Pasadena March Champ Major zone

I had a 2-day Champ tournament starting on Saturday, March 3, 2018. It was called the Pasadena March Champ Major Zone.

I needed one more point to go to Super Champ. Even though I win one match, (which gives me more than enough points to qualify for Super Champ), I shouldn't get lazy and think that the next ones don't matter. I can't go the easy way out. Life wasn't made to be easy, anyway. It was made to have hard situations so it can teach us something about ourselves. My goal was to win the whole tournament. I might as well try than give up and be satisfied with mediocre results. Am I making any sense?

It's a bit cold this morning.

Heading to the court.

My first opponent was Anna Bien. I have played her before so I know the basics about her game. I tried to tighten up my game, (which means to limit the unforced errors), and hit controlled shots while hitting with angle to the back corners. She made me make a lot of errors, but she sometimes also lost control on her shots. This win, a 6-1, 6-4 victory led me to be really motivated for the next match. I think it was because I played from the heart. Although, I still haven't put my emotions fully aside so I can freely play without worry. That was another goal of mine.

Anna Bien and I checking in for our match.

My second opponent was Ananya Sriniketh. She was really aggressive and hit a lot of powerful shots. Her athleticism and strong groundstrokes made it very difficult to play against her. However, I was determined to stay in the rally with her on every points. When I had the chance, I also hit a lot of angles to open up the court, which also helped me won this match, 6-4, 6-2.

I got my next match time. I'm ready!

Ananya and I walking to our match court.

Semi-finals! Bad luck round. From the past tournaments, I have usually lost in the semi-finals. So, I consider them bad luck. But, I know every curse can be broken. But can I break this one? 

My third opponent was Elizabeth Shu. I came in this match with a lot of confidence in myself. It felt good to be confident! I felt loose but firm at the same time. I could feel the "adrenaline rushing through my veins" as I hit the ball. I felt flawless in the first set. My shots went where I wanted them to go with great quality.

​Sadly, in the second set, the cloud of doubts covered me again. I guess you could say I was surprised to have so much confidence that the doubt took over. I lost the second set which led to a tiebreaker. I lost power in my arms as well as control of my shots. Elizabeth stayed really patient and consistent and wasn't in a hurry to hit winners. She waited for me to make the mistake first. I lost 6-1, 3-6, 6-10 (in the tie-breaker.)

I was tire.

Overall, I felt pretty disappointed in myself. I know I could have gone further and done better. I think the reason I lost was because, once again, my emotions got the best of me. It's hard to stay positive at a time like this. When I know I can do better, I can perform better, but I lost sense of myself. Tennis is a really complicated open puzzle. Of course, my goal is to solve it!

​Lot's of love,
​Karina Zaharieva

P.S. I had enough points qualifying for Super Champs! Follow me to my journey in Super Champ!