CCHS Junior David Bergstrom lost his two matches at the Minnesota Class A State Individual Tennis Tournament on Thursday, June 9, but played extremely well. He won the first set 6-4 against the defending state champion before losing 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Bergstrom played well in the Consolation Bracket but lost 6-3, 6-4 to Jordan Otto of St. Cloud Cathedral High School. Overall Bergstrom only lost to three players all year.
John Muus
Cook County High School junior David Bergstrom competed at the 2011 Minnesota Class A State Individual Tennis Tournament on June 9 at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis. All of the matches were played indoors. Bergstrom qualified for the state tennis tournament by finishing second in singles at the Section 7A Individual Tournament, May 24 at Hibbing.
Bergstrom had to play the top seed and defending champion from last year’s state tournament, John Hill from St. Paul Academy & Summit School, in the first round. He embraced this opportunity and was excited, along with his supporters, to see how he could compete against the best players in the state. Bergstrom played extremely well, right from the start.
He was focused on the task at hand, moving his opponent and covering the court very well. Bergstrom won the first three games, fighting for every point. Every game was a battle, as Bergstrom held his own against the defending champion. He knew the pressure was on his opponent. Bergstrom ended up winning the first set, 6-4, and it seemed like a marathon.
Bergstrom breathed a sigh of relief after the first set was over, but the battle was far from over. He may have let up just a little with his focus and intensity level, after winning the first set, but his more experienced opponent was also more determined than ever to win this match. Bergstrom struggled to get his first serve in, all day, and this put more pressure on his game. Despite playing well and fighting for each point, Bergstrom ended up losing to the defending champ, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
With his first round loss, Bergstrom moved into the consolation bracket. Bergstrom’s consolation match was against another tough opponent, Jordan Otto from St. Cloud Cathedral High School. Bergstrom and Otto seemed to be more evenly matched as both players played well and had long rallies. Bergstrom’s serving struggles continued and Otto played a little more consistently to win the tough match, 6-3, 6-4.
Bergstrom ended his, and Cook County High School’s, first varsity tennis season on a high note. The Vikings have all seven of their varsity tennis players coming back, next season, and hope to add more players so they can compete with a full team (10 players).
The varsity tennis program is fully funded by the Cook County Tennis Association, a 501c3 charitable nonprofit organization. Those interested in helping support the varsity tennis program can send donations to the CCTA, PO Box 34, Grand Marais, MN 55604.
Junior tennis players interested in learning more about the game of tennis and developing their skills are encouraged to participate in the summer USTA National Junior Tennis League program, which began June 15 (Stripes Division) and June 21(QuickStart and Stars Division).
For more information, contact John Muus at 387-2198 ( jcmuus@boreal.org ), or Tim Scannell at 370-0830 ( scannell@boreal.org ).
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