[ColoradoTree]

So, that was all a bit tighter than it needed to be.

First off, Blake didn't play singles. Not sure if that was intentional--in order to work Madurawe into the lineup against an opponent we knew we should beat--or if Blake picked up an injury in doubles, but we'll find out on Friday, either way. That meant everyone else moved up a line--Shin at 3, Choy at 4, Higuchi at 5, and Madurawe at 6. 

Doubles was just too tight. Choy/Higuchi did their thing, winning 6-1, but the top two lines both went to tiebreakers, which Arbuthnott/Blake won while Gordon/Madurawe was still ongoing.

In singles, we got to 4 points easily enough: dominant wins from Choy at 4, Arbuthnott at 2, and then Higuchi at 5. So far, so good. But both Shin and Madurawe dropped their first sets. To their credit, they bounced back and forced third sets, which took the form of a 10-game match tiebreaker because the dual match had already been clinched. It happened in reverse to Gordon, who rolled through her first set but lost the second in a tiebreaker. Now, all three won those match tiebreakers, so the 7-0 win looks like everything was peachy and happened as expected. That's hardly the case.

Gordon playing a tight match against an excellent player doesn't bother me in the least. That's expected when you're playing the other team's best player. But sitting Blake (if it was intentional) almost backfired. I'm glad Madurawe got experience, and I'm glad she bounced back after a disappointing first set. It's hard to not play for weeks and then jump into the lineup. You get better at matches by playing more competitive matches, so I appreciate the fight. And I appreciate Shin's fight, too. I just wish she hadn't had to fight so hard to get back in the match in the first place.

In any event, it marked Arbuthnott's 100th singles win, so congrats to Emily!

[ColoradoTree]

So, that was all a bit tighter than it needed to be.

First off, Blake didn't play singles. Not sure if that was intentional--in order to work Madurawe into the lineup against an opponent we knew we should beat--or if Blake picked up an injury in doubles, but we'll find out on Friday, either way. That meant everyone else moved up a line--Shin at 3, Choy at 4, Higuchi at 5, and Madurawe at 6. 

Doubles was just too tight. Choy/Higuchi did their thing, winning 6-1, but the top two lines both went to tiebreakers, which Arbuthnott/Blake won while Gordon/Madurawe was still ongoing.

In singles, we got to 4 points easily enough: dominant wins from Choy at 4, Arbuthnott at 2, and then Higuchi at 5. So far, so good. But both Shin and Madurawe dropped their first sets. To their credit, they bounced back and forced third sets, which took the form of a 10-game match tiebreaker because the dual match had already been clinched. It happened in reverse to Gordon, who rolled through her first set but lost the second in a tiebreaker. Now, all three won those match tiebreakers, so the 7-0 win looks like everything was peachy and happened as expected. That's hardly the case.

Gordon playing a tight match against an excellent player doesn't bother me in the least. That's expected when you're playing the other team's best player. But sitting Blake (if it was intentional) almost backfired. I'm glad Madurawe got experience, and I'm glad she bounced back after a disappointing first set. It's hard to not play for weeks and then jump into the lineup. You get better at matches by playing more competitive matches, so I appreciate the fight. And I appreciate Shin's fight, too. I just wish she hadn't had to fight so hard to get back in the match in the first place.

In any event, it marked Arbuthnott's 100th singles win, so congrats to Emily!