Home sweet home is where we found ourselves this week. We also managed to bring the hot humid weather from Cincinnati with us which made things interesting for me at my house seeing as how my air con was not really working that week. However, it’s nothing a cool drink and the mentality of the Caribbean’s couldn’t fix. Every..ting was cool breeze!
Aleks and I were very excited to be back playing In front of a home crowd. We worked really hard on preparing to get ready for this event. The courts were much slower then the previous weeks. It actually felt as though we were playing on sand paper. Off topic but I think of home renovations every time I say sand paper. Anyhow, a little more patience is required on slower courts like these working the points more, trying to get your opponents outside the sidelines opening up the court and then attacking. Aleks faced Alisa Kleybanova, the relentless hard hitting Russian who was on a mission. Alisa’s coach Julian had told me that she had taken some time off after Wimbledon to really work on her game to get ready for the summer U.S Tour as it showed it her performance against Aleks and throughout the course of the Rogers cup. Aleks had her chances in the first set with an early break to lead 2-0 playing really solid. Alisa was struggling to find her rhythm while Aleks continued to apply the pressure. Things turned around for Kleybanova at 3-4 when she was able to break A-woz’s serve giving her the momentum which gave her the push to close the set out 6-4 and then on to play much stronger in the second and win 6-3. It was a tough loss for Aleks as she would have liked to do better in front of a home crowd. The good thing in loosing early in an event is the opportunity to train and work hard on things. We are also taking next week off (New Haven) which gives us almost two weeks of solid prep for the U.S Open in NYC which we are both very excited for.
As for me this past week, well, I had fun catching up with all you robsteckley.com fans, ha-ha. RIIIIIIIGHT! I just keep telling myself I actually have followers so I can fall asleep at night. I did have some fun watching some late night matches and long lost walks around the grounds running into familiar faces…even if it was just for a few min.
I speak for the both of us when I say THANK YOU to EVERYONE who came out and supported Alek this year. It really means a lot. Whether you were there or just follow the site, Thank you. We would also like to thank all the volunteers and people behind the scenes who make this tournament such a great experience. We love the fact that all of you are following us on our journey and conquest to become a top 10 player.
.gif)
Home sweet home is where we found ourselves this week. We also managed to bring the hot humid weather from Cincinnati with us which made things interesting for me at my house seeing as how my air con was not really working that week. However, it’s nothing a cool drink and the mentality of the Caribbean’s couldn’t fix. Every..ting was cool breeze!
Aleks and I were very excited to be back playing In front of a home crowd. We worked really hard on preparing to get ready for this event. The courts were much slower then the previous weeks. It actually felt as though we were playing on sand paper. Off topic but I think of home renovations every time I say sand paper. Anyhow, a little more patience is required on slower courts like these working the points more, trying to get your opponents outside the sidelines opening up the court and then attacking. Aleks faced Alisa Kleybanova, the relentless hard hitting Russian who was on a mission. Alisa’s coach Julian had told me that she had taken some time off after Wimbledon to really work on her game to get ready for the summer U.S Tour as it showed it her performance against Aleks and throughout the course of the Rogers cup. Aleks had her chances in the first set with an early break to lead 2-0 playing really solid. Alisa was struggling to find her rhythm while Aleks continued to apply the pressure. Things turned around for Kleybanova at 3-4 when she was able to break A-woz’s serve giving her the momentum which gave her the push to close the set out 6-4 and then on to play much stronger in the second and win 6-3. It was a tough loss for Aleks as she would have liked to do better in front of a home crowd. The good thing in loosing early in an event is the opportunity to train and work hard on things. We are also taking next week off (New Haven) which gives us almost two weeks of solid prep for the U.S Open in NYC which we are both very excited for.
I speak for the both of us when I say THANK YOU to EVERYONE who came out and supported Alek this year. It really means a lot. Whether you were there or just follow the site, Thank you. We would also like to thank all the volunteers and people behind the scenes who make this tournament such a great experience. We love the fact that all of you are following us on our journey and conquest to become a top 10 player.