Coach Newman's Corner

July 6, 2009

Ashley's Europe & USA Update

Hi Everyone!

I just checked the ATA website and realized that the last blog I wrote was never posted. I went back and found it on my computer so I’m just posting it now. It’s obviously a little out dated by now, but since I spent some time on it I thought I’d post it anyways. Just remember I wrote this at least a month ago, here it is:

--It’s been a long time since my last blog post. I’ve been really busy with traveling, training, and playing matches. The last time you heard from me I was playing my last European tournament in Croatia. I ended up losing a tough 3-setter in the Quarterfinals; it was a battle till the end. I played well and fought hard, but definitely had my chances to win the match. I was a little more pleased with that tournament than the rest of my European results. I got a few good matches under my belt and gained some confidence. After that match the 48hrs or so travel back to the States began. I spent a lot more time waiting in airports on long layovers than actually flying in the air. I left Croatia Saturday morning and arrived in Charlottesville, VA Sunday night. I was so glad to finally be back on U.S. soil!

I flew straight to Virginia rather than back home because I accepted a main draw wild card into the Boyd Tinsley Classic $50k starting on that Tuesday/Wednesday. The UVA women’s coaches set me up with housing which turned out well because Carly Gullickson and Nicole Kriz also stayed at the house. We had a great time together all week. Charlottesville is one of my favorite places and the Boar’s Head Sports Club where the tournament is played is really nice. I requested a Wednesday start because of all my traveling and wanted to get a couple practices in before my first match. I drew Ahsha Rolle 1st round in the main draw of singles. Ahsha is a really talented player and ranked in the 200’s and previously top 100. She beat me the only time we played each other about a year in a half ago. However, this time around I came up with the victory. I won 6-3, 6-2. I just played consistent, solid tennis and stayed more mentally tough than her. I was excited to get the win over her and move into the next round. After my singles match I played doubles with Alison Riske, a good young American player who I beat in the finals of G18’s National Hard Courts in 2007. We drew my housing mates, Carly and Nicole, first round which was a bit unfortunate. They are both very good doubles players so we knew it would be a tough match, but we gave them a run for their money. We ended up losing 6-7, 5-7 and had chances to win the 1st set. The 1st set and two games were played in the freezing rain. We couldn’t believe they were putting us on the court in those conditions; we were all getting a good kick out of it. But the rain got too heavy and it was starting to ruin the courts so we had to stop and resume play the next day. Carly and Nicole went on to win the tournament; even though I wish that was us I was happy for them. In my 2nd round of singles I played Lilia Osterloh from USA. She’s a really experienced player who I had never played before. I lost the close match to her 4-6, 4-6. We had good, long rallies and games. She played smart and found a weakness in my game that gave me a little trouble. I had a number of chances early in the first set, but wasn’t converting on my game points. In the 2nd set I dug myself a hole going down 1-4, I battled back to 3-4, 3-5, 4-5, but unfortunately never got it to 5-5 and lost the match. The one thing I was really disappointed in was my serve; I had a large number of double faults which was very frustrating. Take away all those doubles faults and I probably win that match 6-4, 6-4. I can’t wait to get another shot at her now that I know how she plays. After my singles match we finished our doubles match which I previously mentioned. I enjoyed the rest of my week in Charlottesville practicing, watching the matches, and hanging out with a few of my friends that live there.

I finally made it back to Austin Sunday night. It felt so nice to be sleeping in my own bed again. I was back on the court and in the gym on Monday. No time to relax or get comfortable because I had to get ready for my next tournament that was coming up at the end of the week. I worked hard on fitness with Coach Strecker and worked with my Dad a few times on the clay. I left again on Friday afternoon for Raleigh, North Carolina. My accommodation wasn’t exactly organized so I had to spend the night at a hotel by the airport. I caught a ride to the tournament site with a couple friends who flew in Saturday morning. I had a good practice in the nice heat and humidity that afternoon and signed in for qualifying. I stayed two nights in housing with Allie Will and Rebecca Marino which was fun. Then I moved in with The Sell family who’s awesome and I stayed with them last year. Lindsay Lee-Waters stayed with me there also because she had her car and it’s a bit of a drive to and from the courts. I played my first round of qualifying on Sunday and beat Danielle Mills 6-2, 6-1. Then I played Simone Kalhorn 2nd round and beat her 6-2, 6-2. She was an interesting player and made me focus to the fullest which was a good test. In my qualifying round match I beat Shika Uberoi 6-3, 6-1. That was a pretty tough match, but I played well and dug out some long games. I was feeling pretty good about my game and mental toughness at that point. Unfortunately I got sick the next day, possibly from the bad dinner I had the night before and lost my next match to a German girl. --

