'Locked In' Clarkston Claims 1st Finals since 2011, Potentially Just Getting Started
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2024
MIDLAND – Kayla Lemke, a freshman and the No. 3 singles champ, put it best Saturday afternoon at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Girls Tennis Finals at the Midland Tennis Center.
“We might be better next year,’’ she said after defeating Evie Price of Holland West Ottawa, 6-0, 6-1, to clinch her flight. We have two eighth-graders coming up next year.’’
The Wolves ran away with the team title, scoring 28 points to 22 for runner-up Utica Eisenhower. The championship was the program’s first since 2011 and first top-two finish since 2014. Ann Arbor Pioneer saw its team title streak end at three, placing third..
Clarkston entered Saturday with a two-point lead on the Eagles and finalists at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles, and No. 2 and No. 4 doubles..
“I left Deer Lake (Racket Club) for a couple of years and our talent went down after our run in 2011, 2012 and 2013,’’ said Wolves coach Mary Jo Colonna. “I went back and we started developing talent. We have a large group coming in next year and the year after and the year after. This is a great group, and I’m happy for them.’’
At No. 1 singles, Eisenhower sophomore Gabriella Sadowski outlasted Rochester Adams’ Nicole Fu, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 to claim her first title. Fu finished No. 1 singles runner-up for the third-straight season.
“I went up 3-0 in the third, and it gave me confidence,’’ said Sadowski. “We had fresh balls, and I was able to play from the baseline and pound the ball.’’
At No. 2 singles, Clarkston freshman Sydney Geisz lost the first four games in her match with Isabelle Hult. But she rallied to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“I had to keep my mental focus,’’ said Geisz. “I came back a little bit in the first set, and I kept believing if I stayed focused, I could win.’’
Like Geisz, Clarkston junior Charlotte Partchenko, lost in the first set to Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Arella He, before rallying to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
“The word they used today is ‘locked in,’’’ said Partchenko. “After the first set, I got locked in. I focused more on what my opponent was doing instead of just hitting the ball. Once it got locked in, I started playing better.’’
Troy seniors Clara Yalamanchili and Elena White captured No. 4 doubles with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Clarkston’s Lily Stephenson and Abby Finnerty. Yalamanchili and White lost just one match all season.
“I think we played really well; I think that’s the best we’ve played all year,’’ said Yalamanchili. “We were really into it. It’s our senior season. That was our last tennis match in high school. It went perfectly.’’
Added White: “We had played them before, so we knew what to expect.’’
Brooke Nicholson and Alexis Gabriel of Eisenhower claimed No. 1 doubles over Novi’s Madira Sardar and Alice Chen, 6-2, 6-4. At No. 2 doubles, Troy’s Marin Fox and Nainika Jasti bested Clarkston top seeds Katrina Fisher and Ava Henkel, 6-4, 6-3. Bloomfield Hills’ No. 3 doubles team of Natalie Petrucci and Nisha Singhi outlasted Troy’s Anna Wang and Jhoshi Prasath 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in that final.
PHOTOS (Top) Clarkston's Sydney Geisz hits a forehand during her No. 2 singles title victory Saturday at Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) Utica Eisenhower's Gabriella Sadowski returns a volley during her No. 1 singles championship win. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Adams' Fu Hoping to Write Championship Headline After Repeat Finalist Finishes
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
May 23, 2024
ROCHESTER HILLS — An editor for her school newspaper the last two years, Nicole Fu is one who loves to tell good stories and write good headlines.
A junior at Adams, Fu enjoys getting to know people around the school and giving them a moment in the sun, so to speak.
“I love being able to talk with so many people and learn the stories behind their accomplishments,” Fu said.
It’s ironic, because come the end of next Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Girls Tennis Finals, Fu hopes professional media outlets around the state will talk about her own story of accomplishment, possibly with headlines such as “Redemption Feels Sweet for Fu” or “Third Time is Charm for Adams Tennis Star.”
Both the last two years, Fu has advanced to the championship match at No. 1 singles in Division 1.
But while quite an accomplishment to do so as a freshman and sophomore, she also left somewhat unsatisfied, losing in 2022 to Reese Miller of Ann Arbor Pioneer (6-1, 6-1) and last spring to Sari Woo of Ann Arbor Skyline (6-3, 6-4).
“Being in the final both my freshman and sophomore years has shown me that I have what it takes to win a state championship even when it gets tough,” Fu said. “Last year especially has shown me that I’m not far from the title, and staying strong both mentally and physically is going to be crucial to hopefully winning a state title.”
No doubt, Fu should be one of the top contenders, if not the favorite.
She enters with an 18-0 record and has brilliantly handled opponents attempting to give her their best performances.
“Her ability to handle the pressure has improved a lot,” Adams head coach Greg Burks said. “She has matured as a top-level player and competes as well as any player I’ve ever had.”
Fu actually said she got her start in tennis a little later than most. After dabbling in soccer and swimming, Fu started playing tennis at age 10 when one of her mom’s co-workers gave her a foam ball and a kids racquet.
“Then I started hitting against our living room wall, and one day my mom asked if I wanted to take an actual tennis lesson,” Fu said.
From there, Fu started playing in tournaments, and the tennis bug bit her.
“I really loved competing in matches, so I didn’t stop and it ended up being very rewarding,” she said.
Fu also has an accomplished hitting partner in twin sister Katie, who lost in the championship match at No. 2 singles last year.
“She’s always a great hitting partner, and it’s really nice to have someone who understands the sport and what it takes to balance that out with everything else,” Nicole Fu said. “She’s basically my second brain too, so having her around during the season is super fun and helpful for keeping me in check.”
Fu has a collegiate future in the sport, having committed in November to play tennis at the U.S. Naval Academy.
“Obviously the education is extraordinary, and attending a service academy builds your character both physically and mentally and sets you up to make an impact on the nation,” Fu said.
When it comes to next week’s MHSAA Tournament, Fu obviously is aiming to make another impact at the championship level – but this time finish the quest she fell short of the last two years.
“This year as a back-to-back finalist and a strong favorite has put a lot of pressure on me to win my matches,” she said. “So there’s definitely a lot of expectations for this season, and managing that was a little bit tough in the beginning of the season. But over time I’ve kind of learned to embrace it, and it’s given me more confidence in my matches knowing I’m the player people are aiming to beat.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Adams' Nicole Fu returns a volley during last season's No. 1 singles championship match at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. (Middle) Fu, left, congratulates Ann Arbor Skyline's Sari Woo after their match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)