Monte Carlo Classic
Monte Carlo is one of my favourite tournaments of the year. I have played it more times than any other and always seem to play well. I arrived on Sunday and had a day to spare before playing on Tuesday. Unfortunately the weather was terrible and so it meant alot of time spent in my room who I was sharing with Laura Hill.My 1st round match was against qualifier Adel Weir. I've never played her before and was looking forward to getting going in the tournament. The match went well from my point of view. I felt sharp and played well. I won 3-0.
In the quarter finals I was seeded to play Dom Lloyd-Walter. However, she lost to the unseeded Camile Serme who has been playing well recently. This meant I was playing Camile. I had a good day and was feeling relaxed.....maybe too relaxed. When the match started I felt quite flat and wasn't moving that great. I felt abit relaxed and although that is good I didn't get the balance between being relaxed and fired up right. I lost the 1st game but managed to win the next 2 to go 2-1 up. I was feeling abit better and had an opportunity to close out the 4th but just didn't play well enough. She played well and was picking up alot of balls. I lost the 4th game 11-9 and was in a 5th. The 5th followed much the same pattern as the 4th. I was feeling flat still and I went behind in the game 8-5. At this point I thought I was out and maybe that made me relax....combined with Camile hitting 3 tins and I was back in it at 8-8. I played a couple of good rallies and at 9-9 Camile hit a lucky nick between the floor and f/h side wall to give her matchball. I played a defensive ralley and managed to force a tin from her to get it to 10-10. I played another good ralley and went 11-10 up. I was determinded to finish the match then and when I thought i'd over hit a lob I was shocked....but some how it dropped in just below the line. Camile stopped and the referee confirmed that the ball was in and to the dismay of a distraught Camile he award me the match.....by the skin of my teeth I was through!!!
The next day my legs were abit stiff but I was feeling pleased to still be in the tournament. I was playing Vanessa Atkinson in the semi who had been playing very well. I knew I'd have to play better than yesterday. I warmed up well and got myself more pumped up for the match. I started great and was moving really well. Vanessa was hitting a few errors and this combined with how well I was playing gave me the first 2 games fairly quickly 11-3, 11-4. Vanessa made a good start in the 3rd and I got my disapline back and managed to peg her back and took the game 11-7. Very pleased after yesterday's performance to play so well and be in my first final.
The final was against Rachel Grinham. It wasn't until 8pm so I had all day to kill. I tried to get out of the room to stop feeling lathargic. Prince Albert was attending and so thats why the final was so late. We got started just after 8pm. We both made a great start and it was pretty even until about 4-4. Rachel pulled away to 7-4. I tightened up and Rachel hit a few errors and I went straight through to win the 1st game 11-7. I was pleased to be 1-0 up but have been in that position before and so wanted to make a good start in the 2nd game. The pattern was similar to the first game in that it was level and then Rachel went 9-4 up and I gave another big push and made a comeback all the way to 11-9. Really pleased to be 2-0 up but I knew it wasn't over yet. The next 2 games were close and I lost them both 11-7, 11-9. At 2-2 we were dead even for points. We came on and we went level until 7-7. We were both playing well and the rallies were long. At 7-7 we had a few long rallies and i went 9-7 up. Then we had a ralley and Rachel played a great back hand drop and it was 8-9. After another long ralley I defended with a high backhand boast and followed up by running in for the forehand drop that went cross court. I was no where near it but it hit the tin. That gave me matchball at 10-8. Rachel saved the first one and I decided to go for it on the second one. I hit a backhand kill that bounced unexpectedly short and Rachel couldn't reach it. I was so pleased to win the tournament and record my first win over a top 3 player.