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!