R2: Lauren in charge against Kara

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[8] Lauren Baltayan (FRA) 3-0 Kara Lincou (FRA)  11-7, 11-5, 11-6 (35m)

Lauren:

Kara hasn’t played many tournaments in Europe, so I didn’t get to see her play too often. I watched her a bit at Stade Français this weekend [a very nice draw for a National, won by Kara, seeded 7], and I know she’s in good form at the moment.

So it definitely wasn’t a match to take lightly. She’s a very good player, she’s got great shots, and I knew I had to be at 100% and play my best squash today. If I’d lost focus even a little, the match could have swung her way.

I prepared well with my coaches — first, my mental coach, Haithem Gheita, and then my squash coach, Ahmed Effat. It was really important for me to work with a mental coach, because I used to “switch off” suddenly during matches.

This time, I focused on sticking to my game plan from start to finish, and reminding myself that if I was leading, I shouldn’t change my tactics. And it worked well today.

I’m happy with my position on the T today — I think I managed to stay further up the court than she did, and also to play fast. Although I made a few errors early on, I improved as the match progressed.

Tomorrow I play Melissa — French Nationals in Monaco…!!