Marrit Boonstra's day was longer than yours. That is, of course, assuming you didn't spend seven hours on the tennis court under the heat of the California sun.
That is precisely what Boonstra did Tuesday at the qualifying rounds of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships en route to a pair of victories.
Her first win came against Gabriela Niculescu, ranked 38th, of Southern Cal. Niculescu was favored against Boonstra, ranked 67th, and was closer to home. Despite having all this against her, Boonstra prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 in a match lasting three and a half hours.
"She's been playing really well in practice," assistant head coach Dave Balogh said. "But there's a difference between playing really well in practice and beating a great player in a big tournament."
Boonstra's second round opponent was Jennifer Stevens, ranked 68th, of Virgina. With little time to rest and mentally prepare for her second match, Boonstra started slow but recovered to win 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. This time, Boonstra's match lasted three hours.
"In terms of all the adversity she had to deal with, in that third set, up and down, I can't tell you how well she handled it," Balogh said.
Boonstra is one win away from reaching the main draw and will play today at 2 p.m. against either Laura Gioia of Furman or Vanja Corovic of Texas.
For Boonstra's doubles partner, Megan Alexander, Tuesday did not hold as much success. Alexander, ranked 70, began the day with a quick 6-0, 6-2 win against Ana-Maria Constantinescu, ranked 93, of Oklahoma. But Alexander, who was a member of the 2007 ITA All-America Team, ran into trouble in her second match against Yvette Hyndman, ranked 33, of Georgia, falling 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
"She lost the strength in her legs, and that got her a little bit," Balogh said. "I'm sure we'll see (Hyndman) again. It will be good for Megan to get another shot at it."
Hyndman played in the number one position for last year's Bulldogs, a team that beat the Gators in the SEC championship.
Another Gator in action on Tuesday was Anastasia Revzina. Revzina, ranked 66, lost her first match to Caitlin Whorisky, ranked 37, of Tennessee. Later in the day, Revzina was placed in a consolation match against Anamika Bhargava of Pepperdine, which Revzina won (the score was not available at press time).
Revzina's win meant all three Gators, at some level, were victorious.
"One thing we talked about today was being tough, especially under pressure," Balogh said.
