"If the master defeats the student, then the master has failed as a teacher… yet if the student defeats the master, then the master has failed as a warrior!" So was the dilemma faced by Nate this afternoon! Whenever Nate stepped his game up -- Sopcic elevated to stay in the point. At times the action reminded one of a wrestling match. As players vie for position, each trying to get an edge on the other. Invariably, it seemed like Sopcic was the one who would slip from Nate's grasp to establish a foothold near the net. A short shot, or a 2nd serve, would invite Sopcic to make his approach. Perhaps out of frustration, or maybe a calculated tactic -- at one point Nate hauls off and launches an atom smasher of a shot streaking toward his net-hogging opponent. It's fortunate that the net-cord blocked this bullet. Had it not... Sopcic would forever wonder what it would have been like to someday become a father!
The match was much closer than the score would indicate! Virtually each point was a multi-shot marathon filled with drama and superb action! It's a shame someone had to lose, but like any contest, a victor must emerge. In a sense, this was a right of passage for the young victor. With his accomplishment he emerges as a true contender for the championship! Sopcic defeats his teacher: 6-1,7-5. Now only two more matches stand between him, and the trophy!