A few other highlights from the last couple tournaments I’ve played lately:

-Quarterfinals of El Paso $25k En route I beat #4 seed, Alexandra Stevenson, former top 20 player in the World. Barbara Bonic from Serbia. Eventually fell to #8 seed Kim Couts 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(4) in 3hrs. 45mins.

-Doubles Champion of Brownsville $10k with Sacha Jones

-Now playing World Team Tennis for the St. Louis Aces! A blog entry about WTT coming soon. Go Aces!

Cheers,

Ashley Weinhold

Posted by Jack Newman at 2:53 PM | Comments ()

April 23, 2009

Ashley Continues Play in Bol

Ciao!

Another short post tonight because I need rest even more today. I pulled out my singles match today 6-4, 0-6, 6-1. My hip/leg started bothering me at the end of the 1st set and continued through the rest of the match. I had the trainer work on me after the 2nd set which seemed to help a little. Then after my match I had some more massage work done on it. Once again today I just competed hard and found a way to win. I had about an hour in a half before our quarterfinal doubles match so I grabbed some lunch. We won 6-2. 6-1. Our opponents weren't too bad, we just played well. Then we had about 45 minutes of rest before we went back on the court for the semifinals. We ended up losing that match 6-7, 3-6. Our opponents played well, but I believe that we are a better doubles team overall. We weren’t exactly as fresh as they were because only one of the girls played singles today and in their quarterfinal doubles match they were up 5-2 and their opponents retired. I was missing some volleys because I wasn’t staying low enough and moving thru the ball quickly enough. But I also did a lot of things well. The tired bus hit me hard mid way thru our doubles, but we both kept fighting till the end. Curse of the doubles semifinal's this trip unfortunately, 0 for 3. Oh well. I know there will be more chances to earn some hardware in the near future.

Right now I’m icing down my hip/leg and loading up on Ibprofen. I’m going to soak my legs in the tub tonight and get a good stretch in just before I go to bed. I play (5) Karolina Pliskova from Czech tomorrow, 1st on at 11am. It should be another challenging match, looking forward to it. I need to go rest up now. Talk to you tomorrow! Wish me luck : )

Ashely

Posted by Jack Newman at 1:48 PM | Comments ()

April 22, 2009

Ashley Upsets #1 Seed in Bol, Croatia

Hey!

This will be quick tonight because I’m pretty tired and need to get some sleep. I took down the #1 seed today, 6-2, 6-4. I played smart and competed hard. I used my strengths against her weaknesses fairly well. I also improved my first serve percentage and only had a couple double faults. I’m glad to finally get a W and against a pretty tough first round opponent. I’m going to keep staying focused on playing one point at a time and enjoying this last tournament. I play a qualifier, Zorica Petrov, from Serbia tomorrow at 10am. I only saw a few minutes of her match today and will probably have a similar game plan as today.

Valentina and I also won our doubles match 6-0, 6-2 this afternoon. It was extremely windy and rainy at times. We handled the conditions well and played a solid match. We play the quarterfinals tomorrow not before 2:30pm against Banovec/Kubicikova. The doubles final was scheduled to be on Friday. Since we didn’t get any tennis in yesterday, if we win our first match then we may play the semifinal tomorrow also. We better stay focused on our task at hand first though!

Rumor is rain all day tomorrow, but you never know. I’m ready for a full day of tennis and sunshine! Wish me luck : )

Posted by Jack Newman at 2:20 PM | Comments ()

Rain on 1st Day of Tournament in Bol

Ciao,

This is what I wrote last night, but when I was about to post it the internet went down for the rest of the night:

There were no tennis balls hit in Bol today…it rained morning till night. It almost cleared this afternoon, but as soon as we were going to warm up for our match more rain came. Rainy days at tournaments can be pretty lazy and boring. I went to the gym this afternoon. I just wanted to work up a little sweat, do some core work, and get a good stretch in. I just finished dinner and now I’m about to check out the players party for a few minutes. I’m only going to stay 15-30 minutes though because I have an early match tomorrow. I’m 1st up at 9:30am for singles and doubles not before 2:30pm. Weather permitting of course. The forecast I saw today showed rain until next Tuesday! I don’t think it’s raining at the moment so that could be a good sign. Alright, I better go make an appearance at player party now. Wish me luck tomorrow!

