Rising star Kiora Kunimoto shared a glimpse into what a typical day looks like while competing at the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships.

“I woke up at 7:30 a.m. and then I got on site to warm up at 9 o’clock,” Kunimoto began. “I usually eat a light breakfast. Today, I had a banana and granola bar.”

Ahead of her singles match, she went through a full warmup routine, hitting strokes, volleys, overheads, serves, returns, and even playing practice points with Samantha Parker.

“I actually do get very nervous before I play,” Kunimoto said. “But once I get on the court, then I’m fine. It’s more leading up to it that I’m nervous.”

Competing in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, Kunimoto noted that the early stages of the singles bracket tend to bring the most nerves.

“Ever since I started doing better with results, I’ve felt more nervous,” she said. “I feel like I have more pressure to do well, rather than when I’m against the top seeds.”

“I wasn’t making my passing shots, so I was getting frustrated, but I have to remind myself that it’s okay and it’s normal to miss,” Kunimoto explained. “I had to stay strong because she was playing so well. I had to get my level up to win the match. I took a few timeouts to just refocus, breathe, and switch up my strategy.” 

Ahead of the match, Kunimoto studied film and worked with her dad to put together a game plan.

“I don’t have a coach, but I do wish I had one to help me out with strategy because it’s easier to see things from the outside,” she mentioned. “Sometimes, I’m not able to notice a pattern or see her strategy because I’m playing.”

Kunimoto relies heavily on her dad to help craft a plan before each match, but once play begins, she has to adjust and make decisions on the fly.

“I had to come up with it by myself,” she noted. “I tried to come up to the net a little bit more and get some easier third shots.”

Once the momentum swung in favor of Kunimoto, she capitalized and secured the win with a final score of 11–8, 13–11.

Next, it was time for mixed doubles, where Kunimoto teamed up with Roscoe Bellamy as the No. 35 seed. The duo had never played together before and got in a warmup session with Jaume Martinez Vich and Lacy Schneemann.

Kunimoto and Bellamy then faced the No. 8 seeded pair of essie Irvine and Noe Khlif. Despite a hard-fought effort, they fell in a close match, 11-9, 11–6.

“I do feel like we played well, so I’m not too upset about the loss. Going forward, I’m going to watch that match on film and see what I could have done better,” said Kunimoto. ”But, I’m grateful that Roscoe was able to play with me.”

“I watched my new MLP teammate Sahra Dennehy’s match and she won. I love watching my friends play because I know it helps me play better when I have that support, so I know it means a lot,” Kunimoto said. “After we’re all done playing, we’re going to go grab dinner. I like to carb load, so I’ll probably eat some pasta. Then I’ll call my dad and we’ll watch some film and get a plan together for Thursday. Of course I would rather continue playing in all three events, but having one event to focus on is nice. Singles is where I’m seeing the best results.”

Kunimoto is set to take on the No. 8 seed, Liz Truluck. 

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