[12] Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-2 [8] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-13, 11-5 (89m)
I haven’t seen such a great match for a long time.
Yesterday, Gina told me how excited she was about playing Nele, as a test to see where her fitness – after her hip injury – was at. Well, she won’t be happy to lose, but I guess playing 90m and pushing one of the three fittest players out there to 5 could mean she passed?
Incredible, absolutely incredible quality squash today. They both played the same ludicrous kind of squash, fast pace, no I mean, really fast pace, so tight, so accurate, perfect length and width, both varying height and angles, long drop shots, long volley drop shots and the key of the match: their retrieving. Incredible, absolutely ridiculous retrieving from both.
Gina levels the score in the second, after being neck to neck up to 8/8, 10/8, 11/9, 13 m game (first game was 15m).
In the third, Nele seems to be in charge, 4/1, 9/6, but in between, it’s all level, 4/4, 5/5, and of course, 9/9! It will take two attempts but she finally clinches the game, 12/10 in 19m.
The fourth sees Nele in charge, from the middle of the game, 5/5 to 8/5, but Gina is not letting anything go: 8/8, 9/9 of course, and the English number one finally closes the game on her 3rd game ball, 13/11, Nele didn’t have a match ball.
But as far as the physical test goes, Gina started suffering physically at 4/2, after a huge rally that was maybe the one too many. From that point, she won’t be able to put as much pressure on the Belgium, and Nele is able to push her in all the four corners, 7/3, 11/5 in 12m, the shortest game of the match.
Nele
She definitely tested herself today, and me! At least me, I couldn’t play one more game. I think we both left everything out there. 90m, and I lost my voice, that’s how tough it was.
I’m ecstatic to come away with the win, because that was brutal.
It was a very enjoyable match, very clean with Gina, always, we have always great battles, they are fair, and not many decisions.
I’m proud of both of us playing matches like that, because I’ve been watching other matches, not that fair.
Bart, my mental coach, helps me to zoom out and remind myself that squash is important, but that it’s not everything. That mindset helps me relax on the court.
It allows me to go out there, and go to war, because I enjoy it, I really enjoy those battles. I don’t put any pressure on myself, I try not too.
Last season, I was putting too much pressure on myself, I was going into those tournaments to defend, a very bad mindset. Whereas now, I’m going in those events one match at a time, match by match, nothing to prove, to win, and I have that hunger in my belly.
I try to attack, rather than trying to defend. So it was a big mindset change for me, and it’s helping me a lot.
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