This is the story of how I lost the first set, but came back to eventually win the singles match I played yesterday night, in what I consider to be the best match I have ever played.

I was playing more confidently, and I wasn’t bothered by injuries that have plagued me these past few years. I was consistently hitting powerful flat first serves, and I started using a more consistent and faster spin second serve.

In addition to my serves, I believe my forehand drive was also an effective weapon. I was regularly hitting my targets and with conviction. My returns were also effective in preventing him from dictating play.

My single-handed backhand drive still needs some work, but it was still able to return the ball to the other side, and when I did need to attack from the backhand, my backhand slice was more than enough to do the job.

J is a fellow Filipino player, with whom I’ve been playing regularly for the last couple of years. He is a very competent player, he has a deadly wide first serve, and he regularly uses the drop shot with much success. We have played several sets and a few matches before, but this is the first time I won against him, making it more special for me.

We warmed up for one hour, and we played three sets for about two hours.

When I was serving for the match, we only had 5 minutes left on the court, so I felt the pressure to keep my serve and finish the match. Otherwise, we would have had to stop with an unfinished last set. Luckily, I was able to keep my serve, win the last set 6-2, and win the match two sets to one, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

I won.