Punta Gorda Tournament Recap: Lessons Learned, Goals Set

This past weekend I competed in the PPA Challenger tournament in Punta Gorda. I’d been looking forward to it for weeks, and I was super excited to get back out there, test my skills, and see how far I’ve come since my last tournament in Columbia, SC.

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Women’s Singles

Unfortunately, Abby and I ended up in different pools, so we didn’t get the chance to play each other. Neither of us advanced to the bracket stage, so that match-up will have to wait.

My first singles match was rough. I wasn’t able to focus and warm up properly and went down 1–15. But I didn’t let that loss mess with my mindset. In my second match, I played more aggressively, rushed the net, hit more drops, because I noticed my opponent wasn’t super comfortable at the kitchen. I had the right strategy and played hard, but near the end I made a couple of mistakes and lost 14–16. That one stung because if I had won it, I would’ve advanced to the semifinals.

In my third match, the heat really hit me. I was tired and my vision started to blur just a few points in. I shifted strategies, stayed back, focused on placement, and it worked. I won 15–4. So I finished 1–2 overall, but I’m proud of how I kept my head up.

Women’s Doubles with Abby

Abby and I teamed up for women’s doubles and got 4th place out of 8 teams. I played left and she played right, which worked well, I have a good forehand in the middle, and Abby’s backhand is one of her best shots.

Our second match in the round robin was fun but mildly annoying. Some people watching were being loud and disrespectful, making comments about close calls and laughing when we missed shots. I tried to tune them out, and Abby and I managed to close that one out 15–13.

In the semifinals, we lost 9–15. One of our opponents was yelling loudly after every point, even when we made unforced errors. At the end of the match, Abby asked if she could tone it down next time, and the player responded by mocking and insulting her. I reported it, but since the match was over, there wasn’t anything the refs could do.

In the bronze medal match, the heat really caught up with me, and I started making a lot of unforced errors. So Abby and I switched sides, Abby played left, I played right, and found a good rhythm again, but we came up just short and lost 13–15.

Mixed Doubles with My Dad

Mixed was a tough one again. Just like Columbia, my dad and I couldn’t find much consistency. We missed a lot of thirds and easier shots. One match we were down 0–12, but instead of getting in our heads, we focused up, smiled, and made a solid comeback. We still lost 8–15, but it felt like a small win that we didn’t mentally fall apart.

What I Learned

The weather was one of the biggest changes from Columbia. It was much hotter in Punta Gorda, which helped me warm up faster, but also wore me out quicker. I wasn't quite prepared for how exhausting that would be.

But the biggest difference wasn’t physical, it was mental. In Columbia, I let frustration get the better of me. In Punta Gorda, I stayed in a better headspace. I smiled more, encouraged myself, and had fun even when things didn’t go my way.

What’s Next

My biggest takeaways? Consistency and conditioning. I want to be able to play a full weekend like this and still feel sharp by Sunday. And I’ve got to get more consistent, more drops, more dinks, more shots made under pressure.

Next up: the Orlando Challenger tournament in September. I hope to be playing all three events again, singles, women’s doubles with my mom, and mixed, either with my dad or Jeremy. I’m pumped to train hard this summer and come in stronger.

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