The week didn't start well. Ironing some AEGON patches onto a few tops might sound like a straightforward task, but for someone like me with considerably poor domestic skills, it's not so easy. Having ironed on at least half a dozen patches beautifully (if I may say so), I was pressing another patch onto a top.
However, as I lifted the iron, I managed to rip my top... it had stuck to the iron! Failing to acknowledge that the iron might be too hot, I proceeded to make exactly the same mistake on a second top – perhaps not the smartest move by me! To top things off, I smashed a glass soon after this disaster, by which time I decided it was definitely time to go to bed before I caused any more damage!
Thankfully, I fared better on the tennis court (and was lucky I'd packed plenty of match kit). I was beaten in the quarterfinals of the $100,000+H ITF event in Torhout, but I played some good tennis.
I came through my first match against French qualifier, Claire Feuerstein fairly comfortably. I had played her little more than a week earlier in the final in Jersey, but she had retired through injury, so it was nice to get the job done properly this time!
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I had a really tough match against Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden (who had beaten me easily previously) in the second round. I had countless set points in the first set, which I ended up losing 12/10 in the tiebreak and I then lost the opening game of the second set after being up 0-40. I could easily have lost the plot, but I hung in there. Serving at 4/5 0-30, I hit a purple patch at just the right time and reeled off sixteen points in a row and from that point on, I kept the pressure on.
In the quarters I lost to the French girl, Aravane Rezai in three sets. I was only half joking when I suggested taking to the court wearing a helmet, as Aravane can certainly never be accused of not hitting the ball hard enough! Despite losing, I felt like I was right in the match, and it was just a few points here and there that made the difference. I can take a lot of positives out of this week, knowing that I'm continuing to head in the right direction.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of the local area, but that's the way it is at a lot of tournaments. You see the confines of the tennis club and the hotel... anything beyond that is a bonus! I did get to watch the Apprentice last week though and my impressions of the candidates so far are overwhelmingly negative. For me, Ben is trying far too hard to look like Gavin Henson and that sleeveless shirt he was wearing did him no favours whatsoever! And as for Debra, she just gave me a headache!
The WTA event in Charleston was not on my original schedule, but I'd opted to stay on the entry list, as I had an outside chance of moving into the main draw. I felt that an opportunity to play in such a big event was too good to miss. One spot out of the main draw and aware that Serena Williams had pretty much competed on one leg the previous week, I had a realistic chance of moving in.
In view of maybe heading across the Atlantic, I dug out my clay court shoes from the depths of my wardrobe on Friday and took to the clay at the NTC. In typically British fashion, it poured with rain for the entire session but at least I got to hit on the clay – it was better than nothing!
Sure enough, Serena withdrew on Friday afternoon, so I set about frantically making travel arrangements to Charleston. After a 4.50am alarm and a phone call from Mum on Saturday morning to check I wasn't oversleeping (as I've done previously), I arrived safely in Charleston in the early evening, but wasn't happy to find out that Hull City had lost!
Since I've been here I've just been trying to adapt to the conditions as well as I can. It's been five years since I last played on green clay, but it's great to be back in the sun after spending almost three months indoors. My pasty skin is certainly appreciating it!
Having competed on indoor hard last week, I perhaps haven't had the best preparation, but I've been playing well and I'm feeling confident, so I'm just going to give it my best shot. Hopefully, I can do some damage on the court this week, rather than on my clothes!