Okehampton Ladies had an enjoyable match against Willand A on Monday evening in their third fixture of the summer league. The weather was perfect for tennis, with a lovely sunny evening that wasn’t too hot.

Our first pair, Hayley and Tamsin, played some powerful, fast-paced tennis against Willand’s first pair, Jadeen and Rachel. The final scoreline of 6–1, 6–1 to Willand didn’t fully reflect how competitive the match was, with several long rallies and closely fought points. However, Willand’s strong serving, in particular, allowed them to take control at key moments.

Our second pair, Lauren and Liz, did well to battle back in the first set of their rubber against Willand’s second pair, Sue and Maria, eventually taking the set. Strong serving from Lauren helped push the second set to a tie-break, but unfortunately momentum slipped away and they lost the tie-break for the set and also a second tie break for the match.

In the second rubbers, Hayley and Tamsin fared much better. They took the first set to a tie-break before claiming the second set decisively 6–1. They sealed the match with confident play, including a series of aces and some cheeky volleys, to win 7–5, 6–1.

Lauren and Liz’s second rubber against Jadeen and Rachel proved more challenging, with the Okehampton pair going down 6–0, 6–1 despite their best efforts. The Willand pair dominated throughout, using topspin to particularly good effect.

A big thank you to our top cheerleader and emotional support spectator, Helen, who encouraged us from the sidelines, and also to Jackie who came along to see how we were doing and offer some well-timed words of encouragement.

The next ladies’ fixture is an away match at Sidmouth on 14 May.