Sharp footwork key as qualifier topples defending champion

SEVENTEENYEAROLD qualifier William Schneideman faced a massive challenge in the men’s final of the Otago Indoor Championships at the Edgar Centre yesterday.

That large hurdle was the towering figure of defending champion James Watt. He possesses a 2.07m frame and can really crack a serve when he gets it right.

But he could not match the superior ground strokes of his more modestly sized opponent.

‘‘I had to come through qualifying but that was OK because I got some good warmup matches in,’’ Schneideman said.

‘‘And I felt good today and played pretty well.’’

Whenever the rallies went three or four shots, Schneide man’s chances of winning the point seemed to climb exponentially.

The Christ’s College pupil won the match 36, 62, 63. But few would have picked that result after the first set.

His opponent unleashed some thunderous serves that had Schneideman hovering a couple of metres behind the baseline.

‘‘It was tough, especially in the first set,’’ Schneideman said.

‘‘With the new balls, I was getting aced left, right and centre. But once I got used to the rhythm, I started guessing the right way and felt more comfortable.’’

When he was able to land more returns in the court, the game swung his way.

What Schneideman lacked in power, he made up for with superior footwork and speed to the ball.

‘‘I just wanted to stay consistent, stay in the point and win those rallies when I could.’’

Watt was suddenly on the back foot and running from corner to corner. He started making too many errors, particularly at the net, and his ground strokes were not as polished.

The Timaru Boys’ High School pupil finished in disappointing fashion. He made four unforced errors in the final game to hand Schneideman the title.

Schneideman recently spent a month training fulltime at Justine Henin’s tennis camp in Belgium, where he worked on his claycourt game.

It certainly seems to have paid off.