Sobrato's Alexa Watanabe won her second division crown Monday in the Santa Teresa Division Singles Tournament. She and Ali Pecsok will represent the Bulldogs next week in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Tournament.
MORGAN HILL -- On the tennis court, Alexa Watanabe is one of the most intimidating 5-foot-3 people you will meet.
Reading her next move is like trying to look through a brick wall. The Sobrato sophomore blankets her thoughts with an expressionless stare, complementing flawless play with seamless stoicism.
"You don't know what she's thinking," her coach Randy Barbaglia said. "She doesn't show any emotion. You can't tell if she's tired or frustrated. She's just dedicated. She doesn't give you much."
That's part of the reason why Watanabe has been the toast of her Blossom Valley Athletic League division the past two years.
The Bulldogs' top player wrapped up her second straight conference title Monday, beating Oak Grove's Niki Tubo in the finals match of the Santa Teresa Division Singles Tournament at Mount Pleasant High School. Watanabe, 16, who became Sobrato's first singles champion last year when she won the West Valley Division, defeated Tubo in three sets 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, highlighting her second berth into the BVAL Singles/Doubles Tournament.
"It was my goal since Day 1," said Watanabe, who is a straight-A student. "I thought it was realistic to win the (West Valley) last year. But going into the (Santa Teresa), I did not know how it was going to be; how hard and more difficult it would be. It's surprising to have won."
Watanabe may have been surprised during Monday's finals match, when she suffered her first loss in a set this year. Watanabe reeled off a perfect 16-0 record during the regular season, including a 14-0 mark in league play, but landed in a dogfight with Tubo after building a 5-2 lead in the second set.
"I thought, 'I'm going to win,' " Watanabe said. "But then she started catching up and adjusting her shot. I had to figure out what to do differently so I could start winning shots. It took me a while to change the pace."
Watanabe still wore her trademark poker face going into the third set -- but with a hint of fatigue. She had played two other tournament matches in the past 24 hours, beating Independence's Cindy Do 6-3, 6-2 in the second round, and her teammate and best friend Ali Pecsok 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.
"I told her she was lacking some energy. I could see it," Barbaglia said. "I told her, 'you're a good player. You're undefeated. Just do what's been working for you this season.'
"Looking at her, I couldn't tell if I helped or not."
With her friends chanting, "dig deep," Watanabe finished the job in the third set, keeping her composure even after the final point.
"My friends cheered. I might have smiled," Watanabe joked.
Strands of reservation and persistence have made up the bloodline of Watanabe's play since the first time she picked up a racket. The San Martin native found an immediate connection to the sport.
"When I was young, I tried other things -- swimming and dancing -- but I didn't really like them," she said. "When I was 10, I remember my mom would always take me out to the courts, and she would drop the ball and have me swing at it. I always missed. But even though I always missed, I would try again and want to do it more.
"Getting older, I realized I liked it more and wanted to take it seriously."
Watanabe's mother, Julie Watanabe, contends Alexa got the family into the sport, including her older sisters Kiera and Karissa who played for Live Oak High School.
"Alexa picked it up quickly," Julie said. "It helped that her sisters and her father and I played with her.
"Tennis is Alexa's sport. She can keep her composure way better than I can."
The one time Watanabe succumbed to emotion was in her first prep match, a loss to a Del Mar High School player.
Watanabe has not lost a regular-season match since then.
"I beat that girl later in the season," Watanabe said. "I won 7-5, 6-0. I'll never forget that score."
Watanabe slashed her way through the rest of the season before beating Pecsok in a back-and-forth West Valley Tournament finale.
"It was so much fun playing last year and in the semis this year," Pecsok said. "We have a friendly rivalry I guess, but it's nothing serious."
Think Larry Bird and Magic Johnson dressing for the same team.
"It's great playing with Ali," Watanabe said. "Most people don't get to play a sport with a friend because they do different things or don't like the same things. We like the same sport and we're good at it. It's nice having that connection."
Added Pecsok: "We know each other's strengths. We get the best out of each other. (Alexa) is just really consistent. She can hit it back to you from anywhere. She can rally all day."
Pecsok and Watanabe's rematch in Monday's semifinal was even more intense than their finals showdown.
"When we played in the finals, we both knew we were going to BVALs," Pecsok said. "This time, it wasn't for sure."
Pecsok lost Monday but punched a ticket to the BVAL Tournament with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Independence's Andrea Niehaus in the consolation finals.
Sobrato finished third in the team standings and will likely not jump to the Mount Hamilton Division next year. That leaves Watanabe hoping to win another Santa Teresa singles title in 2009. She first wants to go far in the BVAL Tournament, which opens Tuesday at Mount Pleasant.
"She can do it," Barbaglia said. "She has that advanced ability to size up her opponent and know what she has to do.
"We don't know who she's going to play in the first round, but it doesn't matter. It comes down to how well Alexa plays her game."
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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