LAKELAND — For Santa Fe Catholic junior Nya Kerr, it was two titles for the worth of 1 on the Class 1A, District 6 match — unofficially, at the very least.
Kerr, who’s in her first yr at Santa Fe after transferring from Tampa, withdrew from the Pollk County finals match on Friday to relaxation a sore shoulder and wrist so she could be prepared for the district match. On Monday, she defeated her county finals opponent Hannah Windham the capped the district match by defeating Windermere Prep’s Jiaxu Zhang, 6-2, 6-4, on Tuesday morning within the No. 1 singles finals at Woodlake Park.
With the victory, Kerr is an computerized qualifier for the state match as a district champion at No. 1 singles. Class 1A state match is Might 1-3. The people bracket will probably be performed at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford.
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Kerr had one hiccup within the ultimate when main 4-1, she misplaced back-to-back video games, dropping the second of these when she double-faulted on consecutive factors. She by no means trailed within the match, regrouped and broke Zhang’s serve then finally closed out the match.
“I simply knew if I used to be going to lose my sport (serve) to simply assault her sport so I may get hers and we may commute,” Kerr mentioned.
Within the first set, she stormed out to a 5-0 lead earlier than dropping back-to-back video games.
“I used to be up 5-0, and we had an in depth name, so the umpire got here and it acquired a bit bit in my head,” Kerr mentioned. “However it was OK as a result of I ended up pulling it by way of.”
Kerr performed No. 1 singles as an eighth-grader at Carrolwood Day in Tampa however didn’t play highschool tennis the previous two years as she took on-line lessons. She moved to Lakeland final yr and went to Santa Fe Catholic as a result of her stepbrother when there.
The previous two years, Kerr simply performed USTA tennis however joined the highschool group this season. She had no concept what to anticipate.
The No. 1 singles title was up for grabs after Auburndale’s McKenna Battilla sustained an harm in soccer that stored her out of tennis. Kerr emerged because the to participant by defeating the opposite prime singles gamers within the county, together with McKeel’s Jada Hutto and Frostproof’s Hannah Windam.
Kerr then beat Hutto within the West County. With the county ultimate not being performed, the Kerr and Windham met within the district first spherical on Monday, which served as a rematch. She admitted that she checked out it as kind of the county ultimate.
“A bit of bit, yeah,” she mentioned. “They had been telling me that she was actually good, so I went in working as laborious as I may and outwork my participant, in order that’s what I did. And it labored out good.”
This text initially appeared on The Ledger: Santa Fe Catholic’s Nya Kerr wins district title, qualifies for state
