Bahrain 2025 – ATF Under 14 Grade A Tournament
Day Four: Marked the start of the main draw!
Today marked the start of the main draw—and you could feel the excitement in the air. The draws are finally out, along with the order of play, and as always, players immediately begin to speculate. It’s a common ritual—checking the path ahead, reviewing opponents’ past results, and asking around for insights. But experience teaches us that most of this “scouting” is only partially useful. What happened last month, in a different country, on a different surface, with different balls and weather conditions, often doesn’t apply to today’s reality.
We stuck to our routine: early breakfast, then off to the courts for a morning session. We were fortunate to hit with Asia’s No. 1 girl—a fantastic player with exceptional timing and feel. Once again, the wind was intense—gusts reaching 50–60 km/h—which made ball control and spacing particularly challenging.
After the session, we headed back to rest and reset before the matches, returning to the courts about an hour before start time.
As for Rafa’s match—I honestly couldn’t be prouder of him. His attitude, discipline, and focus were outstanding. He followed the game plan to the letter and earned a great win over Asia’s No. 34. I think this match deserves its own post—I may write about it separately tomorrow to do it justice.
Isabella had a smoother path today, drawing a lucky loser from Bahrain. She closed the match efficiently in just 40 minutes—no real story there, but a good start nonetheless.
Tomorrow, the challenge intensifies. Both Rafa and Isabella will face seeded players in Round 2, and we also begin the doubles competition. A long and demanding day lies ahead.
More to come tomorrow…