March 1st, 2025, 4:32 p.m.
Feeling kind of tough after losing twice. I mean it was good as our first time together. We lost to two teams who have been playing the whole last year together. I think we gave the semis a good run, and then took Emily and Yana to three which is pretty good. The conditions are super tough, but obviously it's equal for everyone. Fourth is tough because you just end on two losses, so it feels extra bad with two back-to-back losses. I'm pretty hard on myself, so I go down for a little bit, but I'll let it sulk for a few hours, and then try and go to dinner with friends and kind of bump right back out of it. You just have to kind of move on to the next one.
I think overall, it was a good week. It was only the second tournament with Will, making the quarters, that felt really good. Rianna was so much fun to play with. I think getting fourth - I don't even think I've ever played against her. So a very new partnership and I think we adapted really well. Overall I think it was a really good tournament.
March 1st, 2025; 1:15 p.m.
Rianna and I just pulled out a really good win. It's really, really tough conditions. We had really long points against Amanda and Daria. I think everyone played really well and just handled the wind as best as they could. Luckily, we just pulled out few at the end there, but props to them. It's always hard playing them. They're both my friends and partners later in the year, too. So now just excited for this next one. I'm still having so much fun with Rianna. She keeps me in line, keeps me calm and is just a great presence to have next to me.
March 1st, 2025; 11:50 a.m.
Just finished up with Rianna against Ava Cavataio and Alexa Schull. They played so well and we had to keep adjusting our strategy. It's really windy out here, and not like a constant one, it keeps swirling and changing direction. So props to them for adjusting really well. At the end Rianna and I switched sides, and that seemed to kind of mix up the patterns and really work for us. I got to play some more left, which is very exciting these days! And it was great being on court with Rianna - that was my first time in a real match. She's so even-keeled, so easy-going, so positive, so, so easy to be on court with. I'm excited to play Amanda Hendry and Daria Walczak next!
Last night was very chill. I was very tired. I think the sun really hit me hard, as usual. It was really warm and I just felt zapped, even though I didn't play that much. Dre and I went to dinner. He owed me my good dinner! We went back to Uncle Dumpling. I think we got the exact same order, maybe just one more scallion pancake! Dinner was on him, it was fun and we just went back and watched White Lotus and I think went to bed by 8:30. It was a crazy, crazy night.
February 28th, 2025; 1:47 p.m.
So we made it to the quarters and lost to Bobbi and Will. Props to them, they played really well. We just couldn't generate enough offense to get it done, and they're not going to make enough mistakes for a defensive play to to work, so props to them. Quarters is hard. It's good to make it there, but it feels like a very short day. There's no back draw from here. So now I'll just try and regroup, calm down, maybe go watch Dre for a little bit and cheer him on, and then just try and reset for tomorrow.
Tonight I'll just get a really, really delicious dinner. Yeah, Andre's gonna buy me a real nice dinner tonight, or we're gonna cook out, and he's gonna buy really nice food to cook for me. Either way, we'll just try and reset. We try and have a little bit of fun, friend time. I think that kind of resets us from not thinking about the day that happened but trying to move on to tomorrow.
February 28th, 2025; 11:33 a.m.
Will and I ended up playing Andre and Jamie, we won in three, but Dre and I were both terrible! We saw the draw last night, and obviously they had to win one first, so I was just trying not to get set on it. And then once I saw that they won, I just really tried to slow down. We talked last night about how even when we play together, we don't fight, we just put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do well for the other one, so I knew there was going to be nothing nasty, but it's very hard. I think we didn't hit the ball to each other for the first, like, five points. We never went down the line at each other. And to lineup against each other is really tough, too. We hugged before the match and obviously life goes on right after. I think we knew whoever lost was going to be a little annoyed, not necessarily that the person did it, it just it hurts worse! And then to go home and watch it, and everyone also knows now that we played each other, so it's a topic. It's really hard to play a friend, and then I think significant other takes a whole other level, because a lot of us are friends here, but that was really hard. My choice of dinner on him tonight - that's 100% happening!
Jamie is so sweet and props to Jamie and Will for putting up with both of us for playing so tight against each other and making it a good match. They held it together for both of us really well. I think we get Bobby and Will - just the casual one seed - but now I think we got the shakes out we're ready to go. Now I can play anyone and just enjoy it.
February 28th, 2025; 9:21 a.m.
Last night, I went to dinner with two of my closest friends, Andre Mick, my boyfriend, and Arielle Butler (AB), and we went to the same dumpling place from last year, called Uncle Dumpling. I think I ordered the exact same meal. Check out the chocolate dumplings if you go - so good.
I always start the day going to the gym and I used the sauna at our place this morning. So it's a good start to the day. It's nice being on Pacific time! I have a Planet Fitness membership just so when I'm traveling, I can go to the gym before matches. I have to, otherwise I just don't feel good going into the day, and it's easy to find a Planet Fitness. They're like, everywhere. There's one only four minutes from our AirBnB. That's part of my ritual in the morning, I start every morning by going to the gym and meditating, especially on match days.
We're here on mixed day! This is my second tournament in a row with Will Sobek. I'm super excited to play with him, he's got a really good calm, but fun energy, and I love being on court with him. We just had a really good warm up, feeling good. We got a bye in the first round so we're just waiting to see who wins. It's between the team we lost to in the last tournament, and my boyfriend, so could be an interesting Round of 16. Andre is my solo drilling partner so that's a tough one to play against. He's playing with Jamie Haas and they're playing Emily Cederquist and Ryler DeHeart and we play the winner. We lost to Emily and Ryler in the last tournament, so we'll see!
February 27th, 2025; 4:56 p.m.
Welcome to Sac Town! We're back. Had a long travel day from Mexico yesterday, it was 16 hours. Excited to be here. I think last year we found a lot of really good Asian food spots. We're gonna find some good ramen and some good dumplings - that's the high point of food for the tournament. Andre Mick, Amanda Hendry, Jack Foster, Eric Paillet, Nick Black, and I are in an Airbnb and it's really fun. We're gonna cook out one of the nights! We have a sauna and a hot tub and a cold plunge at our place, so we're having fun.
I'm excited to play with Will Sobek and Rianna Valdes. This is my first tournament with Rianna, and second with Will. We had a great warm up and got some drilling this morning, I just played with both my partners and feeling good, so ready to go. Let's do it!
