Kari TenBroeck, 10, endured the sweltering heat in Fresno, Calif., en route to qualifying for the Western United States Championships.
As a result of her recent No. 1 ranking, TenBroeck went into the NorCal Sectional qualifier seeded No. 2 in the girls' 11-year-old division.
After her first-round loss to an eventual finalist, she won three straight matches and first place in the consolation bracket. With the win, she was awarded fifth place overall.
Winning the consolation finals wasn't easy. TenBroeck lost the first set 6-1 but came back to win the second 6-2.
The tournament utilized the sudden-death 10-point tiebreaker to decide three-set matches. TenBroeck took the tiebreaker 10-6.
The Western U.S. Championships will be in September in San Diego.
-- Bill Welch is the tennis columnist for The Record-Courier. He can be reached at 782-5775.
