Reddy outlasts Hamby as future QHS teammates battle for women’s city singles tennis championship

QUINCY — Anika Reddy knows she has a challenge on her hands for the top spot on the Quincy High School girls tennis team this fall.

Reddy, who will be a senior at QHS, had to rally to beat Alex Hamby, an incoming freshman, to win the women’s open title 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 on Sunday in the Quincy Tennis Association City Singles Championships at the Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park.

Reddy also beat Hamby last year to capture the city championship.

“It was tough,” Reddy said. “She’s gotten so much better. It was tougher beat her this time. I’m looking forward to this season with her.”

Reddy said she and Hamby will likely have several more duels throughout the prep season.

“Probably a lot, I’m not going to lie,” Reddy said. “Our coach is probably going to make us play through the season to see who’s going to keep the No. 1 spot, but I’m looking forward to it. She’s a really good player.”

Reddy said she sees a lot of her game in Hamby’s, which makes for tight encounters like the one on Sunday.

“We’re both hard hitters,” Reddy said. “If I’m not hitting a winner, she is, and if she’s not, I am. Also, with the amount of force we use to hit the ball, we do make unforced errors and things like that. Honestly, it could go either way.”

Reddy overcame a frustrating start to lock back in mentally in the second set.

“Honestly, I talked really negatively to myself in the first set, and then I was like, ‘I can’t be doing this,’ so I switched up and was like, ‘If I talk more positively to myself, maybe it will help me out mentally,’” Reddy said. “I feel like that was my biggest issue.” 

Reddy corrected that issue to win the second set easily and force a 10-point tiebreak, during which Reddy found those demons creeping back into her mind.

“I think my mindset kind of went back to how it was in the first set,” Reddy said. “I got a little bit of a led, then I let her get back in it. She played well. She wasn’t going to give that up to me easily. I think that’s what made it the hardest.”

After Hamby got two mini breaks of Reddy to knot the tiebreak at eight, Reddy did the same to Hamby to win the final two points and put an end to a back-and-forth title tilt.

“I just kept fighting and got it in the end,” Reddy said.

Considering how much Hamby pushed Reddy, the senior would gladly welcome the freshman as a doubles partner come the fall.

“It depends on what coach does,” Reddy said. “I’d be excited if we were.”