SHEIKHA AL SAAD KUWAIT OPEN...
SHEIKHA AL SAAD KUWAIT OPEN...
Q-Finals - Tania lost to Cassie Jackman (1)... 2/9, 5/9, 3/9.
Tania bowed out of the Kuwait Open on Monday at the hands of her england colleague and number 1 seed Cassie Jackman. Tania said after the game that she was very stiff from her efforts the day before and Cassie played far to fast for her to keep up with.
She is still however pleased to get a game with one of the Worlds Top 5 players, something that she has not experienced since retiring against Carol Owens in New York 11 months ago. Another bonus is that while she is feeling incredibly tired during and after games she has not yet felt ill.
She now gets a few weeks rest from tournaments and time for some good training before the national championships in Manchester where she is seeded to meet Cassie again in the quarter finals!
Round 1 - Tania beat Stephanie Brind (8)... 9/1, 9/4, 8/10, 9/5 (54m)
Tania started 2004 with a win over the number 8 seed Stephanie Brind in the Kuwait Open (On sunday). It is a real boost for her following a disastrous 2003 and marks her first win over a world ranked top twenty player since she beat Rachel Grinham in New York in February.
Tania could even have made it easier for herself by taking a match ball at 8-5 up in the third. But she managed to recover from that set back to take the fourth 9-6 and the match 3 -1. After the game she said that it was hard work and that she was extremely tired, but was pleased to be through to the last eight of a major tournament (the first time since last june!). There will be a few girls looking over their shoulders if Tan can stay injury free over the next few months.
However, Tania's aims for the next six months are still nothing more than to stay fit and in the world top 20. Although this result is a major bonus and will give Tania a lot of hope for the future it remains to be seen how much it will have taken out of her. Something that will probably be visible tomorrow (Monday) when she faces Cassie Jackman the number 1 seed in the quarter finals.
Tania has been training regularly during december, through the new year and in january without any virus related problems. She has had a bit of luck as the withdrawal of two players from the kuwait Open has meant that she no longer needs to qualify and hopefully this is a sign that her luck is changing.
With 2003 being a year of bad luck following an excellent 2002 it is hoped that 2004 can be a fresh start for Tania and that if she can stay illness free (which is her main aim for the forthcoming months) will be challenging for the top rankings spots as she was in 2002.
Her next tournament begins on the 25th of January in the Kuwait Open and with Stephanie Brind in the first round Tania faces a tough test of her fitness. We all have our fingers crossed for 2004.