Vekic helicopter mishap nearly derailed Guadalajara journey: "The door opened mid-flight"

Donna Vekic had a successful week in San Diego but the Croatian's week in Mexico started off with an uncomfortable situation.

The Croatian was on her way to Guadalajara and part of her journey included a helicopter ride which was going really well until it wasn't. Speaking after her round one win, Vekic detailed what had happened during the short flight:

"It was great, except the door opened mid-flight. It was actually my fault because when we were sitting at the beginning, it was so hot, so I opened the door a little bit to have some air. I guess I didn't close it properly."

In her own words, she was freaking out but the pilot remained calm assuring her that everything would be and it was:

"Ten minutes into the flight, the door opened. I was freaking out. The guys were freaking out in the back because I was sitting in the front. The pilot was like, 'No pasa nada. No pasa nada.'"

After finally touching down, Vekic was relieved to have made it and she thanked the organizers for giving her a wild card entry:

"Honestly, I'm really happy and grateful to be here. The tournament, they gave me a wild card. Without it, I wouldn't even be able to play. So I'm just enjoying my time here, happy to play a couple more matches before the season is over."