Litven earns No. 1 ranking

SANDPOINT — It was a stellar summer of play for local tennis enthusiast Tish Litven, who lost just twice in sanctioned tournament play, becoming the No. 1 ranked Pacific Northwest female tennis player in the 45-50 year-old division.

Litven, a 46 year-old teacher from Sandpoint, has been striving to reach the top for more than 10 years, setting the No. 1 ranking as a primary goal and practicing hard to make it a reality.

The ranking was made even more special considering Litven is a seasonal tennis player, unable to play year-around in Sandpoint like most of her competitors.

“I finally achieved it,” said Litven of the No. 1 ranking. “So it’s kind of cool to me on a personal level.”

Litven played in tournaments in Portland, Seattle, Yakima, Vancouver and Spokane, including winning the consolation bracket at the prestigious Nike Oregon State Championships, which draws players from all over the U.S.

Litven also finally passed her nemesis, a player from Olympia who owns a personal tennis court and held the top spot for the past few years, saying she finally discovered a weakness in her chief rival. There are more than 20 ranked players in her age group, so Litven will have her hands full next year defending the top spot in points.

Litven became sponsored by Prince when she was 38 years-old, is still sponsored today, and can hold her own with the top tennis players in Sandpoint, male or female.

“There’s a message there that says don’t ever give up,” said Litven, who loves the competitive nature that singles lets her tap into. “It’s just you and an opponent. No coaching, no partner, just that one-on-one.”