Mother Nature Interrupts Championship Match Play

Mother Nature did it again.  She pounced on us with lightning, thunder, and buckets of rain forcing our championship showdown indoors yesterday.  My role on the bench was to prepare my teammates during the warmups and be ready should I be needed.  Five minutes before match play my captain informed me I would play due to an objection about eligibility concerning our top singles player.  Our season officially ended last month with the final regular match of the year and new rankings were now in play for post season.  The last minute substitution was necessary to avoid a possible forfeit since the other team lodged an official objection.  I was ready.  It didn't matter that the stakes were high and that I pretty much have been a doubles player since relocating to Iowa ten years ago.

I entered court six not far from where the spectators were seated.  The tournament director asked us to please limit our warmup time to ten minutes and keep the changeovers between games short in order to accommodate a full day of match play.  I promised myself I would play my best and push myself to my limit trying not to think about the last time I played competitive singles which was many, many years ago.  The stakes couldn't have been higher.  Our team captain prepared all of us for moments like these and dreams of advancing to Oklahoma City for regional play have been on his radar since last year when the team came up short.

The first set was dead even for the first seven games with each player holding serve.  My opponent broke my serve in the eighth game and then held to win the first set, 6-3.  It was disappointing.  My only consolation was seeing my opponent's shirt drenched in sweat from the high humidity and the prolonged points.  I never sat down between games and felt great at the start of the second set.  I did my best to stay in the game and counter everything my superior opponent fired my way.  I won six games in a row to even the score and set up a super tie breaker for the match.  The super tie breaker ended 10-7.  I thanked my opponent for his superior sportsmanship during the match.  I didn't mean to paint the lines so close but he played fairly all the way to the end.  I was happy to come out on top but sad my teammates did not prevail.  Our opponents will move on.  We will move back to the practice courts and do our best to come back again next year.  Thank you, Jim, for all your sacrifices leading us all these years.  Have a great day.