P.S. It's dry this morning!

Ashley

Posted by Jack Newman at 12:51 AM | Comments ()

April 20, 2009

Ashley Enters Last Week In Bol, Croatia

Hello from Bol,

I have now entered my last week in Europe. I had a lovely 4:30am wakeup call Saturday morning and arrived in Bol on the ferry at 6:30am. I caught a ride with one of the tournament umpires to my hotel, checked into my room, and went back to bed for a couple hours! I’m so excited that my hotel this week has a TV, bathtub, heat/air, wireless internet in the lobby, and huge buffets of good food. It’s all about the little things! Over the last few days I’ve been preparing for my last tournament as well as possible. I’ve been practicing twice a day and doing fitness as well. I’ve played a number of practice sets, tiebreakers, and done some maintenance work. I had one light hit today because I was tired yesterday afternoon and my legs are feeling a bit heavy. I also got some massage work on my neck, shoulder, and back which was more than needed. It was nice to have a relaxing afternoon.

The tournament starts up tomorrow. I am on the schedule for doubles not before 2:30pm against Akiki(CRO)/Obrez(SLO). This week I’m playing with Valentina Sulpizio from Italy and we’re the #2 seeds. We’ve been practicing a lot together the last few days and have had some great practice sets. I met her at the tournaments in Italy and I played her in the quarters of doubles last week. She’s a great clay court player and I’m looking forward to seeing how well we can do in doubles this week. I play singles on Wednesday against the #1 seed Florence Haring from France. The schedule for Wednesday will be out tomorrow evening. I have to be focused right from the start this week. I’m well prepared and excited about this last tournament. So hopefully I can make a push into the late rounds in singles and doubles. I better get some rest now. I’ll let you know how doubles goes tomorrow and when I will play my singles match. Good night : )

Posted by Jack Newman at 3:19 PM | Comments ()

April 16, 2009

Ashley In Hvar, Croatia

Hi Everyone,

Here’s a more detailed post about my matches yesterday. My singles play wasn’t as solid as my doubles. I fell behind early in both sets and was coming back, but could never gain the lead. I had a few missed break point opportunities here and there. I struggled with my serve more than anything though. I had a very low first serve percentage and more than a handful of double faults. It’s hard to hold serve when I’m having a hard time even starting the point. Then that adds more pressure for the need to break my opponents serve as well. My serve is usually an anchor for the rest of my game and it let me down today. I beat myself more than my opponent beat me. She had a big forehand at times and a consistent backhand. But I continue to struggle to develop points the way I want and limit my unforced errors. It’s a hard loss to swallow while realizing that this is my third singles loss in a row since I’ve been over here. This is not anywhere near the results I was expecting out of myself on this trip.

As far as my doubles goes, I was fairly happy with the way I played. I still could have served better, but everything else was pretty solid. In my last two doubles matches I’ve noticed that the things I worked on with Kevin the other week are becoming more instinctive. I’m more observant of my opponents and what they are more than likely going to do based on the ball they’ve received from us. Therefore I am adjusting my positioning on the court and using my movement more efficiently. I was also committed to serving and volleying on 1st and 2nd serves which I think is improving. I tried to be at the net every single point which is what doubles is supposed to be all about, right. Now I just need to find a good consistent partner to play with and it will be all good.

Today I walked all around the island taking pictures. It was a beautiful day, perfect temperature and sunny. I caught a few rays on the rocks…it wasn’t really a beach because there was no sand. The water was many different blues and crystal clear, but it was way to cold for me to go in! I went for a little run in the hills also. There doesn’t seem to be a weight room anywhere on this island because no one knows where one is. I’m going to hit a couple times tomorrow and hopefully get a practice set in with someone. I’ll probably head to my next tournament in Bol on Saturday. Supposedly it’s only a 15-30 minute ferry ride over, but for some reason the departure time is 5:10am from the hotel and the ferry leaves at 6am. I think there’s only one ferry a day from here…that sounds a bit ridiculous if you ask me. I’m still at the same hotel with no heat/air so I’ve been wearing multiple layers of clothing to bed because it gets sooo cold. It’s been pretty boring with no TV also. I’ve tried to change hotels a couple times, but they won’t take any more reservations even though they have rooms…stubborn! I may get some dinner in town tonight because the food at my hotel is starting to get more and more difficult to eat…similar to Spain last year. Ok, I’ll let you guys go now. Next I talk to you I’ll probably be in Bol. Hopefully they have internet access there! Cheers,

