A three set match in good, not perfect, conditions for tennis with new tennis balls provided great enjoyment. The clay courts in winter have turned even slower than before due to the retention of a lot of water. This meant a paucity of winners and long extended rallies. So the emphasis was on patience to stay in the rallies enough to have a easy put away or until one makes a mistake. This is not easy for me as I normally get excited in any rally and try for a winner too soon. I had to play a bit out of character to make anything out of the match.
I was able to do this in the first set, but the beginning of the second set probably saw me quite tired and going for more than I would normally. The attitude was difficult to shake off and the second set was lost easily.
In the third set, I was determined to win it and started staying in the rallies more and we reached 4-3. At this point, a few ladies were scheduled to play on this court and started to hurry us up. This probably led my partner to play uncharacteristically and probably to give up the last two games. Though it was unsatisfying, it was a win nevertheless. The match took around two hours and left me quite tired and sore.