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I had a 2-day Super Champ tournament, (yes, I said Super Champ), on Saturday, April 14, 2018. It was called the Austin Super Champ Major Zone. It was played in Austin, TX. My first Super Champ tournament! Yay! I had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment come over me as we were driving there. I mean, who wouldn't? I also felt proud that I have a chance to play and be here in this tournament. But then, I also had some doubts about it. Do I really deserve to be here?
We started driving to our hotel on Friday. After we checked in and put everything in the hotel besides the tennis rackets and the equipment, we started driving towards St. Stephen Tennis Academy for a little practice. My friend, Roshin Kamath (who also was in the same tournament), and I were traveling with our coach. We got a good practice with the other students and coaches which was really fun! It made me feel a little more confident about the tournament! Saturday, April 14, 2018--tournament day. My match wasn't until like 10:00 a.m. so I got to sleep in a little. Then, while Roshin was playing, I was stretching and doing my dynamic warm-up. Then, it was time to play. My first opponent was Allyson Brooks. Most of the time when I stayed steady and just hit cross-court, I usually win the point. Sometimes I would start attacking at the wrong time which turned some of them into errors. But, I still won 6-2, 6-3.
I was actually surprised by the way I was playing. No spin, barely deep, it was scary! It doesn't give you much confidence if you know you are not playing the way you know you can. After this match, I rested and ate a lot of fruit for energy. Then, after an hour or so, my match began. My second opponent was Dana Kardonik. She was one of those players that had a lot of topspin on her shots. I started off with a late start, losing the first set. In the second set, I got a grip on myself and played steady which made her impatient which led to unforced errors. I won the second set which led to a tiebreaker. she got really impatient in the tiebreaker. Patience was key in this match. Luckily, I had a little more of it today when I needed it, so I won 3-6, 6-4, (10-5 I think in the tiebreaker.) I felt really happy and relieved that I was able to make a comeback and win! After 30 minutes I have a doubles match and that is the last match for Saturday. On Sunday, I could possibly have 1 more doubles. I have 2 more singles matches even if I lose the first one on Sunday. My partner, Michelle Li ( a player I have played with before and a good friend), were playing Claire Logeman and Lauren Tin. It was a really fun and exciting match. I think me and Michelle became closer friends even though we lost 3-8 (pro set).
We went to eat at an Asian restaurant. everything tasted amazing! After that, we went back to the hotel and watched some tennis on the TV. We were all very tired so we went to sleep right away. But of course, I couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow. It is now Sunday, April 15, 2018. I am warmed up, stretched, and I am ready for my match!  India Young and I exiting our match. My third opponent was India Young. We both played well. We had an equal amount of errors; forced and unforced. We split sets so we went to a tiebreaker. I won one, she won one. It was back and forth like that for the good part of the first two sets. Tiebreakers! We got to 10-10 and she won the next point; 10-11. We had a long rally of defense and offense. Then, she hit a winner straight down the line, winning the match. So, I lost 2-6, 6-3, (10-12 in the tiebreaker.) They fed me into the feed-in consolation. I was playing for 3rd place. This meant I had 1 more chance to win third place. I knew I could do it! I can't fail now!
My fourth opponent was Chloe Zeng, and playing for 3rd place. She made a lot of errors in the first set. In the second set however, she made little to no errors at all! I lost my concentration also. We went to a tiebreaker. I did a little better but not good enough. I lost 6-4, 0-6, (5-10 in the tiebreaker.)
I did 50/50 in this tournament in my opinion. It was good but bad; and bad but good. Anyway, this shouldn't stop me from moving up! Lot's of love, Karina Zaharieva |
Karina ZaharievaI'm an aspiring junior tennis player. My goal is to play professional tennis. This is my journey. I hope you enjoy my website and follow my progress. Categories
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