It’s been a full on schedule over the past couple of weeks!

I’ve been on the road for three weeks, playing three different events in the US. I started off in cold Chicago, before moving the humid Houston and am now in Cincinnati!

I wasn’t meant to be playing this event! When the tournament shut on deadline day, I finished up as reserve 1 for this platinum event. This meant that if one person withdrew from the tournament, I’ll be the first player offered a spot into the draw.

This meant I knew there was a chance I could get into the draw as more often than not, there are withdrawals from tournaments. However I couldn’t bank on playing this tournament for certain as there have been times where no-one withdraws and I stay reserve 1- this happened to me at the US Open in October!

Once I received the email I knew I was up against Olivia Weaver as I was filling the spot of the player who withdrew. I’d actually already planned to head to Chicago in case I got a spot last minute as I wanted to give myself the best opportunity to perform my best by preparing at the club and being on the correct time zone, as opposed to arriving last minute. I could also do this as I was playing the following week in Houston so I already needed to be in the US and so it wasn’t as big of a risk to book to stay in Chicago. Worst case, I knew I could do some good training with players that whole week if I didn’t get a spot.

As I was playing Liv, I was on the glass court. It was such a cool glass court with stained glass windows and a crowd really close to the court which provided a great atmosphere. Liv is in great form so I knew it was going to be a tough one but I thought I played a great game and made the most of my opportunity in this tournament! I lost in 3 games.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how tournament entries work, I made a reel about this on my instagram explaining it, click here to see that post!

My second tournament on this tour was in Houston. I’ve played this event twice previously and lost in the first round both times…

This year the tournament is a gold event and I was seeded to win my first round as I was seeded #14.

In the first round I played Nadine Shahin from Egypt. She’s a very tricky player and has been ranked as high as world #14. I knew what to expect as I have played her previously but I felt I went into this match with a much better game plan which I was able to execute well. I was really happy to win the match 3/0 and book my spot in the second round against fellow English player.

My second round match was the next day against Gina Kennedy. I felt good going into this match but was disappointed to not be able to perform at my best and was struggling with a few things, but all credit to Gina for executing a great game plan and playing well! I lost this match 3/0 but I stayed positive as I still have more tournaments to go on this tour.

The next week I was in Cincinnati for a silver tournament. This event is definitely a favourite on tour. You often see the same names come back and play year on year as it’s the best tournament on tour for looking after the players. Nathan (the organiser) knows exactly what’s important to the players provides everything, making it such a great event.

This was a silver tournament and my draw changed once I had arrived at the tournament as the #6 seed pulled out. When the draw shut I was seeded #9 and this meant I moved up into the top 8 and so received a bye in the first round! This meant I could watch my two potential opponents battle it out in the first round and spend an extra day preparing. Marta Dominguez beat Nicole Bunyan in the first round 3/1 so I was set up to play the Spaniard in the second round.

I’m really happy with how I played against Marta, she’s a tough opponent who gets a lot of balls back and is quick meaning you have to win the rally a couple of times. I felt I played an attacking style against her and I was very happy to win the match 3/0. This meant I was in my first silver quarterfinal!

My next match was against Salma Hany from Egypt, world ranked #12. She’s a very accurate player who plays at a fast pace, is very accurate and puts the ball away very well if you give her the middle of the court. I went into the match with a good game plan and felt I had a good start to the match, narrowly lost the first game 12/10. Unfortunately after this I didn’t get as many points in the second and third game but I felt I brought the game to her and made her have to play well in order to get the win.

Overall a successful tournament for me.

My stint away from home isn’t over yet. It’s a 6 week trip in total and my next tournament is down in New Zealand. I’m very excited to be heading there soon as it’s a country I’ve never been to!

Stay tuned for the next email coming soon with more information about the solo programme, alongside tips on how to improve your training now!

Speak soon,

Grace!