Annalise Yang makes history for Madison La Follette
MADISON, Wis. (BVM) — The future looks bright for Madison La Follette tennis in large part to freshman Annalise Yang who just won the alternate fall season girls tennis singles state championship.
“I felt relieved and happy,” Yang said. “I was actually quite shocked that I got it because I was kind of nervous in the first set.”
Yang may have been nervous, but after being down in the first set against No. 2-seeded Lily Olson from Madison Memorial, she came back to win 6-3 and then followed that up with a 6-0 win for the championship. The title was not only Yang’s first but the first of any girls tennis player from Madison La Follette.
“It felt great…I get to have that for my name and for La Follette,” Yang said.
The road to the title was not an easy one, however. Yang played well during the regular season and headed into sectionals. It was at sectionals that she was handed her first loss of the season by Olson who ended up winning No. 1 singles while Yang took second. The loss did not fazeYang as her whole mentality for her first season of high school tennis was to not let one moment or one game affect her.
“Play how you play and stay positive just don’t break down,” Yang said.
The mantra served her well in the regular season and in the state tournament it allowed her to overcome three tough matches in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
Entering as the No. 4 seed, Yang received a bye in the first round and then won her second round match in dominant fashion, beating Keagan Potter 6-1, 6-0. But in the quarterfinals against Netra Somasundaram, Yang had to battle to win the first set before winning 7-6(3), 6-3 to move on to the semifinals.
Facing No. 1-seeded Neenah junior Ava Dunsirn posed another serious challenge. In another thrilling match, Yang won 2-6,6-3,(5) setting up a rematch with Olson for the state title.
Her familiarity with her opponent did not help to lessen the nerves that Yang was feeling in the beginning of the state title match, but the mentality she had had throughout the season once again played a vital role in her success.
“Even though you’re making mistakes and getting nervous, just breathe,” Yang said. “It’s always the next point, the next chance, the next game you always have opportunities.”
Yang finished her freshman season 10-1 along with the state title solidifying her No. 2 ranking in the state of Wisconsin by Tennis Recruiting Network for the Class of 2024.
The young tennis player first fell in love with sport when she was younger.
“Hitting the ball,” Yang said as she laughed a little. “Just hitting it and having fun with your friends.”
As she started to play competitively and in more serious tournaments in middle school, Yang realized that she could continue her career into high school and even further than that into college. But first she will have a chance to defend her title this fall when girls tennis begins again.
