I landed in Hong Kong late Friday night and made it to my hotel where I was rooming with Jess Turnbull. The following day we went to the courts and had a practice session, followed by a workout. The courts were very different compared to Calgary’s since we were at sea level but after a few more days of practice I felt comfortable on them.
In the days leading up to the event, when I wasn’t practicing, I was able to explore Hong Kong. Jess and I found a local fish market, Times Square, and some nice places to eat. While I got used to the food and enjoyed trying new things, I found the food less filling compared to food at home so it was harder to tell if I had eaten enough or eaten the right things. However, when it came to my match I felt like I had a lot of energy so must have done something right.
The night before my match, me and a few other PSA players helped out at a junior clinic and I was blown away by the quality of squash these kids were playing. It was a lot of fun and nice to give back.
My first round match was against Tesni Evans (WAL) who had just reached a career high ranking of #15. She put me under enormous pressure from the get-go. Her length and attacking shots were better than mine and I felt I was on the defence. I felt I played better as the match progressed and started to feel more confident towards the end but she was the better player.
I would have liked to have a closer match, but I learned a lot from this experience and have found new gaps in my game that I am already working to improve on. It was a good shock to start the season off and to motivate me even more to raise my game to reach the next level.
The day after my match, I hiked up Victoria Peak with Janet Vidhi and boy was it beautiful! Once we were done we went to a local restaurant where we tried chicken feet and dim sum. Yum 🙂 Then I went to the courts and played a practice match against Tong Tsz-Wing. It was a tough but fun match and I’m happy I made the most of my training while I was there.
My next event is the Nash Cup in London, Ontario. Hoping to play well and defend my 2016 title!
Danielle Letourneau 