MINNEAPOLIS -- It took one match of playing against her, but Sofia Terzic figured out Annandale's Kaytlin Kuefler.
The Rochester Lourdes junior had fallen to Kuefler in three sets on Wednesday in the team portion of the state Class A girls tennis tournament.
Two days later, in the the state individual tournament at Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center, Terzic had the right diagnosis. It earned the junior, who was ranked sixth in Class A, a third-place finish.
Terzic beat Kuefler 6-2, 6-2 in that third-place match. Earlier in the day Terzic fell to eventual state champion Sonya Das (St. Paul Academy) 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals. Das went on to beat Breck's Patricia Zhao 6-0, 6-3 in the finals.
Terzic was undeterred after falling to Das. Not only did she understand what a talent that the junior is, but Terzic was now playing the tennis she enjoys most, singles.
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A year ago Terzic teamed with since-graduated Margaret Pearson and finished second at state. As much as she enjoyed that and the camaraderie that went with it, she’s always known that singles is her real domain.
"I like having a full court to play with," Terzic said. "Plus, in doubles you have someone at the net that you have to hit the ball around."
Terzic wound up playing some of her best tennis against Kuefler. Das possibly deserved some of the credit. Das was awfully tough to compete against, but she might have gotten Terzic ready for Kuefler.
"Das is a really tough player," Terzic said. "She’s very consistent and she has a huge forehand and serve," Terzic said.
"But in playing in that third-place match I was really confident. I knew what to do."
BOYER FALLS IN CLASS AA CONSOLATION SEMIS
At the University of Minnesota’s Baseline Tennis Center, Rochester Mayo’s Kylie Boyer was eliminated Friday in the consolation semifinals in the state Class AA tournament. Chanhassen’s Hayley Haakenstad downed her 6-4, 6-1.
Boyer entered the tournament ranked third in the state.
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CLASS AA
at U of M's Baseline Tennis Centeri
Sngles
Semifinals: Summer Brills (Mounds View) def. Faith Lee (Andover) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2; Sophie Reddy (Edina) def. Natalie Phippen (Stillwater) 6-3, 6-2. Finals: Brills def. Reddy 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-1. Third place: Lee def. Phippen 6-2, 6-1. Consolation semifinals: Hayley Haakenstad (Chanhassen) def. Kylie Boyer (Mayo) 6-4, 6-1. Fifth place: Haakenstad (Chanhassen) def. Kelly Yang (Wayzata) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (9-7).
Doubles
Semifinals: Katie Aney/Jessie Aney (Century) def. Meghan Herring/Kelly Reger (Edina) 6-2, 6-3; Morgan Marinovich/Mackenzie Marinovich (Edina) def. Kelly Jachymowski/Cortney Klair (Centennial) 6-1, 6-3. Finals: K. Aney/J. Aney def. Morgan Marinovich/Mackenzie Marinovich 6-4, 6-3. Third place: Herring/Reger def. Jachymowski/Klair 6-4, 6-2. Fifth place: Laura Finn/Cassy Finn (Delano) 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (15-13).
CLASS A
at Reed-Sweatt Tennis CenterS
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Singles
Semifinals: Patricia Zhao (Breck) def. Kaytlin Kuefler (Annandale) 6-3, 6-3; Sonya Das (St. Paul Academy) def. Sofia Terzic (Lourdes) 6-2, 6-0. Finals: Das def. Zhao 6-0, 6-3. Third place: Terzic def. Kuefler 6-2, 6-2. Fifth place: Aryn Eckstrom (St. James) def. Claire Christian (United South Central) 6-3, 6-1.
Doubles
Semifinals: Abby Rickeman/Abby Hall (Blake) def. Christina Smith/Julia Renner (Park Rapids) 6-4, 6-0; Sarah Hays/Gina Nguyen (St. Paul Academy) def. Brylee Seitz/Taylor Gunderson (Virginia) 7-5, 6-3. Finals: Hays/Nguyen def. Rickeman/Hall 6-4, 6-0. Third place: Seitz/Gunderson def. Smith/Renner 6-4, 6-3. Drew DeCorsey/Alex Hancock (Jordan) def. Erin Stocker/Greta Egerman (St. Cloud Cathedral) 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 11-9.
