Saturday, May 11.
The day started with slamming some fried rice and eggs, some fresh veggies, and a liter of water. Not an hour later, I was on court, facing a player who had flown here from Turkey. My opponent was very fast, and a good squash player, but was hesitant with his volley. I was able to take advantage of this and go up 2-0. In the third, he was able to edge the game out and bring it to 2-1. Between games I switched shirts, donned a bandanna, downed a squeeze of energy gel and told myself to stick to my own game plan. The 4th game was brutal, with a few very long rallies and a couple ungainly dives (by yours truly). I was able to win, resulting in a 3-1 final outcome.
In my second match (the consolation final), I dropped the first two games,. My opponent was a shot maker, with very nice hands. He also had a knack for keeping the ball glued to the wall. He had spent several years planning on the Dutch national team, and I could tell he had a lot experience. I was able to fight back, and win games three and four, bringing the match score to 2-2. In the fifth, we went back and forth until 9-9. He slammed a rolling knick, and squeezed out a super tight length to win it 11-9.
Overall, this entire tournament has been an absolute blast. The squash community here is amazing. There are 17 courts, and all 17 were being used by casual, social players.
