It was a long day of good tennis in Mexico City today. We (the USA women’s 55 team, the Maureen Connolly Cup) played Great Britain. This was the same match up that occurred in 2009 in Mallorca. The British team remained basically unchanged with Frances Candy at #1, Sally Freeman at #2 and Frances and Pauline Fisher in any deciding doubles match. Kerry Young woke up ill today, she caught some bug, and came out to watch, and helped coach, but couldn’t play and was pretty sick. Everyone else was ready to go. I started against Sally on Court 1, the first time we’d played on the first court. It was in good shape, though after about 20 minutes was dusty and fast in the back court. I’d played Sally a couple of times and we’d had tough matches, but I had won and this time was similar. I won the first set 62, but Sally played a good second set which I managed to win 63. This was the first match in which I’d had a lot of long rallies and I can still feel the fact that we are at 7300 feet! Tina was up next. She lost to Frances in Mallorca last year so we were all watching attentively. Tina had a set point in the first set at 54, but didn’t convert and ended up losing it 75. She went down 41 in the second set and Frances netted a volley which would have put her up 51 in the second. Tina started serving better and better and playing more consistently after that, and Frances got tight. Tina won the next 5 games to win the set 64 and then played a great third set to win it 62 to clinch the tie. She had played nearly three hours, so Sherri and I played the doubles against Pauline and Jane, the Brits’ 4th player, who was quite good. They had a set point in the first set on my serve (I had the score wrong and didn’t know it was set point, fortunately, hit a good serve…) but we rallied to win 75 64, good match. We play Netherlands tomorrow. They won long three set matches at #1 and #2 singles against France to put them in the final. They will be very tough opponents tomorrow. I will probably play Elly Appel, who actually lives in Virgiinia and Tina will play Nora Blom, a smooth lefty.
In other play today, the USA women are doing GREAT! We are in the final of the 40, 45, 50 and 55 Cups, and also in the men’s 40 final and I think in the men’s 50 final…they split their singles and were playing doubles when the 50 women left and I haven’t found out yet how they are doing.
The men’s 40s upset Italy 2/1. Rick Kepler, a super aggressive lefty, known more for doubles is playing #2 singles and according to the captain, Curtis Dunn, frustrating his opponents on the fast courts here. He combined with Morgan Shepherd to win the deciding doubles point too.
The USA women’s 40 & 50 teams won both singles and are in the final against the top seeds. The 45s dropped the #2 singles point, but Gretchen Magers held on to win at #1 and combined with Renata Marcinkowska to win the doubles.
