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Girls' 18s No. 2 seed Kristie Ahn in action at the 2009 Easter Bowl
© David Kenas
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Kristie Ahn, a 16-year-old from Upper Saddle River, N.J., received a wild card into the 2009 Easter Bowl and is the girls' 18s No. 2 seed. Currently ranked No. 325 in the WTA rankings, Ahn picked up the third professional title of her career three weeks ago at the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Hammond, La. She has won three gold balls during her junior career and was a member of the 2008 championship Junior Fed Cup team. She will be sharing her thoughts and experiences in a daily blog she is writing this week from the Easter Bowl.
Saturday, April 18
Hey people,
Today was the last day of tennis for the girls' 18s here in Palm Springs. Sadly, I was not able to play the doubles final due to an untimely injury, as well as some unfortunate scheduling problems. But, all is well. :)
I had a light practice early this morning, as well as a bit of a kick around with a soccer ball. Then we went to the site to watch some matches. A lot of drama unfolded when Spencer Newman suddenly screamed, "Call 911!" during his match. Turns out, he really did need to go to the hospital due to some sort of knee injury.
Well, that's basically a wrap-up for me. I had fun blogging this week and hope to do it again sometime in the future. :)
Until next time,
Kristie :)
P.S. I'll leave you with a riddle:
I am hard yet soft,
I am color yet clear,
I am fruity and sweet,
I am jelly.
What am I?
Friday, April 17
Hey guys,
Today was a bit of a rough day for me, as I lost my singles match to Christina McHale, 6-4, 6-3. She played really solid and steady, so I'm not too upset about losing.
Monica and I won our doubles match against the beastly 94's duo of Kyle McPhillips and Chanelle van Nguyen. It went to a third set, so it really could have gone either way, but I'm happy we pulled it out. To celebrate, we went to the Yard House for a lovely dinner.
It was over 90 degrees today, so staying hydrated and staying in the shade was of the essence.
I shall let you know how the doubles match goes tomorrow. Thankfully, it's at 4 p.m., so it won't be too hot. But, I gotta catch a flight at 9 p.m., and the airport is two hours away!
Wish us luck,
-Kristie :)
P.S. Teddy and Alec of NYC say, "Go Yankees!" (I'll have to agree on this one!)
Thursday, April 16
Hey people,
Today was a long day, as I had both singles and doubles. Lucky for me, I was able to win them both. So, now I'm in the semifinals for both!
I won my singles match against Shelby Rogers with a tough 6-1, 6-4. The second set was a grind, so I was happy to pull it out.
Doubles wasn't much easier. Monica and I pulled it out in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 10-8. Yesterday, we had some difficulty "color-coordinating," as our blues were not of the same shade, so today we opted for the simple (yet classy) white.
I'm at the club waiting to get a massage and stretch from Brian, the trainer, since he's so busy. Hopefully, we'll be able to go to dinner soon.
Tomorrow, I play a fellow New Jerseyian and a good friend of mine, Christina McHale. Hopefully, we'll be able to put on a good show.
Cheers,
Kristie :)
I'm honestly too tired to put the usual advertisements, so I'll make them shorter than usual.
P.S. Go Cavs!
P.P.S. Here we go Tarheels!
P.P.P.S. Go Bears!
Wednesday, April 15
Hey guys,
Today was yet another victorious day, as I won my match against Jessica Pegula, 6-1, 6-3. I'm gradually playing better each match, so I'm hoping to continue this little streak until the end of the tournament.
I'm watching King-Cox play right now and am waiting to go on for doubles. I'm going on soon, so I'll leave it nice and short today.
Until tomorrow,
Kristie :)
And now for the ads!
P.S. Go Cavs! (Brooke)
P.P.S. Let's go Tarheels! (Lauren aka Carolina)
P.P.P.S. Go King-Cox!
