Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Singapore University Games Update
Dear SMU,
We would like to congratulate Kamil on his excellent win over #1 seed, Marc. Against an opponent like Marc, a win was always a difficult task. Even when Kamil had some service breaks, Marc was always in the game and whenever he looked like he was about to self-destruct, Marc would always find his game and sometimes even bring it up a notch. Lesser beings (like Jason and myself for example) would usually be overwhelmed by the sudden energy and lose composure. However, Kamil was able to react accordingly, not get flustered and persevere with his typical “using-everything-to-get-the-ball-back” game.
Our other finalists, Josh and Vijay are also equally deserving. Against a very tough pair, they showed their mettle. Vijay, in particular, was outstanding throughout apart from a momentary flare up over a contentious call. Josh, possibly the most accomplished doubles player in the competition, brought his usual reliable game to court and that put the pressure perpetually on the opponents. Nonetheless, there should be no underestimation of Gerald and Eric. The underdogs have defeated two doubles pairings who were both expected to win. Although the scoreline for both was a mere 9-8, it shows if anything, the volatility of doubles and the conclusion is never known till it happens.
To our two girls doubles pairing of Sheryl and Clarissa, Jacintha and
Apart from Kamil, the only other player who had the unfortunate task of playing a national player was Charlene. Tamsyn is no doubt a player of the highest quality and as such, losing to her is anything but a disgrace. I am sure Charlene did everything she could to give Tamsyn a good fight and that is all that matters.
To all of you who remain in the singles and doubles competition, kudos for helping SMU obtain a medal, regardless of colour. You have achieved more than many others and you should be proud of yourself. Do your best in your remaining matches and good luck.
SUNIG aside, let me give you reasons why you should not vote for Josh (Clar and Jac) for SSU.
1) They are hardworking and dedicated
2) They are good-looking
3) They bring life and spirit to the people around them
What is SSU? Excellent question! I have no idea what SSU does. I have not seen them before, and aside from processing some claims for court bookings, have not heard of the scope of their roles and responsibilities. Unless you wish to see a drastic change in this ghost, faceless, apparently useless association to one with life and spirit, gorgeous faces and individuals committed to the improvement of sports in SMU, please do not vote for Josh (Clar and Jac) only for them to put their time and talent to waste.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
15 days later
The handing over ceremony of the mantle of "top tennis player in the world" will take place on August 18. Despite capitulating to the world no.3 who shall not be named here, Nadal will assume the post Federer has occupied comfortably for the past 234 weeks. Nadal should have no problems getting accustomed to the seat as Federer had been warming it for him since the French Open drubbing. SMU Tennis will most likely hold a closed-door conference to decide on our direction in light of this earth-shattering change. Though we are currently Federer's no.1 fan, it is pointless to flog a dead horse; even more to wholeheartedly support a has-been. The only has-been who deserves a permanent atrium in our hearts is 14-time Grand Slam winner, the hairiest professional tennis player of all time, Pistol Pete Sampras. Nonetheless, we will notify you in due course whether Federer survives our collective voting.
We thank you for the increased readership we have been witnessing since the blog was updated. To make it even more interactive and vibrant, we have decided to add a tag board! *Cheers* We face a minuscule problem though - none of us know how to insert a tag board. Thus, we would really appreciate if someone steps forward and volunteers his knowledge and skills in helping set up our first ever tennis tag board. Apart from a special mention and a few days, maybe a week, of gratitude, we are unfortunately unable to provide any other remuneration.
Please contact Nick if you possess this prized skill and are willing to harness it to SMU Tennis's benefit.
We thank you for the increased readership we have been witnessing since the blog was updated. To make it even more interactive and vibrant, we have decided to add a tag board! *Cheers* We face a minuscule problem though - none of us know how to insert a tag board. Thus, we would really appreciate if someone steps forward and volunteers his knowledge and skills in helping set up our first ever tennis tag board. Apart from a special mention and a few days, maybe a week, of gratitude, we are unfortunately unable to provide any other remuneration.
Please contact Nick if you possess this prized skill and are willing to harness it to SMU Tennis's benefit.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Demise of the RF reign?
