Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
After a long month of hard work, we finally saved up enough money to take another trip outside the U.S. It had been over a year since we last left the country for a tournament, so we were more than ready. On August 31st, we hopped on a plane to Punta Cana for two W35K events. Since we live in Florida, the flight was short and relatively affordable. We were not only excited for the chance to compete again, but also thrilled to have two weeks off work at an all-inclusive resort.
The first two days were spent getting used to our new routine for the next few weeks and adjusting to the courts, which were red clay — a surface we hadn’t played on since Turkey! We both agree that red clay is our favorite, as it really complements our playing styles. However, the courts in Punta Cana weren’t in as good condition as the ones in Turkey. They were a bit rocky and worn down from recent hurricanes, so it took us some time to adapt to how they played.
On Tuesday, in the round of 16, we faced an unseeded team — an American and a Colombian ranked 1100 in the world. It took a little while for us to feel fully comfortable during the match. Not only were the courts rough, but the wind also made conditions tricky. Still, we felt more confident on court than we had during our last tournament in Mississippi. The hard work we’d put in over the past few weeks of training clearly paid off. Despite the challenges, we came away with a solid 6–3, 6–4 win and were thrilled to have our first match under our belts.
After our win, we had Wednesday off, which gave us another day to adjust to the conditions. We felt confident heading into our quarterfinal match on Thursday, where we faced the top seeds — an Italian and a Dutch player, both ranked 200 in the world. We started the match feeling strong, but that confidence quickly faded after just a few points. These girls hit the ball harder than anyone we’ve ever played in our entire careers. Even on clay, their pace was incredibly difficult to handle, let alone counter.We fought hard in every game but ended up dropping the first set 0–6. After that, we couldn’t help but laugh at how fast the ball was coming at us — it almost felt unreal. We decided to adopt the mentality of “all we can do is our best.” Gradually, we started reading their shots better and finding ways to counterpunch. Despite a much tighter second set, we eventually fell short 4–6.
After this match, we both agreed that this was one of the best teams we’ve ever faced. We walked away proud of how we competed and pleased with how the first tournament played out. We felt more confident in our abilities, learned some valuable lessons, and now had a couple more days to train and prepare for the second tournament.
After four days of relaxing at the resort and getting in some good practice, we were eager for the second tournament to begin. Once again, we had a fairly even first-round matchup, facing a team composed of a Colombian and an Argentinian ranked 800 in the world. And, somehow, both of them were lefties — this seems to happen to us a lot!
In the first set, we struggled to find our rhythm and fell short 2–6. It took some time to adjust to their lefty serves and figure out the right patterns to play the points. Fortunately, we’ve faced a lot of lefties recently and had a solid game plan — it was just a matter of executing it. In the second set, things started to click, and we managed to turn it around, winning 6–4. We were proud of how quickly we adapted our strategy and raised our level. After two grueling and competitive sets, the match came down to a super tiebreak, where we ultimately fell 7–10. Losing is never fun, but we both agreed that this was one of the most enjoyable matches we’ve ever played. It was drama-free, evenly matched, and came down to just a couple of points.
Sadly, that meant our tournaments were finished, and it was time to head home. After ten days, we booked our flight back and said goodbye to Punta Cana. We returned home feeling more confident in our game and proud of the progress we’d made with our new work schedule. The trip left us motivated and excited to keep improving and see how far we can go in the future.
Points Earned: 8
Price Breakdown
Flights: $160 x 2 = $310
Hotel: $100 x 2 x 10 =$2,000
Bags: $70 x 4 =$280
Tournament Entry: $20 x 2 =$40
Total Cost: $2,630
Total Earnings: $402
