R1: Tough, very tough for Asia against Yasshmita

Asia Harris (ENG) 3-2 Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MAS) 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 14-16, 12-10 (74m)

Tough, very very tough match, Asia up 2/0 – after a very slow start – but making a few errors in a row, allowing her determined opponent to come back in the match again and again.

Both girls were unhappy with the other’s movement, and the match became a bit messy as tiredness set in.

Hats off to Yasshmita who kept digging in and digging in the whole match, catching up what didn’t seem catchable to be honest, saving 4 match balls in the fourth game, and again 2 in the decider, and was pretty unlucky with at least three decisions.

Asia managed to close the 5th, only just, at the end of a pretty long game (24m minus 3m injury time for the Malaysian). That was a gutsy ending, especially as she seemed a bit in pain at the end of the match.

Asia : I was a bit passive today.

When you give her time on the ball, she is very skillful with the racquet, and when I did go too passive, I was giving her too much time on the ball, which meant she could play so many different shots, and she was absolutely amazing out there.

But when I started upping the pace again, and got a little of energy back in my legs, that’s when I started to dominate a little bit more and volleying, playing how I know I can play, rather than being passive, that’s not me at all.

Mentally, this is my fifth tournament back, I still need a bit of match fitness, and I am probably in the different head space than what I was in my first tournament.

So trying to keep those clocks ticking, going into tomorrow, it will be one of my main focuses, getting the body back in a decent shape again, but mentally trying to stay in there.

Photo credit: @fersen_sherkann