Étretat

Long post today. Lots of pictures. Lots to talk about. The day started way too early. We had to be out the door by 7:20, but there was an absolutely massive lightening storm at about 6:00, and the huge gusts of wind caused our windows and doors to be slammed open and shut which woke me up quite early. After our early rousting, we seamlessly made our way 100 kilometers northwest to the coastal town of Étretat. The courts were right on the main avenue so we had no real trouble finding them and in no time I was one court.

The match lineup for the day. I'm second from the top (they added an extra 'L') and Frankie is fourth from the top.

Etretat Tennis Club

Frank was on his photo game today.

I played a 5/6 ranked Frenchman who was probably in his mid 20s. He had absolutely destroyed a 3/6 ranked player the round before so I knew I was going to be in for a fight, plus he didn't miss a single ball in warmup so I was a bit on edge to begin the match. Before I knew it I was down 1-5 in the first set. I was pressing very hard, pulling the trigger too early, and going for winners when I had no business doing so, which resulted in far too many errors. Eventually I calmed down and settled in to the match. Slowly but surely I managed to claw my way back into the set. But it certainly wasn't easy, every point was a grind and we frequently had 20 to 30 ball rallies. Finally after some scrapping I found myself at 5-5 in the first set. I'm sure getting good at coming back from behind, perhaps I should not dig such deep holes to begin sets, and maybe I could win some easy matches? But that's not really my style. At 5-5 I played a poor service game a got broken, and then he held with relative ease to take the first set 7-5. 

In my first match I was able to hit backhands with just a little tape job. Exciting stuff!

In the second set I was determined to play tighter tennis, use bigger margins of error, and not give this damn match away. But I guess I like playing from behind because in no time I was down 2-0. He had points to go up 3-0 but I fought it off and held to get to 2-1. He held again to go up 3-1, and had multiple break points to go up 4-1. Once again I held him off and held to get to 3-2. The next three service games were held with relative ease and I found myself serving down a set and 5-3. I held quickly and then was faced with having to break to stay in the match. I got up 15-40 in his service game but gifted him two points, which sent the game to deuce. At deuce we played a long point that ended with him roping a forehand winner. Match point Frenchman. Again we played a long point which ended when I hit a backhand off the line causing him to shank his shot. I guess it's worth mentioning that these were not the lines we were used to playing with. These lines protruded about an inch off of the court, so when the ball hit them it would fire in some random direction. It was very annoying. At deuce he hit a rocket serve which I was unable to return and again I found myself down match point. We had a long rally and I finally got a short ball and hit an approach to his backhand corner. He threw up a lob and I pulled down the overhead. But I hit it right down the middle and he was able to fire a forehand crosscourt, I reached out and hit the ball of the very end of my frame. Luckily for me, it trickled over the net. He was shocked. He was sure the match was over, but today the tennis god's were on my side. I managed to win the next two points to take the match to 5-5 and then played very quickly to capitalize on his momentary shock. I think I won the next 8 points and took the second set 7-5. 

A couple of points from my first match.

In the third set I was on fire and he was battling depression. Every forehand I hit was a laser to his backhand corner, and time and time again I finished with solid volleys at the net. It wasn't the easiest set but I came away with a 6-2 win, for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 result. I think this is the first time in my career I've won when down match points. It was pretty cool. My second match was scheduled for 16:30 that afternoon and I was slated to play Daniel. The same Columbian I'd lost to in our first tournament. 

I win! 5-7, 7-5, 6-2

Frank warming up, he's on the far side.

Next up was Frankie. He was playing a 3/6 French teenager. The guy was quite tall, had a big serve, and a solid forehand. By the time I hopped out of the shower Frank was down 5-2 and things were not looking great. I watched a few points, and then had to run and get a sandwich because I was starving. When I got back Frank had dropped the first set 2-6, but was up 2-0 in the second. And then I watched 45 minutes of magic. Frank played probably the best tennis I've ever seen him play and was just absolutely roasting the guy. After dropping 6 of the first 8 games he won 8 of the next 11. Which put the match at 2-6, 6-2, 2-1 with Frank in the lead. What made the display even better was the tournament director had insisted I sit with him and have some wine and cheese while watching Frankie play. Even though I kept telling him I couldn't drink any wine because I had a match in the afternoon he absolutely refused to let me leave without pouring me a glass. So what could I do but drink it? I really can't overemphasize how McGirt Frank was playing. Moving his feet like a clay court master, he was running around middle balls and hitting every forehand as hard as he could. Had the match continued on the clay, it would've been over in 20 minutes. 

