Pepper Rickert claims 12U Boeing Tennis singles title
Pepper Rickert, a 12-year-old from Sandpoint, won the girls' singles 12U Level 4 Boeing Tennis Section Championship this past weekend in Kent, Washington.
(Photo courtesy of KENT ANDERSON)
Pepper Rickert celebrates after claiming the title this weekend.
(Photo courtesy of KENT ANDERSON)
KENT, Wash. — Pepper Rickert, a 12-year-old from Sandpoint, won the girls' singles 12U Level 4 Boeing Tennis Section Championship this past weekend in Kent, Washington.
By winning the Level 4 title, Pepper qualified for the top Level 3 national tournaments. She will play in a Level 3 tournament this month in Yakima.
To claim the championship, Pepper beat the top three seeds in her draw and never lost a set. In the quarterfinals, she topped the No. 1 seed and the second ranked player in the Pacific Northwest Section, 6-4, 6-2.
In the semis, Pepper knocked off the No. 3 seed, 6-4, 6-4. She took down the second seed 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match.
Pepper is the granddaughter of Sandpoint head tennis coach Kent Anderson and she will be on the high school team in a few years.
Anderson was on hand to watch and cheer on Pepper.
"In all of her matches, Pepper used her speed and determination to overcome the massive power of her opponents," Anderson said. "She never gave up on any point and forced her opponents to try for bigger, more precise shots to win points. Pepper was able to capitalize on their inability to sustain that level of hitting."
