Sara Watanabe and Tapanee Boonyawat had been talking about Friday for at least a week.
Watanabe, a Covington Latin senior, and Boonyawat, a Dixie Heights junior, figured they would share a Boone Woods court and battle for the Ninth Region girls singles title. They forevermore did, with Watanabe winning her third straight championship, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (15-13).
“It’s just a showcase of my skill and how much I practice every day,” Watanabe said.
Friday was the second time this season Watanabe and Boonyawat, an exchange student from Thailand, have faced each other. (Watanabe won, 7-5, 6-3 on March 30.) But they’ve known each other for almost a year – they met at Five Seasons Sports Country Club in Crestview Hills.
“Obviously we practice literally every day together, so we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Watanabe said.
Watanabe broke Boonyawat’s serve and held her own to take a 4-2 first-set lead – an advantage that only lasted a few minutes because Boonyawat broke back to gain a 4-all tie. Watanabe broke and held to finish the set.
Boonyawat took advantage of Watanabe’s occasional impatience in the second set.
“I think I was going for too much on the lines,” Watanabe said.
The fun Watanabe and Boonyawat wanted to have was just beginning.
In the 10-point super-tiebreaker, Boonyawat saved three match points to tie things at 9-9.
Both Watanabe and Boonyawat advance to the state tournament, which begins May 30 at the University of Kentucky. Watanabe reached the semifinals the last two years.
Boonyawat, who will return to Thailand next month, and Watanabe, who’s headed to the University of Cincinnati, have one last wish.
“I hope to play each other in the finals,” Boonyawat said.
For a second, Watanabe sounded sad about not having Boonyawat as a competitor.
“We always practice together, we always have (a) fun time together,” Watanabe said. “Without her, it’ll probably be a little boring.”
While Watanabe and Boonyawat went to their tiebreaker, defending doubles champions Hailey Fullenkamp and Taylor Meenach of Notre Dame and Beechwood’s Haley King and Sadie Jones did the same thing. Fullenkamp and Meenach won their second titles, 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-3).
Meenach didn’t seem to mind being the 2-seed behind top seeds King and Jones.
“We had nothing to lose ranked No. 2,” Meenach said.
Fullenkamp and Meenach had the easier route to the finals – they dropped just five games in three matches. King and Jones, meanwhile, survived a quarterfinal scare against Notre Dame’s Clare Shay and Sam Spellman, 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8).
Fullenkamp and Meenach had little trouble early – they took a 5-0 lead in the first set. King and Jones took a 4-1 second set lead. In the tiebreaker, Fullenkamp rolled to an 8-2 lead.
Notre Dame won the team title with 10 points. Ryle was second with seven, and Villa Madonna, Beechwood and Dixie Heights tied for third with six.
Girls team scores: 1. Notre Dame 10; 2. Ryle 7; 3. (tie) Beechwood, Villa Madonna and Dixie Heights 6; 6. (tie) Conner, Cooper, St. Henry, Covington Latin 5; 10. Newport Central Catholic 4; 11. Highlands 3.