Kubasaki's Lan Legros beat Kadena's Brooke Brewer 6-1 in the Okinawa district girls singles final. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – She said she wasn’t on top of her game. Still, it was more than good enough for Lan Legros to walk away with three titles, anyway.
The Kubasaki junior won the girls singles, girls doubles and mixed doubles championships in the Okinawa district tennis finals, which were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday but extended into Thursday because some of the matches went long.
“I’m just tired,” Legros said after downing Kadena’s Brooke Brewer 6-1 in the girls singles final Thursday at Kadena’s Risner Tennis Complex. “I have to play better. I didn’t play my best today.”
She might have gotten something of an argument from her teammates. Legros teamed with Isabella Suber to defeat Kubasaki’s Noemi Ung and Sophia Wurdinger 6-2 in the girls doubles final on Wednesday.
Later Thursday, Legros paired with Jacy Fisk to capture the mixed doubles crown, beating Dragons teammates Owen Ruksc and Suber 6-4.
In the singles final, Legros burst in front 3-0 before Brewer started to find her game. In the seventh game, with Legros leading 5-1, Brewer fought off four match points before hitting the ball into the net to seal the win for Legros.
Kadena's Micah Berry hits a forehand return. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki's Owen Ruksc reaches up to hit an overhead return. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Micah Berry slaps a backhand return. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
The Panthers didn’t walk away empty handed, as Micah Berry fought off a late rally by Ruksc to win the boys singles final 6-4.
Berry raced ahead 3-0 and led 4-1 before Ruksc used two breaks to knot the match 4-4. Berry immediately broke back for a 5-4 lead, then at double match point, he hit an unreturnable drop shot to close it out.
Berry said he wasn’t fazed by Ruksc’s mid-match rally. “I just played it the same way I did the whole match,” he said. “I saw something that worked and I kept doing it.”
The district finals were the last tune-up for both schools before next week’s Far East tournament, scheduled for Monday-Thursday on Kadena.
Kadena's Brooke Brewer races forward to hit a forehand return. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki's Lan Legros smacks a backhand return. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Brooke Brewer hits a backhand return. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
