Gloria Bible
As it turns out, everything! Most people are aware that at the start of every tennis match, the first player declares “love/love” (0/0) and play begins.
Quail Creek resident and QC Tennis Club teaching pro Donna Yuritic recently brought home not just one, but two first-place finishes at the Southern Tennis Indoor Championships held Feb. 5-9 in Asheville, N.C. This annual four-day event is a USTA Level 4 Open Tournament, drawing nearly 150 players, primarily from the American Southeast. Donna has many wins in her professional tennis career, but at 68, she had not competed in this level tournament for several decades. Very few recreational players ever achieve the ability to compete at level 4.
Due to insufficient players in the 65 and Over Singles category, Donna decided to compete in the 55 and Over Singles bracket. As luck would have it, she was pitted against the number two seed from Ohio, not to mention a much younger player. Since Donna hadn’t competed at this level in over 30 years, her expectations of winning weren’t particularly high.
At this point, you may be wondering, “Well, what’s love gotta do with it?” Carrying the good vibes from the QCTC community back home, Donna was determined to reward their faith in her and, in her words, “make them proud.” She cruised through her first set 6-2, but then fell behind four games in the second set. That’s when the mental toughness honed in champions kicked in. Donna battled back to win the second set 7-5.
Donna also competed with her longtime partner and fellow QCTC club member Dr. Kim Williams in the 65 and Over Doubles division. Fortunately, Donna had worn her tennis togs on the long flight from Arizona, since they arrived at the venue only 15 minutes before their first match! Unfazed, they won that match (6-0, 6-1) and garnered a first-place tournament win with a decisive 6-1, 6-1 finish. Dr. Kim won his first singles match 7-5, 6-1 (after being down five games in the first set) but, unfortunately, lost in the Finals to the tournament’s first seed 5-7, 1-6.
In the game of tennis, “love” is a score indicating an absence of points. But in reality, love is one ingredient in the potent elixir propelling champions to sometimes unforeseeable heights. And as February is the month of love, the timing seems especially apropos.
Well done, Coach Donna! You make all of the QC tennis community so very proud!