Second gold at Rahvapinks

At the 6th stage of Rahvapinks 400+, I won the tournament, for the second time this season.

In the season ranking, this puts me first, 8 points ahead of the second. There are 4 stages left to play. If I would win two more, I would be sure to finish first regardless of any other results!

How it went

Compared to my first victory, there were not as many emotions. I didn’t even play so well that day, some other days when I won only bronze I probably played better.

What however made the difference is how I was able to stay focused and calm in all situations. Each time I was facing a difficult moment, I managed to raise my level enough to overcome it:

1. In the second round, my opponent started to play very well and confidently, and I was behind 6–10 in the first set. Came back, won that set and the match 3–0.
2. Third round I faced a difficult situation against a short pimple player, who was making be go too often far from the table. I was loosing 1–2 in sets. I focused on being more aggressive in last 2 sets, and won it 3–2.
3. In quarter-finals came an anti-spin player I had never met. I remained calm and patient, letting him made the mistakes first. I won 3–0.
4. In semi-finals, I had to address a very complicated situation mentally. In the public was an idiot, with whom I’ve had troubles in the past. Each time I lost a point, he was commenting, trying to annoy me. I worked very hard to remain focused and won 3–1.
5. In the final, my opponent started poorly, making lots of mistakes in the first 2 sets. But in the 3rd he raised his level and won it before I could raise mine. But I did in the 4th and won 3–1.