Rickert crowned U14 national champion in doubles, grabs silver in singles
Pepper Rickert shows off her silver medal after making an impressive run at the U14 USTA National Singles Championship held Feb. 10-12 in Claremont, Calif.
(Courtesy Photo)
CLAREMONT, Calif. — Local tennis standout Pepper Rickert not only won the USTA U14 national doubles championship, but also placed second in the singles championship, both of which were held Feb. 10-12 at the Claremont Club.
In the 16-team doubles championship, Rickert and her partner Raina Kim, who hails from Santa Monica, Calif. defeated Samantha Salea and Luciana Gonzalez of Utah (8-2) in the quarterfinals; Caitlynn Ying of Washington and Japneet Kaur of Arizona (8-6) in the semifinals; and Aashi Patel and Shaya Jovanovic of California (8-5) in the championship match.
In the 32-player singles bracket, Rickert had a tough road en route to the finals. Rickert came into the tournament unseeded and ended up defeating the No. 6 seed Emery June Martin of California (6-1, 6-4) in the first round; No. 3 seed Valerie Machikawa of California (7-5, 6-3) in the quarterfinals; and No. 1 seed and doubles partner, Raina Kim (7-5, 6-4) in the semifinals, making it all the way to the finals without losing a set.
In the championship match, Rickert was edged out by No. 2 seed Shaya Jovanovic (6-1, 7-6) after a wild second set 7-5 tiebreaker.
Rickert, a freshman at Sandpoint High, is set to make her debut this season for the Bulldogs. With temperatures still nearing the 40’s, the tennis team is hopeful their first practice set for Friday, Feb. 23, will be held at Travers Park.