Numerous matches went right down to the wire during the opening day of the C.C. Lee Open Junior Tennis Tournament on Monday.
Alex Tarver of Aberdeen found himself in the middle of one of those match at the Northern State Courts.
The 17-year-old dropped the first set of his opening match before prevailing 10-8 in a super tiebreaker in the 18 and Under division.
“I persevered the whole time,” Tarver said. “My first set was kind of bad. I just kind of found a second gear, I guess and won.”
Tarver, who has been playing for less than two years, knew he dodged a bullet in advancing to the quarterfinals.
“I was in trouble that first round,” Tarver said. “I’ll be the first to admit it. I was in pretty deep water.”
Tarver felt like he was capable of winning the close match, he just had to get over the hump.
“The whole match I feel like I had it, but I just kept making these little stupid mistakes, like hitting my frame and stuff,” Tarver said, “but once I got in my groove a little bit, I definitely realized I could win this thing.”
Tarver won his second match in straight sets. He employs a defensive style that can frustrate opponents.
“I can tell when I’m getting into the head of my opponents,” Tarver said. “I’d say that’s my play style, just keeping it in play.”
Tarver has had to adjust his goals for the tourney after his first two matches.
“My goal was to get past a couple of rounds, so I think I met it right now,” Tarver said. “Now after this, I set another goal of winning the whole thing.”
FROM OPPONENTS TO TEAMMATES
Sarah Knie started out the day on the opposite side of the net facing good friend Estelle Riggs, and finished the afternoon on the same side with her as doubles teammates.
Knie defeated Riggs in a marathon match that included a 13-11 first-set tiebreaker.
Facing a friend and teammate presented a challenge for Knie during the match.
“It’s kind of hard,” Knie said, “because I can talk to them like normal at the bench, but when I’m in a match if I get a good point, I’m like ‘sorry.'”
Knie and Riggs teamed up for a pair of doubles matches in the 18 and Under division and will now play for the championship today.
Knie, who is just 13-years-old, is competing up a couple of divisions in the 18 and Under to try to improve her game. She has grown accustomed to facing older competition having played flight five singles for Aberdeen Central last fall as a seventh-grader.
“It definitely helped me a lot,” Knie said, “because I got to play against people that are good, like really, really good.”
Knie said she would rather face opponents who hit the ball hard compared to those who hit slice and spin.
“I don’t like people that just slice it and make it spin every time,” Knie said. “It’s just really hard to get them back and have good shots at them.”
CARRYING ON FAMILY TRADITION
Jared Christen of Mandan, N.D. is the top-seeded player in the 18 and Under division. He already has a pair of C.C. Lee titles to his credit and has strong ties to the tourney.
“My dad played in it back when he was younger,” Christen said, “so it’s just kind of a tradition.”
Christen, who will be a junior this fall, said he enjoys facing a variety of competition.
“It’s fun. You get to see guys that hit different, play different,” Christen said. “It’s just a good way to improve your skills.”
Christen, who will play in the doubles final along with his brother Matthew today, said a key to summer tennis is being willing to put in the time to keep improving.
“You just have to play different people and play even when you don’t want to,” Christen said.
That means staying motivated to play even on days when it isn’t appealing.
“Those days when you’re sitting at home and you don’t want to go to the courts, but you go, you find someone to go hit, go play doubles with,” Christen said.
TOUGH UNDER FIRE
Another player who overcame adversity on Monday was Sophia Menden in the 18 and Under girls’ division. The 17-year-old from Brandon dropped a tight opening set, won the second set, and then trailed 4-2 in a super tiebreaker before closing strong to secure a 10-6 victory.
“I’ve been down before,” Menden said. “The last time I was, I lost the first set 6-0 and I ended up winning that match, so I knew I had it in me and just kept trying.”
Menden was able to handle the strong hitting of Brenna Erdmann of Wahpeton, N.D., to stay in tight points.
“It was really important,” Menden said of getting balls back. “It’s hard to play offense if you don’t have defense, just try to keep hitting them back, and then when the opportunity came you could play offense.”
It was the first matchup between the two players, something that Menden said worked to her advantage.
“It’s good. If I’d like lost to her before I would have been in my head,” Menden said, “but since I never played her before I didn’t know how she played, so I just kept trying.”
When action resumes today, Menden will play 13-year-old Sarah Knie in the semifinals.
“It will be interesting, because I don’t want to lose to someone younger than me,” Menden said, “but it’s also good, because maybe I have more experience.”
CHAMPIONS CROWNED
Several championships were determined on Monday and Sydney Bohle was involved in two of them. The Aberdeen player won the singles title in the girls 12 and Under, and also the doubles crown along with teammate Sarah Sieber.
The other title went to Conner Albrecht who defeated his brother, Carson, 10-8 in a super tiebreaker to win the singles final in the boys 12 and Under.
