The Greenwich Open first round saw me up against former World Junior Champion, Amanda Sohby. I started off the match well, moving the ball around and keeping the talented American under pressure. I quickly went up 2/0. With nothing to lose, Sohby stepped up her game and went for broke, pulling off some fantastic winners. This continued in the 4th game and I lost a close one, 9/11. The match was taking it's toll on Amanda and I was able to regain control and dominate the last game, winning 11/5.

In the quarter finals, I faced an improving Samantha Teran from Mexico. Again I started the match well, keeping my opponent under pressure and won the first two games easily. The start of the third was tough and I began to tighten up. I lost the variety in my game that I had in the first 2 and began losing confidence. I was hit in the face when my opponent turned on the ball and I had to have a time out to stop the bleeding. The fifth game was close, and in the end, came down to who made the first mistake and unfortunately I came out the loser of the day.

Although a loss is hard, it is a good kick in the butt for me to reassess my thinking on court, especially in the third game. I have learnt a lot of invaluable lessons from this tournament and will take it into the next one in Cleveland, starting on the 29th January.

xx