DENVER — When Mountain Vista girls tennis coach Jim Flanigan looks at his program, he breaks it down into two histories: Before Casey, and After Casey.
That’d be Casey Zhong, the Golden Eagles’ top player over the past four seasons who has placed at the Class 5A state tournament twice, and now made three consecutive trips to the semifinals in No. 1 Singles.
Since Zhong joined the program in 2014, she has raised the team to prominence, helping them finish in the top 5 the past two seasons. She has led them to four regional titles, and three Continental League championships.
She was also the program’s first all-conference player at No. 1 Singles, and is its first singles placer at state.
“To have that type of player validate the program and come into the program the way that she did is just really a gift from god,” Flanigan said. “And she loves being part of the team. … She loves playing high school tennis. Which is the type of kid you don’t get all that often.
“She’s an amazing kid. I’m really proud of her and everything she’s accomplished.”
Thursday, on the first day of the 5A tournament, Zhong beat Fruita Monument junior Sarah Fleming 6-2, 6-2 in the first round, and then battled with Fairview sophomore Sophie Pearson in a three-set match that lasted two hours. Zhong won 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 — and the third set was tied 5-5 before Zhong broke Pearson’s serve to go up 6-5.
“There were a lot of ups and downs,” Zhong said of the match. “There was just a lot of mental that I had to get past. It was definitely a physical battle, too. We had long points.
“She played amazing,” Zhong added. “I’ve never played her before, so it was nice playing a new opponent, but she hit really well. Honestly, I was happy to play her. I got a good match in.”
It marks the third-straight season Zhong has reached the semifinals. She has never advanced to the final.
“I just play every match like it’s my last one, and I play my heart out,” Zhong said. “I guess that’s what got me to the semifinals to this year, too.”
The senior added that previous trips to state have been helpful this season.
“I always get nervous when I come, just because it’s such a big thing once you get here. You’re like, ‘Wow, I made it to state,’” Zhong said. “But there is a feeling of comfort knowing that I’ve been here before, what the atmosphere’s like, what to expect.”
Poudre’s Ky Ecton. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Zhong will face Ky Ecton in the semifinals. Ecton, a junior from Poudre, was the 5A No. 1 Singles runner-up last season.
Ecton beat Denver East sophomore Emma Morrissey (6-0, 6-0) in the first round, and then Ponderosa freshman Hana Kimmey (6-0, 2-6, 6-4) in the quarterfinals.
Zhong said she’s looking forward to “enjoying state one last time, and playing my heart out” on Friday.
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Notables
The No. 3 and No. 4 doubles matches couldn’t finish play on Thursday, and will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday. Additionally, there is one No. 2 doubles match, between Poudre and Ponderosa, that will also play at 7:30 a.m. on Friday. Semifinals begin at 9 a.m.
Cherry Creek leads the team race with 13, while Mountain Vista and Ponderosa are tied for second with 12 points. Denver East is fourth with 10.
ThunderRidge freshman Veronika Bruetting and Smoky Hill junior Anshika Singh are in the other semifinal for the No. 1 Singles draw. Smoky Hill hasn’t had an individual champion since 1987. ThunderRidge has never had an individual champion.
Cherry Creek was the lone team to advance all seven positions out of the first round.
DENVER — Ky Ecton had a tough path to return to the final. But she fought her way through it, earning every bit of her trip back.
The Poudre junior, runner-up in No. 1 Singles at the Class 5A girls tennis state tournament last season, won a marathon match against Mountain Vista senior Casey Zhong in Friday’s semifinals. After dropping the first set 7-6, she rallied to win the final two 6-4 and 6-0.
The match lasted two-and-a-half hours.
“I don’t like to listen to all the pressure,” Ecton said of the expectation that she get back to the final. “I’m here to play tennis. I’m here to do what I like to do, and to have fun. And having my team behind me, just being like, ‘You’re just Ky,’ it brings me back down to Earth.”
Ecton actually had leads of 4-1 and 5-2 in the first set before Zhong rallied to win it.
“Casey played amazing,” Ecton said. “(When she started to come back), I really couldn’t do anything. She was playing awesome. But I was like, ‘I can come back.’”
Ecton trailed 3-2 in the second set but eventually took a 4-3 lead before winning 6-4.
“Throughout my season, I’ve had quite a few three-setters at invitationals, so I know how to come back from losing the first set,” Ecton added. “I was down 2-3, and I was like, ‘Oh no.’ Going up 4-3 was huge, and winning that second set really gave me confidence going into the third.
“I feel like once you go into the third set, it’s pretty much a whole new match. You never know what’s going to happen out there. I just kind of forgot about it and tried to restart.”
Anshika Singh. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In that third set, Ecton cruised to a 6-0 win to secure her spot in the final for a second-straight season. She will face a fellow junior in Smoky Hill’s Anshika Singh.
Singh beat ThunderRidge freshman Veronika Bruetting 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals as she seeks to become her school’s first individual champion since 1987.
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Team race tightens
The race for the 5A team championship this spring is one of the closest in recent memory.
Perennial power Cherry Creek entered the day atop the leaderboard, but at various times on Friday, Ponderosa and Mountain Vista took turns at the top.
After the second day of competition, the Bruins ended up in the team lead with 51 points. Mountain Vista is in second with 45, and Ponderosa (37 points) is third. Denver East (24 points) and defending champ Fairview (17) round out the top five.
Cherry Creek has three positions playing in finals on Saturday, while Mountain Vista and Ponderosa each have two. Mountain Vista and Ponderosa face one another in the No. 2 Singles final, and the No. 1 Doubles final.
Mountain Vista and Cherry Creek each also have players in contention in three third-place matches, and Ponderosa has one.
Cherry Creek and Mountain Vista are both in play for the overall championship on Saturday, while Ponderosa can finish as high as second.
Each individual championship is worth three points in the team race, and each third-place finish is worth two points.
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Notables
Ponderosa senior Claire Cox won her semifinal match 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) at No. 2 singles. She was down 5-1 in the third set at one point. Cox will face Mountain Vista’s Madi Allen in the final.
Mountain Vista stayed in contention in the team race thanks to Casey Zhong’s win in the No. 1 Singles consolation semifinals. She earned the Golden Eagles seven points with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Ponderosa’s Hana Kimmey.
All finals and third-place matches will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Gates Tennis Center.
