Irina Falconi's Blog!

OK, I’ve been bad and I know it. I haven’t written in my blog since the US Open, and I’m sure ya’ll are probably wondering how that went.
Well, losing first round is never fun. Granted, I did win three matches in the qualifying which made me the only American to qualify for the US Open this year, but dang it! >:O
Like I told all the reporters and Media, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Sure I would have loved to win the tournament!- but when they asked me how terrible it was to lose, I didn’t see it like that. I knew that my experience was perfect the way it was which let me measure my progress and see how much improvement there is for the future. I am actually really glad I went through the qualifying instead of directly into the Main Draw. You gain so much more!
Anyhow, I left New York on a very good note. Had some very good conversations with some key USTA people which left me leaving Flushing Meadows with my head held high.
When I got back to Atlanta, I was able to spend a few days at Georgia Tech where I was able to see my team, Coach Shelton, and a lot of friends. After a couple of days without tennis, I was ready to get back on the court.
I decided to train for a week before leaving to Quebec, Canada for the Challenge Bell 220K WTA Event.
Quebec was amazing!! I arrived last Thursday on September 9th in the evening, where I was able to stay in an amazing condo that had everything and was very close to the tournament site which gave me the opportunity to have free transportation to and from the tournament site. You might ask how I randomly found a condo in Quebec City… and that my friends, is quite the story:
Natalia Ciszek used to play on the tour. She played a tournament in Southlake, Texas where she stayed with the same housing family that I have stayed at a few years. We all have kept in contact and the Pattersons (my favorite housing family ever!) came to the US Open this year and were able to watch me qualify. When I told them about my future schedule and going to Quebec, they told me to contact Natalia. I contacted her, she talked to her husband, he talked to his friend, and that’s whose condo I stayed at. Francis Huet, the man with the plan, actually went to Georgia State and Virginia Tech which pretty much told me it was meant to be. GO ACC!
So Mr. Huet let me stay in his new and amazing condo for the duration of the tournament, and it was absolutely fantastic!
Anyway, back to tennis! I qualified for my first tour event! I played Danielle Mills in the first round, followed by Kathryn Woerhle, and last but not least, my fellow countrywoman, Abigail Spears. They were all tough matches, and when I got to the first round, I was to face Bethanie Mattek-Sands. I lost to her 6-4, 7-5. It was a tough battle, and after the match, I found out her results which were pretty impressive. She’s actually in the Finals today so I wish her the best of luck!
So here I am, heading to the next tournament in Albuquerque, New Mexico! Followed by Vegas, Kansas City, and then Troy!! Till next time! :-))))