Nobody could have possibly fought harder and through stint of
effort, combined no lack of ability, Australia’s Kyle Davis emerged
victorious in the closest match of the H.I.S. World Championships to
date and in what could well prove to be the closest match of the whole
tournament.
In the Men’s Singles group deciding contest on the
morning of Wednesday 29th April 2009, he saved a total ten match points
before beating Denmark’s Mikkel Hinderson in tension packed seven games
encounter.
Kyle Davis won 11-2, 8-11, 12-10, 8-11, 9-11, 13-11, 18-16.
Better Start
It was the Australian who made the better start.
He
appeared to be in the zone, greeting every success with a deep throated
growl, a clench of the fist and bounce footwork, like Muhammed Ali
ready to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee".
Nervous Moments
Eventually,
he imparted the sting but not after giving Brett Clarke moments of
anguish. He sat passively but inside his intestines must have been
churning.
Brett Clarke is the recently appointed Australian
national coach who has the vast majority of the Australian national
team now full-time at the training centre in Melbourne.
He has now been in the position for four months succeeding Sweden’s Marcus Gustaffson.
Momentum Change
Davis
established a two games to one lead and in the fourth game led 7-3; he
appeared confident, whilst for Hindersson it was a furrowed brow.
However,
credit to the Dane, sporting the appearance of a Viking warrior, the
left hander recovered and afforded the Aussie only one more point in
the game.
The momentum of the duel had changed, Hindersson was in the ascendancy.
Memory Lapse
"I don’t remember that!" said Kyle Davis. "I was up 7-3?"
Yes, that’s for sure but therein lies one of the reasons why the young man won. He didn’t let history affect his judgement.
Hopes in Ashes
However, after losing the fifth game as well and trailing 7-10 in the sixth, it appeared that Aussie hopes were in ashes.
"He
made mistakes at that stage, he made mistakes when it was close, I
thought he might choke", reflected Davis; the comment has value.
Hindersson was a trifle passive when the big points arose; Davis was
leaping like a kangaroo crossing the outback.
Maintain Pressure
"I
knew I had to keep the pressure on him", continued the delighted
Aussie. "I felt confident when I was serving and although I made some
mistakes, I was able to read his service; mentally I felt really good
today."
Now, that was the key; not only did Davis, who won on
his second match point, keep fighting, he didn’t panic on the big
points. He kept the ball on the table, there was nothing rash, he
maintained his technique and isn’t that exactly what the Chinese do
when it’s close?
Win When Close
Why do the Chinese win when it’s close is a question I’m often asked; in Yokohama an Australian provided the asnswer.
Mentally
strong and Kyle Davis believed; speaking to him in Kobe in 2004 at the
2nd ITTF World Junior Championships it was his positive mental approach
that shone through.
Philosophy
"Just
because we are from Australia and not from Asia or Europe does that
mean we should lose?" he said. "We have to stop believing that because
we come from Australia we are expected to lose!"
He is perfectly
correct, two years later at the ITTF World Junior Championships in
Cairo, Australia excelled in the Boys’ Team event and in Yokohama at
the H.I.S. World Championships, Australia excelled again.
Kyle Davis fought, Kyle Davis believed and to the delight of Brett Clarke, Kyle Davis won.
Source: www.ittf.com
