JT knocks Defending Champ-SV out of tournament!
Harmon Park, by Matt Sopcic, TTN - In my short 2 years of tower tennis I have never seen so much talent match up head to head as was witnessed today. Dynasty champ JT and 2 time defending champ SV put on a show for the ages! What is a match of this caliber without a little controversy though? SV was quick to point this out because when he pulled up to Harmon Park, JT was being warmed up by a fellow tournament player, clearly upsetting the defending champ. JT also claimed controversy because everyone in the surrounding 3 blocks appeared to be cheering for SV during the entire match. Once the game started I thought SV might have had a legitimate argument with JT jumping out to a 2-0 lead. At this point SV’s number one fan (DR) arrived and SV got the confidence boost he needed storming back to take a 3-2 lead (possibly because of all the trash talk thrown at JT from DR!!!!). Each player took alternating turns leading in the first set before it was tied 6-6! All of the games leading up to this point had long rally’s, often reaching 15+ shots before someone took the point. It was very clear that neither player wanted to give an inch and SV had the momentum going into the tie breaker that allowed him to jump out to a quick 3-1 lead. JT needed to dig deep in order to mount a comeback and that’s just what he did, storming back to win 7-3! It was obvious that SV was a little frustrated letting the 1st set slip through his fingers but he came back strong and more focused in the second set. JT didn’t have an answer for a lot of what SV was throwing at him and SV jumped out to a 4-2 lead. By this point both players were very tired and it looked as though set #3 was inevitable. Somehow JT was able to find a weakness in SV’s defense and stole the next 4 games to take the set and match. SV’s snacks (anti muscle cramp food) that he ate between games did not do their job because it was clear that his speed slowed significantly (from cramps) in the last 3 games of the second set which hindered his abilities.
Ask anyone in attendance today and they will say that the level of game play that each individual brought to the court was good enough to win the tournament without any doubt. Can JT keep this momentum going into the finals? I know SV will focus again in the off-season to make a run for a title next year and possibly a little revenge on JT. Congrats again to both players for an excellent performance, it really is a shame that someone had to lose but that’s what makes this tournament challenging.
No comments:
Post a Comment