Tennis (M)
KE vs TH - 3 : 2

* * *

Wednesday night saw KE 7 tennis guys in the 2007 IHG semi-finals. We were up against the formidable Temasek Hall which had recently put away Sheares Hall (3-2) and come close to defeating competition-favourites KR (2-3). Temasek had a strong team and the odds were stacked against us. Thus, the outcome of the match-up depended largely on our strategy and our lineup.

A well thought-out and carefully planned game strategy gave us the best lineup we could have asked for and set the stage for an upset by the KE boys. Still, Temasek had a balanced team, laden with experienced players, and we would still have to play out of our skins to conquer them.

1st Singles
Our first warrior, Sandiip, went into battle against Zhi Hao - a hard-hitter with stylish strokes. The match got underway and Sandiip, who exudes his own brand of understated style, was unfazed by the flair and intensity of Zhi Hao’s game. He went up 2-0. Sandiip played an effective game by simply putting Zhi Hao’s hard shots back over the net and mixing up the play with some lobs and drop-shots. This laid-back style of play visibly frustrated the opponent who made more and more unforced errors as a result. Eventually, the Temasek player was so upset over a controversial line-call that he approached the conveners and demanded a linesman for the match. Sandiip remained cool and used this time to take a breather. The linesman arrived, but did little in the way of preventing Sandiip from comfortably taking the first set 6-3.

Early in the second set, the Temasek player Zhi Hao injured his knee and required medical attention, provided by some of KE’s year 4 Medics. After a bit of rest and some ‘magic spray’, Zhi Hao was on his feet again. Sandiip continued his unhurried defeat of Zhi Hao and led the 2nd set 5-3. In the crucial, possibly match-winning game, Sandiip was down 30-40 when he suddenly fell to the ground clutching his ankle. Zhi Hao offered his ‘magic spray’, to no avail. The same year 4 medics from KE (Nesa, Raghav, Lydia) confirmed the absence of any severe injury and later bandaged Sandiip’s ankle up. He was still in pain, but needed to win one more game to win the match. Zhi Hao cleverly played drop-shots, knowing that Sandiip couldn’t run to get them. Sandiip however, overcame the pain and ran his heart out- taking the last game and the match 6-3, 6-4. KE supports erupted in applause for their champion!

2nd Singles
The 2nd singles saw Junde up against a stronger and more experienced Temasek captain, Guo An. Junde managed to take 2 games in the first set. In the second set, Junde played a phenomenal game which put him at a 5-3 advantage. At this point, the Temasek captain was taken aback and quickly tried to make amends. Temasek won the next four games to win the match 6-2, 7-5. Kudos to Junde for his valiant efforts in the face of a seemingly undefeatable adversary.

1st Doubles
The 1st doubles was played by our undefeated Vietnamese duo of Vu and Khoi. The boys from Vietnam have built themselves a reputation of solid tennis and dependable coordination. Today they were up against the stronger of the Temasek doubles, Ben and Rong Sheng. The teams were equally matched throughout the first set and the score came to 6-6 after which a nailbiting tiebreaker ensued. Knowing that the stakes were high, both pairs played cautious strokes and lost alternate points to unforced errors. The tiebreak was also nerve-rackingly close and came to a draw at 5-5. Vu and Khoi remained cool and won the next 2 points by sheer mental strength to take the set 7-6 (7-5)! Temasek was fazed by the close loss of the first set and put up little resistance in the second set. Vu and Khoi put them away 6-2, with 2 match-points in hand.

2nd Doubles
The 2nd doubles saw KE’s Abhinav and Siva up against Temasekians De Ren and Ivan. The pairs were not far apart in terms of skills, but perhaps in match experience. Siva and Abhinav got off to a bad start and found themselves facing a 0-5 deficit. At this point they were delivered some good news – that the Vietnamese doubles was one set up. Overcoming their nerves, Abhi and Siva hit less unforced errors, and won one game after battling 4 deuce points. Sensing that they were getting into their groove, Temasek quickly finished off the set to make it 6-1. In the second set our boys played better, with more coordination and even hit a couple impressive winners. They were down 2-1, down 3-2, 4-2, 5-3 and eventually were edged out 6-3. The players felt they didn’t bring their best game and could have fought back after the first set. Nonetheless, they took home the valuable match experience.

