By DAVID COOK
2015 has been great for Williamston junior Sara Daavettila, and it became even better when she claimed the No. 1 singles title for the second straight year at the Division 3 state tennis finals.
Daavettila, who defeated three-time state champion Alex Najarian at last year’s state finals, made it two in a row when she defeated Sasha Hartje of Detroit Country Day 6-0, 6-0, to capture this year’s title.
Winning 6-0, 6-0 was nothing new for Daavettila. She actually ended the season without losing a single game in any of her matches and a perfect 24-0 record. With her 6-0, 6-0 win in the state finals match, Daavettila has won 295 straight games, dating back to last season.
She did come close to dropping a match in the fourth game of her second set in the finals before winning the game and eventually the set and state title match.
“I just keep telling myself, stay in it, keep going hard, stay intense, so I don’t give up any points,” she said.
Ranked 15th in the nation by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Daavettila began 2015 by playing in the Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, a professional tournament for which she earned a berth by winning the Dow Corning Tennis Classic Wildcard Challenge in January. Daavettila also competed in the doubles competition at the Dow Corning Classic with Alyvia Jones of Midland.
“It was super exciting and an honor to participate in the Dow Classic,” Daavettila said. “To make the main draw at the tournament was awesome.”
Daavettila has already committed to playing in college at the University of North Carolina. As one of the premier amateurs in the country in her age group, Daavettila could have easily skipped the high school tennis season but chose to come back and play with her teammates at Williamston.
“The girls, I love them, and I do it for the school,” said Daavettila. “It’s great and supporting. Getting ready, that is how it is going to be in college. The USTA, it’s single, so it’s a lot of individuals. It’s nice to be on a team.”
With the high school season finished, Daavettila has been busy with USTA tournaments across the country. She will also attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open at the qualifier coming up in Midland.