2017 border battle: a tennis experience

Arriving in Plano

It was Friday, November 17, 2017 and my dad and I arrived early at Lifetime Fitness Center in Plano, Texas.  Player Check-In/Registration was supposed to be at around 1:30 p.m., but I was too excited and ready to start practicing for the 2017 Border Battle. I did a few dynamic warm-ups and hit with a teammate named Kenna Erickson before the coaches brought everyone together around 2:00 p.m. We did a few dynamic warm-ups (again!) and split us into small groups. Kenna Erickson and I were with two other girls to be in a group with Coach Amanda. Coach Amanda was a great Coach. She really helped us improve our game.

​That same evening, everyone was encouraged to a fun Top Golf team competition so we could all bond,  have fun, and get to know one another. Even though USTA Southwest might be our opponent on the court, they were still our friends! We all went there around 5:30 p.m. We had a lot of fun...and funny moments. We all got to know each other better; we all had a great time.

Group picture! USTA Texas (grey) & USTA Southwest (white)

Our Version of 'Super Saturday'!

On Saturday morning, I arrived a few minutes earlier before 9:00 a.m. A few other players started arriving and we waited by the tennis courts for the coaches to bring everyone together. The coaches called us together for Team Training, and first thing, telling us players:  Everything counts, every set, every game, every point counts toward your team's score. That really made me nervous because I didn't want to let my team down. These coaches really knew how to calm their players! ;) 

After a short water break, we performed some team training drills and worked on different techniques (this time, with different coaches and players). At the end of the team drills. the coaches assigned our partners for mixed doubles match play. My partner and I we worked well together, and our skills complemented each other well, which helped us won our match, 4-1; 4-1. Consequently, my partner and I winning our match gained ​Team Texas a big lead since most of our teammates had also won their matches. We went off for lunch feeling excited and confident with what had going for us so far.

Our team winning picture with our USTA Texas coaches.

​My Singles Match: ​Ready? Play! 

Following lunch, around 1:00 p.m. everyone gathered on court and did their dynamic warm-ups.  The coaches then assigned us our opponent for singles match play. The day wasn't over just yet; it just gotten started! 

I got my singles opponent, her  name was Mya. She had a big serve, which helped her take control of the point quickly. My goal was to counter her fast serves and get myself in a rally, and hopefully I could find an opportunity to dictate the shots during our point rally. My slice returns helped neutralize her serves and helped me move her a bit. I would wait for her to make mistakes while staying patience, but also hitting each series of shots just a tad bit harder and faster than the previous one. But it was still difficult defending her shots, despite me adapting and implementing a neutralizing strategy. Fortunately, I won the first set 4-1!

Feeling her momentum, Mya continued to hit powerful forehands and backhands groundstrokes with more angles in the second set. I did my best defending, but defending wasn't the way to be competitive in this match. I ended up losing the second set 0-4!

We split sets, and it dawned on me that I needed to be more aggressive and attack at every opportunity in the final, third set if I wanted to win. With a renewed courageous (aggressive) tennis mindset, I neutralized Mya's serves, counter-attacked most of her forceful groundstrokes, and dictated a few rallies.  My commitment to my overall strategy worked. I ended up winning the match, 4-1, 0-4, 4-1! There was a mix of relief and excitement because I couldn't wait to play more matches the next day. I had full confidence in myself and my team. I hoped my team could pull this off. 

Girls just want to have fun! ;)

Boys will be boys! :-)

Team Dinner @ ​Hard Eight BBQ

Our 'Super Saturday' didn't ended after our matches because everyone was invited to the team dinner at Hard Eight BBQ that night. The USTA sections had this place booked for the Border Battle players the previous year. This dinner event was planned, organized, and paid for by the USTA sections, which we were really grateful for that.

Everyone went and showed up around 6:00. Our table sections were already reserved for us, our parents and coaches. It was amazing atmosphere! The food tasted so good especially after a long day training and playing matches on court. Everyone was enjoying and having a good time! Us kids quickly made friends: we talked, we laughed, and just being us kids. And oh, lots of posing for pictures. It was a happy tennis experience for me.

But, everyone was having one thing on their mind--which team was gonna end up winning the Border Battle tomorrow? :-) 

Our weekend Border Battle agenda.

Sunday is Fun Day

​Here we were on our last training and competition Sunday morning, I arrived at the tennis center around 8:30 a.m. I had some practice with my teammates before the coaches called us inside (Lifetime Tennis Center had outdoor courts.) and started assigning our doubles matches. My partner was Kenna Erickson. We could had won but we fell short of holding our nerves together. I was nervous, and I could feel my partner was also nervous. Was it because of me? In the end, we needed a stronger mental game; we needed more control over the points.

​Kenna and I lost our doubles match, 3-4, 3-4! It turned out, everyone on our team lost their doubles matches. (Team Texas needed more work on doubles!? ;-) So, it wasn't a "Sunday Fun Day" for Team Texas so far.  We were feeling down. But since it was a team competition, only the total games won were counted, and the coaches updated us that Team Texas was still in the lead by 8 points (games). We all realized we needed to step-up our game and win our final lineups with singles matches if we wished to win this 2017 Border Battle. We Team Texas all knew we could do it and we all knew we would play our best.

The coaches now assigned our singles opponent. I was paired to play against girl named Madison. She played really cautious when she was losing in a rally, which gave me a big opportunity to control the point. I won 4-2, 4-0. Everyone on Team Texas won their singles matches! We were happy and excited, but it was not officially announced. We all sat down together and listened carefully, as they announced the winning team: USTA Texas or USTA Southwest?!

Picture with Coach Amanda.

My dad took this picture to send to my mom. :o)

The Finale

Meanwhile, the parents were talking and laughing, sharing their enjoyment to watch their kids competed. Us players? We were dead silent. This was huge for us! This was a big moment of our lives. (yeah, it's was big deal!) Who will win the 2017 Border Battle? Then, after a long silence...

TEXAAAAAAAAAAS!!! 

My whole team started yelling and clapping, oh who am I kidding, I was  clapping and yelling the loudest. That didn't matter now, I wasn't an embarrassed loud girl. Compared to how big this win was, being obnoxiously embarrassed wasn't a feeling to us anymore. I lost all my self-awareness!  Our hard work paid off!

With lots of confidence, I took away from this experience is that we will have bigger and more difficult challenges ahead for each one of us. Maybe not together as a team, but we all individually will face bigger matches, bigger obstacles as we continue our tennis life journey. Winning and losing are parts of the tennis journey. But that's what we are training and preparing for, the bigger matches, the difficult challenges, the impossible obstacles. We are training to be tennis stars!

Thank you for stopping by and giving me an opportunity to share with you my 2017 Border Battle tennis experience.

Everything begins with love...
Karina Zaharieva <3

P.s. I hope Team Texas wins again next year! ;o)