With Hope Prockop, my friend and US Masters teammate, moments after her impressive battle with Sarah Fitzgerald.
Today I played Predy Fritsche , the top German masters player, in the round of 16. He is a good player and got off to a strong start while I got off to a rather slow start. Physically I felt pretty good (all things considered) but was having a tough time keeping the ball tight. I went down 2-0, in both games digging a deep hole for myself before fighting back. After some good coaching after the 2nd game from Will Carlin, I started getting back to good squash again. The game was even up until 8-8 when Predi went ahead 10-8. A long point followed with what I thought was a winning shot, but a let was requested for an apparent double-hit at some point during the rally, and a painfully over-matched ref acquiesced. I then brought it to 10-9, but a winning drop from Predi ended my come-back attempt.
The tournament is now over for me, and although it was an unsatisfying end, the tournament overall has been an incredible experience. Winning my match yesterday will stay with me for a long time, as will watching Hope Prockop battle with 5-time World Champion Sarah Fitzgerald. Hope impressed many, many people. The opening ceremonies were phenomenal, and the setting in Hong Kong was just stunning. We now have a couple of days to explore Hong Kong before making our way home.