P.P.P.P.S. Vote Dwyane Wade for MVP! (Jordan)
P.P.P.P.P.S. Go Bears! (Evan)
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Do NOT go to Puerto Rico for vacation! (Gabriel)
Tuesday, April 14
Hola everyone,
Day 2 went much smoother for the girls' 18s, as we went on in the early afternoon. Luckily, my doubles partner, Monica Puig, and I had a bye in doubles, so we have tonight off!
I warmed up with Monica at around 9:30 and went on court around 11:35 or so. I played Brett Ellen Keeler and won, 6-2, 6-2, and played a much more solid match than yesterday. No more first-round jitters!
After I won my match, I sprinted off the court (after a good bit of stretching) to watch the Liverpool vs. Chelsea match, which turned out to be a great game. Sadly, Liverpool tied and lost, but I'd just like to thank those of you who wore red today!
We went to lunch at Chipotle and, after watching some matches, went off to hit some balls for about a solid hour. Afterwards, we kicked a soccer ball around for a little fitness and cool down, and we're off to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen now, so I'll write again tomorrow.
Later mates,
Kristie :)
There have been some slight changes to the P.S.'s, so read them carefully!
P.S. Monica and I have agreed for everyone to wear BLUE tomorrow. Please avoid wearing red at all costs!
P.P.S. Watch the amazing doubles team: King-Cox! play this week.
P.P.P.S. Go Cavs! (Brooke)
P.P.P.P.S. Vote Dwyane Wade for MVP (Jordan)
P.P.P.P.P.S. Go Bears! (Evan)
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Do NOT go to Puerto Rico for vacation (Gabriel)
Monday, April 13
Hey everyone,
Kristie here on Day 1 of the Easter Bowl. Today was an awfully long day for the girls' 18s, as we went on late in the afternoon. But, luckily for me, I pulled out a tough first-round three-setter: 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. I played my doubles partner from last year, Cierra Gaytan-Leach, and, man, was she bombing her serves.
Off the court, there will soon be a big rematch of the game "slap," so you better look out for it. It will feature Tennys Sandgreen vs. The Tag Team -- Evan King, Brooke Bolender and me. Last time we got slaughtered by Tennys... but revenge will be sweet, for sure.
I had dinner at P.F. Changs, and the wait was about 40 minutes, but it was well worth it.
My match tomorrow is at 11:15 a.m., but I'm not quite sure who I'm playing because I haven't checked the draw yet. I'll let you guys know how everything goes.
As my coach would say: Cheers,
-Kristie :)
As you guys know, I put "P.S. Go Cavs!" yesterday at the bottom of my blog. So today, I got a few extra requests to put some things up, so it's a bit of an advertising section now.
P.S. WEAR RED TOMORROW!
P.P.S. Go Liverpool!
P.P.P.S. Go Cavs! (Brooke Bolender)
P.P.P.P.S. Vote Dwyane Wade for MVP (Jordan Cox)
P.P.P.P.P.S. Go Bears (Evan King)
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Go to Puerto Rico for vacation (Gabriel Flores)
Sunday, April 12
Hello hello!
I’m Kristie Ahn, and I’ll be blogging this week from sunny Palm Springs, Calif., for the Easter Bowl. I got in yesterday evening to Palm Springs with my mother, and I’m hoping to do well here so I can keep you guys updated on how everything goes for the rest of the week.
I had a practice this morning at 10 and then watched one of my friends win his match in three sets in the 14s, which was exciting. By that time, it was around 2:15, and I had a second practice at 3 and still hadn’t checked in for the tournament. So, we drove extremely fast to the check in, filled out the paperwork as fast as I could, and speeded our way to the practice courts.
Otherwise, it was a pretty low-key day. Girls' 18s matches start tomorrow, and the draw is out. To be honest, there are some pretty tough first rounds, which I would love to see, but I gotta focus on my own match.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be a more eventful day, and I’ll be sure to fill you in on anything interesting or exciting that goes on.
Wish me luck,
Kristie :)
P.S. Go Cavs!