How an undefeated Braden River freshman went under the radar in state tennis tournament

Chukwunoneeru “Nonee” Smarty was unseeded in the Class 3A girls state tennis tournament.

After this week, she won’t be flying under the radar anymore.

Smarty, a Braden River freshman, captured the program’s first individual girls tennis state championship on Thursday before capturing the overall singles title on Friday in Altamonte Springs.

She did so by eliminating the No. 2 seed in the quarterfinals, No. 4 seed in the semifinals and the No. 1 seed in the finals.

The overall singles title came when St. Petersburg senior Tate Keber had to retire due to injury.

“She definitely came in under the radar, but now people know who she is and that she’s a force to be reckoned with,” Braden River Head Coach Sharon Itts said.

In the individual bracket, Smarty overcame a one-set deficit in the semis and final to win thrilling tiebreakers.

“It just goes to show that she was able to reach in and go forward in her match play and the grind, and realize that sometimes you can’t just do routine match play,” Itts said. “But you have to trust your training, and the coaching along the way to make small adjustments.

Practicing for four to six hours six times per week led Smarty to go undefeated for the year and the state title.

“Coming in, I actually didn’t look at the draw,” Smarty said. “So I had no idea who I was playing or like where I was. And then I found out after and I was like, ‘Oh wow. That’s cool.’”

Smarty’s older sister, Chidinma “Chi Chi”, is a sophomore on the girls tennis team. Having a sibling to practice and play with has helped, too.

“Because you always have a practice partner and then sometimes she watches my matches and gives me tips as well,” Chukwunoneeru Smarty said.

Now that she’s won a state championship, Smarty said she’ll continue playing tournaments but mainly focusing on practicing to get better during the upcoming summer months.

The state championship win also doubles as a spotlight toward Braden River’s program.

“We’re hopeful that the exposure of tennis as a sport continues to trickle down to the younger generations,” Itts said.

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