Carol Weymuller

So the flight was long coming home from Macau and the jetlag was horrible. I didn’t feel great and thought a day or so off would help me feel better- but I got worse! Planes are a nightmare for everyone but for someone who relies on their health to do their job it’s even worse and I assume I picked something up on the flight home. I felt awful for 4 days.

Good food, rest and sleep helped and I started to feel better but with a 6 day turn around before flying to New York for the Carol Weymuller Open it was a rush to be healthy in time.

By the time I got on the flight I felt good! I was looking forward to playing again and seeing so many familiar faces in Brooklyn. This is an event I’ve played the most on tour, 10years I think. I enjoy my time there and this year is no different. In the first round this year I have a qualifier and so that meant I had a couple of really good days training before the event started.

I drew Salma Hany Ibrahim out of qualifying and prepared for that match. I had a tough match with her last year at this very event so I knew how well she could play.

I didn’t make a great start and was constantly playing catch up. Even though I was coming off the win in Macau I didn’t feel like myself on there. Out of sorts and my timing was off. It’s unusual for me to feel that way. I sometimes feel off in my movement but this wasn’t the case and it threw me. I battled hard and fought all the way to the end but lost to a fearless confident Salma who took the match 11-9 in the 5th. She played extremely well and took her opportunities.

I am extremely disappointed with the result, especially after my win in Macau but I have to take it on the chin. Maybe in retrospect the turn around from Macau was too short. Not because I wasn’t right when I played the match but dealing with the illness, the recovery and then the jetlag on top proved too much. All I can do is learn from the mistakes I made in the lead up to Brooklyn and except I got beaten by the better player on that day.

It makes me hungry to train hard this week and use those extra few days I now have to train wisely and be as well prepared as I can be in time for Philadelphia and the U.S Open starting on Sunday at Drexel. It’s a bonus that my brother has just moved to Philly and I have a few days to spend with him now!