Thanks to the entire UNAP staff for an excellent event, to Chris Lee for securing the media placement on Ustream, to Donovan Brown for the streaming technology, and on and on.
I owe a lot to Q for helping me prepare for this tournament. I wouldn't be the player that I am without him. Speaking of Q, I think he's a near lock to make Master Elite next year.
Tim was just 2 points from the finals. It looks like Tim's coaching of Jacob is paying off for his own game as well, and obviously Jacob's. My first match with Tim was a good battle. Tim's game was squeaky clean with few unforced errors. His offense was constantly adjusting and he was executing a variety of shots from multiple drifts. He was also clutch - he won four of the five 7-6 games. I felt like in our second match that I was more accurate and snagged a few more pucks.
Keith's victory vs. Jose, at match point either way, was the match of the tournament for me. Keith hit a forehand-over for the win. It was Keith's first forehand and first LWO of the match! It was a very unexpected shot with so much on the line, which made the finish unbelievable. I was watching the match with Don James. Don joked only seconds beforehand that he'd like to see someone use a forehand over. Well, Don got his wish.
Pedro is challenging Houston. I just might play a match with him when he comes to the U.S. (More details posted soon.) For now I'm taking some much needed time off and letting the bruises fade and callouses heal!
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