Alex Najarian’s serve was on fire.
After a barrage of aces, her opponent from South Florida, Olga Martinez, tried to use a common stall tactic: icing the server.
Fans at the Varsity Tennis Center groaned after her opponent took what they thought was too long to search for a rogue ball. Fresh off a couple of aces, Michigan’s freshman standout was unfazed by the wait.
Najarian had to fight through her emotional opponent. After winning the first set handily, 6-1, Najarian battled to win the second set of her last match of the tournament, 7-5.
Martinez yelled either with jubilation or disappointment after every point. Najarian simply smiled to the crowd as it whispered about Martinez’s antics. Najarian later jokingly called her opponent’s tactics annoying, but said she respected her play.
“She started playing better by picking up her game a little bit, and I backed off when she was doing so,” Najarian said. “I just needed to step it up a little more and take control of the points. I did that in the end, which helped me.”
Najarian has been working on being more aggressive since the fall, and it showed on Monday. Her overheads and serves were noticeably powerful, keeping her opponents off balance. She picked up aces at crucial times, especially in her last match.
“She’s kind of changed the way she’s played from the (ITA) Juniors,” said Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein. “She was a little more defensive and (now) she’s coming forward more.”
Najarian, a three-time state champion, three-time All-American and last year’s Michigan High School Athlete of the Year, has already made an impact on the team. She went undefeated over the weekend in both singles (playing at the No. 3, 4 and 5 positions) and doubles, where she is in the No. 1 position and ranked No. 10 in the nation.
Her success in both makes it tough for even Najarian herself to decide where she excels more. But she does have a preference.
“I like doubles better,” Najarian said. “I like having another person out there.”
Although team points weren’t scored in the Michigan Invitational, Najarian will certainly contribute to the Wolverines’ success as the season progresses.
“She’s come a long way in four months. She’s been doing a great job and has been a great addition,” Bernstein said. “She’s going to compete day in and day out, and that’s all I can ask for.”
Najarian lost only one singles match in her entire high school career. The college game isn’t much different, but it comes with heightened competition and pressure. Though Najarian has tweaked her playing technique and strategy to be more successful at the college level, Bernstein has the utmost confidence in her to achieve.
“She’s hopefully going to get more confidence in what she’s doing,” Bernstein said. “She’s playing more different and offensive, and hopefully the results will come.”
As Najarian’s confidence grows, she and the team will improve and learn, for this year and the years to come. At the same time, her opponents will learn something as well: You can’t ice Alex Najarian.