California State Open June 24-25

Update: the new ratings just came out, here are the details of my matches. I went from 395 which was adjusted to 797 and then went up to 972 (Δ577). Looks like Michael was right that if you play too much better they refactor your rating. And it looks like they use those adjusted ratings to compare players. So the under-rated players who I lost to were adjusted higher, but luckily my rating remains under 1000 for at least one more tournament (Pacific Coast Open in Santa Monica near the end of August). I'll go through this post and update it with everyone's new rating.

I played in my second tournament last weekend. This one was in Santa Monica, so I played in two events on Saturday and drove back down for another event Sunday morning. I was moderately successful, and my rank will certainly go up, but I didn't play as well as I could have. I wasn't looping, and I pulled a lot of my shots, worrying more about placement than hitting it cleanly. I also played very hot and cold, dominating one game and then getting shut out the next.

My rating going in was 395 after losing to a whole variety of players at my first tournament. For each event I'll list the people that I played along with their rank going into the tournament. The title of the event will be formatted like this: U1200, meaning "players ranked under 1200". In a week or so I'll update this post with my new ranking, as well as the new ranking of the people I played. What I learned, both from experience and from talking to people at the tournament, was that ranks under 1000 are very inaccurate. Players at that level either improve quickly or quit, and kids especially improve so fast as they learn the sport that their rank after their previous tournament doesn't mean much.

The events themselves were round robins for the first round, then playoffs for the finals. So you'd start out with a group of four and play each of them. The winner of each group of four would enter a single elimination playoff for 1st and 2nd place medals. Matches were best 3 out of 5, games to 11.

U1300 - Saturday at 11:30am

John Ezmirlian, before: 1126 after: 1109 (Δ-17)

An older guy playing pips-out, but with surprisingly heavy top and top/side spin. Also, being a veteran player he placed the ball well, and wasn't run around easily. There was something else odd, oh, I think he used a Seemiller grip. I beat him in 4 games, having choked and lost game 2. I thought I beat him by wearing him out, playing the corners, but I guess his grip might have had something to do with it.

Michael Cottingham, before: 1153 after: 1087 (Δ-66)

Michael's in a wheelchair, which makes playing him a unique experience. I learned later that he'd recently won a U1100 event, and travels from state to state gaining tournament experience. He plays pips out / anti-spin rubber. With his movement restricted to on the baseline at the center of the table he plays every ball crisply off the bounce, using everything that you throw at him against you. Serving against him the rule is that the ball has to fall off the end of the table, not the sides, which reduces the sneaky-serve options. His serves are brutal, loads of side spin. He got a disgusting number of free points. The first couple games were spent adjusting to this new challenge, and eating nearly every serve. Somehow I got up 2-1, which was lucky because he shut me out the 4th game, holding me to no more than 2 or 3 points. I don't know if he was playing better, or I worse. Probably a combination. In the end I dug out the 5th game win, being a rat-bastard playing balls high and wide.

Ann Dang, before: 718 (adjusted to 1099) after: 1126 (Δ408)

I didn't see Ann coming. She's an unassuming early middle aged asian woman, playing a no-frills pips-out game. She had next to no forehand, but a very strong backhand which she played from all sides of the table, moving to get into position. She played a lot of flat no-spin balls deep and low to the middle of the table. I had trouble finding weaknesses in her game, and probably should have just played my own game. I remembered reading that with players who are going to step around and play their forehand you should go ahead and play their forehand, forcing them into that wing and then bringing it around to their backhand with the next shot. I reversed the logic and pulled that off once or twice, but for the most part was unable to escape her backhand. Even then, I had ample opportunity to win the match, being up 10-8 for at least one if not two match points in our 5 game match. She went on to take 2nd place to her husband who got 1st. Even though this was the highest ranked event I played in, I think it was my best shot in this tournament, had I been able to put away the match against Ann. I'd played her husband before in the last tournament and think I could have taken him.

U1200 - Saturday at 4:30pm

Yoshi-Taka Moraka, before: 1021 after: 979 (Δ-47)

Yoshi plays with a penhold grip and has one of the more brutal forehand smashes I've played against. Warming up forehand-to-forehand I could barely keep the ball in play, and I have a very solid block. So when it came to game time I simply wouldn't give him that tight-to-the-body forehand that penholders so love, and won 3-0, nearly shutting him out the first two games.

Roman Gorbat, before: 0 (adjusted to 905) after: 869 (Δ869)

I'd actually warmed up with Roman before the event. He's a lefty, which always makes things interesting. We both have weaker backhands, making it a very close, if somewhat odd match. Usually when I'm playing somebody at about my level of skill I find a mental edge to beat them with (I like to play dirty, winning with cheap shots) but I couldn't find much of an edge here. I ended up serving to his backhand from the center of the table, but that's not a side or place I'm used to. Eventually I scraped together a win in 5 games, but I don't remember exactly how.

James Bae, before: 1046 after: 1128 (Δ82)

James and his brother Mathew both go to the same club that I do, and they have their private training with Dinh right before me. James beat me with his greater tournament experience, better serves, stronger forehand, etc. During class I've beaten the Bae brothers by getting into their heads, but he was having none of it. At least I scored a respectable 7 to 9 points in each game.

U1100 - Sunday at 8:30am

Keyln Roberts, before: 844 after: 784 (Δ-60)

Another older pips player, I've probably mixed up most of my memory of this match with the earlier one against John Ezimirlian. Maybe Keylyn was the guy with the Seemiller grip? I knew I should have started writing this over the weekend. Anyway, this one didn't take too long, my forehand down the line was landing properly.

Reetta Saikku, before: 0 (adjusted to 442) after: 442 (Δ442)

It was Reetta's first tournament, and I'm sure she'll step it up. As it was I was able to attack and put away most of her serves by the middle of the first game and won in 3.

Nolan Chang, before: 842 (adjusted to 926) after: 991 (Δ136)

Only fair that I'd get smoked by an under-rated kid playing at about a 1200-1300 level. I won the first game as he warmed up, wailing away but missing the table. By the second game they'd started hitting, and between his massive attack and dynamic variety of strong serves I didn't stand a chance. He won in 4.

Conclusions

I came into the weekend thinking I might stand a chance against some younger kids, but ended up picking on old men and cripples instead, while getting crushed by a couple boys and a middle-aged woman. Oh well, political correctness has never been a strong suit.