Boca Raton, FL
After competing in four consecutive tournaments, our schedule continued with a W35K event in Boca Raton on November 18th. Having a high-level tournament in our hometown proved extremely beneficial, as it allowed us to maintain our regular work schedule and only take time off on match day.
Following four tournaments without facing a seeded team in the opening round, it was only a matter of time before the draw presented one. In the round of 16, we were matched against a pair of American players ranked approximately 400 and 600 in the world and seeded #3. We had heard they were a strong and competitive team, but this was our first time competing against them.
This match was extremely close from start to finish. Both teams played with very few errors, making it a true battle of who could take the initiative and make the first aggressive move. Had we faced this team just a few weeks earlier, their powerful groundstrokes likely would have overwhelmed us. However, we have elevated our level considerably and improved our ball tolerance, allowing us to compete effectively with higher-ranked players.
We fought off two set points in the opening set and ultimately secured it 7–5. In the second set, we built a strong 4–1 lead, but struggled to maintain our level. Our ball tolerance dipped just enough for players of their caliber to work their way back into the match. We faced four additional set points, saved them to even the score at 5–5, but eventually dropped the set 5–7.
Heading into the super tiebreak, we knew it would be tightly contested and that neither team would back down. Once again, we earned an early lead at 8–3, but our opponents responded with heavy pressure and capitalized on a few of our break-downs. We were unable to close it out and fell 7–5, 5–7, 8–10.
This was a difficult loss to process, especially knowing we had multiple opportunities to defeat a team ranked inside the top 500 in the world. However, it was also encouraging—our level has clearly risen to match these higher-ranked teams. This performance gave us the confidence and reassurance that we are fully capable of competing at this level, something we needed after our Sumter tournament.
This tournament marked the end of our 5 week stretch, leading into Thanksgiving week. It gave us both a chance to take a few days off from tennis to regroup mentally and physically—though not for long, as we had another tournament scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving!
Points Earned: 1
Price Breakdown
Tournament Entry: $20 x 2 =$40
Total Cost: $40
Total Earnings: $156
