing much better as the third string: won my first 3.5 doubles match last night, 6-0, 3-6, and 1-0 (10-8). Do people tend to get complacent, or 掉以轻心 lower one’s guard after a easy first set win? I think so because my partner and I quickly found ourselves in the hole in the second set. The double faults decreased drastically and they got everything back, especially overheads. One shouldn’t treat something anything lightly during a match. My partner told me that she isn’t used to soft hitting and she began to hit softly. When we were leading 8-5 in the super tie break, there was a lob that gone long. I was at the net and called it out first. Laura was at the baseline by the ball and called it out too. However, our opponents disagreed by asking if it was indeed out and went on to say its looked on the line. I felt lousy to have to deal with this at such late crucial moment, very unfortunate. Otherwise the match was smooth. It’s my serve at 8-5 but I couldn’t close the match. 9-6 we switched.
The girl in blue top held hers. Then my partner served and was able to closed the match. We were quite an equal partners in the match. Good.
After the match on Court 10, we started to play around. First game was not even over, I got hit pretty hard by the blue top girl. She really has great serves and shots. Thank lord it’s the side of my head and neck, won’t be looking like this but no guarantee that I won’t turn into a crazy lunatic ..

手舞足蹈  dancing
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The season opening for the ladies 3.5, my first time playing with girls, all girls nothing but girls. Ya !!!

I’ve known the captain Cheung for more than a decade and play with him from time to time, always in doubles. But for whatever the reason, he thinks I can play singles. Not sure his brain is functioning. Thinking how my team treated me as captain over the years, so I told him, IF no one is willing, then I’ll do whatever and whenever, 两肋插刀 short of 上刀山下火海.
The night before I confessed to Simon as we were hitting that I might have to play singles. He just laughed and said,
“我不懂了.” In Simonism, it means you got to be kidding = can not lah.

We gathered at the lobby and I met the teammates for the first time but I either knew them or played against them. Few I met through Susan who has a huge net work of tennis girls. I’ve got to get on her good side so she’ll include me too. Be nice to her! Few were on opposing teams. So it’s a big happy incestuous family after all.

Walking out to the out door courts that are dark and dead is a new experience to me. And taking up the whole court is another new experience to me. Like I’m totally alone and lost out there! The dark sky didn’t help either. Our matches begin at 9pm, the upper classmen classwomen, the 4.0 do the 7pm shift. I didn’t give the court assignment any thoughts because I’m just a player.

The courts 6 and 7 were being used by schools and we decided that they should move (the coach did ask if we would move to another court). My opponent played my first doubles team few times, and it’s a draw for the last two times they met.

Once the match started, I found myself totally lost out there, didn’t know what to do after serving. No one was around to instruct and cover me.. 🙁 Cheung must forget that few matches I won was due to my partner! Okay, make the humiliating long story short, I could join Lance Legstrong with one wheel: I got a bagel in the first and managed to win 2 games in the second. She hit line after line after line and no one was around to cover it. After the game, she flattered me: the scores don’t reflect it .. A long time ago, when I first picked up tennis, I lost to a good player who said “you’re very consistent” after my disastrous lost to her. Now I have two good lines to use when the situation calls for it. See, something good comes out of a embarrassment failure.
Anyway, I need to learn how to play singles. This, by no mean that I’m volunteering. I did not and I am not going to, but would do whatever the team needs.
Ok, enough for my singles début, let’s talk about the more important stuff. Thanks to Kai and Wah cheering us on and for the pictures. The skipper and teammates are very encouraging.

My teammates comforted me by saying that my opponent is the best in the league,

“We’ll get her next time.”

My Chinglish is so poor, I interpreted it as, we’ll get her to our team next time …

“Oh .. that’s a long wait .. next season?”

“No .. we’ll beat her next time.”