“It is a very big challenge that I have to face.” This is how Javier Zabala sees his third match of the Manomanista quarterfinals against Iñaki Artola. The Gipuzkoan already has a pass for the next phase and the Riojan wants to achieve it for the first time in his career. He is only one game away, but he plays this Saturday against a rival who has not yet known defeat in this competition this season and wants to reach the next phase with the best feelings.
The one from Logroño can even advance to the next round if he loses, “but when you use mathematics it means that something is not going well”, so it has not crossed his mind to “calculate what I need.” “My only idea is to win,” he concluded.
He admits that he would have agreed to be in this situation at the beginning of the competition. “I didn’t expect that much, honestly.” He came from “a rookie and facing these beasts is always complicated,” he stressed. To do this he has had to reinvent his game and try to adapt to the rest.
He has been able to recover the finger that showed signs of alarm in his previous confrontation against Ezkurdia. He has dedicated the time he needed at his hand during the last fifteen days “and now he is fine.” “I can train hard and face the match with guarantees,” he highlighted.
He is playing his third game, so the pressure he may have had at the beginning “is no longer there.” «It is a very nice match in an incredible fronton. “I have been working for many months to be here and I will leave peacefully.” He is clear about what he must do against Alegia. His initial idea is to be “aggressive.” Exploit the blow that he treasures to prevent it from dominating him and breaking the dynamic that he wants to implement in the clash. “I have been enjoying myself on the court for many months and I will try to do it one more day,” he said.
“A cheat day”
Artola also does not have the pressure of previous duels, but he is “motivated and eager” because he considers that after the break he has had like his rival and the one he will have next, the match takes on greater importance when it comes to gauging feelings. He admits that being already qualified means that Saturday can be “one of those trap days where you can keep in mind the semi-final that will come later.” But a victory will allow him to finish first in his group “and I have to convince myself that the best preparation would be to win.” He does not have his sights set much further nor is he thinking about the rival he may face in the next phase.
In the material selection held this Tuesday, each pelota player found what they were looking for in the basket. «I have chosen two darker ones, a little faster, but I also liked the Zabala ones. They were a little more buttoned up but I think they all fall within the limits that the Labrit has, so there are no excuses,” said Artola.
2024-04-30 17:59:28
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