Veteran faces defending champ in tennis semifinal

It's been a quick six years, and Katie Jesperson can't believe how fast they've gone by.

The Elk River senior has been a varsity tennis player since the seventh grade. In that time, Jesperson has made three previous individual state tournament appearances.

But Jesperson never had won more than one match in individual tournament play. Until Thursday, that is.

Playing in the Class 2A tournament for the final time, Jesperson cruised past Parul Kapoor of St. Cloud Tech in the first round and then defeated Cretin-Derham Hall's Jenny Hartjes 6-3, 6-4 for the second time in two days to advance to today singles semifinals.

"It seems like it has all gone by so fast," Jesperson said. "I've enjoyed it, but sometimes I wish I had taken the time to enjoy it more."

Her play in the state tournament certainly has added to her satisfaction.

Wednesday, she rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the first set to beat Edina's Meghana Vasireddy 7-5, 6-3 in the Class 2A team finals, posting the Elks' only victory in that match.

"I just was not going to lose," she said.

That attitude carried over to Thursday, where she controlled both matches by consistently hitting the ball with pace and depth.

Things get much tougher from here on out, however. Jesperson must face Minnetonka's Aria Lambert, the defending state champion, in today's semifinals.

"I have to go out and give 100 -- no, 200 -- percent," Jesperson said.

As the No. 1 player in the state, Lambert knows that all eyes are on her. Opponents spend hours scheming to beat her. Fans flock to watch, hoping simultaneously to witness Lambert's excellence and hoping to see if anyone can pull off the upset.

And she likes it that way.

Since losing to Tooli Wilkins in the 2007 state championship match as a freshman, Lambert has defeated every high school opponent she has faced, all in straight sets.

"Ever since that match against Tooli, people know who I am," Lambert, now a junior. "In school, people know me as the 'tennis girl'. I like that."

Lambert handled a tough early draw with relative ease Thursday, beating Rochester Mayo's Emilie Renault 6-2, 6-2 and Mounds View's Melanie Yates 6-2, 6-1.

Eden Prairie's Makenna Borg lost to Lambert in last year's singles final.

But Borg will not be getting a chance at redemption this year. She didn't want one.

With a lacrosse scholarship to Ohio State waiting, Borg decided to play doubles with teammate Maddie Buxton instead of singles this year. It's a decision she's glad she made.

"I'm more of team person," Borg said. "So I thought, since this will probably be the last competitive tennis I ever play, why not team up with Maddie and see if we can win a doubles championship?"

So far, so good, as Borg and Buxton, a sophomore, easily won both of their matches Thursday. They play Mounds View's Kelly Humphrey and Laurel Krebsbach in today's semifinals.

There was one mild upset in first two rounds of the Class 1A individual tournament.

In singles, Austin Pacelli's Lisa Johnen beat Staples-Motley's Abby Edin 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Edin entered the tournament No. 3 in the State Coaches Association rankings.

In doubles, Mounds Park Academy sophomore Amber Washington stayed on pace for her state-record fourth doubles championship as she and teammate Kate Roach beat Rochester Lourdes' Brittany Alexander and Margaret Pearson 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) in the quarterfinals.