As a fringe contender in the 6A girls tennis tournament the last two years, Nikhitha Suresh knew she faced long odds against the top-seeded players.
So when she lost in straight sets in the quarterfinals in 2023 and semifinals in 2024 – both times to the eventual champion – she kept it in perspective.
“I was kind of like, 'I'll do my best, see how many games I can get,'” she said.
Now Suresh, who has transferred to Westview after two years at Sunset, has a much different outlook as she enters the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A tournament Thursday through Saturday at Tualatin Hills Tennis Center. As the No. 1 seed, the junior knows she has a realistic path to the championship.
“This year it's more like I'm in it to win it,” she said. “If I really just focus, I could get that title.”
Suresh hasn't dropped a set in winning all 17 of her matches this season. The most games she has lost came in a 6-0, 6-4 win over Jesuit junior Sabrina Larsen and a 6-3, 6-2 win over Mountainside senior Giselli Reschke.
Westview co-coach Colleen Docktor said that Suresh has earned the top seed.
“She plays an outstanding game,” Docktor said. “She's a high-quality player, a great competitor. … She made it to the semifinals last year, and that's not her goal this year. We think she has it. She's a competitive individual and has her sights set.”
A native of India, Suresh moved to the United States during her kindergarten year and began training for tennis at age 9. She said a high school state title has been her “biggest motivator” in tennis.
“That was easily the biggest dream I've ever had since maybe middle school, since finding out about high school tennis,” she said. “Everyone says they dream of winning the grand slam, but to me, the first thing I've always dreamed about is, I really want to win state. I really want that OSAA championship. It's a really hard goal, but it's achievable, in a sense.”
In the 2023 quarterfinals, Suresh lost 6-3, 6-0 to Westview's Neena Feldman, the No. 2 seed. In last year's semifinals, she fell 6-2, 6-1 to Clackamas' Lauren Han, the No. 1 seed. Feldman and Han won titles and have gone on to college careers at Northwestern and Dartmouth, respectively.
“I was pretty proud of last year,” Suresh said. “I had always looked up to Lauren because I had seen her at USTA tournaments. I knew it was going to be a tough match, so I really was just trying to enjoy the moment.”
Suresh stacks up favorably against the field this year. She is 2-0 in her career against the No. 2 seed, South Medford sophomore Alexis Uschold, including a 6-3, 7-5 win in last year's third-place match. She also has held the upper hand in the most recent junior tournaments against Nelson sophomore Sofia Sorokina (No. 4 seed) and West Linn sophomore Sonya Drayton (No. 6 seed).
The other top seeds are Benson sophomore Carlyta Barfield (No. 3) and West Linn freshman Leah Lup (No. 5).
Docktor said the 5-foot-3 Suresh has a well-rounded game.
“She uses every bit that she has,” Docktor said. “Her strength is not just her strength of hitting the ball, it's in how she builds a point and plays the game, her placement in using the court to her full advantage. She moves her competitors well. She not only has the physical component of tennis, but mentally, she is strong.”
Suresh attended school in the Westview boundary but started high school at Sunset for academic reasons. She transferred to Westview when her course of study required that she return to her boundary school.
“Our team is so welcoming. They made the switch so easy for me,” she said.
Suresh helped lead the Wildcats to the district title in the tough Metro League, supplanting powerhouse Jesuit. She lost only two games in four district tournament matches.
“She took care of business,” Docktor said. “She went into every match with a clear head. I expect that she's going to do the same thing in the state tournament.”
A look at the state tournaments this week:
Girls
6A
Tualatin Hills Tennis Center, Thursday-Saturday
Top singles seeds: 1. Nikhitha Suresh, Westview, jr.; 2. Alexis Uschold, South Medford, soph.; 3. Carlyta Barfield, Benson, soph.; 4, Sofia Sorokina, Nelson, soph.
