A pair of Union County tennis heavyweights slugged it out on the court Tuesday at Parkers Chapel. The Lady Trojans’ Tatum Watson handed Smackover’s Taylor Darden her first defeat of the season, 7-6, winning 7-4 in the tiebreaker.
Watson improved to 5-1 on the season. Her only loss was to Gurdon’s Karly Reese in another tiebreaker. Darden’s record is now 7-1.
“It was an amazing match,” Watson said. “Taylor is an amazing athlete, no doubt. She’s very versatile and she can hit shots that are out of my reach. She has amazing technique and pushes me. Matches like these can go either way. You could flip a coin to decide who would win between the two of us.”
Parkers Chapel coach Julie Battisto said this was a match Watson had been preparing to play.
“She didn’t play in the El Dorado match (Monday) because we wanted her ready for today,” said Battisto. “They were great on the court and after a very long match, they hugged.”
Watson competed in doubles last season in the 2A State Tournament. Darden competed in the 3A State Tournament in singles a year ago. They are not scheduled to face off again this year.
They could, however, help each other prepare for the rest of the season.
“Playing against Taylor is the most beneficial thing I can do to benefit myself to prepare for state,” said Watson. “We plan to practice with each other as much as we can. I’m thankful to be able to play against an athlete with as much talent as herself.”
Parkers Chapel's conference tournament will begin Oct. 3 at SAU. Smackover's conference tournment will be Oct. 3 at Drew Central (UAM).