The 9th Region girls tennis tournament came to an exhilarating conclusion at Tower Park in Ft. Thomas, with both the singles and doubles championships being decided by third-set tiebreakers.
In the singles final, Cooper sophomore Kayla Johnson faced off against Beechwood junior Sadie Jones in a thrilling match. After splitting the first two sets, the two competitors battled it out in a tense third-set tiebreaker. Johnson took an early lead and never looked back, ultimately claiming victory with a 10-2 margin and securing her school’s first region title in girls singles.
Reflecting on her win, Johnson emphasized the importance of staying focused and not losing confidence during tough moments in the match. With this victory, Johnson hopes to return to the state tournament as a seeded player.
In the doubles final, the top-seeded Ryle duo of 7th grader Niveditha Selvaraju and sophomore Avery Love faced off against seniors Clare Shay and Sam Spellman of Notre Dame. After a back-and-forth battle, Love and Selvaraju emerged victorious in a third-set tiebreaker, securing Ryle’s first 9th Region girls doubles title since 2019.
With this win, Love and Selvaraju will be making their debut in the doubles bracket of the state tournament later this month. Their impressive performance in the region final sets the stage for an exciting competition at the state level.