BENTONVILLE — Haeleigh Long was simply glad to be back on the tennis courts again.
A pair of victories during the Colgate Junior Tennis Open Championships made that experience even better.
The rising junior at Rogers High returned to action for the first time in eight months and came away with a pair of victories Friday at Memorial Park. She opened tournament play with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Cara Shipley of Fort Smith in the girls open 16s division, then pulled off a stunner with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over top-seeded Kendra Dinsmore of Bentonville.
“It felt so good,” Long said. “It felt good to get back to where I was.”
Long suffered a torn rotator cuff shortly after the Class 7A State Tournament was completed in October and has been in rehabilitation for her shoulder during that time. She was just cleared for competition earlier this week and hadn’t had an opportunity to hit against another player.
She admitted it took her a while to get back into the flow of the action. Once she settled into playing again, things continued to go her way.
“It took me the whole fi rst set of my first match to warm up,” Long said. “It looked pretty rough, and she was a really good player.
“I do a lot of cross-training and run to help me out. I’m pretty sure the shoulder will hold out. I’ve been icing it and stretching before every match, which every player needs to do before any match.”
Long advances to a Sunday morning semifinal match against Mallory Tabler of Bentonville, who advanced from her quarterfi nal match with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Tori Lee of Grove, Okla.
Tabler appeared to have a strategy in mind when she practiced on one end of her court during warmups, then switched sides to start the match. Instead, it was a matter of using the elements to her advantage.
“I just based it on the sun,” she said. “That way I wouldn’t have the sun in my eyes for two straight games.
“I think I did pretty well out there. It wasn’t my best match because I had a lot of double faults, but overall, any match is a good match because it gives me a chance to practice.”
Other upsets included Jackson Runnels with a 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 win over No. 4 seed Elliot Doxsee in the boys open 12s division, and Srikar Chikkala with a win in boys open 18s over No. 3 seed Alex Lewis, who had to withdraw. Anasazi Cervantes also defeated top seed Sophie Lane 6-1, 6-0 in girls 10s novice action.
The Colgate Junior Open Tennis Championship, which consists of boys and girls ages 10-18 in a variety of divisions, continues through Sunday at both locations.