The logistics had to break just right, but Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski managed to play two WTA Tour events in one week.
The 22-year-old played the singles qualifying in Brisbane, Australia, losing 6-3, 6-1 to Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine in the second round.
Normally, the second round of singles qualifying at a WTA Tour event would be on a Sunday. But because Brisbane is a joint event, with both the men and women playing, the ladies got an early start. So Dabrowski lost on Saturday, and was able to catch a flight to Auckland, New Zealand for another tournament.
Auckland is on a regular schedule and while she and partner Alicja Rosolska couldn’t technically enter, they were able to sign in to play (and could get in based in their rankings) because the sign-in deadline for doubles is noon the day before the start of the singles main draw.
In this case, Sunday at noon.
It’s not an expensive flight (maybe $250), but it’s not exactly an easy hop. Dabrowski probably took a Virgin or Qantas direct flight at about 6:30 p.m. It’s roughly a three-hour flight, and she lost another three hours on the time difference. But she made it.
Unfortunately for Dabrowski and Rosolska, it was all for naught.
They lost to the far less-accomplished team of Nicole Melichar and Laura Siegemund 6-4, 4-6, [11-9] on Monday.
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