Ashley

Posted by Jack Newman at 2:04 PM | Comments ()

April 15, 2009

Ashley's Matches In Hvar, Croatia

Hi,

Another quick post tonight since it’s nearly 11pm. I lost singles 3-6, 3-6…my serve let me down a lot today and just too many unforced errors. I’m very disappointed with another first round singles loss. I also lost doubles 2-6, 5-7, but I played well and was solid. Our opponents just figured out where to attack so there wasn’t too much I could do about that part. I’m staying in Hvar to practice for the next couple days before I head to my last tournament in Bol which is another Croatian island. I’ll try to write a more in depth blog tomorrow. Goodnight Y’all.

Ashley

Posted by Jack Newman at 4:17 PM | Comments ()

April 14, 2009

Ashley Begins Play In Hvar, Croatia

Hey!

This is going to be a short one tonight…I won my 1st round doubles match today 6-4, 6-4 against two Romanians. I had a hard time finding a doubles partner and signed in with a girl who doesn’t even have a singles or doubles ranking. We got into the main draw by a few spots because of my doubles ranking. We played pretty well together for the first time. She has a good attitude which scores points in my book. There’s a bit of a language barrier though, she’s from Poland. We’ll have a tougher match tomorrow afternoon against the #2 seeds, Sulpizio/Kosinska. Looking forward to it though.

I play my 1st round singles match tomorrow 2nd up after 9:30am against Charlotte Rodier from France. I’ve never played her or seen her before. I’m planning on playing my A Game and being aggressive from start to finish. It’s been nearly 2 weeks since I last played a singles match…I’m pretty anxious to get out there and compete hard. I have to hike back to my hotel now and get some shut eye. Double duty tomorrow with singles and doubles. Talk to you later!

Posted by Jack Newman at 3:37 PM | Comments ()

April 13, 2009

Ashley's Update About Barcelona & Croatia

Hola!

My time in Barcelona was brief. I signed in for the WTA event on Friday, but didn’t get in. The qualifying cut off was 248 which is quiet different than the 3 byes they had last year. I signed in as an alternate on Saturday just incase someone got sick or was still in the tournament from the previous week and couldn’t make it to Barcelona. I ended up being the 4th alternate and I believe the first 2 alternates got in because a doubles team was still winning in Marbella, Spain and couldn’t play their qualifying singles match also. I spent a large portion of my time in Barcelona at David Lloyd - Club Turo where the tournament is hosted. It was a great club with a very nice gym, indoor/outdoor pool, spa, squash courts, clay and hard courts, and a big stadium court. They had a nice player’s lounge where everyone ate and hung out. Audi was the official car sponsor and they drove us to and from the courts. Life in the big leagues isn’t too bad at all. It rained Wednesday-Sunday off and on. I was able to get a few practice sessions in, but it was raining during some of them. On Saturday night I went to the F.C. Barcelona futbol game. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario (3 time Roland Garros Champion) was the co-tournament director and she had a few tickets available for the players and I was lucky enough to get one of them. I went with Camille Pin, Biljana Pavlova, and a couple other people. That stadium is incredible and we had great seats. F.C. Barcelona scored in the first two minutes of the game and ended up winning the 2-0. I never would have thought that I’d be going to two futbol games in two different countries within six days, pretty cool I must say. After the game we walked back to the hotel and got some food along the way. Then I had to pack for my 6:55am flight. So I only got a few hours of sleep.

