High school tennis: Megan Nuske leads Medina romp over Brunswick

BRUNSWICK — On a beautiful day for tennis outside of the noisy construction work at Neura Park, Medina first singles player Megan Nuske and Brunswick No. 1 Sydney Estok both left feeling good about their performance. Sophomore Nuske beat senior Estok 6-1, 6-1 Monday as the Bees recorded a 5-0 Greater Cleveland Conference victory, but for both players — and teams, for that matter — this season is about getting a little better each day and enjoying the process. The 5-foot-1½ Nuske improved her singles record to 3-11 as the Bees upped their mark to 3-8, 1-1, while Estok and the Blue Devils (0-11, 0-3) remained winless. "One of the things that's important for me to remember is I'm only going to get better," the 15-year-old Nuske said. "It's only my sophomore season. I just stay positive throughout the whole match. I go in with no expectations." After going 7-16 while playing primarily second singles as a freshman, Nuske participated in a number of United States Tennis Association matches and took lessons and attended clinics at Paramount Tennis Club in the high school offseason. The work is evident, as Nuske beat out 2021 Medina first singles player Eve Chester for the No. 1 spot in the preseason. Along with that, she's developed a solid topspin forehand and is now capable of hitting winners from the baseline. "I really wanted to push myself as hard as I could so I could compete with players at this level," she said. "No matter what the scores are, I know I am going to get better." In her third year on the varsity and fourth in the Brunswick program, Estok can relate to enjoying the journey. She was the 21st of 21 players in the program as a freshman, played second doubles as a sophomore and moved from second singles to second doubles while finishing 6-15 as a junior. With the Blue Devils having graduated four-time All-Gazette pick Calista Bobula from last year's team, Estok knew someone was going to have to man the first singles spot this year. Following challenge matches, it wound up being her. "It's hard," she said with a smile. "They could put me at third singles or second doubles and I'd probably win a little, but that wouldn't be ethical. Someone has to do it, and as a senior and a captain, I feel like it's my responsibility." Estok won the first game in each set against Nuske but couldn't maintain any consistency. She still managed to smile after initially forgetting to change the scorecard in her favor after the first game of the second set, and she outright laughed when she later whiffed on an easy overhead right at the net. "I know the score was 6-1, 6-1 today, but it was a pretty good match," Estok said. "I knew going into the year that I wasn't going to win a lot of matches, but my mental game has improved. Today was a win for me because I didn't lose my temper." In defeat, Brunswick got solid performances from second singles player Emma Weintz, who was up 4-3 in the first set before falling 6-4, 6-1 to Chester, and the second doubles team of Addison Burns and Ciara Gormley, which fell 6-4, 6-3 to Sophia Kichurchak and Ella Anderson. The Bees got an impressive double bagel from third singles player Emersen Willis and a 6-3, 6-0 triumph from the first doubles team of Hailey Kindall and Julia Kraft on a day that was all about finding the positives for both teams. "I feel like all my work has paid off," Estok said. "My freshman year I was the last player on the ladder. I've worked my way up for three years, and I'm satisfied with that." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter. Medina 5, Brunswick 0 Singles: Megan Nuske (M) def. Sydney Estok, 6-1, 6-1; Eve Chester (M) def. Emma Weintz, 6-4, 6-1; Emersen Willis (M) def. Ashley Weers, 6-0, 6-0. Doubles: Hailey Kindall/Julia Kraft (M) def. Megan Steffen/Abby Ivory, 6-3, 6-0; Sophia Kichurchak/Ella Anderson (M) def. Addison Burns/Ciara Gormley, 6-4, 6-3. Records: Medina (3-8, 1-1), Brunswick (0-11, 0-3).