The match
Lost to Sam Cantello 4-6, 5-7 in the quarterfinals of the Division C playoffs. Third time I have played him, third loss, and this one took an hour and fifteen minutes at Jack Adams on a Wednesday night. I came in as the 8 seed and he was the 1. I got here by beating Hank Shaw 6-1, 6-3 on 29 September.
This one had nothing to do with my ball striking. My groundstrokes off the baseline were the best part of my game tonight.
First set. I served first and went up 30-0 in the opening game. He broke me anyway, held that break the rest of the way, and I lost the set 4-6.
Second set. I served first, held, then broke him, and he broke me right back. We got to 5-5 and I had a game point on my serve. He fought it off, and after a couple of deuces and ads back and forth he broke me. He held for the match and I lost the set 5-7.
The drop shots. He was not winning from the baseline, so he stopped trying to. He mixed drop shots in all night and they changed the pace of the point completely. They pulled me in off the baseline, and then he had the passing shot and the lob waiting for me at the net.
That is the matchup in one line. He takes away whatever is working and makes me play the part of my game that is not.
Ahead in a game three matches running, and not winning it. On 17 August I was up 40-0 in the first game of the second set and he broke me after four advantages. On 11 September I was up 40-0 on his serve and only closed the break at 40-30. Tonight it was 30-0 in my first service game, and a game point at 5-5. Getting ahead in a game against Sam is not the same thing as winning it.
One break in each set was all he needed. My legs went first in both earlier matches. This time nothing went wrong physically and nothing went wrong with the strokes.
The takeaway: I lost this at the net, not at the baseline. Either I finish the point he pulls me forward into, or I get the drop shot back and retreat behind the baseline instead of standing there waiting for the pass. Right now I run in and I stay in, and he has an answer for that every time.
He goes on to the semifinal, with a deadline of 21 October.