Bittersweet finale Gaskell earns first title; Charoenkul loses final match

The Trojans got the drama out of the way Wednesday night when the severe weather in the Iowa City area kept sending their phones into a frenzy while they tried to enjoy their customary meal at Olive Garden. This left very little fireworks for the second consecutive all-Fairfield Class 1A girls' singles tennis final that saw sophomore Yana Gaskell crowned state champion for the first time after defeating her teammate, two-time defending champ Anatta Charoenkul 6-0, 6-0.

'When you have two teammates, nobody knows who to cheer for so it makes it a little tense,” explained head coach Heidi Grunwald.

'I'm just rooting for them to both go out there and play their best game,” added the Trojan skipper who celebrated her birthday Thursday with the completion of her 10th season coaching. 'Get good shots in, whether it's Yana or Anatta, you want them to have good shots during this match. It was a quick match and it didn't show how close they are.”

The match

'I just took it game by game and Yana is amazing and I'm really happy for her,” said Charoenkul who was a threat to the end, according to her opponent.

'I ended up with a really decisive score,” said Gaskell, 'but when you're playing somebody like that, you don't know at what point the match can turn, because comebacks happen all the time, and she's strong enough for that to happen. Up 2-0 in the second set, I could start missing and she could really start firing up.”

Although no comeback was mounted, the four-time state qualifier also felt she was in the contest until the end.

'I think I was. The games were pretty spread out, but you know it doesn't count until the last ball is won and I just tried my best,” explained Charoenkul.

'Considering my record against her this season, it would have been bittersweet that the one I loss was in the final,” added Gaskell who was happy not to have to settle for second place again.

'That's what I was going to tell myself if I lost, but I didn't want that to be a thing.”

Graduation

'The main thing for me was my attitude,” said the future freshman who will play tennis at the collegiate level next season for Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Indiana. 'Just staying positive, knowing that this is my last match of high school. I'm so happy and I've accomplished a lot so I'm enjoying being out here again.”

'I think it's going to be a hard loss,” said Grunwald of Charoenkul's departure. 'I don't want to say a big loss, because I think the team will be able to hold their own when she's gone, but she's been a big player. She and I have connected coming to state tournaments and that kind of thing and I hope she keeps me in the loop with what she's doing in the future.”

Future

Charoenkul is expected to fall somewhere between the No. 2 and No. 5 slot on the eight-member Purdue Northwest team.

'To be honest it hasn't sunk in yet,” admitted the recent graduate, 'but since this is my last high school tennis match ever, I feel pretty great. I know I lost, but still I feel these happy emotions.”

'I'm absolutely excited,” said Grunwald of her upcoming 11th year. 'It will be interesting to see the people that are coming up and how they will handle playing at the varsity level.”

Meanwhile, Gaskell said, 'I like the leadership role and teaching people how to play and being the one they look up to. I'll just keep getting more consistent and working harder to get better all around.”