Hilton Head, SC
On October 19th, we began the 6.5hr drive to Hilton Head, SC, to play in a W15K. We’d competed in the same tournament last year, and it hadn’t gone as well as we’d hoped, so this time we were excited for a shot at redemption.
When we play W15ks instead of W35ks, we face far more younger girls and college players. In many ways, that younger crowd can be even more intimidating—the level of tennis today is exponentially higher than it was when we were their age. They also compete with little pressure and no fear of losing, which often frees them to play their best tennis.
In the round of 32, we faced a team of two young Americans—just 15 and 16 years old, both unranked. From the start, we both came out firing. Everything seemed to click, and our games synced up almost perfectly. The match ended up being fairly quick, and we closed it out 6–2, 6–0.
In the round of 16, we faced another duo of 16-year-olds who had just taken out a seeded team with ease. We weren’t sure what to expect from them on clay, but we were thoroughly impressed by the quality these young players brought to the table. They had some of the best reflexes we’ve faced to this day. In a well-fought match, we ended up losing 4–6, 3–6. Overall, we played fairly well and weren’t too disappointed with the result. The girls we lost too went on to reach the finals, where they lost in a super tiebreaker.
We were encouraged by the progress we saw in our skills, especially since we felt we played even better than we had in Punta Cana. We were also excited because the following week we’d be staying in South Carolina for a tournament in Sumter, giving us a few days to focus solely on our own training and preparation—something we don’t often get the chance to do. Despite winning only one match, this tournament went better than last year, and there were plenty of positive takeaways to build on moving forward.
Points Earned: 3
Price Breakdown
Gas: $100
Food: $250
Hotel: $809
Tournament Entry: $20 x 2 =$40
Total Cost: $1,199
Total Earnings: $148
