Observer-Reporter Athlete of the week
Name: Jacob Patterson
School: South Fayette
Class: Junior
Sport: Tennis
Patterson’s week: The top seed in Class AAA tennis, Patterson defeated Colin Gramley of Shady Side Academy 7-5, 6-3 in the individual singles finals at North Allegheny High School to win the gold medal.
Patterson defeated Brandon McEwen of North Hills in the opening round then followed that up by downing Deniz Finkel of Allderdice, 10-0 to reach the semifinals, There, he built a 6-3, 4-0 lead over Adeel Pracha before the senior from Shady Side Academy was forced to retire.
To reach the WPIAL tournament, Patterson won the Section 4 singles title.
This year, as the first-place finisher, Patterson automatically qualifies for the state tournament May 28-29 in Hershey.
“I had a lot of butterflies for the finals,” said Patterson. “There were a lot of people watching and I really wanted to win. I had to keep myself calm because he is a really good player.”
Patterson has been playing competitive tennis since he was 6.
“My parents played and I went to a park and started playing with them and the rest is history,” he said. “I started taking lessons when I was 6.”
Patterson plays year round. His backhand is his best shot. He plays outdoors from late March to October then heads indoor.
A teacher
On Patterson’s off days, he heads to Upper St. Clair High School, where he helps teaches younger kids how to play tennis.
“It’s called red ball,” said Patterson. “Three days a week, I manages the opening and closing of the tennis bubble.”
Patterson’s family moved from Louisiana to South Fayette before he was born so South Fayette Township has always been his home.
Patterson is fielding calls from college recruiters but does not have a desire to play past that point. He sees tennis as a means to an end for his business major.
“I’m open-minded about college because it’s not a huge time to go visit schools,” Patterson said. “Right now, I have an idea but it’s still up in the air.”
Patterson has no interest in turning pro.
“Those are a dime a dozen,” he said. “It’s not very hard to become a professional. I try to be as realistic as possible. I don’t think my game is suited to that. I want to have a life outside of tennis.”
– Compiled by Joe Tuscano