Bojana Jovanovski had a bad day.
The 19-year old Serbian got knocked out of the quarterfinals of the Citi Open in Washington on Saturday, and woke up Sunday morning ready to travel to Carlsbad for the Mercury Insurance Open. Her first match was scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Staring Sunday morning, she boarded a plane in D.C. bound for Dallas, then transferred from Dallas to Albuquerque. From Albuquerque she flew straight to Carlsbad.
There is a very small airport in Carlsbad, Calif. There is also a small airport in Carlsbad, N.M.
Jovanovski was tired from a day of travel, so it took her a while to take in her surroundings. But when she got off the plane, she got a few signs she might be in the wrong place.
"One man asked me at the airport …'What are you doing here? Are you playing tennis?' " Jovanovski said. "I said, "Yeah, it’s a tennis tournament.' And he said, 'Here?' "
When Jovanovski had trouble locating her cab, she finally got confirmation that she was in the wrong state.
"I was waiting for 15 minutes and nobody comes," she said. "And I call again, and they say they are at the airport and they are looking for you. I said I am the only person here, how can you not see me?
"At that moment, the girl asked me on the telephone, are you in Carlsbad in California or in New Mexico?"
Jovanovski managed to arrive in the correct Carlsbad about 30 minutes before her first-round match was set to begin. Thankfully for her, the previous two matches had both gone to three sets, giving her 15 minutes to rest before her 15-minute warmup.
For all that trouble, Jovanovski lost a tough three-setter to Roberta Vinci, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
She said she will remain in Carlsbad to practice for another tournament in Toronto. There are at least seven cities named Toronto stretched across the American Midwest. . . .
--Matt Stevens
Photo: Bojana Jovanovski stretches to his a shot against Roberta Vinci during the first round of the Mercury Insurance Open on Monday. Credit: Jeff Gross / Getty Images
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