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Krajcovicova advances to semifinals

MADISON — When the girls tennis season was halfway complete, Lea Krajcovicova did not fully understand what the WIAA state championship was all about.

She does now.

The Milton High foreign-exchange student from Slovakia won three matches Friday to advance to the semifinals today at the WIAA Division 1 girls tennis championships at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

Krajcovicova takes a 27-0 record into her 9 a.m. semifinal match against No. 3 seed Lily Hayes of Whitefish Bay (20-4).

The No. 7-seeded Krajcovicova upset No. 2 seed Mardee Merar of Homestad, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarterfinals. Krajcovicova, a junior, finished off her quarterfinal win with a rocket forehand down the line.

Milton High coach Dan Thies said Krajcovicova is aware of the stage.

“She knew it was a big match,” Thies said Friday night. “The top eight players are all going to be good. The reason Lea is a seventh seed is because we don’t play in any Milwaukee-area big tournaments. They don’t give outsiders much respect.

“I’m not playing the ‘we don’t get any respect’ card. I understand that is how it is in sports.”

Krajcovicova, who earned a first-round bye,

began play Friday with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Meredith Holt of La Crosse Logan.

Krajcovicova advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-0 romp over Emmy Kaftan of West Bend West, before surprising Merar.

“She knows now what this is about,” Thies said. “She knows this is the end-all for her in high school. She will continue to play USTA around the Midwest through August.

“But she cares about this. Today I saw different kinds of emotions that I haven’t seen from her before.”

Top-seeded Elizabeth Konon of Homestead plays No. 3-seeded Emily Kolbow of Arrowhead in the other semifinal this morning.

Janesville Parker junior Becky Harmata and Lake Geneva Badger High junior Cricket Gelderman each lost Division 1 singles matches Friday.

Harmata (13-14) , who won her opening match Thursday, lost to Gabi Kitchell of D.C. Everest, 6-0, 6-1. Gelderman opened the state championship with a victory on Thursday and then defeated Lily Simonson, 6-1, 6-4 on Friday morning.

Gelderman then lost to the top-seeded Konon, 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Gelderman finished 23-3.

Two area doubles teams that won late matches Thursday lost Friday in Division 2 competition.

Stephanie Nelson and Morgan Nathan of Whitewater advanced to Friday’s play by defeating Alecia Swenson and Gabby Brucker of Regis, 6-2, 6-0, late Thursday.

Nelson and Nathan then lost to No. 2-seeded Lauren Keller and Morgan Molitor of Edgewood of the Sacred Heart, 6-0, 6-4 Friday. Nelson and Nathan finished 25-4.

Paige Kloth and Abi Goode of East Troy defeated Megan Jacobson and Hanna Zevenbergen of Baldwin-Woodville, 6-4, 6-3 late Thursday.

Kloth and Goode lost Friday to Maddy Brown and Hayley Clope of Racine St. Catherine’s, 6-0, 6-0. Kloth and Goode finished 25-4.