Pete Summers capped off a great tennis season for the Marshall Hilltoppers by winning the Section 7A singles tennis title and earning a trip to state. Summers will be taking his tennis game to college where he will compete for Lake Superior University located in Sault St. Marie, Michigan.
For the second year in a row Pete Summers advanced out of the Section 7A tennis tournament to the state meet.
As a junior, Summers, who has been attending Duluth Marshall the last two years, was runner-up at sections in singles. This year he won the Section 7A singles title, which earned him a second invitation to play for the state championship individual crown. Summers traveled to the Reed Sweatt Tennis Center in Bloomington, Minnesota and played against the state’s best male players on June 7-10.
“Last year I lost both my matches at state,” said Summers. “But I feel the experience I gained playing there helped me this year.”
One thing he learned was the dome that covers the tennis courts at the Reed Sweatt Tennis Center gets very hot. “The heat radiates in there. Last year it was over 100 degrees,” Summers told the News-Herald
“My first match this year at state lasted almost three hours. It was a marathon,” said Summers, who was playing against Jared Saue of Montevideo High School.
“Every point was close. When I won a point, a lot of people on my side would cheer. When he won a point, his side would cheer loudly. It was really exciting.”
Summers lost the first set 7-5 but came back to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to take the match over a resolute Saue.
But Summers was given less than an hour to recover before he squared off against Ryan Ortega of Winnona Cotter.
“Ryan was the 4th ranked seed,” said Summers. “He’s a friend of mine. He comes up to Cook County and plays in the Fisherman’s Picnic Tennis Tournament.
“I lost the first set 6-4 and then was up 3-2 in the second set before my leg muscles started really cramping. My body finally just gave out and he ended up beating me 6-3 in the second set to take the match. Ryan ended up placing fourth.”
Overall Summers felt he had a good state tournament. He plans to play some tournaments this summer, but first he has to replace his tennis racket that broke at the state competition.
Next fall Summers will attend Lake Superior State University at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where he will play tennis. As for his course of study, Summers said, “I am not sure what my major will be yet, but I am leaning towards economics or pursuing a business major.”
This summer Summers is assisting Carl Johnson with Cook County Tennis Association tennis clinics.
Pete is the son of Mark and Kelly Summers of Grand Marais.
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