E-News & Songs ２０１9年２月１４日 例会報告 南井克之
英文記事を使っての毎月一度の勉強会。取り上げた記事は、“Naomi Osaka vs. Petra Kvitova at the Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne, Australia on January 26”、大坂なおみが 制覇した全豪オープンテニスでの緊迫した試合状況、その勝利の結果により、彼女が世界女子ランキングNo.1のタイトルをも勝ち取ったことを載せたものである。
テニスのルール、用語、スコアの数え方が分からないと、試合展開に付いてゆくことが難しい上に、緊迫状況を旨く表す、ネイティブならではの英文表現もあって、各位の事前準備も苦労した。読み終えてみれば、左様に興味深い試合であったことを確認する記事であった。記事の難解度の高さが事前に分かったので、試合展開を、一目で分かるように、excel表に纏め、音読と試合状況についての各位間での討議に活用した。大坂なおみが、第一セットを勝ち、其処から進んだ第二セット、そのゲーム９も、残り３マッチポイント、あとワンポイントを取れば、セットを６－３でchampionship獲得という段階に至りながらも、そのゲーム９を落とす、その後も１０、１１、１２ゲームを連続して落としたが、その直後から、自分の自信を取り戻す切っ掛けをつくり、立て直し、第三セットで決着を付けることになったという見応えのある試合であった。
本記事は、その第二セットの接戦の書き出しから始まっているところが、展開を一層興味深くしてくれている。緊迫した、思わぬ、はらはらさせる試合展開、なかなか旨く書かれていることも分かり、我々にはテニスのこと以外にも、記事の書き方などの勉強にもなり、良い教材であったと思われる。
We read an article: “Naomi Osaka vs. Petra Kvitova at the Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne, Australia on January 26.”
The article on the hot topic is dramatically written to win over hearts and minds of the readers, just in concert with the match which was actually carried out in a very tense atmosphere. As none of us had enough knowledge of the terms or basic rules of tennis games, we found it uneasy to read the article through and spent quite some time to understand details of the actual game development. An Excel chart we prepared in advance was a help as it shows all the service and break games in each set. We used the chart whenever we needed to understand details of how the game proceeded. Interesting is that the article started by describing the 2nd set in which Naomi looked as if she was just about letting the Open final slip away, referring to her loss of sizable lead she had held or three match points in the 2nd set at 5-3, love-40 as Kvitova served. The article then continues to the 3rd set in which Naomi recovered, just as quickly as she had dropped 23 of 27points in the 2nd set. She got her powerful shots again, by regrouping and reasserting herself. She edged Kvitova 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 to win the Open for a second Grand Slam title. At the end, the article comes back to the 1st set and describes the importance of the moment when Naomi won the tiebreaker because it was the first loss of Kvitova, a shocking event for her, who had won her last 22 Grand Slam matches after winning the 1st set. Naomi, meanwhile, entered the day having won 59 matches anywhere after going up by a set.
With all the key stages or moments of the match as explained in the article and questions raised in advance to the participants of the meeting for preparing opinions or answers, we all enjoyed learning a lot of terms and rules of tennis in English. We now can watch international tennis matches with greater interest, further enthusiasm and deeper knowledge.
Overseas mass media is reporting, in a friendly way, about Naomi’s victory speech that combined her trademark humbleness with some self-deprecating humor. We, as lifelong learners of English, liked her speech, which in fact elicited cheers and applause of the audience and which included her acknowledgement like, “Hello! Sorry, public speaking isn’t my strong side, so I just hope I can get through this.” Or, “I had read notes, but I still forgot the rest of what I am supposed to say.” We were also impressed with the way she presented her thoughtful words of appreciation to her opponent.
Katsuyuki MINAMII
Reporting on February 28, 2019
