I just got back a few days ago from the L.A. Open, which is probably the highest paying TT tournament this country has ever seen (aside from that 100k Budweiser hardbat thing). Of course, this attracted many top players, and it was just really great to watch. The Open Singles event (with a prize of 12k for the winner) was very exciting from the beginning. Everywhere you turned, there were great matches being played. Besides the familiar faces, there were also several new players I haven’t seen before (especially from the East coast), and I’m always interested to see how different styles match up. I think the scheduling could have been a little better, though. The Open didn’t start until 6 PM, so the round of 16 didn’t finish until almost midnight for some groups. That meant that I ate a very late dinner, since it was just too good to miss!
Anyway, I personally played very poorly — way under my level. It was shocking how much the weather affected everything, from my equipment to the speed of the ball. I don’t know if it was the fault of the facility or the directors, but the AC was either not turned on, or turned on to a very low setting, and consequently the venue was extremely humid. I’ve decided to actually move away from Chinese rubbers (although I really love them in good conditions) because they are just too unreliable when it gets a little humid. Also, the ball seemed to move very slowly down there — maybe because the air was so thick. Even though I played several hundred points below my level, I don’t really mind, since I really just wanted to go and watch. As usual, after a tournament, I am inspired to practice more. For now, my goal is to learn how to stand mid distance and just spin everything back on both sides. We’ll see how that goes! Anyway, I hope this tournament is a recurring event, although they really need to get some AC going on in that venue! Everything else about it was fine, but it really sucks when you’re just sitting there and already sweating even without moving. Continue reading
