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CLAREMONT — Santa Margarita’s Emily Gao and Grace Kersenbrock united as gritty teammates and best friends to make school history at the CIF-SS girls tennis individual championships Thursday.
Donned in matching uniforms with white visors, the seniors shared encouraging words, high-fives and plenty of shot making to force a third set in the doubles finals against Calabasas at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.
Gao and Kersenbrock fell 4-6, 7-5, 2-6 against Alena Koltsova and Giana Mucci but celebrated their backstory and the achievement of becoming the first Santa Margarita girls — singles or doubles — to reach the individual finals.
“We go down in history,” Gao said. “It’s nice. We’ve been at this school for four years so it’s good to have a name here and end on a good note.”
“I really hope this is going inspire everyone coming up,” veteran Santa Margarita coach Eric Michaut added. “They played a great match but the other team just played incredible and you have to give them credit. They earned.”
Gao and Kersenbrock, the Trinity League champions in doubles, showed their desire in the second set.
After dropping a close first set, the tandem rallied from a 4-1 deficit to win five consecutive games to take a 5-4 lead against Koltsova and Mucci, who helped Calabasas capture the Division 2 team title.
The run started with Gao and Kersenbrock earning their first break point of the match. The pair captured the set with another break point.
“We started having fun more,” Kersenbrock said of the second set. “We just work really well together. We’ve known each other for a while. We know what each other needs to do and what each other is good at. Good chemistry.”
Early in the third set, Gao was slowed by a cramp in her leg that limited her mobility but the Eagles made no excuses after the left-handed Mucci ripped a forehand down the line for the championship point.
“It was disheartening,” Gao of the cramps. “Movement is a big part of my game … but we played some good points out there. I tried my best.”
In the semifinals, Gao and Kersenbrock defeated Crestview League champions Huiqing Sun and Zhinan Wang of Crean Lutheran 7-6 (3), 6-2.
After the final, Gao and Kersenbrock recalled how they were foes in the 12-and-under divisions on the local USTA junior circuit.
“I didn’t like her when we were like 12 in junior tennis because she kept beating me,” Gao said. “I was like, ‘Oh, gosh, I don’t like this girl.’ “
Kersenbrock’s father Rick even showed the girls a picture Thursday of their girls holding trophies at Anaheim Tennis Center.
“I had the bigger (trophy),” Kersenbrock said as the girls laughed.
The girls plan to stay close in college.
Gao, who maintains a 4.5 grade-point average, is committed to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Kersenbrock, who holds a 4.6 GPA, will attend nearby Pomona Pitzer.
Both will play tennis for the Division III colleges. And they’re both interested in studying science.
The girls are so close, their Instagram accounted are linked.
“We became best friends in high school and we’ve been best friends ever since,” Gao said. “Hopefully in college, as well, we’ll be best friends.”
In singles final, Louisville sophomore Ania Zabost rallied past Anna Shtrikman of Milken Community 1-6, 6-3, 6-0.