Top doubles seeds: 1. Sabrina Larsen, jr./Lucy Hasle, jr., Jesuit; 2. Malavika Rahul, jr./Tessa Rozendal, sr., Westview; 3. Ella MacPherson, jr./Evelyn Park, sr., Sunset; 4. Kitty Ayotte, sr./Kate Paine, sr., Jesuit
2024 team scores: Jesuit 16, Mountainside 12, Westview 11, Clackamas 10, Sheldon 10, Sprague 10
Notes: Suresh, a quarterfinalist in 2023 and semifinalist in 2024, has not dropped a set this season. She defeated Uschold 6-3, 7-5 in last year's third-place match. Uschold, Barfield and Sorokina also have not lost a set. Sorokina has lost only one game. Barfield reached the quarterfinals last year. Jesuit's Larsen and Hasle defeated Westview's Rahul and Rozendal 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the Metro League district doubles final. Larsen/Hasle also held off teammates Ayotte/Paine 7-5. 7-6 (5) at district. Jesuit has won the last two team titles, boosting the Crusaders' record total to 17.
5A
West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club (Friday), Tualatin Hills Tennis Center (Saturday)
Top singles seeds: 1. Kennedy Harris, La Salle Prep, sr.; 2. Kate Bonetto, Summit, soph; 3. Veronica Miller, Ashland, sr.; 4. Keira Lin, Crescent Valley, soph.
Top doubles seeds: 1. Avalon Donnelly, sr./Kaitlin Carter, jr., La Salle Prep; 2. Alison Heinly, sr./Reese Bradbury, sr., Caldera; 3. Maggie Davisson, jr./Ashlyn Davisson, soph., Silverton; 4. McKenzie Larsen, sr./Cecilia Gonenne, sr., Churchill
2024 team scores: Crescent Valley 12, La Salle Prep 11, Summit 11, Redmond 10
Notes: Harris, committed to the University of Portland, is going for her fourth consecutive state title. She has won in straight sets in all 20 of her matches this season, dropping only 12 games. Last year, she beat Lin 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and Miller 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals. Bonetto made the semifinals last year, losing 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to runner-up Emily Gu of Crescent Valley. Donnelly/Carter have lost only to 6A teams from Mountainside, Sherwood and Barlow. They made the quarterfinals last year. Crescent Valley is the three-time reigning team champion.
4A/3A/2A/1A
OSU Tennis Complex, Thursday-Saturday
Top singles seeds: 1. Raegan Farm, North Bend, jr.; 2. Whitney Hedden, Marist Catholic, soph.; 3. Ella Li, Oregon Episcopal, jr.; 4. Sami Ramos, Crook County, sr.
Top doubles seeds: 1. Elise Seals, sr./Ellie Seals, soph., Vale; 2. Jiya Mehta, jr./ Amanda Perez, jr., Catlin Gabel; 3. Sydney Holdermann, sr./Alison Olson, soph., St. Mary's; 4. Stella Larson, jr./Phoebie Larson, jr., Marist Catholic
2024 team scores: Marist Catholic 20.5, North Bend 10, Oregon Episcopal 10, St. Mary's 10, Vale 10
Notes: Farm won the title last year, knocking off three-time reigning champion Patricia Dougherty of Klamath Union 6-3, 6-1. She beat Hedden 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals last year and 6-3, 6-4 on April 23, her closest match of the season. Farm's aunt, Kelcy McKenna, won four consecutive titles (2004-07) for North Bend and is the coach at Wisconsin. Hedden bounced back to take third place last year. Hedden defeated Li 6-0, 6-0 on April 19. The Seals of Vale are the reigning doubles champions. The Larsons reached the semifinals last year.
Boys
6A
Tualatin Hills Tennis Center, Thursday-Saturday
Top singles seeds: 1. Cayden Laughton, Lincoln, fr.; 2. Zach Steinberg, West Linn, sr.; 3. Arnav Arora, Mountainside, jr.; 4. Tristan Hernandez, Jesuit, jr.
