Rob d. Emmanuel: 7-5, 6-4

For the past week, Rob and I have been trash talking over email. Today was the rematch. Quite the match. I got up 3-love nothing in the first set. Felt pretty good. Rob got on the board, breaking me to go 3-1 and eventually we were even at 3-all. Another break, on my serve, got Rob up to 5-4. I'd get broken again and Rob served out the set for 7-5. I served to start the second and held. Both of us did hold to go 2-all and this was the turning point. Rob broke me and went up 4-2. I really didnt wanna lose and brought it back to 4-all but that would be it. Rob would win the set 6-4, breaking me one more time.

It wasnt even a case of running out of gas. I mean, the first set? Well, I guess I just psyched myself out of the running. I was on it and I think at 3-love, I just rushed through points, kept thinking of me winning the set and when I wasnt, I was asking "Why am I not winning this set?" rather than "How can I win this set?" and making adjustments to my game. Speaking of which, Rottweiler was on. Ya, slow start for me to go up in the first set but his game came together. First it was the serve. Heavy, flat and sometimes even with a spin. I have a real hard time returning it on the forehand, usually netting it. A case, I think, of not completing my swing but more than that, I feel like it's hitting the top of my racket, almost the frame and taking some pop outta the ball to make it over the net. But it was more than his serve, too. Rob's court game is coming together beautifully. Fa real. The guy rushed to the net on nearly every point. Now, Rob's 6'2 (and, on an unrelated note, 194 lbs) so he's tall and he's got good reach. I was able to hook a couple of just great passing shots but, more often than not, Rob was at the net to volley or smack the fuzz out of the tennis ball. His net game on return games is key so when he starts to figure out the right moments to move up to the net? Ohhh devastation.

Oh ya, in fact, he won this match on a point at the net. He served, rushed to the net and half volleyed my return. It was real dramatic. He was right on the centre of the court, inches from the net. I was a few inches behind the baseline. The volley sat up and I could have run for it but...I dont know? My legs, the sun (which wasnt in my eye but it was, at that moment, on the ball, it was the ball, white and silvery, not yellow, the ball and the sun), something, prevented me from making a dash to it, hitting it with my racquet over Rob's head, a lob that Rob wouldnt get and the point would be mine and the game would continue and the sun would continue to sit there until it diseappeared into the trees and past them and into wherever it is the sun goes when we cant see it and we cant mistake tennis balls for it.

But it didnt happen that way. Not at all. I really wanted to win this match. Im sure Rob did, too. Diff was he had the game to do it. Congratulations Robbie. I gotta figer out a better response. For now, dinner.