Nelson Won’t Soon Forget This Match

Now Lindsey Nelson knows why she has been dreaming of this moment since she was 8. Although she didn’t play her best tennis Monday afternoon, Nelson took a lot of nice memories away from her first match in a professional tournament, a 6-3, 6-0 loss to Australian Rachel McQuillan in the qualifying of the Tennis Masters Series Indian Wells.

Nelson, a freshman at Villa Park High, was unfortunate in drawing the 69th-ranked McQuillan, the top-seeded player in qualifying. But she didn’t seem to mind.

“This is what tennis is all about,” said Nelson, who received a wild-card berth into the $2.05 million tournament. “Now I know why I spend all that time practicing, lifting weights and giving up my personal life. It’s all worth it. I realize that this is what I want to do.”

Nelson was disappointed that she made some uncharacteristic unforced errors and upset that she let a break point go by at 3-3 in the first set. But she came away more determined than ever that she could play on the pro tour.

“I have no doubt that I could have won this match,” said Nelson, the top-ranked girls’ 16 player in Southern California. “She got me out of my rhythm by hitting high with a lot of spin. And I think I got tired.”

In the second set, Nelson’s tired legs didn’t allow her to set up for her shots and they took the power out of her groundstrokes. McQuillan also began pick up her game. Serving at 3-0 and with a break point against her, McQuillan smashed three consecutive first-serve winners.

“She played well,” Nelson said. “I’m sure she didn’t want to lose to a 15-year-old.”

Nelson didn’t have much time to prepare for her pro debut. She found out Friday that former USTA Southern California regional coach Eliot Teltscher had recommended her to the sports agency IMG, part owner of the Indian Wells event.

“This is a dream,” Nelson said. “I’ve been thinking about trying to get into a pro tournament. But I was thinking about a $25,000 challenger or satellite, not a $2 million tournament like this.”

As she walked onto Stadium Court 2 before a few hundred spectators, Nelson said she felt a little shaky.

“I wasn’t sure what to do, whether I should get my own water or what,” she said. “But once we started warming up, I was OK.”