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Osakis freshman Leah Maddock took another step toward establishing herself as one of the top Class A tennis players in Minnesota by getting a win at the state singles tournament on Thursday.
Maddock qualified for state as an 8th-grader in 2021. This year, she breezed to a section championship with straight-set wins, and then defeated Elle Kletscher (14-11) of Benson-KMS in the state opener on Thursday. That came by a 6-0, 6-0 score and advanced Maddock to the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded junior Lauren Rutten (31-2) of Staples-Motley.
Maddock bounced back from a 6-1 loss in the first set with a competitive second set, but Rutten got the points she needed late to pick up the 6-1, 6-4 win.
“Leah played great at the state tournament,” Osakis head coach Ryan Maddock said. “She had a dominant win in her first-round match. She played well in her quarterfinal match as well versus a strong, experienced opponent in Lauren Rutten. Leah fought off 10 match points to go from 2-5 to 4-5 in the second set before dropping a long deuce game to end the match. Leah really hit and served well all day.”
Maddock wrapped up her season with a 27-4 record overall.
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“She has done a good job of improving all her skills and was a much stronger player this year than she was last year,” Ryan Maddock said. “Getting a win at the state tournament and making the state quarterfinals as a 9th-grader is a very nice accomplishment.”
