Victoria Park (East London) Tennis Courts

Miguel: It feels amazing when we play with such nice people like Poi! I had to run a lot to reach all Poi’s hits. Lots of fun!

Poi Cheng: Miguel’s coverage of the court is very impressive and he hit many great returns despite his tennis elbow. It was lovely to play with a very kind player despite the score:-)

James: Excellent first match! Marty loves tennis obviously and it was an engaging competition. Some excellent rallies and occasional applause from the spectators (Marty’s brother!). Good luck with your matches this weekend.

Marty: Amazing match and I learned a lot from James - I.e. a proper tennis schooling! Good luck with the rest of league.

Prit: Good game Emma!

Emma: Some brilliant rallies, well done Prit!

Lee: Pleasure playing with you, Ben. He's got some wicked angles up his sleeve so be prepared for lots of running!

Ben: A great back and forth in the sun, left both of us exhausted by the end! Good luck for the rest of the league

JK: Jeffery is a well-rounded player, both in offense and defense. His topspin naturally enhances his defensive play. Once his heavy topspin pushed me deep behind the baseline, any short return from me became an opportunity for him to step in with a powerful forehand attack—an incredibly effective and mature strategy! Well played! The first set lasted for an hour, filled with intense offensive and defensive exchange. in the second set, possibly due to fatigue, his forehand attack occasionally resulted in unforced errors, which gave me some chances to win the second set.

Jeffrey: Thanks JK for the games. One of the toughest players I’ve played against. Consistent and he was about to put all the balls back like Djokovic. Wishing you all the best in this league and hope you can win this 💪

Mali: Couldn’t have written a better summary. Excellent game with ton of shot variety, extended rallies and momentum shifts. Pleasure playing and will look forward to inevitably playing again. Thanks Adrian and best of luck.

Adrian: Hard fought match between Mali and I, we were both trying to find our rhythm early in the game, but once we found it, we were able to play some nice rallies and had some fun going back and fourth at the net. Mali was in control most of the games with some good ball striking, but the momentum shifted in the latter stages of the second set and that meant that we had to find who the winner will be in a deciding tiebreaker. We both were up with a mini break at different points in time but Mali just played the final points better and won the match with a winning shot which painted the sideline. Great weather for tennis as well and a perfect way to start our day. Congrats on the win and good luck in your next matches!

Andrea: A great and long game with Pete with some long rallies. Could have gone either way.

Pete: Really enjoyable and epic game with Andrea... with some great shots and rallies 🎾

JK: Today’s match was overall very exciting, and we had some fantastic rallies. Marty’s shots were aggressive, flat, and fast, often leaving me with little time to prepare my swing, forcing me to just block the ball back. Well played! However, one unfortunate aspect of today’s match was Marty’s high number of double faults, which cost him valuable service games. After the match, we spent some time practicing serves and returns. Gradually, he started to regain his rhythm. Hopefully, in his upcoming matches, he can achieve better results.

Marty: Good summary! JK is a fantastically consistent player who stays in the rally and then unleashes beautiful winners to the corners. He was always going to win on quality but it’s true I did have a nightmare service game - the score should have been closer! Thanks for the hit afterwards and good luck with the rest of the season! 👍🏻

Joe: Dueces, young sir

Klep: So good to be back after 1.5 years!! Amazing match Joe, always a tight one with you

Malik: Thoroughly enjoyed our match today. As Adrian says, the weather was perfect, though it was a little tricky to see when facing the sun! Interesting match, with both of us scoring a lot of consecutive games. The tie breaks were both very close, and could easily have gone either way. Best of luck to Adrian for the next season!

Adrian: Perfect weather for tennis even though it was a bit of a challenge when facing the sun. Good game overall with some really good rallies, with Malik firing with all cilinders straight from the get go and winning 6 games in a row. I found my rhythm in the second set, managing to win 4 games in a row and I thought I was in a comfortable position, but Malik fought back and tried to equal his number of most games in a row but somehow stopped at 5 while serving for the set. The two tiebreaks played were a bit of a rollercoaster, Malik leading both with a mini break then me coming back and being up a mini break, and while I managed to keep my composure in the second set tiebreaker, Malik was too good in the deciding one and got what I'd say in the end a well earner victory. Well played, very consistent and a great range of shots!