Top doubles seeds: 1. Rhyson Chiang, sr./Perin Huberty, jr., West Linn; 2. James Cui, jr./Jaeyun Lee, soph., Lake Oswego; 3. Robert Evanson, sr./Ryan Alavi, sr., Lake Oswego; 4. Roland Alexander, jr./Charlie Torch, soph., Lincoln
2024 team scores: Jesuit 22, West Linn 19, Lincoln 16, Lake Oswego 12
Notes: Laughton, rated as the No. 15 freshman in the nation, is looking to follow in the shoes of Will Semler, who won the last three singles titles for Lincoln. Laughton's 13 wins have all come in straight sets. He won the Jesuit Tournament on April 13, defeating Steinberg 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals and Arora 6-3, 6-3 in the final. Arora made the semifinals last year before losing to Semler 2-6. 6-2, 7-5. Steinberg edged Arora 7-5, 6-4 on April 14. Chiang won the doubles title last year with Keyan Fernando, who has graduated. Chiang/Huberty beat Cui/Lee 6-3, 6-1 in the Three Rivers League district final. Jesuit has a state-high 23 team titles, including 2024.
5A
West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club (Friday), Tualatin Hills Tennis Center (Saturday)
Top singles seeds: 1. Kaiden Harris, La Salle Prep, soph.; 2. Aiden Cruz, Caldera, sr.; 3. Richard Wang, Crescent Valley, sr.; 4. Austin Berg, Summit, sr.
Top doubles seeds: 1. Thijs Van Kuik, sr./Max Voige, soph., Caldera; 2. Alex Lindsay, sr./Nolan Rife, sr.; Summit; 3. Ben McManus, soph./Joe Tokarczyk, soph., Crescent Valley; 4. Adam Shelton, jr./Frederick Kooijman, jr., Ashland
2024 team scores: La Salle Prep 21, Summit 18, Crescent Valley 8, Caldera 5
Notes: Harris defeated Wang 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the final last year as his sister, Kennedy, captured her third singles title on an adjacent court. Harris' only losses this season came against last year's small-school finalists, falling 6-1, 6-0 to EJ Roedl of Marist Catholic and 7-5, 6-1 to Zareh Gonzalvo of Catlin Gabel. Harris beat Berg 6-3, 7-5 on May 3. Cruz defeated Wang 6-3, 6-2 on April 18, and he is 3-0 against Berg this season. Van Kuik/Voige held on to beat Lindsay/Rife 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the Intermountain Conference district final. Lindsay was doubles runner-up last year with Berg.
4A/3A/2A/1A
OSU Tennis Complex, Thursday-Saturday
Top singles seeds: 1. EJ Roedl, Marist Catholic, jr.; 2. Zareh Gonzalvo, Catlin Gabel, soph.; 3. Reid Ravissipour, sr., St. Mary's; 4. Ryan Roedl, Marist Catholic, fr.
Top doubles seeds: 1. Lucas Olander, sr./Theo Freres, jr. Oregon Episcopal; 2. Ben Smith, soph./Henry Smith, fr., St. Mary's; 3. Will Barsotti, sr./Burkeley Knight-Sheen, sr., Marist Catholic; 4. Ishaan Bhardwaj, jr./Mason Do, jr., Oregon Episcopal
2024 team scores: Marist Catholic 36.5, Oregon Episcopal 24, Catlin Gabel 19, St. Mary's 10.5
Notes: It is the last Oregon high school tournament for Roedl, the 2023 runner-up and 2024 champion. He is moving to Philadelphia, where his father, Eric, is the athletic director and vice president at Villanova. Roedl beat Gonzalvo 6-1, 6-2 in last year's final and 7-5, 7-5 in the Bigfoot Invitational on May 3. Roedl also owns a 6-1, 6-0 victory over La Salle Prep's Kaiden Harris, the reigning 5A champion. Roedl is 2-0 against his brother, Ryan, winning 6-4, 6-1 on April 12 and 6-4, 6-0 in the district final. Ravissipour was a semifinalist last year. Olander/Freres came back to defeat Bhardwaj/Do 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the district final. Olander made the doubles final last year with Richard Li. Knight-Sheen and Barsotti were semifinalists. Marist Catholic is going for its third team title in a row.
jerryu@osaa.org
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