The Match of My Life

Woodruff Tennis Player Louis Phelps Used Heart and Stamina to Win Incredible Two-and-a-Half Hour Match

By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer | garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com

Louis Phelps had lost all concept of time. Everything around him was a blur except for his opponent from Chapman, Hank Zimmerman, staring back at him from the other side of the net, both beyond exhaustion.
Nor did Woodruff’s junior tennis player notice the throng of Wolverines and Panthers gathered outside the fence, watching a remarkable spectacle unfold. All he cared about at that moment was the next point—hopefully the last one.

Phelps had been locked in a titanic battle of will for two and a half hours, and all he needed was one more shot to end it.

“I didn’t have any idea how long we had been playing,” said Phelps. “But I knew I was taking forever. I knew everyone else was already done (playing), and I was told everyone was standing on the fence watching. I knew it was going to take forever, but that it was going to be a really good match. I was just able to keep going.”

Phelps, a second-year player who competes in number four singles, admitted Zimmerman was probably a better player than he is. Zimmerman won the first set 6-7 in the first of an unfathomable number of tiebreakers during the match itself.

The closeness of the first set, though, convinced Phelps he could win, and he was in it for the long haul.
“I know I’m not the greatest player, and he was way better than me,” Louis admitted. “In the first set, we went into four or five overtimes, and I knew after that it was just going to keep on going. Then, in the second set, we went to another five overtimes. I had nothing in me after that.”

Phelps won the second set 7-6, in the same fashion as Zimmerman took the first. That set up a tiebreaker set which is the first player to 10 points. The catch is you must win by two. Both players were on fumes, both searching for the will to continue, and the unfolding drama for both sides was palpable.

“The last set was a 10-point tiebreaker,” explained Phelps. It was rough—really rough. Everyone had finished, even the doubles matches, before me. That’s crazy. I’m a pretty big guy, and (Zimmerman) is tall and skinny, so I was pretty drained after all that. I think he still had a lot more in him.”

Woodruff’s first-year tennis coach, Elise McGill, an experienced player herself, was watching in awe. She stated that a match that continued as long as Phelps’ was something she had never encountered in all her experience with the sport. McGill watched as Louis battled to a draw, point after nerve-wracking point.
“I personally have never seen an individual match go that long,” she said. “I was shocked just how long the sets were going because by the time they started the second set doubles was already finishing up. Everyone from both teams was crowding around the court to watch them play. I was hoping he wasn’t going to give up because it was taking so long. I wanted to see him continue to play hard and finish what he had started.”

Phelps did exactly that.

Louis pulled ahead 10-9 with match point on the line. He had nothing left but one swing in his racket and a little bit of luck on his side. He needed Zimmerman’s return shot to be in proximity to muster one final swing.

“The last point I hit straight to the right corner,” stated Louis. “He couldn’t get it in time. It was a really good shot, but I wasn’t really moving a lot. I was so tired that I was standing in that one spot hoping he hit it right back to me.”

At that point, Louis was all out. He collapsed in a mix of relief, joy, and utter exhaustion as his teammates rallied around him in exuberance.

“When I scored the last point, I just sat there looking up,” he added. “I was so happy. It was finally over. I beat the guy, so it was all good.”

Coach McGill expressed the pride she had in Louis’ effort, and said it is a part of the fighting spirit and will to win she works to instill in her players. Phelps’ herculean effort, she says, has influenced the rest of the team as well.

“It was awesome,” McGill said. “I kept telling Louis every time I approached him at the fence because he was down the first set, don’t give up. Don’t get so focused on the score that you toss the match because a lot of times, we get frustrated when we see the score. He was so neck and neck with this guy, so it was cool to see him lock-in and never give up.”

McGill added, “I really think he could have mentally given up if he realized they had been playing for two and a half hours. I haven’t seen that mental determination from anyone. It was very impressive. We came out in the next match and beat Landrum and everyone was giving everything they had. I think Louis’ match had a lot to do with that.”

For comparison, a normal match lasts an average of around two hours to finish all five singles matches and two doubles tilts. Phelps’ match with Zimmerman exceeded that normal time frame by itself. A match of such duration is nearly unheard of at any level of tennis, and for a more inexperienced player like Phelps, it made his victory even more improbable.

Chapman would win the team match that afternoon, but in the moment, that did not really matter. The day and the match belonged to Louis.

It was his shining moment.

“When you play that hard, it’s such a relief when you get a win like that,” he said. “It’s an awesome feeling. Hopefully, I don’t have one that long again in the near future, but it was the match of my life.”