Flex League 2015 Match 1

My 1st match was actually my last match. My opponent was on vacation and wanted to get the match in. This being a flex league and I'm nothing if not flexible. I get the e-mail at work, but luckily I brought my bag and tennis clothes so we set up a time and place for the match.

I know another flex league sponsors Tennisopolis but as treacherous as the spring is in Chicagoland, playing in two flex leagues is tennis suicide. The match temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind was blowing super hard as you could hear it whistle through the chain link fence surrounding the courts. Researching my opponent it seems that he was coming up from 4.0 after a pretty successful 2014.

In the warm up I noticed that he used a slice backhand exclusively. It rarely missed but it could be a liability when attacked by high topspin. The forehand seemed to be a weapon when he would hit it. My opponent wanted to go straight to serves but I wanted to warm up my volleys and overheads. I got mine and he didn't take his (of course I didn't offer :-P). Serve was serviceable he seemed to hit with plenty of slice but on these courts it wouldn't hurt me too bad.

I won the spin and decided to serve, the pinpoint accuracy that I had in the warm up was gone and I was promptly broken. My opponent held pretty easily and I was broken again. Down 3-0 I really had no change of plans, I put a little more air under my shots and spin to keep the ball in and high to his backhand. It seemed to work as I broke back. I also realized why he didn't want volley practice as his net game could use some improvement. I then held and and broke and held to go up 4-3. We traded holds for 5-4 and broke for the set! 

In the 2nd set I thought that he might start to run around his backhand and fire his forehand but he seemed committed to the losing strategy. I reeled off the first four games of the set when I saw the first hint of desperation as he tried a topspin backhand pass from the deuce court as I rushed the net. I held and then broke for the match with a DTL backhand pass! Showing him how it was done and giving him a bagel in the process!