How to beat a master slicer!? | NLO26 QF | vs ErWin

Quarterfinals of the Nasi Lemak Open Div 1 (NTRP 4.0+). Finally got to play against the famous "Harmless Hamster" ⁨‪@wintennismysg‬. First set felt pretty even, with many sudden deaths (no-ad). Both of us play similar-ish counterpunching styles. I think I was on the attack slightly more. Kudos to the versatility of his backhand slice - offensive, defensive, dropshots and lobs - I could not hit past him on that wing. My net play was not working either - I whiffed a few easy put away volleys, including at 4-5 on deciding point x.x Second set, I ran out of steam under the scorching sun, tried to play even more aggressively. Probably a mental mistake, made more errors. But all credit to him, he took the second set quite clinically, despite not serving that well. Reflections Need to work on footwork for volleys and smashes Move my feet, stop aiming for the lines on inside-in forehands On days that backhand is working, maybe I should consciously not run around it Change tactics earlier instead of constantly hammering my opp's bh (since it wasn't really working) Final score: ErWin (W) 6-4 6-2 Ben This marks the end of my first NLO tournament - my play was up and down, and I definitely need to work on fitness/footwork/tactics, but I'm happy to be back playing competitive matches again after 10 years, and glad that I managed to meet great ppl along the way!