Dearest Roger,
Awake your senses, for you be the better judge;
Mirka Mirka, she's ruining your touch.
First Novak, then came Nadal;
Simon, Karlovic and co. are queuing to claim your scalp.
Losing Wimbledon was a big blow no doubt,
But you have to regain your clout.
Your 235 weeks as No.1 is slowly coming to an end,
Not unless you believe your destiny is solely in your hands.
Your no.1 fan,
SMU Tennis
(http://www.tennisweek.com/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6615122)
Awake your senses, for you be the better judge;
Mirka Mirka, she's ruining your touch.
First Novak, then came Nadal;
Simon, Karlovic and co. are queuing to claim your scalp.
Losing Wimbledon was a big blow no doubt,
But you have to regain your clout.
Your 235 weeks as No.1 is slowly coming to an end,
Not unless you believe your destiny is solely in your hands.
Your no.1 fan,
SMU Tennis
(http://www.tennisweek.com/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6615122)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Kamil injures himself in charity attempt
For those of you who know Kamil Ghazali, you would know he is a tough cookie with a kind heart. It is this very heart that made him run 120 rounds of a 400m track in the recently concluded trilympics fundraiser. That he ran 48km is itself a feat that not many others can proclaim to have completed for charity. What is more noble is the fact that he hurt his ankle in the process. Knowing Kamil, he would still have done it all over again even if it means getting injured again.
For those of us who did not lift a finger or foot to help out in charity this holidays, the least we can do is to give Kamil our sincere prayers. With less than a month to the all-important competition, the anchorman of the SMU Tennis Team is deeply missed. Although considered one of Singapore's brightest talents ever, being out of action for even a couple of weeks can amount to significant loss of match fitness and sharpness and this may prove decisive in our quest for SUNIG glory.
Let us combine our well-wishes and hope for a speedy recovery for our very own "Speedy Gonzalez"!
For those of us who did not lift a finger or foot to help out in charity this holidays, the least we can do is to give Kamil our sincere prayers. With less than a month to the all-important competition, the anchorman of the SMU Tennis Team is deeply missed. Although considered one of Singapore's brightest talents ever, being out of action for even a couple of weeks can amount to significant loss of match fitness and sharpness and this may prove decisive in our quest for SUNIG glory.
Let us combine our well-wishes and hope for a speedy recovery for our very own "Speedy Gonzalez"!
Dead or Alive?
To our pious followers, we would like to assure you that the tennis team is very much alive and kicking! The blog has been dormant as we have been involved in many other external activities such as Jason and Kamil's overseas CIP to Guangzhou, Jac and Clarissa's summer school in Switzerland and tour of Europe, Vijay's jetsetting lifestyle; Nick backpacking Vietnam; Josh going Down Under and many more.
However, as SUNIG nears once again, we are putting our hearts, minds, souls and bodies into preparations to defend and hopefully surpass our silver achieved last year. There is some rumour that SIM and NTU have many talented freshmen in their guys stable this year but we believe that with the dedication of our current batch, we will still be able to give them and the defending champions NUS a run for their money. There is quiet optimism in our girls team that this could be their year. With a few freshwomen strengthening the squad, there is every possibility that we can improve on last year's 2nd place finishing. Nevertheless, the new format of the competition - team + singles/doubles - will ensure a very close competition. Watch this space for more details on competition dates, venues and timings.
On a side but very important note, we are deeply saddened by Roger's sudden lack of form. We agonise with him over his heartbreaking loss to Rafael in the finals of Wimbledon and we hope that our combined prayers will help mend his broken spirit. We are still ardent fans of his game - a fusion of immaculate grace and technique - and we hope that he can find in himself the air of confidence and invincibility he once exuded. Only then will he stand a chance against the bull of Pamplona, Rafael. You notice that we talk mostly about the world no.1 and no.2 and not many others, and for very good reason. There is a consensus amongst the guys, at least, that Novak has the poorest attitude and doesn't deserve any praise on this very special blog which is meant only for the greatest of greats.