3rd Singles
Now, at 2-2… it all came down to our 3rd Singles. Whichever team won would advance to the finals. Thankfully, we had fielded the star of our team and IVP Tennis veteran Raghav ‘Rags’ in 3rd singles. Still, he was up against Zheng Zhang, another noteworthy IVP player from Temasek. Initially Rags was distracted by the 1st doubles which was being played on the adjacent court. He lost 2 games as he was distracted and concerned whether our Vietnamese boys were winning. Once they had secured a win, Rags was at ease. With precise and powerful shots, awe-inducing serves and killer volleys Rags blew Temasek away. He easily took the first set 6-2. In the second set, Zheng Zhang still had no answer for Rags’ superior brand of tennis. Rags gave an outstanding performance - his best in this IHG so far. He convincingly took out Zheng Zhang and Temasek 6-2, 6-1. The team rushed onto court and the KE crowd burst into ecstatic applause.

With nerves of steel and commendable tennis all around, KE 7 defeated Temasek 3-2 and we’re now on our way to the IHG Tennis Finals! History has been made by our tennis guys this year- advancing to the hall’s first sports finals in recent years! In the finals, we are set to face Eusoff Hall, who will be eager to take their revenge for beating them in the prelims. The finals will be played at the SRC on Tuesday night (6th Feb ’07) and we hope to see you there! As proven by our team time and again – impossible is truly nothing.

- Siva Subramaniam
Tennis (M) Captain

Congratulations to the tennis team on making it to finals and proving that KE7 is not an opponent to be taken lightly! Well done guys - we are proud of you!

Previous matches this IHG season:
Tennis (M) Prelims KE vs EH
Tennis (M) Prelims KE vs RH

Final Scores
Girls’ Handball KE vs RH - 0:7
Guys’ Handball KE vs EH - 9:20

Girls’ Handball

Tennis (F)
KE vs EH - 1 : 4

* * *

The 2nd preliminary girls’ tennis match against EH was played on home ground, in the KE tennis courts itself. Sheryl, the tennis captain, had previously emphasized to the team that this was the match we were hoping to do better in. (”We’ll just practice [for EH] against TH!”, she had told us with a characteristically sunny smile.)

Our previous match against TH had been handicapped by a suboptimal line-up and we reshuffled the line up significantly against EH.

1st Singles
Wei-Tse is the most experienced player in our team, and we were banking on her to get one of our points. The burden of expectations appeared to rattle her, and she made many unforced errors. The match was long, drawn out affair that saw both players struggled with nerves, but unfortunately her opponent managed to stay more consistent. Despite some brilliant strokes, and a lot of spirited effort, she eventually lost 2-9.

2nd Singles
Jene’s match was against an IVP player, and she could do little against her opponent’s aces and blistering shots. Nonetheless, she tried her best and managed some good returns against her serves.

1st Doubles
Rasminder and Li Feng were also slated to play against very strong players. They were also handicapped by their inexperience, having only played together a few times before this match. Nonetheless, they did their best and tried hard for each point, but eventually lost 0-9.

2nd Doubles
Our power packed 2nd doubles stepped onto the court to a chorus of cheers. They started off with a bang, securing a good 4-1 lead, playing well with smart lobs and finely-placed shots. Wen Yan’s serves, in particular, packed a punch that belied her diminutive size. Hoey Lit and Wen Yan paired up well, and were very comfortable as doubles partners.

Their EH doubles pair then started catching up, and as their confidence increased, our pair also stumbled a little, and made more errors. However, they hung on to increase their lead to a nice 8-6.

We only needed one more point to win, and anticipation hung heavy in the court. The EH pair had become visibly discouraged and the win was within grasp. Alas, they then managed to win a few good rallies, and Hoey Lit and Wen Yan then began to feel the pressure and in Hoey Lit’s words , “fumbled a little.” Each point was fought out closely, until the score was at 8-8. The tiebreaker was heartbreakingly close, and the girls even changed sides (as you do, after 6 points), but the EH doubles prevailed at the end of this long, tense match.

3rd Singles
As all the drama was going on during Hoey Lit and Wen Yan’s doubles game, there were few supporters to cheer on Sheryl as she played the 3rd singles match. Sheryl’s greatest strength is her consistency, as she is able to keep up with long rallies, with no discernible flagging in either mental or physical stamina. Thus she slowly wore down her opponent, a competent player who became frustrated; and won most of her points through unforced errors.

Sheryl also picked up a comfortable lead in the beginning, and started to worry only when her opponent began to catch up, until the score was 8-6. But her consistency and calmness stood her well, and she finished the game at the very next point at 9-6.
* * *
Good fight, girls!
Our final score against EH was 1-4, but it was not an easy win by any means. The 2nd doubles that Hoey Lit and Wen Yan played was literally touch-and-go towards the end, and Wei-Tse’s match was also a tough one.

This year’s girls’ tennis team has been a close-knit one, thanks to the efforts of our very responsible and enthusiatic captain and vice-captain (Sheryl and Wei-Tse), and our close call this time has inspired us to try harder and do better for next year!

