‘It was fun,’ says Scott after victorious return
THE new shoes helped.
But after playing six games in two days, Otago’s Libby Scott was probably looking forward to kicking them off and putting her feet up.
The 25yearold made a tremendous return to tournament play at the Otago Indoor Open this weekend.
She teamed up with Jessie Stevenson to win the doubles title yesterday morning and returned in the afternoon to dispatch defending champion Megan Rogers.
The bighitting Rogers struggled to get her service game going and made more errors than she would have liked.
Scott was not entirely happy with her service game, but she was able to rely on her forehand during the convincing 63, 62 win at the Edgar Centre.
And she was also able to rely on her footing after an unplanned shopping trip to buy a new pair of tennis shoes.
‘‘I had four games [on Saturday] and two [yesterday], so I’m a bit tired,’’ Scott said.
‘‘And I had a few falls so I’m a bit sore as well. It is quite slippery out here.
‘‘My other shoes lost all, well, everything.
‘‘But it was a really good weekend. It was fun.’’
Even with the new shoes, Scott still lost balance when she was forced into changing direction by her heavyhitting opponent.
Both players went for their shots and the rallies were brief, to say the least. There were also a lot of unforced errors, particularly from the defending champion.
Too often, Rogers would follow a ferocious serve with a clumsy forehand.
Scott broke Rogers’ first and second service game and eventually won the set 63.
She clinched the set with an ace and had earlier got to the net for a quality volley.
‘‘I was quite surprised with how everything was going. I was just coming out here to have some fun and didn’t expect much after not playing for a while.’’
Scott has not played in a tournament since returning from college in the United States two years ago. She took a competitive break but was also hampered by a hand injury.
The second set unfolded in similar fashion. Scott sealed the victory with an accurate forehand deep into the corner.
‘‘I don’t think either of us really found our rhythm to get into a lot of rallies. It was just bang and miss. We both have similar styles.
‘‘But it was nice to play with no expectations and just go for everything, really.’’
Both finalists prevailed in three sets during the semifinals, so fatigue was a factor in the final.
Scott and Stevenson beat Aimee Brown and Ayesha Horley 63, 75 in the final of the women’s doubles.
Otago brothers Peter and Thomas Hartono beat fellow locals Ryan Eggers and Carlos Reid 75, 76 in the final of the men’s doubles.
In the men’s final, William Schneideman emerged from qualifying to beat defending champion James Watt 26, 63, 63.