The tournament continues today.
BOYS’ DIVISION
12 and Under Singles
Carson Albrecht def. Sterne Johnston, 6-4, 6-2; Conner Albrecht def. Trace Peterson, 6-1, 6-0.
Championship: Conner Albrecht def. Carson Albrecht, 6-4, 4-6, (10-8).
14 and Under Singles
Rhys Nielsen, bye; Gavin Johnston def. Leo Menden, 6-1, 6-3; Caleb Stoks def. Zach Miller, 6-1, 6-1; Liam Voehl def. Christian Schuler, 6-2, 6-2.
Consolation: Menden, bye; Miller def. Schuler, 10-4.
16 and Under Singles
Matthew Christen, bye; Gracin Kaste def. Mason Moe, 6-3, 7-5; Zachary Comings, bye; Cooper Star, bye.
18 and Under Singles
Jared Christen, bye; Mika Dannen def. Daxon Carter, 6-1, 6-0; Aric Tennant, bye; Garnett Anderson, bye; Alex Tarver def. Alex Baugh, 3-6, 6-3, (10-8); Koltin Swearingen, bye; Linus Johnson, bye; Alexander Comings, bye; Christen def. Dannen, 6-1, 6-0; Anderson def. Tennant, 6-0, 4-6, (10-8); Tarver def. Swearingen, 6-2, 6-1; Comings def. Johnson, 6-0, 6-0.
18 and Under Doubles
Christen-Christen, bye; Tennant-Dannen def. Carter-Nielsen, 4-6, 6-3 (12-10); Comings-Kaste def. Swearingen-Johnson, 6-2, 6-3; Anderson-Comings, bye; Christen-Christen def. Tennant-Dannen, 6-1, 6-1; Anderson-Comings def. Comings-Kaste, 6-2, 6-3.
GIRLS’ DIVISION
12 and Under Singles
Sydney Bohle, bye; Sarah Sieber def. Anna Perrion, 7-5, 2-6, (10-2); Abigail Andersen def. Evey Henrichs, 6-2, 6-0; Olivia Andersen, bye; Bohle def. Sieber, 6-0, 6-1; A. Andersen def. O. Andersen, 7-5, 6-4.
Championship: Bohle def. A. Anderson, 6-4, 6-2.
Consolation: O. Anderson def. Henrichs, 8-2. Championship: Anderson def. Perrion, 8-6.
12 and Under Doubles
Championship: Sieber-Bohle def. A. Anderson-O. Anderson, 6-2, 6-2.
14 and Under Singles
Penelope Vogel, bye; Elinor Anderson, bye; Payton Lamp, bye; Isla Kaste, bye; Natalie Sieh, bye; Halle Buckhouse, bye; Charlotte Swanson def. Rhapsody Lunsetter, 6-1, 6-2; Avery Miller, bye; Vogel def. Anderson, 6-1, 6-0; Lamp def. Kaste, 6-2, 6-2; Buckhouse def. Sieh, 6-0, 6-3; Swanson def. Miller, 6-1, 6-3.
14 and Under Doubles
Miller-Intveld, bye; Lamp-Swanson def. Henrichs-Sieh, 6-1, 6-0; Buckhouse-Vogel def. Lunsetter-Kaste, 6-1, 3-6, (11-9); Anderson-St. Aubin, bye; Miller-Intveld def. Lamp-Swanson, 3-6, 6-3, (10-7); Buckhouse-Vogel def. Anderson-St. Aubin, 6-0, 6-2.
16 and Under Singles
Hailey Intveld, bye; Ava Schuler def. Hannah Moderow, 6-0, 6-0; Ravyn Skundberg def. Debrianna Hicks, 7-5, 6-0; Baileigh Dannen, bye.
18 and Under Singles
Sophia Menden, bye; Brenna Erdmann def. Anneliese Wells, 6-2, 6-1; Sarah Knie, bye; Estelle Riggs, bye; Avery Tennant, bye; Jenny Pitcher, bye; Mady Holman def. Ashlynn Lamp, 6-3, 6-1; Elise Roberts, bye; Menden def. Erdmann, 5-7, 6-3, (10-6); Knie def. Riggs, 7-6 (13-11), 6-4; Pitcher def. Tennant, 6-1, 6-4; Roberts def. Holman, 6-3, 7-5.
18 and Under Doubles
Pitcher-Roberts def. Holman-Wells, 6-0, 6-1; Hicks-Lamp def. Moderow-Skundberg, 6-4, 6-0; J. Knie-Anguiano Ortega def. Erdmann-Schuler, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2); Riggs-S. Knie def. Tennant-Ladner, 4-6, 7-5 (10-4); Pitcher-Roberts def. Hicks-Lamp, 6-0, 6-1; Riggs-S. Knie def. J. Knie-Ortega, 6-3, 6-2.
