Trials were held in Windsor and the round robin consisted of 5 women (Sam Cornett, Nicole Bunyan, Jackie Moss, Miccala Seth and myself). Two players would qualify for the Women’s World Team Championships in Paris, France.
One day after the final of the Nash Cup, I drove to Windsor with Sam and Nicole. I was dead and completely drained from the tournament. I went to bed early so I could rest up for my match the following day against Miccala Seth. Before we started playing I was nervous that I hadn’t recovered from the week prior and would be slow on court. To my relief, once the match started I became extremely focused and relaxed. I felt great on court and won 3-0.
The following morning I had a battle with Nicole Bunyan (14-12, 11-5, 14-12). During the match, I couldn’t focus as well as I had against Miccala, but when the games went to extra points and we were having long rallies, I remembered that I had been in this situation many times in my final against Misaki and grew confident from my experience that I could win these close games.
At night, I played Jackie Moss. Since I have trained with Jackie for years and have seen her play, I knew not to take her lightly because she is strong and consistent. Fortunately, I was able to buckle down, focus and play well. I won 3-0.
I had a rest day on Wednesday and decided to make the most of it. Sam, Miccala, Jackie, Nicole and I went out for a nice lunch at a local cafe and were able to catch up and put competition aside for a couple hours. It was great. That evening, I watched the other girls play their matches before going home to relax.
By Thursday morning, the team had already been decided. Sam and I had made it!! But, we still had to play our match. While I had trouble focusing and relaxing on court, I have to give it to Sam; Compared to our match the week before, she was more consistent, aggressive and confident on court. She outplayed me and won the match 3-0.
So happy to make the team and can’t wait to represent Canada in November with Nikki Todd, Hollie Naughton, and Sam.
Danielle Letourneau 