I casually stroll towards the baseline, carry out my usual routine of bouncing the tennis ball a couple of times and deliver a powerful serve that my opponent is unable to receive. I allow myself a satisfied smile as the umpire announces, "Game, set and match Kim Taeyeon, 6-1, 6-2." Another routine win, another final I was in. I shake my opponent's hand with a polite smile on my face, acknowledging her effort in a match in which the result was never in doubt. I had reached the final of the last 4 junior tournaments I had played in, winning all of them with relative ease. I was reasonably confident of my chances in the final tomorrow as well.

After having taken a quick shower, I arrived home just in time for dinner, attempting to consume the delicious meal my mother had prepared while excitedly recounting the easy win I had earlier.

My father beamed at me, patting me on the shoulder. "That's my girl, back at it again with another easy win! Who are you playing in the final tomorrow?"

"I don't know, this girl called Tiffany Hwang. I've never heard of her before. "

"Just play your best and there's no way she's beating you tomorrow, no matter how good she is!"

"I hope so..."

"Kim Taeyeon and Tiffany Hwang, please report to Centre Court, your match is about to start. " The umpire announced in a booming voice.

The time had come. I walked into the court confidently, I was on a 20 match winning streak, surely there was no way anyone could beat me.

Soon after, my opponent walked into the court. I looked her up and down. Wow...nice toned legs, gorgeous face...Tiffany Hwang was one of the most attractive girls I had ever seen. While I was blatantly checking her out, she looked up at me and gave me a dazzling eyesmile. Holy . I froze, my face turning red instantly.

"Hi, I'm Tiffany! Nice to meet you! Hope we play out a good match!" She chirped cheerfully, extending a hand out to me.

I was lost for words momentarily, but managed to regain my composure, offering her a firm handshake and mumbling, "Hi, I'm Taeyeon. And of course, may the best man...woman, sorry, win!"

We started warming up before the match would officially start. It seemed her technical skills weren't excellent, her forehand was decent but nothing special and her backhand was well...awkward at best. I wondered how she had even made it to the final, my opponent in the last round seemed a better player than Tiffany was! I got more and more confident that the title was mine to lose.

However, once the match started, I found out that what she lacked in skill, she made up for in heart and fighting spirit. No matter where I hit the ball, no matter how hard I hit the ball, she always seemed to find a way to return the ball, causing me to make many more unforced errors than usual. Eventually, she claimed the first set 6-2 and had well and truly gotten into my head. I hadn't played that badly in a long time and uncharacteristically began to cry, more out of frustration than anything else.

To my great surprise, Tiffany sat beside me on my bench and put her arm around my shoulder while comforting me, "Taeyeon-ah, don't worry, don't cry, things will get better." I shifted uncomfortably at her touch at first, but thanked her for her thoughtful words of encouragement. 

True enough, things did get better, I was finding my range and played brilliantly in the 2nd set, claiming it 6-1. This time, it was Tiffany's turn to start crying and my turn to comfort her. Having never been good with words though,  I resorted to silently patting her on the back while she sobbed quietly.

The third set was a nailbiter. We traded blow after blow, I hit a few outstanding forehands for winners; she played some insane defensive points in which she had looked down and out of before forcing me into a mistake. However, at a crucial point at 5-5 in the tiebreak, I was riddled with nerves and hit an untimely double fault. 

Flipping heck...

Now all she had to do was serve the match out. A long, intense rally ensued, I dominated the rally as usual, while she tirelessly ran every ball down. Getting frustrated by her consistent play, I attempted to ramp up the speed of my forehand. Surprise, surprise, the ball flew miles long of the baseline, following which Tiffany screamed with delight and raised her arms up in the air in triumph.

I trudged to the net for the obligatory handshake, but instead of shaking my hand, she pulled me into a tight hug. "Great match Taeyeon, you're a great player, we simply have to keep in touch and practice together!" Wow...how does she still smell so good after that match? I was pretty sure with the amount of sweat on my body at the moment,  I stank to the living heavens. 

"I have a practice partner already, but I'm sure we'll play each other many more times." I smiled at Tiffany, who nodded and flashed me another of her eyesmiles. She really was pretty. Very, very pretty.

It was strange too, after a loss I would typically be extremely moody and refuse to talk for a few days, but here I was talking comfortably with my conquerer.

"I'm sure our paths will cross again, see you soon!" Tiffany waved as I parted and I waved back with a smile.

However, the both of us had no idea how soon...