It's time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Tiffany Hwang from the USA and Kim Taeyeon of South Korea! Your junior girls championships finalists!" The announcer, who I vaguely recognised as a former top American player, yelled in a booming voice.

Tiffany and I prepared to enter Arthur Ashe Stadium for the second time today, having earlier won the doubles title with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 victory over an Italian pair. However, we were going to be on opposite sides of the net this time...

I stepped out of the players' tunnel into a half-filled Arthur Ashe Stadium first, acknowledging the polite applause from the audience with a small smile and wave. Wow...I doubt there's been this large a crowd for any other match between two juniors...

However, when Tiffany emerged on the court, the crowd got on their feet and really cranked up the volume, the applause was thunderous, screams and yells resonated throughout the stadium; Tiffany soaked up the applause, offering a bright smile and waving enthusiastically.

The crowd was definitely pulling for Tiffany, and while being born and bred in the US must have helped, she was obviously far more of a natural crowd-pleaser than I was. She was willing to interact with fans, always friendly and having the natural advantages she possessed surely didn't hurt...

However, Tiffany seemed unusually nervous in the first set, committing several double-faults and making mistakes in positions she was usually comfortable in, whereas I started off strong and finished the set strong, winning the first set 6-3.

However, in the second set, she sorted out her mind and started doing what she did best---grinding. She was astoundingly quick, somehow running down every shot I hit. I found the going tougher and tougher, and my mind flashed back to our very first match, where she had outfought me patiently. The second set was going in a similar fashion to that match, Tiffany was riding the wave of the vocal crowd support and I was being forced into more errors and down set point at 4-5, she executed a perfect drop shot landing right in front of the net which I had no chance of getting to, much to the crowd's approval. Cue one of Tiffany's loud 'C'mon!'s, the crowd firmly behind her.

The third set was fiercely contested, some of the rallies we were playing out were staggering in their intensity and quality, some simply lights-out tennis was produced. I felt strangely assured about the whole situation though, and although the scoreboard said otherwise, I always felt in control of the match. Indeed, I found an extra gear, playing as well as I felt I could play, and from 3-4 down in the final set, I won 3 straight games to seal victory, hardly showing any emotion despite the hard-fought win. The crowd gave us a standing ovation for our gladiatorial battle, as Tiffany embraced me tightly at the net.

"I'm starting to think accepting the walkover was a good idea now...great match Tae, you deserved it." Tiffany beamed and patted me on the back. 

As Tiffany wrapped up her runner-up speech during the prize presentation ceremony, I fidgeted nervously in my seat, knowing the importance of my upcoming speech. Not only did I have to deliver a decent speech in English, I also something to give a certain someone...

Thunderous applause rang out as Tiffany stepped away from the microphone stand, I took a deep breath and tried in vain to calm myself down as I stepped forward to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

"Hi New York, it's an absolutely amazing feeling to be the champion here, I think it was a high quality match, thanks for all your support and in particular thank you Tiffany." I locked eyes with her and smiled. "She has been there for me through the past year's ups and downs, ever so supportive and encouraging, she has given me great practice sessions, giving me her care and concern, and giving me her love. She has given me so much, it's only fair that I give something back to her. It's the biggest and most important gift I could ever get her...and that's my heart."

Amidst the crowd's loud cheers and applause, I pose the million-dollar question, "Tiffany Hwang, will you be my girlfriend?"