The first return came off Inez's backhand low and straight. Tess had to lift it. Inez kept her behind the baseline until a shorter ball brought her forward, then finished at the net.
Love-fifteen. Mara clapped. She could hear how quickly she had done it, her hands meeting before the call. Behind her Celia breathed out. Tess went to the other side to serve and hit an ace.
She held in six points. Inez came to the near end, took a drink standing and went behind the line to serve.
“Good height,” Mara said.
Inez nodded, served wide and put the next forehand into the net. Her head went back. Mara let her look at the sky without another word.
The games went with serve. At two-one, when Inez was far from her, Mara watched Tess take a second-serve return early and come in. The pass was low. Tess got down, held the racket steady and volleyed into the open court.
Across from Mara, Owen was on his feet. Hana had lifted one hand. Tess turned toward them, face open with pleasure, and Mara's body began to rise too. She kept one hand on the notebook and sat forward instead. The next point was already beginning.
Inez held for two all. Through six games neither woman had a break point. At the changeovers both let their arms hang until the chair called time. Yesterday's semifinals were still in their legs. Mara could see the effort in the way Inez got up, all at once, as if the first movement would have to carry her through the rest.
At three all, receiving near Mara, Inez crowded a forehand and hit wide. “Room for the next one,” Mara said. Inez found it on the next point, working Tess back until a backhand missed, but Tess held. Four-three. She won the last point by taking the return in the air, almost dismissively, and Mara's pen left a hard mark beneath nothing she had written.
In the next game Inez followed an approach and found Tess coming toward her. Volley, soft reply, another volley: they were close enough to hear each other breathing when Inez put the ball away. She gave a sharp shout, fist at her side. Mara stood to clap. This time she did not look across the court.
Four all. Tess came to serve at the near end. From here Mara could see the pause before the toss, the ball held against the strings. She watched without counting the bounces until Tess caught one and began again.
Tess won the first point with the serve. Inez answered with a backhand down the line, then a double fault made it fifteen-thirty. Tess took the next ball without looking toward Hana. She served wide and drove the weak reply into the open half. Thirty all.
Inez made her come forward on a high backhand, then dipped the next ball below the net. Tess's volley sat up. Inez ran for it and passed down the line.
Break point. Mara put the pen down. Tess bounced the ball three times. She usually bounced it four when she wanted a second longer. Mara saw her catch it after the third and begin again.
The first serve missed. Inez moved aside for the second, got both hands through the backhand and drove it deep. Tess had to hit while backing up. Her reply rose. Inez took the forehand early, made Tess run, came in behind the next short ball and hit behind her.
Five-four.
Mara stood, clapping. She wanted the next game before the women had even changed ends. Tess walked past the net without looking up. Inez came toward Mara, loosening the fingers of her right hand, and sat. Mara had to stay where she was and let the minute pass.
When Inez got up, Mara said, “Body's still there.”
Inez served out to love. She used the body serve, kept Tess back with the high ball and took the net when she had it. At forty-love Tess attacked a second serve, came in and missed the open corner. Mara could feel Celia standing behind her, could hear the soft knock of the cup against the empty chair.
Six-four. Inez lifted her fist without looking up. Mara rose, looking toward her, then toward Tess before she could stop herself. Tess was walking to the chair. There was nothing in her face Mara could use.
*
Tess began the second set serving from the far end. Her first two points went quickly. On the third, Inez stepped back from the high second serve and Tess was inside the court before the return arrived. Forehand, volley. The game went to her.
Mara marked the time. She kept seeing the same part of the point: Inez giving ground, Tess taking it. At two-one, Inez was back to serve near her.
“Keep making her move around it,” Mara said.
Inez varied the body serve with the wide one and held. Tess held too, Inez again. By three all Mara's calf had begun to ache. She moved her feet beneath the seat, trying to get sensation back. Across the court Owen said something to Hana. Hana answered without looking away from the players.
Tess served near Mara now, Inez receiving at the other end. Mara wanted her closer for the second serve, but she was too far away for speech. She made a small forward movement with one hand. Inez was watching the toss.
The return rose. Tess drove the forehand down the line and went in. Inez made her play a volley, then an overhead. The overhead made the hard, flat sound Mara had heard for years when Tess found it cleanly. Mara drew breath. She had spent so many hours wanting to hear that sound. Her pen was still in her hand.
Four-three, Tess.
Inez came to serve at the near end with a fresh racket. The new strings rang higher than the old ones. She reached thirty-fifteen, missed a second volley and looked toward Mara.
“Finish the space you've got,” Mara said.
The first serve missed. Tess drove the second back at Inez's feet, took the short reply and put it away. Break point. Behind Mara, Celia made a sound that was almost a word.
Inez saved it with a first serve, a deep forehand and a volley. Deuce. But she had to keep serving. On the next second serve Tess returned high and moved forward while Inez waited for the ball to fall. She cut off the reply and won the point. Another break point.
Inez went to the body. Tess got the return low; Inez lifted it deep and stayed back. Tess moved around the backhand and drove crosscourt. Inez ran. The ball was beyond her before she could get the racket through.
Five-three. Inez stayed at the baseline, chest rising, then went to receive. No change of ends now. Tess was already taking the balls at the far end.
“Make her play,” Mara said.
Inez got one return early and low enough to pass Tess, but Tess won the other four points. She took the last reply on the rise, drove down the line and came in behind it. The pass skimmed the tape. Tess put the volley away.
Six-three. The crowd stood. Mara stayed seated a moment longer, looking at the time she had marked near the start of the set. She had written it as if finding the point on a screen later would be enough.
Inez crossed to her chair. At the far end Tess pulled off her cap and ran both hands through her hair. Hana said something. Tess looked up, listened and nodded.
Mara turned the notebook to a clean space. The pen had left a small blue spot on the side of her middle finger. She rubbed it with her thumb until she realized it was only spreading.
Behind her Celia asked, very quietly, “How long can this go?”
Mara turned far enough to meet her eyes. “I don't know.”
Celia nodded. She had folded the program into a narrow strip, then flattened it again. Mara looked back to the court. Inez was standing. She would serve from the far end, her first game of the last set. Tess took up her racket and came to the near baseline, where her shadow lay dark against the paint.