10U Girls County Cup Report
Day 1
The U10 Girls team of Alisa, Kashvi, Sofia, Daisy and Millie took on Herts and Kent with Middlesex due to be played on Sunday.
Up first were Herts. Daisy got us off to a great start winning in 3 sets. Sofia had a tough match and lost her singles. Kashvi then played superbly to win in straight sets and unfortunately Alisa faced an excellent opponent leaving us at 2-2 after the singles.
We then moved onto Kent and the singles. The girls fought hard, with Daisy taking the first set of her match but losing in 3. Kashvi battled really hard losing 4-3,4-2 in a tight match, and Alisa fought back to earn a tiebreak in the second set but also lost meaning we were 4-0 down after the singles. The doubles followed with Alisa & Kashvi losing a tight match but Millie & Sofia winning 4-1,4-1 and playing very well to earn us a point. However, it finished 5-1 to Kent.
The last round of the day saw the doubles of the Herts match, poised at 2-2. Sofia & Daisy teamed up and won comfortably 4-0,4-0. Kashvi and Millie then fought really hard but went down 4-3,4-3 meaning it was 3-3 and a tiebreak shootout to decide the winner. Kashvi & Sofia teamed up and won the tiebreak 10-4 giving Cambs a 4-3 victory over Herts.
Day 2
Arriving at Oakwood Lawn tennis club on Sunday 19th May ready for day 2 of the county cup. The weather was amazing, the sun was shining, and the girls were ready for Middlesex.
A very tough fixture for the girls but the one they were all excited for. We started with some fun warm up games, high energy warmups which got rid of the nerves, so they were ready to perform.
First up was the 4 singles matches of Daisy v Ivanka who played at 4, Sofia v Oliwia playing at 3, Kashvi v Amelia at 2 and Sahara v Alisa at 1. Daisy unfortunately went down 4-1 4-0 to Ivanka unfortunately. Even with almost every game going to deuce, Ivanka was just so powerful and strong for daisy with strong foundations she was just able to do more with the ball.
Next up was Sofia v Oliwia which was a close encounter where Sofia went down 4-2 4-2. Sofia showed great professionalism and battled hard with great fighting spirit where she almost came back from 3-0 down in the second set to take it to a tiebreak. Again, the only difference being Oliwia stronger technical foundations she was just able to do more with the ball.
Kashvi had another great encounter against Amelia. Although Kashvi went down 4-2 4-1, both players were very similar in style, with all games going to deuce. The tennis was really good, and the rallies were long, we saw volleys drop shots smashes it was great to watch where Kashvi used unbelievable determination and fight but sadly it wasn’t enough.
Although Alisa had the toughest match on paper against Sahara, who I believe actually based on technique alone was probably the weakest of the 4 players, her amazing movement and hands set her out from the rest. Alisa’s ball striking was cleaner, but she just missed too much as I believe she felt like she had to do too much although she hit some amazing shots. Sadly, Alisa lost 4-0 4-1, if Alisa was more willing to stay in the rally, I believe the scoreline could have been a lot closer. But Alisa showed a great attitude throughout the match.
We next went onto the doubles where Daisy and Sofia played against Amelia and Amelie. It was a close battle where we saw some fantastic doubles points from both pairs. It was a close encounter where Daisy and Sofia lost out 4-1 4-3. Daisy showing maturity beyond her years galvanizing Sofia making the match a close contest.
Unfortunately, we lost our last doubles as well with Sahara and Ivanka beating Alisa and Millie 4-1 4-2. It was another close encounter where Alisa and Millie broke Sahara on serve showing some eye-catching returns, some great volleying and forehands from Millie. I think with some more energy and encouragement from each other, they could have taken this one. Sadly, we lost this tie 6-0 but it was great to see where our girls need to improve if we want to compete with the best.
A good effort from the team despite being in a really tough group. Thanks to the parents and captains Jon and Josh.
