Girls tennis: Fox players battle tough tests at state
Jacobs' Chloe Siegfort has had a slow start to begin her high school tennis career.
The freshman had fractured her fibula and missed the start of the season. She has come back in the second part of the year and was able to finish second in the Cary-Grove sectional last Saturday.
On Thursday, Siegfort competed in the state finals. The preliminary rounds were held at various schools in the northwest suburbs.
Siegfort won her opening round match, but then lost in the second round to Niles West's Abby Penados 6-3, 6-3. She battled back in the consolation round, beating Katrina Dy of West Chicago 5-7, 6-2, 11-9. Her match with Stevenson's Sonia Mehta was suspended for darkness.
"I have only been back for about half the year," said Siegfort after she defeated Homewood-Flossmoor's Lauren Legardy in the opening round of the tournament at Barrington.
"It was a slow recovery when I was in a boot for six weeks. I then I had six weeks of rehab. Now that I am back, I am so excited. I played well, but I know I could play better."
Siegfort's teammates, Lindsay Cunningham and Isha Desai, also won their first round match. They beat the team from Glenbrook North 6-4, 6-0. They also lost their second round match, dropping a 6-0, 6-0 match to New Trier.
The duo came back in the consolation round to beat Moline 4-6, 6-1, 10-7. But they were eliminated by Metea Valley 6-3, 6-3.
Cary-Grove's double team of Karina Los and Alina Krembusewski showed that persistence pays off.
The duo, who has been together since their sophomore year, failed to qualify for state that year.
Last year as juniors, they did qualify, but failed to win a match. This year the pair broke through, winning their opening round match against St. Ignatius 6-2, 6-1.
Their season came to an end when they lost in the second round to Sandburg 6-2, 6-2 and then were eliminated in the consolation bracket by New Trier 6-2, 6-0.
"We played well, there is just tough competition," Krembusewski said. "We stuck with it and never gave up."
Los echoed her partner's feelings.
"We did better this year than last year," Los said. "It is a big deal to make it state. We definitely improved and we are glad to have participated."
"They are both great leaders and they are both great students," Cary-Grove coach Therese Youel said. "And they do so many things besides just play tennis. I am super proud to get to be associated with them."
St. Charles East has a singles player out but a doubles team still alive.
Emaira Saini won her first match 6-0, 6-0 over Guilford's Cristina Gelabert. Saini then dropped her second round match 6-0, 6-1 to New Trier's Ali Benedetto. She was eliminated in the consolation bracket with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Lake Park's Sara Jankovic.
The Saints' doubles team of Jamie McDermott and Elena Melone had a slow start but roared back.
They lost their opening match to Lockport 6-2, 6-1. They kept competing by beating a team from St. Ignatius 6-1, 6-1 and a team from Mundelein 6-4, 1-6, 10-7 in a highly contested match. Their third round match with Glenbrook South was suspended.
Batavia also has its doubles team alive.
Maddie Durso and Leah Puttin lost their opener to Hinsdale Central 6-1, 6-2. Durso and Puttin bounced back in the consolation round, knocking off Minooka 6-0, 6-2 and then Barrington 6-3, 6-1. Their match with Libertyville was suspended.
Huntley's Ruhi Gulati lost her opening match to Ivy Hicks of St. Ignatius 6-1, 6-0. Gulati won her consolation match 6-1, 6-2 over Andrew's Lily Darman but was eliminated 6-1, 6-1 by Edwardsville's Chloe Koons.
In Class 1A, Kaneland's Piper Schrepman won her first two matches without losing a game. She beat Isabella Domenech of Vernon Hills 6-0, 6-0 and then Benet's Caroline Austgen 6-0, 6-0.
Elgin Academy's doubles team of Ashley Gordon and Noelle Lanton won their first two matches before losing in the third round.
The duo knocked off a team from Fenwick 6-0, 6-3. They followed that with a win over a team from Rochester 6-0, 6-4. They then lost to a team from Ottawa, 6-4, 6-0, moving Gordon and Lanton into the consolation bracket.