Results of Pattaya Tournament March 15th

The one good thing about playing with good people. You get good seedings. Being the 3 seed made my life very reasonable. I got in on Saturday at about 1--went to the courts and played someone who shouldn't be playing an open. Checked into a rather good hotel on Walking Street for $18 a day--the clerk did warn me about the noise, but ...

The next round was at 5, and it was easier than the first in some ways. Lionel, who owns a dot com bar somewhere in Pattaya, gave it his best shot, but I came to net on everything. My conditioning is simply not good enough to rally from the baseline. I have to get to net, or I'm going to die so being who I am--I did what I like to do--hit the ball and come to net. Once at net, life is good.

There are several reasons why you should be a serve and volleyer. First, to me, it's a lot easier to come forward and volley, than to dance back and forth across the baseline generating shots from the ground. Even if they lob, it's either going over my head, or I'm hitting a winner. The question is: Can you pass me 24 times in a set? And realize, I can volley at the net. I can. I spent a lifetime--well, four years or so hitting volleys against the wall at my grandma's house in the garage, then a good 15 years thereafter being a doubles specialist. Second, no one knows how to pass one.

Saturday came and went--no doubles, but I made it to the quarters. Sunday: I would face the 6 seed in singles. that's about as far ahead as I look. ever.

Sunday--i have to admit--i had an irish coffee and a beer last night... Anyways, Sunday at 9:00--it's the doubles--and we win by default--our opponents basically got scared by our #2 seed and didn't show up--why do I say that? because they played a match on Saturday at 6 to advance to Sunday against us. So that was fine, I hit against the wall to cool down, and was about to head back to the room.

Change of plans, we were playing now. Nattawhee is your typical groundstroker--two hands on the backhand--rather flat, okay serve, and a flat/topspin forehand. He could play--and for some reason, my arm was achy--we start rallying, and I'm fighting a case of the nerves and my forehand starts to fly out. We play the first game and he breaks me. the next game he holds. It's the third game, and I'm serving at 15-40--what the hell is going on? I managed to squeak out this game somehow--don't ask me what happened, I think my first serves went in--plus I told myself--coming in on both first and second serves.

My forehand stinks big time now. i don't know why? but it happens sometimes--it's a combo thing--i lose faith in it and my elbow hurts when I hit it and at this point, i really don't have the conditioning to rally so I throw everything out the door--I'm going to come to net regardless. I'm chipping and charging from the get go so as the first set pans out--it's 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and i'm serving at 5-6 to get to the tiebreaker--and it's deuce. winner take all. I come in, he hits the pass crosscourt, and I let it go. it's out by a millimeter. BUT wait, the chair umpire rules it in--I just lost the first set. Dammit. what the hell?

Screw it. The second set, we go through the whole song and dance again. 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and finally, it's 6-5 again. But now Natthawee is trying to stay in the set--and he's starting to feel it--i'm not missing volleys, my overheads are crisp, and i'm coming in all the time.

It's a really funny thing--people like to watch it--they don't see much chip and chargers, nor do they see much serve and volleyers. And even I know, when my serve and volley game is on, it's a beautiful thing to behold. and it's on. I'm in the zone.

I break him easily to take the second set. Now it's a third set tiebreaker, first to 10 points. winner takes all. And I'm tired so i down the second half of my second red bull and we get into it. at 3-5, he hits this beautiful pass down the line on my backhand side--it hits the back end of the line. damn. BUT the umpire calls it out, and now i'm up 3-6. I don't need much. I'm actually starting to play pretty good now. I win the tiebreaker easily.

Now I've advanced to play the 1 seed. I go back to the room, shower, lie in bed and doze. The one seed is good. he is everything Nattawhee is and isn't. Nattawhee didn't have a serve and his groundstrokes were okay--plus he couldn't really volley. Amnart, the 1 seed, can do everything. He has a hell of a serve, unbelievable groundstrokes, and a pretty good volley--he's about 6 feet tall too.

But now, I'm in the zone. I don't realize it, but i'm so tired that I just don't care, and I'm in the zone--i'm not missing volleys. groundstrokes still stink, but it's okay, they're going where I want them to. We battle in the first set, and it's just like before--but I'm getting break points. Amnart isn't used to someone coming in so much. I take the first set 7-5. Amnart passes crosscourt on his forehand and down the line on his backhand--and that's huge to know that plus the umpire doesn't like him too much, I think, as three calls go my way.

In the second, it's another crazy battle, but I catch the break and serve at 4-3 to pretty much solidify this set. Amnart decides he isn't going to miss anymore on the deuce side and starts to pound winners off my first serve. 5 in a row. So at 6-5, as I'm serving to get to 6-6--Amnart decides he isn't going to miss anymore on either side. He breaks me easily.

We head into the third set super tiebreaker. We're the only match on. Everyone is here watching this. Nattawhee knows Amnart so he's cheering against me. There's about 50 people watching. Half Thai and half farangs. It's a great feeling. The tiebreaker is beautiful with clean points and rallies--course rallies are bad for me. I go up 5-3 on a sweet forehand drop shot on a return, but on my next drop shot, Amnart annihilate it. It's 6-6. I go up 7-6, and my hand is cramping, my calf is cramping, my hammy is cramping, and my back is just aching. I got icy hot on everything. I drink my last redbull--there were three in all. I really hate doing that, but it's 6-6 in the third set. WE've been playing for two and half hours now. My feet hurt.

now it's 7-7, and the points are a blur. We're just two guys dancing the same dance. I'm coming in, and Amnart is trying to pass. there are no more lobs, it's mano mano. He wants the pass, not the lob. At 7-8. Amnart is serving. the world knows I'm coming in. He knows it. I know it. I look at him and smile. I'm trying every trick in my book. I hit a short chip cross court from the ad side. Amnart is running up--he hits a low chip--i cut it off with a cross return volley. he's on it--straight ahead backhand volley. I go for a crosscourt shot--but i pop it up. We're about 5 feet away from each other across the net. There's a slight cry from the crowd as they know Amnart is going to slam it for a winner--I try to shift to draw his attention. He nails it as hard as he can off his backhand volley. I'm done for. IT drills me right into the body. I jump slightly as my racquet tries to deflect it. It hits perfect center on my frame--crosscourt winner. The crowd starts screaming and clapping. it's 9-7. I got matchpoint--and I'll be serving at 9-8.

9-7. Same drill. Everyone knows I'm coming in. he hits a first serve and i chip. But he's serving and volleying so he's in also. My chip is decent down the line and low. He volleys it cross, I nail it line. He digs it on a stretch forehand volley, and I lunge. Two hours and a half. Every bone in my body dying. Feet hurting. Legs cramping. and my hand aching. there's no thought. I'm magic in this match. I nail a forehand volley down the line as he stretches for it. It's a winner as it leaves my frame. My arms go up in the air. I yell "YES!" and then, regain my composure. shake his hand and walk to the chair. exhausted. I sit there and as amnart leaves the crowd starts clapping. I'm like wow. that's cool.

and as I leave, they clap for me too and come over to congratulate me. Ironically, I don't know any of them, but what a feeling.

that was the match of my life.