Written By: Leung Lok Heng Edited By: Valerie Chua & Jolene Wong Photographs By: EusoffWorks
The scorching sun shone mercilessly onto the hardcourt but it was not going to deter our Tennis girls from starting their long-awaited IHG season. As the players started warming up for their first match against Sheares Hall (SH), a crowd of yellow-donning supporters started lining up outside the courts, ready to cheer their fellow Eusoffians on. Excitement filled the air and not long after, the first ball was served and the match begun.
Quick recap of IHG tennis rules: in the round robin stage, players play 1 set and have to be the first to win 9 games. In the semi-finals and final matches, players play best of 3 sets, first to 6 games for each.
Veteran Ning kicked things off as the first singles player for Eusoff. Her tough serves allowed her to jump to an early 30-0 lead in the first as most were unreturned by her opponent. A clever shot to the back left corner surprised everyone and she clinched the first game with ease. From then on, Ning continued to pull away from her opponent, sending powerful shot after powerful shot across the net, leaving the supporters in awe of her talent. Her lead in the match started to widen as she continued going on the offensive, winning game after game relentlessly. A well-disguised drop shot at the end of the 9th game gave her the point and the match 9-0.
EH 1:0 SH
Next up was the second singles player and Captain for the team, Felicia. Building onto the momentum that Ning had created, Felicia piled on the pressure onto her opponent. Her combination of fast-paced yet accurate shots left her opponent struggling to return them and a booming serve won her the first game. Felicia continued to display her strength and speed as she handled the shots coming at her with ease, deftly returning them with even more power than it came with. Felicia continued to hold a commanding lead in the match, never looking back as she won each game in similar fashion to the first singles. After a long rally with her opponent, a swift forehand shot to the left sideline was too much for her opponent to handle as she clinched the final point and her match 9-0.
EH 2:0 SH
Sophomore Claudia and freshie Faith took the court next as the first doubles pair for the team. A clever drop shot that barely crossed the net by Faith gave the pair their first point. However, it was clear from the long rallies in the first game that their opponents were very evenly matched and it was going to be a tough battle for every point. Both teams displayed amazing shots one after and another and a ruthless serve by Claudia won them the first game. The duo continued their strong performance on court and their teamwork was evident as they shuffled around the court to cover every open area. Their tenacious defence gave them plenty of opportunities to control the game and force their opponents to make errors. A serve into the net by their opponent gave Claudia and Faith the second game and widened their lead.
The next few games, however, did not go the duo’s way. A couple of missed serves and shots out of bounds allowed their opponents to catch up and eventually the match was tied 3-3 in games won. The tension was high as both sides were seemingly unable to establish a commanding lead with the scores constantly being tied at 4-4, then 5-5 at one point. The duo continued to fight hard for every point, hustling all over the court to return seemingly unreturnable shots but a series of errors gave their opponents the set. Eventually, the pair lost the match 5-9 after a valiant effort from both of them.
EH 2:1 SH
At this point, the sweltering heat had given way to an overcast which the players (and supporters) were very thankful for. Le-Yi took to the court as the third singles player for the team, along with Hui En and Shu Jing who were the second doubles pair. Le-Yi displayed some wicked shots that left her opponent scrambling to return them and it was a close match from the very start. Both singles players were again evenly matched, and impressive swings from Le-Yi kept her opponent running all over the court throughout the match but she trailed 1-2 to SH. Concurrently, Hui En and Shu Jing were going toe-to-toe with their opponents. They had a bit of a shaky start, with a couple of unforced errors creeping into their game, giving SH a marginal 2-1 lead. However, spurred on by the relentless cheering from their teammates and supporters, the pair started cleaning up their game and displayed accurate shot after another. A powerful smash by Hui En tied up the match at 2 apiece and the duo continued to push harder and harder. Shu Jing’ consistent shots to the sidelines won crucial rallies for the duo and the pair’s strong shots, coupled with their patient defence, allowed them to steam through the next few games as they eventually jumped to a 5-2 lead.
The atmosphere in the courts were tense. Both matches could determine the overall winner of this EH vs SH battle as the players continued fighting for every point. However, in perhaps one of the most anticlimactic ways possible, the winner of this match was not to be decided that day. The gloomy overcast brought a light drizzle onto the courts, which turned into a heavy downpour in a matter of seconds. With Le-Yi trailing 2-7 and Hui En and Shu Jing being tied 5-5, the matches had to be postponed to another day. Do continue to support our Tennis girls for their matches and stay tuned to find out who emerges victorious!
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