Its been my favourite tournament since its resurgence on the PSA World Tour a few years ago. Well run and close to home with a similar climate, I have had a great time in Clare – SA the last three years. This year its bigger than ever before, attracting the best in the world for a spectacle in Canberra. With memories of the final against Palmer a couple of years ago, I flew across the Tasman Sea hoping for better results. Three and a half hours in the giant A380 and I was in Sydney. I knew when I booked the flights that I will be cutting it fine with a landing time of 7:30 pm with a connection at 8:35pm onwards to Canberra from the domestic terminal. I was prepared for the worst and hoped for the best - and best is what Australia gave me. Fast tracked through customs by a nice lady, baggage was out quick, the bus driver to the domestic terminal didn’t charge me the $5.50 fare because I had no cash and was running too late to get cash out and the check in lady let me off paying excess baggage for the same reason. In 50 mins after landing I was at the gate ready to board my flight – a miracle.
Saturday, 7 August - Day 0
Steve and I are staying with John Granich – Steve’s childhood friend who lives in Canberra and works for the Air Force. Had a comfortable stay and we were ready for practice. Had a good hit and stretch and looked forward to the draw and matches starting. John was good company and both him and Steve were cracking jokes left right and centre. It was a treat for me – I was well entertained.
Sunday, 8 August - Day 1
The qualifying draw in a PSA event is always scheduled on the day the matches start. Its different not knowing who you are playing and when the match will be but I guess one should be ready for anything and everything.
I drew the fit Danish youngster Kristian Frost Olesen whom I had played a few weeks ago in Malaysia. This was a hard first round but the positives were that I had just played him and his style of play and game plan were fresh in my mind. The game started well but he broke through towards the end and I found myself down one game. I lost composure in play in the second and soon myself down two games. This wasn’t ideal and I knew it was going to be a big battle if I wanted to win – which I did badly. Down 1-6 in the third before winning it and then 2-8 in the fourth before winning it as well to level the match at two games each. The fifth could have been anyone’s but I kept it straight and used my holds and drops effectively to win it 11-8 and with it a passage to the next round.
Monday, 9 August - Day 2
In the second round I was up against the talented Egyptian Amr Swelim. Amr is a gifted player and his game has improved a lot recently. It has always been hard playing him with his smooth movement and excellent stroke play. He demolished his opponent Dick Lau in the previous round. On the other hand I was feeling the effects of my 90-minutes marathon yesterday. I had been in the situation many times before and made sure I went through my recovery routine effectively. It worked well and by the time of the match I was feeling good and ready for it.
The match started at a fast pace with Amr dominating play. I could find an answer to his excellent stroke play and lost the game 2-11. Even though I was down, I knew I was going to do better because I felt better physically than I expected. I came back strong and used my stroke play to move him around. It was a good turn around and the match was soon tied at 1-1. The third was hard physically and I could see him tiring. I kept going and fitness saw me through that game as I led 2-1. Amr made a strong comeback and won the fourth to level the match at 2-2. Steve was talking to me between games and reminded me that I needed to stay a few points clear if I was to win the match and that’s exactly what I did. Lucky to break through with a few good shots and after some hard rallies I led 7-4. It was a battle after that and even though I had three match balls, Amr kept fighting and playing well to get to 9-10. We were both feeling it and I knew I had to be smart but instead I went for a nick of the serve which he got back and the gruesome rally ended in a let. When served again I floated a cross court return almost perfectly into the forehand corner which almost died and his attempt couldn’t make the ball reach the front wall. It was a good win for me to beat a seed in the qualifying and to get further. Now I am hoping for a good draw and wishing for a rest day tomorrow.
Tuesday, 10 August - Day 3
I have been drawn against World no.8 Peter Barker in the first round today. Peter is a solid and consistent player who counter attacks very well and hits excellent length. He is known for his fitness and if I am to trouble him at all, I will have to be on the peak of my game. My plan is to break his rhythm and to focus on my strengths and use the element of surprise in our first ever encounter. I am also hoping to get used to the glass court quickly and use it to my advantage. A hit on it would have been good but there was hardly any time.
The day started with an early morning recovery jog to sweat out and flush the lactic acid out of the body. It was a good one and guaranteed me a sleep after breakfast. The day is filled with stretching in between playing Nintendo Wii with none other than Steve who is excellent company as always. John joined us for a little play before lunch as well. The match is at 4pm on the glass court set up at the convention centre in town and I can’t wait to get on.
The match
It wasnt to be - I got thrashed! He was too good for me and I was too flat for him. Look forward to a few days off!
In the following few days we had a great time in Canberra. It was jokes times 3 with the Innisfail boys - Steve, John and Sean. We went out for great food and shared stories and jokes. I also got a chance to visit the magnificent Australian War Memorial with the Grahams who drove 12 hours from Clare to see the Squash and have a family holiday at the same time. It was great to see them. The museum itself is the best I have ever seen with quality displays and shows - it felt as if I was there with the ANZACs.
Its time to move on now and I look forward to Brisbane and the Gold Coast before starting the Queensland Tour.
.JPG)
