I have good news and bad news for you guys.  I am going to start off with the bad news because I need to get it off my chest.  Plus I am a big fan of ending on a good note.  So let's jump right into it shall we?  I lost my singles today to Miquel Gallardo-Valles (MEX) 5-7 6-4 5-7.  I got broken first game of the match after playing a pretty poor game.  From there on I was putting way too much pressure on myself to get a break back.  I was making some pretty bad shot selections and was just not being nearly patient enough.  We got deep in the set and he was serving up 5-4 40-15 when I decided it was time to play.  So I won four quick points in a row and got the break back I had been looking for.  Unfortunately the next game was a disaster.  I made zero first serves and missed a couple of early balls in the rally and got broken right back at 30.  He played a pretty solid game at 6-5 to close out the set.  The second set was more of what I was looking for.  I was playing much better overall and was just more relaxed in general.  I had break chances early in the set, but I did not panic.  At 5-4 I played a really solid game and broke at love for the set.  Going into the third I was feeling pretty confident.  I played a really solid game to open up the set holding at love.  It took a pretty rough turn after that though.  I went down 5-2 double break in what seemed like no time at all.  I wasn't finished just yet though.  The next game I played really well and broke at love.  The hold came with a little bit of a struggle, but I got through it either way.  The 5-4 game was huge.  I played some clutch ball and got a break point at 30-40.  I have never been so relieved to see a double fault.  It was the first real gift of the match.  I thought to myself, "I have come this far.  This must be meant to be."   Not quite.  I played a pretty rough service game to go down 30-40.   I decided to throw him a gift-wrapped double fault in there as well just to be a nice guy.  He played a pretty solid game to hold to win the match.  Needless to say, I had plenty of opportunities.  Just wasn't good enough when I needed to be. 

     It feels good to get that off my chest.  Let's move on to the good news.  Darian King and I won the finals of the doubles today 2-6 6-4 10-4.  I was pretty sluggish in the first set due to the lengthy singles match and quick turn around.  Darian played some good ball and I was lucky to get it going in time to pull out the win.  Overall it was a pretty good week.  I wish I could have gotten through the singles today obviously, but it happens.  On to the next. 

     Tomorrow I am headed to Guadalajara, Mexico for the next tournament.  It is roughly a four-hour bus ride away.  Most of the guys left today so I will be riding solo on this journey.  Guadalajara is a much bigger city (population of roughly 1.5 million) so there should be a lot more going on.  Which means a lot more to report.  Which also means more entertainment for you all.  So be ready. I am going to keep the post today short but sweet.  I will most likely be going to sleep at 8:00 tonight so I can get a good twelve hours in before I hit the bus station up.  That is about all I have for you today.  I will post again on Monday and let you know how awesome Guadalajara is.  Don't miss out on it. 

All the best,

Devin