- Lydia

It had rained the previous night. When the girls came down, a muddy pitch greeted them. Splashes of water and mud were seen as they began their warm-ups. Well, as the saying goes, the show must go on Female soccer was played in a carnival style, meaning each hall plays with the rest of the 5 halls in one single day.

KE7 vs Raffles - 0:2

As this was the girls’ first match, no doubt they were nervous. Not only that, this was Raffles’s second match, meaning they were quite used to the atmosphere, pitch, etc. Our starting 7 were Kim, Jia Hui, Villa, Carmen, Jin Xi, Wei Tze with Brenda as the goalkeeper. The match against Raffles was one game KE7 knew they had a chance of winning. Alas, the match ended 2-0 in Raffles’s favour.

KE7 vs Kent Ridge - 0:1

Although the girls were disappointed with their first game, nevertheless Nicolas (KE7 female soccer coach) managed to lift their spirits with some pep talk. The girls played a good game. However, during a free kick, the ball hit Jane’s hand and a penalty was given to Kent Ridge. Brenda tried her best but KR managed to convert the penalty. The match ended with the score 1-0, in KR’s favour.

KE7 vs Sheares - 0:2

This match was played after the lunch break. The team aimed to at least draw this game against Sheares. Villa pulled her thigh muscle. From this point onwards, she did not play in any subsequent games as she was injured. The match ended 2-0, in Sheares’s favour.

KE7 vs Temasek - 0:3

Until this point, Temasek was on a winning streak. The KE7 girls felt less pressure to win this game as they knew it would be tough to beat Temasek. Therefore, they had more fun than they had with the 3 previous matches. Brenda made a few terrific saves with a lot of jumping and diving. Alas, that was not enough, as Temasek won the match with the score 3-0.

KE7 vs Eusoff - 0:1

It was both KE7 and Eusoff’s last game. Eusoff definitely felt the pressure to win this game as they lost against Temasek and drew with another hall. Our girls played with much gusto as they knew they had nothing to lose. They manage to hold Eusoff to a 0-0 draw till half-time. However, that was lost in the 2nd half. In the end, the score was 1-0 in Eusoff’s favour.

All in all, although KE7 lost all the matches, our girls did not give up and walk away. Instead, they showed the other halls what they were made of and even produced a good game, especially the freshmen, as they had no experience in soccer prior to this. Well done girls!!

- Grace

KE vs RH: 4 - 1

* * *

After orchestrating a dramatic upset over EH in the first prelims, the KE7 guys tennis team secured a very comfortable 4-1 win over RH on the 25th and 27th January.

The match started late as the convening team was apparently unable to book the courts any earlier than 9pm.

As the first singles, Rags easily overpowered his opponent Cephas in a one-sided 9-0 match. His blistering serves and well-placed shots visibly frustrated his opponent, who, to give him credit, did try his level best to keep up as Rags sent him running around the court.

The 2nd match was played by Jun De, who started off comfortably and won the 1st point with ease. The shock of losing the first point appeared to jolt the RH player, and he began to play more consistently, and took the next 3 points. Jun De was soon stressed, and made some unforced errors on shots that he would normally have returned easily. But true to his persevering nature, he continued to battle for each point, and started catching up, keeping up with rallies under pressure.

Unfortunately the match was then stopped for the night, as the lights
were abruptly switched off at 10.40pm. When the match was resumed the next day, Jun De continued to try his best but felt that his momentum had been broken by the interruption of the match, and eventually lost 5-9.

Our first doubles, Vu and Khoi, then stepped in for a confident 9-2 victory over the first RH doubles. Leading from the beginning, they were clearly in control of the match and played a tightly coordinated game, targeting the weaker player. They took advantage of the smaller courts at the Eusoff tennis court with some smart lobs.

The second doubles, played by Siva and Abinav, started out well, and they soon racked up a 7-2 lead. They played a conservative but consistent game, waiting for their opponents’ mistakes. Unfortunately they then became a bit complacent, and attempted more risky shots that the RH doubles capitalized upon, catching up to 7-5 and then to 8-6. Siva and Abinav then scaled back and played more carefully to secure a 9-6 win, which at this point put KE 3-1 over RH.

Knowing that KE VII had already won must have put Sandiip at ease, and his laidback nature became even more relaxed as he wrapped up the match with an easy 9-2 win over the last RH singles player, hurrying only to finish the match as it began to rain quite heavily towards the end.

Thus the KE guys tennis team are safely through to the semifinals, where they will face TH. Asked about their chances, Rags said that the match against TH would be difficult, but he remained optimistic.

- Lydia

The tennis semis are this Wed, 31 Jan (time and venue yet to be confirmed). Do turn up to support in the momentous KE vs TH match!