By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
The 2019 NCAA women’s singles final where Estela Perez-Somarriba of the University of Miami defeated fellow sophomore Kat Jokic of the University of Georgia 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3 at the U.S. Tennis Association National Campus in Orlando was not only one of the most dramatic in the history of the event, but also featured perhaps the greatest point in the history of the sport played with a broken string.
It happened with Perez-Somarriba leading 2-0 in the second set and serving. The two players came to deuce in this third game of the second set and, per the scoring rules of college tennis, a sudden-death point, was then played. All sudden-death points in college tennis are crucial and important, this one not excluded as a win for Jokic would get her back on serve and ruin the momentum of Perez-Somarriba, while a win for the Miami Hurricane would give her a commanding 3-0 lead in the second set.
In one of the worst moments of bad luck one can have, Jokic broke a racquet string on her return of serve, almost certain to allow her opponent to easily win the point. With now little tension in the strings left in her racquet, Jokic was then forced to hit slice shots to best control the uncontrollable trampoline-like spring off her racquet face.
Jokic successfully hit one slice shot with her broken string back into play. She then successfully controlled another shot back into play. And then another. And another. And Another. In all, Jokic hit NINE balls back into play with her broken string, which is an unheard of amount of shots to play in this condition at this high level of tennis.
Perez-Somarriba, knowing that Jokic was playing with broken equipment, then proceeded to simply get the ball in play, knowing that the percentages were vastly in her favor for winning the point as Jokic would have difficultly controlling her shots with the broken string. Perez-Somarriba moved the ball from side to side to Jokic with ease, waiting for Jokic to make the error. However, the Bulldog kept retrieving, successfully slicing forehand and backhands with as much control as she could from the baseline. After Jokic hit her ninth slice shot back into the court, Perez-Somarriba tried to become a little more aggressive, but hit a forehand into the net. Jokic had broken serve with her broken string!
“I knew that she broke strings,” Perez-Somarriba said. “I was playing too conservative. I should have come in and just go for the winner and I was just expecting her to miss. That’s what you get.”
It could have been a huge momentum swing for the Serbian but Jokic’s new racquet didn’t immediately serve her as well as the one with the broken string as she turned around and made unforced errors on the next seven points! She had her serve immediately broken at love, then went down 40-0 on Perez-Somarriba’s next service game before she finally broke her unforced error streak. However, the Spaniard held serve for a 4-1 lead, then broke Jokic’s serve for a 5-1 lead before holding on to win the second set 6-2. Perez-Somarriba took a 5-1 lead in the third set but needed seven match points to finally close out Jokic 6-3 in the final set to claim the NCAA singles title.
When you break a string in the middle of the point, tennis teaching professionals will tell you to slice the ball to control the ball better than taking a traditional swing at the ball, as Jokic did so successfully. Tennis instruction protocol suggests you should try to rush the net when you break a string, as explained here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgoHbjKK50k via Essential Tennis and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpa_CcM7Tuw via Total Tennis Domination.
The full post-championship transcript from Perez-Somrriba can be found below.
Question: So I’ll start off, you just won the National Championship. I know you’ve been there before but finally take that next step to get to the final today and come out in a tough three-setter, how does that feel?
Perez-Somarriba: I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing. I am really grateful to the University of Miami for letting me come here. To the coaches, to my teammates, to the trainers, to everyone for making this possible. I am just really really happy, all the hard work pays off and I am just so happy.
Questions: The drop you had off that first set and then have to come back and win the next two, what was going through you mind? What did your coach tell you after that first set to help you change the momentum in that match?
Perez-Somarriba: Well Katarina is an amazing player, she is really talented, really aggressive. I think that she was going to my backhand and I wasn’t responding well. So she basically told me to just counterbalance that, play to her backhand more, just play different types of balls with different heights. I think that I was able to just get back on track and just play my best tennis.
Question: You had, I think it took seven points to finish her off? Was it getting frustrating there in the third set?
Perez-Somarriba: I think that Katarina played those match points really smart. She was just going for it. I was playing a little bit conservative. I think that a lot of the things go through your mind at that moment, so yeah, when I was able to just win the match, I couldn’t believe it.
Question: Were you counting the match points? Did you know…
Perez-Somarriba: No, no, not really. Not really. You know at that point, you’re just like lets get it done.
Question: Did you do anything differently when you got to the sixth and seventh match point?
Perez-Somarriba: I basically knew that I had to play on my terms. Just play my tennis. It didn’t matter what she was doing. I just had to play my game and really trust my shots.
Question: There was a crazy point in the second set, where she broke her string, it was a deuce point. And she broke her string and she had nine slices. What did you think of that point and have you ever played against somebody who was able to make that many?
Perez-Somarriba: Well I’ve actually done it too. When you break a strings you just try to finish the point ASAP and just win it, however you can. I knew that she broke strings, I was playing too conservative. I should have come in and just go for the winner, and I was just expecting her to miss. That’s what you get.
Question: This was a match of a lot of long rallies. Do you excel in those situations?
Perez-Somarriba: I think that consistency is one of my strengths. I am like a very athletic player and I think that I enjoy long points. I usually win most of them, if I play smart. I think that Katarina is a very rhythmic player so that helped me a little bit too.
Question: Usually, you win those points, even though they are long, you win them a lot sooner than what Katarina was getting, right?
Perez-Somarriba: Yeah, she’s, she is tough.
Question: So on your bio you said you admire Serena Williams, am surprised not Arantxa or Conchita or Garbine or?
Perez-Somarriba: Well, I am only 20, so I didn’t get to see or to watch those players that much. I grew up watching Serena, also Garbine Muguruza, they are very aggressive players. I really identify myself with them as a tennis players and you know, they are like my idols.
Question: What finally did go through your mind when Katarina netted the returned the serve for the final point?
Perez-Somarriba: We made it. I dreamt about this moment many many times, and dreams comes true. So, yeah. I think that you have to have the most amazing serve or the most amazing forehand or you have to be the tallest. I think that at the end of the day, work ethic is what matters every day, just giving your best and living by example.
Question: Were you expecting the ice bath, the ice water bath at the end?
Perez-Somarriba: Not really. That was a surprise.
Question: You were bound pretty good with the go kings though?
Perez-Somarriba: Yeah, I have some friends over there supporting me. That means the world to me. Well before I leave, I want to thank the USTA, the NCAA and the ITA for making this event possible as an international student athlete and coming here and just participating in this type of events is truly amazing and they just make this sport better. So again thank you so much and I hope that they do it again next tomorrow, eh next year. Sorry not tomorrow.
Question: We can set something up.
Perez-Somarriba: No, I think I am good.
Question: What is your plan for the summer and going forward
Perez-Somarriba: NCAA as well. Sorry say again.
Question: What are you going to be doing this summer and you know with this title open up some opportunities for you.
Perez-Somarriba: Well I am going back home tomorrow. I am really excited to see my family they are back in Spain supporting me. I am coming, well my sister is here today and she came all the way from New York, thanks for coming. I am going back to Spain for a month and then I’ll be back for Summer B to take some classes and also to practice. I have many things to improve and to work on. So that’s in my mind.
Question: So no tournament? No ITF tournaments?
Perez-Somarriba: Maybe in the Spring, I am not sure, honestly. Not with new rules of the ITF. I don’t know if I am able to play those tournaments, so I need to see if that’s possible.
Question: They changed the rules though.
Perez-Somarriba: Yeah, exactly.
Question: They announced it a few days ago. Good luck to you.
