Local News |

Jennifer Ptak weathers the elements in her final state meet at Maine South

Jennifer Ptak’s return to the girls tennis state tournament didn’t end in glory, but the Maine South senior still made the most of her third state appearance.

After taking last season off from playing high school tennis to focus on competing in more USTA tournaments, Ptak posted a 3-2 record at the Class 2A state meet.

Ptak won her first two state matches before falling to Glenbard West’s Sienna Lopez in the third round. She defeated Libertyville’s Lily VanDixhorn 6-4, 6-3 in the consolation bracket before bowing out against Daniella Nenadovich of Benet.

Ptak said the numerous delays, along with the mixture of cold, rain and hail, made her return to state an unforgettable one.

“This weekend was different than most of the state tournaments that I’ve played because the weather was not the best and there were a lot of delays,” she said. “It was tough to battle it out. It takes a very strong player to get through these conditions and play well.”

Maine South coach Gerald Smith said he missed coaching Ptak during her junior season but understood her decision. The Hawks did not have a state qualifier in 2017.

“I was supportive of whatever was good for her,” he said. “I definitely wanted to have her play for us last year, but whatever was best for her. I would never beg somebody to play for me, but we definitely missed her last year.”

After recording a 6-4 mark at the state meet in her first two seasons, Ptak said she worked on her mental game to overcome the difficult conditions of the state tournament, where she likely would face cool temperatures and unfamiliar opponents. The IHSA added another wrinkle by shifting some match times to try and dodge the worst of the weather.

“I just tried to stay mentally calm because so much was thrown at me,” she said. “I just tried to be present while I was playing and not get distracted.”

Ptak added that she’s still sorting out her options for college, though she hopes to continue her tennis career. Smith said Ptak overcame an early-season injury to play her best tennis in October.

“She was a great player as a freshman, but she had a lot of things to learn,” he said. “Learning how to set up points was a challenge for her, but she’s really improved on that through the years. This year, she’s become so good at it.

“She’s always had amazing, heavy groundstrokes, but she’s really worked on moving her opponent well instead of trying to hit a winner on every shot.”