After a long weather delay of more than four hours, the final day of the C.C. Lee Junior Open Tennis Tournament provided some quality matchups in the championship matches at the Northern State Courts.

Jenny Pitcher of Bismarck, N.D., took home two championships on the day, winning the Girls 18 and Under doubles and following that up with a title win in the singles.

“It feels pretty good,” Pitcher said. “I’ve been working very hard up to this point, so it’s been nice to see it pay off.”

After a long day of tennis, Pitcher discussed the toll it can take.

“I just had to keep making sure I was ready and have a lot of food and water,” Pitcher said. “I just had to stick around and always make sure to stretch every now and then.”

In the doubles, Pitcher was paired with Elise Roberts and faced Aberdeen’s Sarah Knie and Estelle Riggs.

Pitcher also met Knie in the singles championship, which was a rematch of last year’s final.

“That was really fun,” Pitcher said. “I’ve gotten to know (Knie) as a person and a player, and she’s really nice and a good player. … It’s always a good competition, honestly. We always have good matches together.”

In the Girls 16 and Under singles, Penelope Vogel of Aberdeen took home first place after a pair of a tight battles.

Vogel defeated top-seeded  Payton Lamp of Milbank in a super-tiebreaker 12-10.

Vogel had her back against the wall in both her semifinal and final, saving multiple match points.

With the pressure one, Vogel found a way to keep her cool in the tight situations.

“In the final, I told myself that either way I did a good job because it’s first and second,” Vogel said. “In the semifinal, I just told myself I had to keep going, keep trying. You got this, just over and over.”

Not only was Vogel challenged by her opponents, but she also had to deal with the weather.

“It was rough with the delay,” Vogel said. “Because then I was rusty again when I played and it made (the game) tighter again. Then it got really hot, but by the last match I was sort of used to it, because it was just match after match.”

​In the Boys 14 and Under singles, Rhys Nielsen won the championship after a dominant tournament where he didn’t lose a single game, winning back-to-back 6-0, 6-0 matches.

“This is my third year at this tournament, so I really wanted it this time,” Nielsen said. “This is my last year in the 14 class because I turn 15 next year.”

Nielsen also enjoyed the victory because of how much he likes playing at the C.C. Lee tournament and the fact that it helps him close in on his goals.

“It’s a really cool place,” Nielsen said. “My goal this summer is to win a certain amount of tournaments, and this helped me get to my goal.”

Nielsen says summer tournaments help his game.

“They help a lot,” Nielsen said. “Like withstanding pressure and especially playing outside. A lot of tournaments are outside, so really dealing with harsh conditions makes you a stronger player. … I like to say that I can adapt pretty well with the conditions in playing in the wind and harsh sun, so this helps practice that a lot.”

As much as the delay may have impacted other players, it didn’t seem to bother Nielsen too much.

“We went to eat lunch at Subway, but otherwise it was kind of boring sitting in the car,” Nielsen said. “But I’m glad we got to finish the day out.”

Quintilian Kruger won the Boys 16 and Under singles after a couple of tough matches. Kruger beat Watson Nagel in the championship after defeating top-seeded Cooper Star of Mitchell in the semifinals.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Kruger said. “It was tough; I had to knock off the one seed and had a pretty tough lineup, but it was good. I felt like I did pretty well.”

The weather delay was actually an advantage for Kruger, unlike some competitors.

“I’m honestly pretty thankful for it,” Kruger said. I’m pretty sore; I played a lot of tennis yesterday. I’ve been pretty tired, so I feel like it was good.”

In the second set of the finals, Kruger found himself down 3-0 but found a way to make a comeback.

“I was down 3-0 and was thinking, it’s whatever, I’ll just lose this set,” Kruger said. “But I ended up coming back and I only gave up one more game, so that was really nice.”

The mental side was the most challenging part, according to Kruger and he said it’s more important than the physical side.

“It’s 90 percent mental,” Kruger said. “That’s what everybody always says, too. It’s 90 percent a mental game. So, it’s big.”

BOYS’ DIVISION

14 and Under Singles

Rhys Nielsen, Sioux Falls, def. Carson Albrecht, Aberdeen, 6-0, 6-0; Kevin Kalb, Bismarck, def. Connor Albrecht, Aberdeen, 4-6, 6-1, (10-7).

Championship: Nielsen def. Kevin Kalb 6-0, 6-0.

Consolation: Tobin German, Aberdeen, def. Jace Carlin, Aberdeen, 8-1; Championship: German def. Jack Spah, Aberdeen, 8-2.

16 and Under Singles

Quintilian Kruger, Valley City, def Cooper Star, Mitchell, 6-7, (3-7), 6-2, (10-7); Watson Nagel, Wahpeton, def. Caleb Stoks, Aberdeen, 4-6, 7-5, (10-5).

Championship: Kruger def. Nagel 6-3, 6-4.

Consolation: Liam Voehl, Aberdeen, def. Haydler Schiferl, Aberdeen, 8-5; Mathew Christen, Mandan, def. Jackson Bartels, Wahpeton 8-0. Championship: Christen def. Voehl 8-5.

18 and Under Singles

Jared Christen, Mandan, def. Aric Tennant, Aberdeen, 6-0, 6-0; Cole Haugen, Valley City, def. Garnett Anderson, Wahpeton, 6-2 7-6 (7-5).

Championship: Christen def. Haugen 6-0, 6-1.

Consolation championship: Gracin Kaste, Wahpeton, def. Lucas Drosier, Mandan. 8-2.

16 and Under Doubles

Championship: Stoks- Voehl def. Albrecht-Albrecht 6-0, 6-0.

18 and Under Doubles

Championship: Christen-Christen def. Nielsen-Tennant 6-2, 6-4.

GIRLS’ DIVISION

14 and Under Singles

Sydney Bohle, Aberdeen, def. Olivia Andersen, Bath, 6-0, 6-0; Abigail Andersen, Bath, def. Rhapsody Lunsetter, Mandan, 6-1, 6-0.

Championship: Bohle def A. Andersen 6-0, 6-0.

Consolation Championship: Isla Kaste, Wahpeton, def. Natalie Sieh, Aberdeen, 8-2.

​16 and Under Singles

Payton Lamp, Milbank, def. Leighton Guetter, Wahpeton, 6-2, 6-3; Penelope Vogel, Aberdeen, def. Charlotte Swanson, Milbank, 6-3, 5-7, (10-8).

Championship: Vogel def. Lamp 6-4, 2-6, (12-10).

Consolation: Mia Alvear, Aberdeen, def. Abigayl Sieh, Aberdeen 8-1. Consolation championship:  Jovee Waldo, Aberdeen def. Alvear 9-8, (7-2).

18 and Under Singles

Jenny Pitcher, Bismarck, def. Brenna Erdmann, Wahpeton, 6-7, (7-9), 7-5, (10-6); Sarah Knie, Aberdeen, def. Elise Roberts 6-3, 6-0.

Championship: Pitcher def. Knie 6-2, 6-3.

Consolation: Shelby Schmidt, Aberdeen, def Ravyn Skundberg, Wahpeton 8-0. Consolation championship: Schmidt def Debrianna Hicks, Marvin, 8-0.

18 and Under DoublesChampionship: Pitcher-Roberts, Bismarck, def. Knie-Riggs, Aberdeen, 6-4, 7-6, (7-4).