Now I am in Hvar, Croatia. I don’t know what country is harder to travel in…Italy or Croatia. It was another difficult trip. My early morning didn’t start off too pleasant. The check in line was an hour long for one flight. Then when I got to the desk I was informed that Lufthansa airline only allows 20kg (44lbs) total of baggage between 1 or 2 bags. So that was a bit of an issue on top of me running thru the terminal because I almost missed my flight because the check in line took so long. I changed planes in Frankfurt, Germany and arrived in Split, Croatia. From the airport I had to take a bus to the Split port, buy a ticket for the ferry, find the Catamaran on the other side of the port, board, and dozed off. The ferry ride to the Island of Hvar took a little more than an hour. From there I found the tournament hotel, but they didn’t have any more rooms available so they told me to go to the 3rd tournament hotel on top of the hill. So I dragged my bags another million miles thru town ha-ha to the roads where I found a taxi thank goodness. I made it to the hotel and got myself a room. I’m going to say there’s much more too be desired at this one…no TV, no internet (I’m posting this from another hotel lobby in town just down the hill) and no heat/air conditioning. After I threw my bags in the room I went to go find the tournament site with another player I just met. It’s a hike up to the club, about a mile or so. There’s bus transportation to the courts, but that’s back down the hill about 15 minutes to town so I’m not sure which is better. Neither sounds very good to me. This trip doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. Alright, I’m going to stop complaining now ha-ha. I checked out the courts and tried to find a doubles partner, but was unsuccessful. Sign in closes tomorrow at noon, so I’m going to go over to the courts early tomorrow and try to find someone to play with. I’m also going to practice twice tomorrow, main draw starts up Tuesday. I need to catch up on some sleep, more updates later. Goodnight!

Posted by Jack Newman at 2:29 AM | Comments ()

April 9, 2009

Ashley's Time In Rome & Heading to Barcelona

Hey Everyone!

It’s been a little while since I last posted a blog. I haven’t spent much time on the computer because I’ve been so busy the last few days. For anyone who’s wondering…I’m fine from the earthquake that happened Monday morning outside of Rome. I didn’t even know about it until a few people texted me to see if I was okay. So I obviously didn’t feel it and I was sleeping at the time. The death toll is up to 278 now, very sad. I hope the numbers don’t keep growing and the town can get back up on their feet as soon as possible.

As I mentioned in my last blog, Lindsey Pereira was coming into Rome to visit. I left Latina on Saturday afternoon and met her at the airport in Rome. By the way that airport was extremely difficult to get to from Latina. There are two airports in Rome and I hadn't been to Ciampino before which is the one she flew into. I don't even want to get into it all, I'm just glad I made it to the airport before she landed. We stayed at a “Bungalow” fairly close to the city; Lindsey found it online for a great price. Little did we know that it was actually a RV Camping ground! Our room was like a tiny mobile home. It didn’t have a TV and my suitcase could barely fit anywhere in the room, but we did have our own bathroom which was good. I’m glad we were out doing things all day and only needed a bed to sleep in. It was hilarious. There was a really nice tennis club next door that we tried to get into, but it was a private club and they wouldn't let us play on the courts which was a bummer. So instead we hit on the soccer field which was interesting and had to use a little imagination. It was also a good spot to do some fitness and sprints. We were excellent sightseers! You name it and we probably saw it. On Sunday we saw the Pope, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, many Piazza’s, and went to a Roma soccer game which was really cool. We also had dinner at Baffetto which is known as one of the best places for pizza in Rome. On Monday we visited the Colloseum, Palantine Hill, Roman Forum, Trastevere, and the beach at sunset. On Tuesday morning we went to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. By that time we had seen more than enough sights and ancient ruins so we decided to take it nice and easy for the rest of the day. We had some great coffee at the famous La Tazza d’oro and found our new favorite bakery shop. We covered lots of ground and walked everywhere, but it sure was tiring at times! Over all those days I'm going to say we walked over 20 miles. Lindsey flew back to Dublin on Tuesday night. I’m so glad she came to Rome and we were able to do so many things. I hope it’s not too long before we do something like that again together, we had a blast!

I spent Tuesday night in Rome and flew into Barcelona yesterday afternoon. I made it here safely and to my hotel easily. This tournament hotel is really nice and in a great area called L’illa. There is a huge mall next door with lots of shops, tapas bars, and restaurants. It’s also close to the F.C. Barcelona Stadium where they play all of their soccer games. I’m about to head over to the tennis club and try to find someone to practice with. Sign in is tomorrow from 1-4pm. I’m still pretty far out of qualifying so we’ll see what happens. Talk to you guys soon. Adios,

Ashley

Posted by Jack Newman at 6:48 AM | Comments ()