Martineau claims 3rd at State A Tennis

Winning all but one of her six matches at the Montana Class A State Tournament, Libby High School tennis player Isabelle Martineau took third place after beating top talent from around the state on Thursday and Friday.

Despite entering the tournament as the third seed from the Northwest Divisional, Martineau defeated the first and second seed players from both the central and east over the course of two days.

She fell only once in her six matches, to Olivia Fehr of Corvallis, who entered the tournament as the first seed from the southwest.

In Martineau’s final set, Emma Putnam of Billings Central put up a long fight, as Martineau and the number one player from the east battled through a 13-11 tiebreaker, ending with Martineau claiming third place.

In doubles play, Jessika Jones and Marissa Wood also entered the state tournament as the third seed from the Northwest Divisional.

In their first match, they faced the number two doubles pair from the southwest, Corvallis’ Connie Watt and Claire Pickett.

Their first set was a decisive 6-2 win for the Libby pair, but their second was a game-by-game battle, with Jones and Wood coming out on top in a 7-2 tiebreaker.

Despite that early win, Jones and Wood were unable to repeat, and the number one pair from the east who would go on to take second at state — Hardin’s Makiko Reisig and Kate Murdock — knocked them out of championship play.

Their fourth round match against Billings Central’s Abby Fitzgerald and Blayne Meyer would be their last for the tournament. The number three pair from the east won in two 6-2 sets.

State Class A Tennis results

Singles

Isabelle Martineau, 3rd place

Thursday, May 24

Round 1, Martineau d. Taylor Walker, Park (#2 Central), 6-2, 6-2

Round 2, Olivia Fehr, Corvallis (#1 Southwest), d. Martineau, 7-5, 6-2

Round 4, Martineau d. Hanna Stokke, Belgrade (#4 Central), 6-4, 6-0

Friday, May 25

Round 5, Martineau d. Sharmayne Hardy, Hardin (#2 East), 6-2, 6-3

Round 7, Martineau d. D. Reagan Smith, Park (#1 Central), 7-5, 6-2

Round 9, Martineau d. Emma Putnam, Billings C. (#1 East), 6-2, 7-6(11)

Doubles

Jessika Jones and Marissa Wood

Thursday, May 24

Round 1, Jones and Wood d. Connie Watt and Claire Pickett, Corvallis (#2 Southwest), 6-2, 6-6(7-2)

Round 2, Makiko Reisig and Kate Murdock, Hardin (#1 East), d. Jones and Wood, 6-3, 6-1

Round 4, Abby Fitzgerald and Blayne Meyer, Billings C. (#3 East), d. Jones and Wood, 6-2, 6-2