10U Girls County Cup Report
Day 1
With Ellie injured and Matilda & Esme away, we had our some of our 9U Players stepping up to play along-side Khamila.
On Day 1 Khamila, Olivia, Sophia & Bella took on Nottinghamshire & Cambridgeshire.
Nottingham had a strong Player at 1, so Khamila battled through her first match but couldn’t quite to find her rhythm in the match. Olivia (playing at Number 2) with her high energy took the First Set comfortably at 4-0. A few tight moments followed in the second set, but Olivia happily took the second set 4-2! Great job! Today marked Sophia’s FIRST EVER GREEN BALL TOURNAMENT! And on her debut, Sophia with her strong serving, and great consistency pulled out a fantastic 4-1 4-0 win! Bella (playing at Number 4) – (who only played her First Green Ball Tournament the week before!) – Made a brilliant start by forcing her opponent to a First Set Tiebreak! Bella kept applying the pressure to her opponent but just missed out 7-4 in the tiebreak.
Khamila & Olivia have paired together before, so teaming together Khamila’s strong volleys and Olivia’s solid consistency from the back of the court, the girls were a strong pair at Pair 1! They won the first set in a tiebreak 4-3 (3) and cruised the second set 4-0! Well done girls! Sophia & Bella at Pair 2 put on a solid performance. Sophia & Bella (who haven’t played together before) made a positive start keeping Both Back & having great communication! Their unity & steadiness forced the First Set to a tiebreak, and the girls just missed out 7-5.
After all the fixtures, we were tied 3-3 with Nottinghamshire so we were forced to a shootout! One player from Pair 1 & one player from Pair 2 playing a Doubles Tiebreak to 10 Points! Bella & Olivia were selected to take on the challenge! The girl’s high energy had them leading in the tiebreak, but with a few good points from Nottingham, we just missed out 11-9! Unbelievably close!
Cambridgeshire were the strongest of the 3 Counties, but all the girls kept competitive & determined! Khamila did brilliant job in getting her opponent in uncomfortable situations and forced her opponent to Deuce in every game! Olivia, Sophia & Bella did a fantastic job picking up a couple of games against their older & more experienced opponents! Bella & Sophia continued their impressive Doubles Play pushing Cambridgeshire to a First Set Tiebreak! The girl with their patience & persistence play really shone through as they just missed out 4-3 (4) 4-2. It was a tough fixture, but despite a long hot day, the girls competed hard & remained positive all the way to then end of Day 1.
Day 2 – TIEBREAK DAY
Our last fixture was against Leicestershire.
The girls boosted their performance on Day 2 and gave it every ounce of effort! Bella had a difficult match – It was long and mentally testing. Bella faced a unique opponent who had a very varied game, but Bella hung on in and stuck it out taking the win 4-2 4-2! Fab job! Olivia’s match was a test of nerves & consistency. With very long rallies, it was the ultimate test of stamina. After losing the First Set 4-0, Olivia shook off her nerves, and with some fantastic deep topspin shots, took the second set 4-0! A few nerves crept back in on the third-set tiebreak, but after saving a match point, Olivia held strong and took the third set 12-10! Incredible! Khamila had a brutal start to her match. Some very tight line calling, and 3 net calls all going against Khamila – it was a testing start! Khamila got stronger as the weekend went on, she settled in more comfortably and played some very solid tennis!
Khamila & Olivia teamed back-up for an amazing doubles match! It was a tense, see-saw 2 sets, but the girls fought for every point and chased every ball! Khamila was on absolute fire with her powerful serve – Khamila had found her rhythm and was unbelievable! Olivia kept energised & was creative with her play (especially her volleys)! The girls had fantastic momentum in the second set and sailed through the third set tiebreak only dropping 1 point! The final score was 3-4(5) 4-3(3) 10-1! Amazing! Bella & Sophia defined the odds with their doubles match! With some very smart tennis & skilful shots from both players, the girls came back from one set down, and 6-4 down in the second set tiebreak to winning the tiebreak 8-6! Unbelievable! Sophia & Bella kept their momentum, and with nerves of steel took the third set 10-6! An astounding 4-2 win over Leicestershire!
Congratulations Khamila, Olivia, Sophia & Bella - To take 2nd Place is an incredible achievement! As we had a young team, the odds were against us, but girls all your determination & perseverance has paid off! I am so proud of your efforts this weekend – You all remained in high spirits & we had a phenomenal weekend! WELL DONE!
Imogen Allen, Captain