The tournament director informing them they'll be moving indoors.

The barn with a track for a court.

Instead, it started to pour. The tournament director tried to wait it out for about 10 minutes, but quickly decided that it wasn't going to stop and that the match had to be continued indoors. I hadn't even noticed they had an indoor facility, because they hardly did. They had one court inside a giant barn. It's actually too kind to call it a court because it wasn't a surface I've ever seen. I can't be sure, but it felt exactly like the material that running tracks are made out of, and there were lines for every sport possible on the court. Volleyball lines, basketball lines, badminton lines, tennis lines, you name it, you could've played it in there. It was ridiculous. And the worst part was the speed. The outdoor red clay plays like quicksand. On the clay every ball you hit bounces of off the terra battu and holds for a split second before gently releasing. On this indoor surface the ball didn't even bounce, it would just skid. A hard flat serve wouldn't bounce higher than your knees. Unfortunately for Team America this was just what the Frenchman needed to have a chance. His big serve was far more effective indoors and he immediately regained all of the confidence he had lost. After trading holds for several games the Frenchie broke Frank to go up 5-4 and held for a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win. It was really too bad that it started raining because Frankie was absolutely given the guy the business before the storm. 

Frank's backhand has improved a lot since we've been here. Also, notice all the random lines.

After Frank's match we wandered into town and headed down to the beach. It was too bad we didn't have more time to explore because the city was really cool and the ocean was beautiful. There were several natural arches in the cliffs and the water was a translucent blue. We only had about 45 minutes in town before we had to head back for my second match. During the warmup for match number two I could feel my mind wandering, which is never a good thing. The hardest thing for me about playing two matches in a day isn't physical, it's mental. I can play pretty much all day long, but focusing on a tennis court for me then 3 hours in a single day is quite the challenge. In 5 minutes I was down 3-0. But I rallied, playing really solid tennis to get the match to 4-3, before dropping the first set 6-3. Unfortunately for me I had to use one hand for all of my backhands in my second match because I'd used my left arm so much in the first match that it was just too soar and painful to hit a two-hander (but at least my backhand felt great in the first match). Not that that has anything to do with how the match went, but it certainly didn't help. In the second set it was much of the same, I got broken early and couldn't get it back and lost the second 6-4, for a 3-6, 4-6 loss. Daniel's such a wise player that he only serves my injured backhand and gets a lot of free points that way, making it nearly impossible for me to break him. That being said, I played pretty damn good, and certainly much better than the first time I played him so nothing to be upset about.

The famous Etretat arch.

Ceron (Columbia) versus Sabel (USA)

After my match we headed back into town to grab a bite to eat before we hit the road. Because this was a very touristy town everything was quite expensive so we settled on some little fast food stand. As we sat and ate the thunder clouds rolled again and eventually let loose. This was no ordinary storm, this was a god-damn monsoon. It was raining so hard it hurt when it hit you and the power throughout the city kept flickering on and off. When we finally made it back to the tennis complex Gustavo and Fercho howled in laughter because we were so wet. It was the kind of storm where you have to sprint at full speed to make any progress because the wind was blowing so hard. I'll admit, I was a bit worried at one point.

Downtown Etretat

Tomorrow one of us plays in a tournament in a town about an hour away. We're not sure who's going to play yet because it's up to us to decide. Because we're the same ranking we can decide at the last minute who is going to play. We're both a little banged up, Frank's elbow and my wrist, so we'll probably make the call in the morning. I forgot to mention I won our first 'prize' today. For making it to the quarterfinals there was no cash. But I won a plastic bag with a hat, some Madeline's, a bottle of champagne, and some pens. Very random.

My winnings!

Fercho had to get back to Rouen in a hurry to see a woman. So he rode back in our trunk/backseat.

So long,

Max