Austin Junior Championship Major Zone

I had my first 2-day Champ tournament in Austin, starting on Saturday December 9, 2017. It was really cold in Austin, especially in the morning. It was freezing cold for me! Of course, that didn't stop me from playing waking up early to warm up for my 8 a.m. match.

Beautiful Austin's sunset.

Pamela and I checking in for our first match.

My first opponent was Pamela Ramos. I personally think that I didn't play well at all. I made a lot of unforced errors. My patterns weren't very decisive neither. Although I did hit a few of powerful and heavy shots that caused her trouble, I could play better tennis. However, both of us made a lot of shot errors, but fortunately I was able to close the match with less errors with a win of 6-3, 6-2. 

I knew I had to change something in my game for my next match if I wanted to do well. I needed to have something really aggressive inside me in order to win. I had to be fearless and aggressive with my play.

Erika is about to serve.

I got distracted by the adjacent court.

Compared to my first match, I played a lot better in the second match against Erika Beltran, which  I won 6-2, 6-1! I was able to control the center pretty quickly which made me win a lot of points. During this match, most of my shots didn't have that much power which gave me another option--spins! I had to be really crafty and I had to use my spin and angle wisely. This is tricky but possible because I have performed those shots during practice, a lot. But with all the nervousness inside me will make this a challenge. Well, I went ahead with my plan that led me to a win. I was just happy for that.

Jill and I walking to our court.

And we are about to play.

My quarterfinals opponent was Jill Legato. Before my match, I took a little nap to boost my energy. When I woke up I felt really drowsy and it was hard for me to wake up and get going. My coach had me do some warm ups to get all my energy, but I was still a little drowsy. I started gaining my energy a couple games into the match. I didn't play like I usually play, even compared to the previous match. It was not a good start...lost first set 2-6!

I made a lot of unforced mistakes which gave Jill a lot of points. I had a lot of anxious feelings inside me which made me want to explode into little pieces! When I lost the first set a lot of weight was put on my shoulders. I felt like I wanted to break down and cry, and share all my emotional weight with someone. But I couldn't and I didn't, at least not  to show my opponent that I am a weak competitor, so I held strong.

After the second set started, I realized something. I realized I was still playing. I was still in the match! That gave me some motivation to start all over. I came back in the second set by testing and challenging her physical and mental consistencies. I won the second set and I felt very confident in the final tiebreaker set. I couldn't lose now! I stayed calm and won the tiebreaker. I won 2-6, 6-4, 10-6. This match definitely challenged my mental more than my physical and technical! 

I was really proud of myself for making it to the semifinals on Sunday on my first Champ tournament! I knew I had to improve my game on order to be a true competitor!

Claire was ready; I was not! :o)

Do you see us?

And so onto the Sunday's semifinals match, I woke up early around 6:00 a.m. so I can warm up and practice and get used to the cold. Brrrrrr! When I was ready I went to the tournament desk to check in for my semifinals match.

My semifinals and fourth opponent was with Claire Logeman. Oh, and she was seeded #1 in this tournament. This match was demanding a lot more physical and technical from me. I had a lot of opportunities I didn't take to dictate play. Claire was almost always the one who initiated attacking first. It was kinda like a race. Who can attack first? Unfortunately, because of her relentless attacks and my errors, I lost 3-6, 3-6. I now learned something new!

Not all was a lost...chip & salsa never let me down!

How I felt playing tennis sometimes. :-)

This tournament taught me a lot about my mental, physical, and technical aspects of a tennis tournament. This tournament showed me my strengths and weaknesses. But it also gave me motivation to improve! Until next time...I'll see you on the court.

Hopefully next time I'll bring a lot of love if I'd want to play good tennis. <3
​Karina Zaharieva