Photo courtesy of ITTF
Victory is sweet!

I was playing Paul Langley in the round of 32 at the Australian National Championships and had never beaten him before. However I had been playing well all week and really thought that this was a good opportunity for me to cause an upset.

The First Two Sets

It was a best of five match up to 21 (remember the good old days?) and even though I played OK, Paul won the first 2 sets comfortably. I was hoping that if I could just focus on playing the right shots at the right time that the game might turn around. However the pressure of the score line just kept building and Paul was suddenly up 18-11 in the third set. I was starting to believe that the match was over.

The Turning Point

The next point Paul played brilliantly and finished the rally with a massive forehand winner that was so powerful the ball hit the back barrier still on the rise. After that point I honestly believed that I couldn’t win the match. I had been keeping myself under a lot of pressure to try and stay in the match and then suddenly all that pressure had been released. All of a sudden I had won 8 point in a row and the score was 19 all. I lost the next point to go down match point but managed to save it and level the third set at 20 all. Suddenly there was a little hope and the pressure had switched around to be sitting squarely on Paul’s shoulders. I won the next two points and took the set. I was back in the match and only 2 sets to 1 down. It’s amazing how the same score line can be treated under different circumstances. Normally 2 sets to 1 down would not be great but given what had transpired, it was terrific. With the momentum I managed to win the fourth set and level the match at 2 sets all.

The Final Set

The pressure had really built on Paul and I had all the momentum. Suddenly all the luck was going my way as well. I raced through the final set winning 21-5 and I had my first win over Paul Langley. It turned out to be a great win as over the coming years Paul went on to win many National Championships and represented Australia at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.

What is your biggest comeback?

We’ve started up a What is Your Biggest Comeback question in the Ask the Coach section of our website. Take a look and add your own story of glory to the list.