Congratulations Jack !!
As widely predicted, Jack out gunned Dan in a pulsating 6-4,6-2 match. Playing in the court next to me, i caught glimpses of Jack's game and it looked like he handled Dan far more easier than i did though the score board doesnt seem that way. It is Jack's show once again and this time he also bought in his serve that posed problems for Dan. Dan simply had no answer for Jack's offense and had trouble penetrating Jack's defense. Though i couldn't see all of the match, it appeared like Jack used his full repertory of shots and used them at various points to take control of the match.In the brief post match interview ,One could tell from looking at Jack that he is very happy to fight for #1 rank come next week. Dan indicated that he was rushing as he was running out of time. Not having full details i wasnt sure what it meant.
Staying with the trend this season, i started the match nervous. During the warm up i saw Luciano hitting full range of shots --slices, flat shots, lobs and the whole suite. I wasnt timing the ball well during the warm up. I picked up a few things that helped me during the match.
Despite being nervous and some what tired, i broke Luciano after he elected to serve,to begin the evening but any happiness i had evaporated quickly as Luciano broke me back. We stayed on serve till 2-2. I broke him at 3-2 and then held through the set for a 6-4 win. There were some really tight moments and I managed to navigate them using my Serve and passing shots. Though the score board says i won 6-4, it wasn't easy.
Second set was far more to my liking. With first set under my belt, Luciano really needed to win the second set by at least 3 game margin to emerge as a winner. I broke Luciano's serve in the begining of second set and then held mine to go up 2-0. With Shot clock not on his side (it was about 08:15 and Luciano needs to win 5 games in a row in 15 minutes to have a chance), Luciano tried to force action but was broken at Love. Leading 3-0, I knew the match was more or less over. It is extremely unlikely that anyone can pull of 6 straight games in remaining 10-15 minutes (and i wouldnt have stayed beyond 08:30 this night). In any event, Luciano kind of went away after that and i won the set comfortably at 6-0.
The keys to my win are my passing shots and serve. It also helped that Luciano had an Off night.Luciano is one of the good net players in the ladder. He sneaks in almost unnoticed and can hurt you with his net game on both sides. I missed my first few passing shot oppurtunities in the first set and i am thinking that he might have been encouraged by that and was charging net more. I believe that my passing shots are underrated. In any event, i won a lot more than i lost on passing shot oppurtunities. Excluding the one game i got broken, i saved the only break point of the night with a clean Ace down the T.
I am thrilled that i managed to defend the #1 ranking successfully. It adds a little more credence to the player when he defends his title. Another confidence boosting aspect for me. Coming into this match, Luciano lead 26- 21 when considering the games played,against me. Post this match i turned it around and now i lead the head to head with 33-30.
Now the bad news for me. My work priorities will have me travel next week and i will not be able to play next Monday night to defend my ranking. Even sad for me is that, i will be missing the matchup against Jack. Despite the fact that Jack is playing awesome tennis and is probably the player to beat, I think i would have my fair share of chances against him in the final.Over the years , we played so many matches and there are no surprises when we play each other. Because of me withdrawing next week, i will be dropping to #3 and will be playing against #4 player the following monday (Oct 25).
But the Good news is that, assuming the Commissioner follows the rule book , Jack will assume the #1 rank as he is currently #2 and with the #1 player (me) withdrawing from next week's draw. As a former #1 player and as someone who reached #2 last year, Jack is a deserving #1 player and this result shouldn't come as a surprise. From a match up perspective, Jack might be playing Luciano next week and a strong showing would cement his place at the top.
Regardless of what happens during the rest of this young season, It is a great achievement for Jack and me. Over the course of three years, we talked several times about how we both should be playing for the title in prime time. We both contributed to each others game improvement and shared our scouting reports and other tips. Of course neither of us are planning to stop here and will continue improving our respective games.
While it is clear that Jack results are due to his improved game, my results are nothing but shocking. There are No noticeable improvements in my game. While my serve has gotten a bit more consistent, i have been known as a decent server in the ladder for quite some time. While a favorable draw could be a reason for #1 ranking, it still doesnt explain the mostly one sided results i have been having. I am winning 75% of the games played and that is way above my career average of 50%. So sooner or later i expect a market correction and my game to come back to earth.
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