School begins in 3 weeks but for our dearest fans who cannot wait to catch a glimpse of us, we have regular trainings at Anglo Chinese Junior College between 730 am - 930 am. We will oblige with autographs and pictures for anyone who makes the superhuman effort to come down at such ungodly hours. Yes, inhumane training conditions can do nothing but improve our game.
Till then,
SMU Tennis
P.S. For the girls who disagree with our assessment of Novak because you are mesmerised by his "good looks" (it cannot possibly be his game), it is time to look closer to home, to the green green courts of ACJC, especially on Saturday mornings.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
We're back!
To our dearest supporters and fans, it is with great pleasure that SMU Tennis announces its return!
After arduous weeks of mugging in the library, countless sleepless nights and a pack of shiity grades, we traded our books for rackets and hit the bright and sunny courts of Kallang Tennis Centre for 2 hours of intensive matchplay.
Matchup 1:
Men's Doubles - Kamil/Nick vs Jason/Josh
In a repeat of the clash of the titans, this doubles was again anything but heart-stopping. Jason, who had been keeping fit by playing hours of cage soccer, was eager to prove that their win in Laguna was anything but a fluke. Nick, who was deeply sore about the previous loss, was out to prove the point that the court surface was crucial factor in the last tie. The match began with Jason opting to serve first and although he had almost all his first serves in, he just could not hold serve. A combination of solid service returns and slick volleying ensured that Jason's first serves were neutralised. However, Nick went on to double fault thrice in the next game to hand the advantage back to Josh and Jason on a platter.
Josh - fresh from his victory in the Intermediate tournament - went on to dish out a service masterclass and held his game to love. With the score at 2-1, it was left to Kamil to even things out. Alas, inspired returning and cool heads at the net allowed Josh and Jason to break the Kamil serve and at 3-1, the tie seemed destined to end in double J's favour. Again, Lady Luck refused to smile on Jason and Nick and despite good service percentages, both failed to hold serves. It was no surprise then at 5-2, after Josh had held his serve again, that Kamil and Nick were in a do-or-die situation. Thankfully, solid nerves prevailed and at 5-3, hope of a comeback appeared in the distant horizon. The turning point finally arrived in a thrilling point in which there were no less than 2 brilliant "gets" by Nick. The first was when Jason hit a short crosscourt forehand which evaded Kamil at the net. Nick, showing that he was still up to speed, dashed a good 10m to the ball and just managed to flick a high looping return. The point was kept alive but moments later, another short ball threatened to end the point and Nick was again on hand to rescue it; this time, he stretched forward and nicked it (no pun) just above the flailing arms of Josh. Jason, covering the baseline, sprinted across to the other side and somehow contrived to keep the ball in play. However, it was not enough as Kamil soon ended the most exciting point of match with a sublime volley at the net.
This was enough to ensure Kamil and Nick remained in the game and they rode their momentum and went on to win the next 4 games to win the match with a score of 7-5. Jason could be heard muttering loudly (as usual) about how his footwork was off, his forehand was a huge letdown and how he wanted to quit tennis (for the 831509183651th time).
Matchup 2:
Mixed Doubles - Casimir/Clar v Josh/Jac
The 2 girls who turned up for training were visibly lonely while the guys were having the duel of their lives in the above doubles. Clar and Jac, in matching pink Yonex tops and carrying red water jugs, were contented to simply chill and play with Belly Button Quad-ry and had to be cajoled into stepping into the court and hit some balls. They lazyingly obliged but in typical slothy fashion, slugged their way around court. All this changed when Casimir arrived. Wielding his Prostaff 6.0 having ditched N-Code, Casimir appeared to be in great form as he offered to spar with the girls. Despite the numerical disadvantage, he peppered the girls with blistering groundstrokes that had the effect of getting the girls all worked up and excited about tennis! Josh then offered to play a mix doubles and the game got going after an unusually long warmup.
The misconception that mixed doubles was anything but fun was laid to rest once the game began. Josh, who was showing no mercy to his female teammates, pounded his huge serve not just at Cas, but at Clar too. The double Cs, however, were not overawed by the booming serves and carved out some brilliant returns that left Jac, the slow-mo, stunned at the net. Outstretched arms and desperate dives from Jac was not enough as she was passed repeatedly at the net. Josh was determined to make his opponents pay for bullying Jac and seized every opportunity to rush to his favourite zone - the net. Once there, his silky touches caused pandemonium in C&C's court and they looked like mice scurrying around looking for cheese as they scrambled after angled volleys.
