I was playing an event at the US Open. I already lost my first two matches. I knew regardless if I had won or lost that match I would not have advanced. This was in the under 2250. In this event, I was playing a match where I was down 2-0 and 8-0 in the 3rd game.  I gave up and lost.
 
In this situation, I was in a very rushed mentality. I tried to hurry the game to its end. Instead, I should have taken my time in between points and played to the best of my ability. In this case, since he was a looper I should focus on serving short and attacking first. Taking a towel break is also good because it gives you enough time to strategize.
 
I should prevent him from gaining momentum by taking my time in between points. I should also use my time out to compose myself and think about different strategies to defeat my opponent. In this situation I should do whatever I can to stop my opponents momentum in a future tournament. If I win a game when I am down 2-0 for instance, it will give my opponent more pressure to finish off the match.
Regardless of who I am playing, and regardless if I am going to advance or not, I need to give my best to the very last point.
 
Written by Roger age 13