French Open 2019
My first match is on Saturday and I have a very tough first round match where I take on Bryn Sayers who has been ranked as high as world #3 and has won 3 majors. He had taken a break from tournaments but is back now. With that said i am looking forward to the challenge and I am confident of coming out with a victory. My match will be at 2pm in Paris so 8am on the east coast. I will let you know the link to the streaming when I find out.
I beat Bryn Sayers 6/3 6/4 6/4. I am so pleased with this win as he is a very dangerous opponent and a 3 time major winner. He is always steady and makes you earn every point. I went in with a game plan of serving railroads as his cut volley is not as strong as other parts of his game and felt I would get some easy balls back to put away. I also planned to be as aggressive as I could on my return of serve to keep him feeling under pressure. Once rallies got underway I was happy to rally until I had an opportunity to go for a target or chip a gallery and then I would go for it.
The first set started really well and I went 4/0 up. Bryn fought back to make it 3/4 but I was able to close out the set. The next two sets were identical. I started well winning the first few games but Bryn came back. At times I go a little nervy as I missed some volleys I should really make but I kept telling myself one point at a time. In both sets at 4all I really stepped up intensity and aggression 2nd set and 3rd set to win the match. All the hard work is starting pay off as I my game is still improving. I have Ben Taylor Matthews tomorrow at 1.30pm. 7.30 am on the East Coast. I am looking forward to playing Ben and my game plan will be the same as the one against Bryn as they are both similar players. I’m confident of winning this match but I must play one point at a time
I went in to my match with Ben with a similar game plan to Bryn but knew Ben could be dangerous off the return of serve so I wanted to mix the serve up more to not let him get comfortable. In the first set Ben was steady and I wasn't executing the shots off the return of serve as well as I normally could. I also struggled to get comfortable on the court as I wasn't reading the ball as well as I did in the previous match. Ben closed out the set 6/3. in the second set Ben continued his steady play and I was gradually finding my range. Ben was up 4/2 in the second but I knew I was starting to find some form and if I could keep putting Ben under pressure then things would start to go my way and sure enough they did as I won the next 4 games to win the second set 6/4. The 3rd set I continued my good play. I could see Ben getting frustrated and bad tempered where at times it looks like he is not trying. He has done this in the past when I have been all over him and it has made lose concentration in the past which i can't afford to do against someone as talented as Ben. I was determined to not let his antics get to me and to keep concentrating 1 point at a time. I won the 3rd set 6/3. I was now 2 sets to 1 up and I have been in this position a few times a lost and did not want that t happen again. I started the 4th set well by going 3/1 up before Ben really picked up his game and mine dropped, also I started to be in pain which hampered my movement a bit. Ben won 5 games straight as I struggled to get back in the set. So now at 2 sets all it was go big or go home. Ben started really well and I did well to stop Ben going 3/0 up as Ben went 2/0 up with points to go 3/0. I felt Ben was on top of me that whole set with good play and a luck. I hit two shots in the same game that for all money were in the dedan but hit the inside of the bandeau then ledge and sat nicely for Ben to hit winner. It was unlucky but I kept thinking one point at a time and when I managed to tie the set at 4/all I remember thinking oh cool it's 4/all as I hadn't really realized what the game score was in the final set. I didn't really feel any nerves at this stage and decided to up my intensity and aggression hope it would come off and thankfully I did as won the finals set 6/4 for one of the gutsiest wins of my career
Playing Camden in the Semi Final I knew I had to be clinical as cam can be so devastatingly good. The first game could of gone any better as i won it to love hitting 3 dedans. That was the only game i won as Cam was clinical and I was missing targets. Cam was again on top of me in the second before I rolled my ankle and needed an injury break. Luckily nothing serious had happened but i was worried for a split second. This gave me time to think and to change the way I was playing against him. I realized I was trying to do too much on Cams return of serve, I was hitting the ball too hard so when I missed on this bouncy Camden just punished me. I decided to slow things down while still being aggressive off the return of serve. Before I knew it was 4all and 40/30 to me. I would ended up having 3 game points in all to make it 5/4 to me from the receiver's side but I wasn't able to take them. I tired to bee too aggressive as I got a little too excited and didn't execute well. Camden went up 5/4 but i didn't lay down as i kept up my intensity and had game point again to make it 5/all but didn't convert. Camden won the set but it was so agonizingly close. Just a point here and there and that set could of easily been mine. Determined to prove it wasn't a fluke I was here to show everybody i can beat the best and be the best. Camden & I had some good rallies but he ended up going up 5/2 and I remember thinking jeez doesn't feel like it should be 5/2 as i felt it was closer than that. I cam back to make it 4/5 and 30 all serving defending chase last gallery and a hazard. I missed a great opportunity to go 40/30 as I floated a ball to the Hazard where Camden had snuck up to stop me finding the hazard gallery to win the point. I had seen him but I had already committed to the shot but I should of belted the ball rather than chip it. the Next point I was defending a hazard and Cam hit a good return of serve that I wasn't able to cut off. I lost the match but i was proud of how I played and showed a lot of people that I am still getting better and can beat anyone on my day. Camden was very humble in victory as said he was in or of my return a serve especially one shot that I have just brought in to my game. Camden said he has only ever seen Tim Chisholm be able to do where I can smash the volley return of serve off a railroad straight for the dedan. That was nice compliment and it is it true as I have only ever seen Tim be able to do so I decided to practice it and now i feel I have become very good at the shot and it's now another weapon I have in my game. The exciting thing is I will now be ranked no5 in the world after this tournament
We went down is straights sets. 6/2 6/4 6/5 yesterday It took us awhile to get going but when we did I felt like we could win the match but just didn’t have things go our way when we needed them. We gave a way a 5/3 lead in the 3rd set and and in the second we had chances. Camden and John were solid, especially John, I felt he was the best player on the court for large parts of the match. I came off court disappointed not because we lost but because I felt that was an opportunity missed to win a 3rd major as when we were out there I could tell our best tennis would be hard for them to beat us unlike when when we play Camden and Tim.
