Patch's Marissa Encarnacion returns a shot in in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. She defeated Ramstein's Alexi Aldinger and went on to win the championship. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Marissa Encarnacion returns a shot in in a semifinal match at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. She defeated Ramstein's Alexi Aldinger and went on to win the championship. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Marissa Encarnacion returns a shot from her teammate Marina Fortun in the girls single final at the DODDS-Europe tennis championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. Encarnacion won the match 6-1, 6-1. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Meet Marissa Encarnacion, the DODDS-Europe girls tennis wild card who was dealt a bad hand but came up all aces.
The Patch Panthers sophomore started off her season with her ankle wrapped in a “gigantic green cast,” as coach Walter Fritz described it. But she ended it as the 2014 DODDS-Europe girls tennis champion.
And as the Stars and Stripes girls tennis Athlete of the Year.
True to the efficient nature of DODDS-Europe athletic seasons, Encarnacion’s tale is one of struggle and redemption spanning from the sideline to center stage, all played out over just a few eventful months.
In the summer, Encarnacion was playing in a local tournament in Stuttgart, tuning up for a second season at Patch in which she hoped to step into a lead singles spot.
“I ran for a ball and twisted my ankle,” Encarnacion said. “It turned out it was broken.”
As broken bones go, the injury was mild, but it still required Encarnacion to spend two weeks in a cast. Once the cast came off, it took another two weeks to resume “walking and running and side-to-side movements,” she said.
Encarnacion wouldn’t allow that valuable time to simply be wasted. She attended each practice and meet on crutches and occupied her time videotaping her teammates’ matches, compiling statistics and advising less-experienced Panthers. All the while she was pining for a return to action, to the point that she eventually couldn’t resist.
“Hopping around on one foot playing tennis, or trying to,” Encarnacion recalled. “Even though everyone had told me not to.”
Medical clearance arrived soon after, and Encarnacion made her long-awaited season debut. She eased back into competitive tennis playing doubles before resuming her singles career.
“I still wasn’t 100 percent. I was still limping a little bit,” Encarnacion said. “I was a bit nervous, because I knew I was rusty and I wasn’t too mobile.”
Though limited, Encarnacion was still effective, and she began racking up wins. While teammate Marina Fortun took Patch’s top entry into the European championship bracket, DODDS-Europe coaches made Encarnacion a wild-card selection.
And the 15-year-old made the most of the chance. On the first day of the tournament, Encarnacion took down reigning champion Jade Sullivan of Wiesbaden in a stunning 6-0, 6-0 pool-play victory. The next day she cruised into and advanced through the semifinal round.
In the championship match, Encarnacion was matched up with Fortun, her teammate and close friend. Luckily, the two had discussed the possibility before the tournament, and Encarnacion said her 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Fortun didn’t cause any friction between the two. The two had hoped to finish first and second, she said, so in a way their goal was already achieved.
“We said, ‘If we both make it to the finals, we’re going to have fun with it,’” Encarnacion said.
Clearly, only Encarnacion’s ankle was broken this fall. Everything else, from her serve to her spirit, survived intact.
Twitter: @broomestripes
