Written by: Chen Kexin Edited by: Leung Lok Heng & Choa Zhao Xiang Photos by: EusoffWorks
There was a sudden bout of rain right before the very first Tennis match (against Raffles Hall), but even the skies seemed to be on the side of our Tennis boys as it was quickly cleared up and sunny in no time. As our boys started warming up on the court, a loyal crowd of supporters could be seen ready to cheer the Tennis boys on. With a strong serve, the games started off with a bang, completely prepared to win their matches today.
Quick note: For this round robin round, players play 1 set, meaning first to win 9 games win.
First match of the day saw Divakar (aka Diva) as the first singles player. Diva was an absolute beast who pulled off save after save, continuously serving and returning winning hits. He might have faltered a little at times, but he always recovered, never giving his opponent a single chance. He maintained his lead in the match throughout, playing on the offensive mostly but with spectacular saves here and there. At one point in time, Diva just looked like he was hitting shooting stars one after another. His absolute talent and power in all games eventually gave him his win (and EH’s first victory!) with the match at 9-0.
EH 1:0 RH
Playing concurrently would be our first doubles team, Bobby and Yu Rui. Armed with his trusty headband and racquet, Bobby showed us his prowess as team captain with clean winners, as with Yu Rui and his strong forehand returns as they won the first game in their match. They continued to rain shot after another, only faltering occasionally, such as when Yu Rui double faulted (meaning he didn’t manage to serve his ball over the net twice), or missed returns. But the pair still ended up displaying their great chemistry as they bounced back even better from their mistakes, as they made their opponents fail to return shot after shot, with Bobby even serving an ace (meaning the opponent completely missed his serve) at a point in time. Their continuous sick plays and powerful smashes led to a complete victory at the end, winning the match with 9-0.
EH 2:0 RH
Next up to defend our glory would be Zheng Nan, the second singles player. Zheng Nan manages to start off with a strong start, hitting accurate shots one after another. Both singles players were pretty evenly matched, their rallies being one of the longest in all matches. Zheng Nan was a great defensive player, managing to turn and twist his body at different angles to return shots. (I personally think he would make a fantastic addition to DP’s contemporary dances.) However, his valiant efforts seemed to keep falling short, eventually causing his opponent to gain the advantage at 6-7. The next few games also didn’t manage to go his way, with a couple of missed shots, or out of bounds, which ended up giving his opponent the set. He ultimately loses the match 6-9.
EH: 2:1 RH
Playing concurrently with Zheng Nan would be the next doubles team,Tristan and “Golden Boy” Benny. As a freshie with just 4 months of experience playing with EH Tennis, it became clear why he is affectionately called “Golden Boy Benny” by team captain Bobby with his quick reflexes and strong smashes. Tristan was no joke either, with solid serves after another just like a cannon. After ruthless shots after another, their momentum was slightly disrupted at game 7, with the score 6-1. However, the duo was not disheartened and continued their strong teamwork, forcing their opponents to miss shots, eventually managing to win the match 9-2.
EH 3:1 RH
Last but not least, we had Si Heng as the third singles player. Si Heng manages to win the first game with relative ease, causing his opponent to amp up his offense. They engage in fierce rallies, with Si Heng making beautiful saves, but unfortunately hits the net with his last save and faults, bringing the match to 4-3. Luckily for him, (but unluckily for RH), his opponent’s balls seem to be attracted to the net constantly, even double faulting 2x in a row, allowing him to bring the match to 7-4. A few errors allowed his opponent to win another game but the sheer force and strength, as well as calculative shots was too much for his opponent to handle. He absolutely smashes the ball at the end and wins the match at 9-5.
Final Score – EH 4:1 RH
A good start for the Tennis boys, let’s continue to cheer them on throughout IHG!
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