After arduous weeks of mugging in the library, countless sleepless nights and a pack of shiity grades, we traded our books for rackets and hit the bright and sunny courts of Kallang Tennis Centre for 2 hours of intensive matchplay.
Matchup 1:
Men's Doubles - Kamil/Nick vs Jason/Josh
In a repeat of the clash of the titans, this doubles was again anything but heart-stopping. Jason, who had been keeping fit by playing hours of cage soccer, was eager to prove that their win in Laguna was anything but a fluke. Nick, who was deeply sore about the previous loss, was out to prove the point that the court surface was crucial factor in the last tie. The match began with Jason opting to serve first and although he had almost all his first serves in, he just could not hold serve. A combination of solid service returns and slick volleying ensured that Jason's first serves were neutralised. However, Nick went on to double fault thrice in the next game to hand the advantage back to Josh and Jason on a platter.
Josh - fresh from his victory in the Intermediate tournament - went on to dish out a service masterclass and held his game to love. With the score at 2-1, it was left to Kamil to even things out. Alas, inspired returning and cool heads at the net allowed Josh and Jason to break the Kamil serve and at 3-1, the tie seemed destined to end in double J's favour. Again, Lady Luck refused to smile on Jason and Nick and despite good service percentages, both failed to hold serves. It was no surprise then at 5-2, after Josh had held his serve again, that Kamil and Nick were in a do-or-die situation. Thankfully, solid nerves prevailed and at 5-3, hope of a comeback appeared in the distant horizon. The turning point finally arrived in a thrilling point in which there were no less than 2 brilliant "gets" by Nick. The first was when Jason hit a short crosscourt forehand which evaded Kamil at the net. Nick, showing that he was still up to speed, dashed a good 10m to the ball and just managed to flick a high looping return. The point was kept alive but moments later, another short ball threatened to end the point and Nick was again on hand to rescue it; this time, he stretched forward and nicked it (no pun) just above the flailing arms of Josh. Jason, covering the baseline, sprinted across to the other side and somehow contrived to keep the ball in play. However, it was not enough as Kamil soon ended the most exciting point of match with a sublime volley at the net.
This was enough to ensure Kamil and Nick remained in the game and they rode their momentum and went on to win the next 4 games to win the match with a score of 7-5. Jason could be heard muttering loudly (as usual) about how his footwork was off, his forehand was a huge letdown and how he wanted to quit tennis (for the 831509183651th time).
Matchup 2:
Mixed Doubles - Casimir/Clar v Josh/Jac
The 2 girls who turned up for training were visibly lonely while the guys were having the duel of their lives in the above doubles. Clar and Jac, in matching pink Yonex tops and carrying red water jugs, were contented to simply chill and play with Belly Button Quad-ry and had to be cajoled into stepping into the court and hit some balls. They lazyingly obliged but in typical slothy fashion, slugged their way around court. All this changed when Casimir arrived. Wielding his Prostaff 6.0 having ditched N-Code, Casimir appeared to be in great form as he offered to spar with the girls. Despite the numerical disadvantage, he peppered the girls with blistering groundstrokes that had the effect of getting the girls all worked up and excited about tennis! Josh then offered to play a mix doubles and the game got going after an unusually long warmup.
The misconception that mixed doubles was anything but fun was laid to rest once the game began. Josh, who was showing no mercy to his female teammates, pounded his huge serve not just at Cas, but at Clar too. The double Cs, however, were not overawed by the booming serves and carved out some brilliant returns that left Jac, the slow-mo, stunned at the net. Outstretched arms and desperate dives from Jac was not enough as she was passed repeatedly at the net. Josh was determined to make his opponents pay for bullying Jac and seized every opportunity to rush to his favourite zone - the net. Once there, his silky touches caused pandemonium in C&C's court and they looked like mice scurrying around looking for cheese as they scrambled after angled volleys.
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