Wild wild ball!

So far so good for the favorites in this World Individuals Championship. All of them: Goikoetxea, Lopez and Irastorza won their partidos in the quarter finals. Last night in Hondarribia Egiguren had to fulfill what everybody expected and beat Enbil. Egi won the match easily, too easy perhaps.30-17 the final score. 16 points scored just with the serve. Ten for Egi; five for Enbil. "Whaaaat.... what happened". Wild wild balls, the ball went just wild.

I went to the fronton, and, so I guess the rest of the about 500 people audience did, with the hope of watching a disputated match at least, one where the underdog, Enbil, would fight as a gladiator he is, or was suppose to be. No way. Everybody except Egi, his relatives and friends left the place disappointed. We had witnessed a simulacrus of what singles is suppose to be, keeping in mind that we are talking about a Worl Championship competition and not a local club tournament.

Two reasons for such a debacle. First of all, it is not an easy task to play singles, in a high level. You are in there alone, no teammate to assist, a hell of a 54 meters to cover, all by yourself. I f you do not know the basics or do not know how to put them in practice, individuals become a torture, better go back to doubles and forget all that staff about lonely singles. Enbil knows about it, he had had a hard time last night, kind of nightmare if we add a kind of ball that they play with.

The task becomes extremely difficult when the ball goes wild and travels at the speed of electricity. 16 points scored just with the serve, something worong there when we are talking about a slow cancha like the one of Hondarribia, one where the bounce of the ball is usually low. No one to blame though for such a wild ball but the weather. The temperatur inside the fronton was above 30º C. Balls are sensitive because of temperature, the hotter the faster balls move.

Egi, four times singles champion in Dania, is an expert playing singles. Enbil is not, he is good in doubles, five times world champion (with Goiko). What type of ball they play with is irrelevant. This saturday though we will be talking about a different issue. Egiguren faces Goiko, the "king" in doubles and singles, in semifinals. This saturdayEgi will need the help of the weather, the use of his best jai-alai game ever, and above all, pray and pray a lot.