CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – When Thea Bertola and Cindy Smith headed to Florida to play pickleball at the U.S. Open, their aspirations were humble.

“Our goal was to win one match,” Bertola told Cville Right Now this week.

“We didn’t want to get smoked,” Smith said.

Instead, the two Charlottesville-area residents won four matches in one morning, dropping just a single game and capturing the gold medal in the women’s 3.5-3.9 skill rating competition among 70-74 year-old-olds in Naples, Fla. on April 13.

The two were part of a large contingent from the area that medaled at the event, which ran from April 11-18, in a variety of age groups and skill levels.

Megan Washburn won a women’s doubles gold and a mixed doubles silver and Megan Knutson, who also coached Bertola and Smith, won a women’s singles gold. Nicole Andres won a women’s singles gold medal, Jared Racicot captured a mixed doubles silver, and John McNeil won a men’s doubles gold and a men’s singles bronze.

Angela and Vincent Riccabona won a mixed doubles gold and a mixed doubles bronze, and Angela also won a women’s doubles gold medal. Vincent also won a men’s doubles gold with partner John Christen.

Between recreational matches at the Greencroft Club last week, the Bertola and Smith shared their experience fulfilling a “bucket list” item just by competing at the U.S. Open.

“When we got there, we were blown away by the number of good pickleball players, excellent pickleball players,” Bertola said. “And they’re from all over the country, all over the world. we were just happy to be there. we were just trying to enjoy the experience. So, when we out there, we were pretty calm.”

In January, they entered the lottery for a spot in the tournament, and received an invitation off the waitlist. The pair began training weekly with Knutson at Cville Smash, Charlottesville’s indoor pickleball facility.

After setting a foundation for how the duo would play together in the tournament, Knutson shifted the focus to emphasize what Bertola and Smith do the best.

“As we got closer to the tournament, we wanted to make sure that they were practicing their strengths,” Knutson said. “Because anytime you go into a competition, that’s not the time to be trying to hit your weakest shot, right? It’s the time to be really executing on what your greatest strengths are.”

Knutson praised the duo’s communication and competitive nature, and said it was how the handled the big stage of the U.S. Open that really helped them win the gold.

“It’s pretty easy to have a lot of nerves,” Knutson said. “It was their first U.S. Open tournament. The brand cachet of that tournament, the location, just even the vibe, right? There’s over 50 courts of competition happening at any given time. It’s massive. There’s pros walking around everywhere. A lot of players in their first tournament feel a ton of pressure. But they showed up and they executed on what they’ve been practicing, and they had an incredible attitude. They focused on the quality of their play instead of the outcome of winning or losing. And I think by doing that, they set themselves up really well to win. Because they had the right mental attitude.”

Bertola, who was born in Washington D.C., and Smith, who hails from New Bern, N.C., have been playing pickleball for three years. They had played a handful of tournaments together – maybe six or eight – but nothing on the scope of the U.S. Open.

“We were pretty relaxed,” Smith said. “We were prepared. We felt good physically. And we said, Let’s just play the team in front of us.”

But after taking their opening match without dropping a game, that goal shifted somewhat.

“Right then, I was like, ‘Okay, we’re playing well together. Let’s just keep winning,'” Smith said.

And they did.