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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 July 6, 2009 2:53 PM