Oklahoma high school girls tennis: Classen SAS' Sofia Acuña wraps up another perfect season

Sofia Acuña exhaled and wiped her face with a towel before picking up her neon yellow racket again.

The Classen SAS junior stood in the early evening sunlight and waited for her opponent to serve. Ivy Wilson of Metro Christian, a familiar face, was making Acuña’s quest for a state title a little more complicated toward the end of the second set.

But before Wilson could close the gap, Acuña sealed the victory.

For the second straight season, Acuña is an undefeated Oklahoma high school girls tennis state champion in No. 1 singles. She defeated Wilson, 6-0, 6-3, in the Class 4A state finals to cap her perfect junior campaign Saturday evening at Oklahoma City Tennis Center.

Acuña (18-0) is cruising on a 37-match win streak that started last year.

More: How Jasmine Crain, Tokara Henderson sparked 'instant' success for Heritage Hall tennis

“It feels amazing,” Acuña said. “It’s pressure off of my shoulders for sure, like a weight off my shoulders, and it just feels really good. I think I played pretty solid throughout the whole match.”

Acuña never dropped a set during the state tournament. First, she blazed past Sydney Watkins of Kingfisher, 6-0, 6-0. Then she claimed another speedy straight-sets victory against Anna Lapere of Crossings Christian in the quarterfinals.

As top-seeded Acuña advanced through the bracket, she began to see a potential scenario. Second-seeded Wilson was moving along, too, so they had a good chance of meeting again.

When Classen SAS and Metro Christian both competed in Class 5A last season, Acuña faced Wilson in the No. 1 singles finals, rolling to a 6-1, 7-5 win to become the Comets’ first state champion in girls tennis.

“If we both end up going to the finals and that’s who I play, I think I still have the same mindset going into it,” Acuña said Friday evening.

With a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Reece Compton of Christian Heritage, Acuña headed to the finals, and her prediction came true. She knew the strategies that would work against Wilson.

Make her use her forehand swing. Don’t hit flat shots. Put a tricky spin on the ball.

She identified some clever techniques, but Acuña needed one more ingredient: managing the pressure. Coach Kyle Taylor said Acuña’s mental game has improved this year, and it showed as she maintained her focus in front of a lively, engaged crowd.

More: Oklahoma high school winter sports: 2022-23 All-State and All-City teams in basketball, swimming & wrestling

“Our highs don’t get as high, and our lows don’t get as low,” Taylor said. “We kind of stay middle of the road, and her game has improved drastically over the last three years.”

In the finals, Acuña started her first game trailing 40-0, but she rallied for a first-set shutout. Then when Wilson narrowed the lead in the second set, Acuña responded and swung the momentum her way, pumping her fist with encouragement from fans.

As Acuña posed with family members after the win, Oklahoma City Public Schools Athletic Director Eddie Wright just stood back and grinned.

“We’ve got a state championship,” Wright said.

Another one. It’s meaningful to OKCPS, and for Acuña, the accomplishment represents a family legacy. Her paternal grandparents, both from Mexico, were avid tennis players. Her maternal grandfather, from El Paso, played in high school, too.

Now, Sofia’s turn has arrived, and she’s raising the bar, already striving to three-peat as a senior.

“She’s on the courts at least five days a week, if not seven,” Taylor said. “She’s put in a lot of hard work, and she played very well today.”

More: Meet The Oklahoman’s initial 2024 Super 30 rankings of the state's top college football prospects

Deer Creek duo of Atturu, Ludlam secures state title 

With only a couple of hours between grueling matches, Sindhya Atturu had a plan.

Find an open space, and lie on the ground. Her doubles partner Paige Ludlam, who guzzled six Pedialyte drinks during the break, also followed the simple but effective routine.

“The biggest thing that we always struggle with is as soon as we sit down, our muscles get tight,” Atturu said. “So once you lie down on the ground – starfish position, just decompress.”

When they returned to the court, it wasn’t naptime for Deer Creek’s star doubles tandem or the captivated audience.

Atturu and Ludlam powered through an intense match against Carrington Hesson and Ava Jacobsen of Jenks to win a Class 6A state title in No. 1 doubles. After falling behind, 4-6, in the first set, the Deer Creek seniors regrouped to take the next two sets, 6-2 and 6-3.

For Atturu and Ludlam, who finished as runners-up last year, the second chance was sweet.

“It feels amazing,” Ludlam said. “It’s absolutely crazy. I’m speechless.”

Lost for words, Ludlam turned the metaphorical microphone over to Atturu, who added: “For the last three weeks, I think all we could think of was this tournament.”

The second-seeded Deer Creek duo sailed into the tournament with two straight-set wins to reach the Saturday semifinals.

Then the path became tougher, but Ludlam and Atturu persevered.

Saturday afternoon, they fought through a lengthy 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 match against third-seeded Ava Grace Boggs and Olivia Orgill of Edmond Memorial. After only a little time to rest, Atturu and Ludlam turned around and defeated the top-seeded Jenks duo to finish their high school careers as state champions.

Deer Creek placed third in Class 6A with 15 team points. Jenks captured the crown with 32 points, and defending champion Edmond North finished as the runner-up with 23. The Edmond North duo of Ellery Graff and Kadee Miller won the No. 2 doubles title.

Top-seeded Avery Arent of Jenks secured the No. 1 singles championship.

More: Oklahoma high school track & field: Heritage Hall boys win fifth title

Christian Heritage wins first team title 

For the first time in school history, Christian Heritage is a girls tennis state champion.

Although CHA did not have an individual first-place finisher, the team effort resulted in a Class 4A state title.

Every CHA participant won at least one match. Second-seeded Brityn Waller placed third in No. 2 singles, while fourth-seeded Reece Compton finished fourth in No. 1 singles. Ashton Bullard and Hannah Joy Nuthman placed third in No. 1 doubles, while Sienna Brewer and Maci Hall reached the quarterfinals in No. 2 doubles.

Henryetta finished second as a team.

More: Meet Ethan Holliday, Stillwater's next top baseball prospect who’s ‘staying in the moment’

Heritage Hall doubles pair claims first state championship

Heritage Hall freshman Tokara Henderson and sophomore Jasmine Crain didn’t give up one game in the state finals.

The top-seeded pair zoomed past second-seeded Kendal Blevins and and Lydia Hoose of Tulsa Cascia Hall, 6-0, 6-0, to win a Class 5A state title in No. 1 doubles. Henderson and Crain finished their first season as a doubles tandem with a 26-1 record.

Heritage Hall placed third in Class 3A with 18 team points. Carl Albert was fourth with 17, and two teams tied for first: Cascia Hall and Tulsa Holland Hall.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school girls tennis 2023 state championship roundup