MCI’s Lidia Gomez Carrera wins girls’ state singles tennis title
Lidia Gomez Carrera grew up actively playing junior tennis in her native Spain, but the senior international college student at Maine Central Institute understood minor of the other three semifinalists who gathered at Bates Higher education in Lewiston on Monday to crown the state’s 2022 Maine Principals’ Affiliation girls’ singles titlist.
So Gomez researched her opponents as she commenced to participate in them, then employed her mix of energy, placement and persistence to make any needed adjustments even though winning two straight-set matches to turn into MCI’s to start with condition champion in the sport.
The top-seeded Gomez, who could not perform at states throughout her initial yr at MCI final spring due to COVID-relevant journey and quarantine concerns as she returned to the Pittsfield campus from a spring trip household, capped off her 2nd straight undefeated time of interscholastic tennis in Maine with a 6-4, 6-3 victory in excess of sophomore Coco Meserve of Brunswick in the title match.
“I am happy of myself,” claimed the 17-calendar year-previous Gomez, who hails from Caceres, a city of approximately 100,000 citizens in west-central Spain. “It was a very good match with a actually good opponent. We each were at a genuinely great amount, and I enjoyed that. I appreciated the complete competition.”
The championship-clinching victory arrived immediately after Gomez eased past No. 5 Mya Vincent of Edward Tiny Higher University in Auburn 6-1, 6- in the semifinals.
Vincent, a junior, received the to start with three points of that match and took a 1- direct in the first set, but Gomez utilised the accuracy and ability of her floor strokes to win the up coming 12 games.
“Her opponent was a talented participant and was athletic and going for her pictures, but she just did not have the power that Lidia experienced,” MCI co-coach John Purchases said. “So while Lidia was absolutely around-hitting in that very first video game that she missing, she really settled into cruise management for wherever her photographs necessary to be and genuinely locating the appropriate provide for the ideal minute.”
That left Gomez to engage in the second-seeded Meserve, the top singles participant for a Brunswick Large College staff presently ranked initially in the Course A North Mend issue ratings.
Meserve reached the championship match right after surviving a almost three-hour semifinal with No. 6 Fabienne Nowak of Piscataquis Neighborhood Significant University in Guilford in a few difficult-fought sets.
Meserve edged Nowak, an international college student from Germany, 6-4 in the opening established but Nowak rebounded to acquire the 2nd set by an similar rating just before Meserve persevered to earn the 3rd set 6-3.
Meserve came out potent on serve in her match with Gomez, making a back-and-forth initial set.
“Coco is a excellent striker of the ball, she’s proper with Lidia there,” Buys reported. “Coco experienced a real edge in that her provide was unreal in that very first established. She was picking her corners definitely very well and when she served it out vast it caught Lidia on her heels once in a when.”
Gomez little by little grew far more snug returning Meserve’s provide, which led to lengthier rallies in the 2nd established that performed to her advantage.
“Lidia just took her time and identified her rhythm, observed her pace and in the next established she laid off some of the major punching appropriate absent and loved some of the for a longer time rallies,” Purchases stated. “It was wonderful shot-creating that truly compelled both equally women to imagine and enjoy and enjoy the margins.”
Gomez now returns to crew levels of competition, where she and her MCI teammates started this 7 days rated No. 1 in Class C North with a 9-1 report.
Top rated-seeded George Cutone, a sophomore from Kennebunk High University, correctly defended his 2021 boys singles state championship.
Cutone, who breezed to the ultimate past year — getting rid of just a person sport in his 1st four matches at states in advance of outlasting Caleb Fockens of Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft in a a few-set championship match — faced his stiffest challenge this yr in the semifinals where by he bested No. 4 Sam Yoon of Falmouth 6-4, 6-4.
That superior him to the championship match in opposition to No. 2 Leif Boddie, a senior from Greely Higher Faculty in Cumberland Centre who state-of-the-art to the semifinals as the No. 1 seed very last spring right before currently being ousted by Fockens in straight sets.
Boddie survived a three-established semifinal Monday, outlasting No. 3 Gabriel Naftoly of Berwick Academy 6-, 3-6, 6-4.
Cutone dominated the remaining, leading 6-, 3- ahead of Boddie retired owing to continuing leg cramps.
