King's Court Winter Open

We were onsite around 9;00 a.m. because my brother Emo was also playing in open tournament called the King's Court Winter Open. He had a match around 10:00 a.m. while my match didn't start until around 1:00 p.m. So, I was scouting around, observing the other players and looking at how well they perform in a tennis match.  I really enjoyed tennis from a different perspective as an observer outside the lines.

The tournament desk called my name, it was time to play inside the lines!

Aly & I at the conclusion of the tournament.

My first opponent was a friend of mine that I have played many, many times in green ball. Her name was Yihan Wang. She had very powerful flat groundstrokes that she used with a decent amount of angle. I stayed consistent and tried to neutralize her shots with either a lot of topspin or a lot of backspin. She made a lot of mistakes that gave me a lot of free points. I ended up winning 6-2, 6-2.

After I finished my first match, I immediately started thinking about the next one. I told myself, "you can't be worrying about a match you haven't yet played." At that point, I knew I could do it.

Katiana & Emo also won their divisions. Let's goooo!!!

My second opponent was Gabriela Cardozo. All I had to do was stay consistent and attack the corners. She gave me a lot of free points which led me to a 6-0, 6-0 win.

With that win, I made it to the finals...again. A bit of déjà vu moment for me because I made it to the finals in my last tournament and lost. I was not going to let that happen again. I am going to play really hard like a fighter tomorrow.

The lady's trophy pose. Nice!

I am starting my third match the next day, and final opponent was Aly Ham. My plan was to do 60% slices and 40% drives or groundstrokes. My slices made her make a lot of errors. My slices helped me set up for an attacking transition so I can go to the net. Who would have thought? My 60% slices and 40% drives or groundstrokes gave me a 100% win. I won 6-2, 6-1.

I knew if I put my mind into it and think about the situation where I could play well without nerves, I could perform at my best and possibly win. It's better to prepare mentally before you start playing a tennis match, especially when you have no clue on what to do. This is something for me to think about for future matches. For now, I'll stay in the present moment with this win! 

Until next time on the court. Thank you for the love. <3
Karina Zaharieva