The brackets for the girls’ Class 2A state tennis tournament have been announced by the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union.
Ankeny freshman Kira Smith has been awarded the No. 4 seed in the Class 2A singles tournament. She will meet Celine Matthews of Mason City in the opening round.
Junior Esther Guan of Ankeny Centennial was given a tough draw. She will face top-seeded Allison Szalay of Dowling Catholic, the defending champion, in her first-round match.
Claire Gu of Valley is the No. 2 seed. The No. 3 seed is Maya Mallavarapu of Cedar Falls.
If the seedings hold up, Smith would meet Szalay in the semifinals. Those two are also expected to play on Saturday, when Ankeny hosts Dowling in the opening round of the Class 2A state team tournament.
Smith currently boasts an 18-1 record. Her only loss came to Dowling’s Ava Petersen, 6-1, 6-3, during a dual meet on April 19, when Szalay did not play due to an injury.
Ankeny seniors Anna Schmitz and Tori Johnson (8=0) will play Allison Rickert and Izumi Brown of Valley in the opening round of the Class 2A doubles tournament. With a victory, Schmitz and Johnson would likely face the top-seeded duo of Kenzie Klein and Petersen from Dowling in the quarterfinals.
The Class 2A tournament will be played on May 27-28 at Waukee Northwest.