High school tennis: Natalie Smitek ends Avon career on winning note, takes third at state

WOOSTER — After more than four hours on the court, Natalie Smitek could take time to enjoy her final moment. Avon's senior pushed Hoover's Tess Bucher to the brink in a semifinal that lasted nearly three hours, falling for the third time in six days to the eventual state champion, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, at the Aspen Racquet Club in Wooster on Friday. But Smitek shook off the loss to defeat Turpin's Sarah Clark 6-4, 6-0 and finish third in Division I, while Bucher defeated Westlake's Amara Brahmbhatt, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, in the championship. "This whole tournament felt the same as other years until the last match," said Smitek, who became the first state-placer for Avon in girls tennis. "I was out there and I thought 'Oh my gosh, this is my last match,' and I almost started crying before we even started playing. I won't ever have these guys coaching me again. High school tennis is just such a great experience. I really love high school tennis and I'm so sad that it's done. It really hit me that match, so I really wanted to win so I could go out on a positive note." Smitek almost went out on the highest note possible, again going toe-to-toe with Ohio's No. 1 player — regardless of division — in a semifinal for the ages. Bucher beat Smitek on Saturday in the district semifinals, 6-0, 6-0, then Monday in the state team tournament quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3. Bucher took the early lead at 4-2, but Smitek rallied for three holds and a break to put things back on serve at 6-5. The final game of the set lasted 24 points as Bucher fought off six set points before Smitek finally broke through with a forehand winner to close out the set. Smitek was up 2-1 in the second set and owned a 30-0 lead on Bucher's serve when the Hoover senior was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct. However, the penalty turned out to be the turning point for Bucher as she won the next four points for the hold. She won five straight points against Smitek, who held a 40-0 lead, to secure a break. The Avon senior had six chances to break back in the next game, but Bucher always seemed to find a big first serve when she needed it and converted a 22-point hold. She went up another break at 5-2. Smitek broke back, but Bucher closed her out on the next service game. The tide turned in the third as Bucher broke Smitek twice for a 4-1 lead. Smitek took Bucher to deuce on her next two service games and made the Hoover senior go 12 points for her final hold, but Bucher closed out the match with a forehand winner set up by a nice serve. Smitek's only three losses during the OHSAA tournament came to Brahmbhatt (sectional final) and Bucher. Her third-place finish ensured that the Northeast district swept the top three podium spots of the Division I singles draw. "Being in such a tough section and district, playing them so many times, has just been exhausting," Smitek said. "I don't think I'm going to pick up a racket for a month now. But it also prepared me for this, playing Tess so many times and playing Amara, you get back into tournament shape quickly. That helped me do well here." Fortunately for Smitek, her next opponent also had to go three rounds as Clark lost to Brahmbhatt 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 in an equally entertaining semifinal. Both players struggled to hold serve as the match opened with five combined breaks before Smitek finally preserved her break with a hold at 4-2. The pair exchanged holds the rest of the way. Smitek found another level in the second, going up three breaks at 5-0 with none of the games going to deuce and Smitek needing just 10 combined points during her two holds. Clark made Smitek work for the sweep, securing a break point, but Smitek responded with a forehand winner and closed out the match four points later. "I don't think I could have come back if I had lost that first set so it was a really relieving feeling," Smitek said. "It was really fun because it was my last match ever. It's been such a great experience. My coaches and teammates have been so great." The win caps a career that will rank among the best in Lorain County history. Smitek finishes with a 126-10 record and four trips to the state tournament, winning at least one match every trip and securing All-Ohio honors all four times. Half of her career losses came in the state tournament, four of them on the final day. She reached the state semifinals in three of her four years, the first two in doubles her freshman and sophomore year with Magnificat. She finished 64-7 with Avon and became the school's first state qualifier in singles last year when she was a quarterfinalist. "It's been such a great four years, and to end it on such a good note is a really good feeling," Smitek said. "Not many people get to go out on a win their senior year and I get to say I did. It's really a bittersweet feeling." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.