Today I was scheduled to play my match at noon, and since we weren’t following a match we got on around 12:15 after the court was swept and watered. I played Carola Kluzer, one of the top Italians in the 65s.
I had warmed up at about 8 o’clock but you’d never know it from the way I started my match. I lost 12 of the first 16 points. It went down 3/0, but reigned in my mistakes, changed up my strategy, a bit, moved my feet better and won the next nine games. When we finished it was 89° feeling like 95° and Carola retired when I was up 30 in the second set with heat exhaustion. I had noticed that she was getting tired and her face was getting really red, but I didn’t think she was going to retire…the clue should’ve been that she was losing track of the score & the points.
We actually played it a different club not the Lido club. Tennis Club Campo Marzio, which has 2 courts, and is right next to the Lido.
Below is a photo of us before our match in Alassio earlier this year when it was much cooler. For obvious reasons, I didn’t ask her to take a photo after the match when she could barely walk.
I stayed around to watch at least the beginning of the other 65 semi’s between an Australian Rosemary Everett and an Italian Michelina Valente. The latter is the number two seed. They were scheduled to play at 1:30 but didn’t get on till about three because there was a three set men’s match before their match. Rosemary came back to win the first set 75 in over an hour of tough play..Update: Rosemary Everett won 75 4-4 retired…I think the heat probably got to Michelina too. So I play Rosemary (with whom I am playing doubles) tomorrow I think.
Here’s a photo of myself and Michelle Whiteside from South Africa who is playing in the 55s.
