Rosman sees room to improve on 11-0 season

Pardon Steve Alonzi if the Estero High tennis coach sounds a bit ho-hum when asked to sum up the season of his No. 1 girls singles player.

"Another fantastic season. I've come to expect it," said Alonzi.

That's the kind of confidence coaches can proudly exude when they have a dominant performer on their roster. And for the past three years, Rachel Rosman has ruled the high school courts of Lee County.

Rosman posted her second consecutive 11-0 regular season. Tack on an 11-1 freshman season, and that's an astonishing 33-1 record that Alonzi will gladly welcome back to the Estero courts next year.

Consider:

• Rosman has yet to lose on Estero's home court

• This year she became the first Wildcat girl to win a district title and the first to win a match at the state tournament

• She did not lose a regular season set this year

• She led the Wildcats to their best record in school history

• As a sophomore, she became the first Wildcat to post an undefeated regular season.

Alonzi said he noticed his star using her serve as more of a weapon this year, complimenting her stronger ground game. He said he also noticed improvement in net game.

Rosman said one of her main goals this past season was to advance further than her sophomore year. She accomplished that by winning a district title and then capturing one match at the state tournament before losing to the No. 1 seed.

Photo by KEVIN JOHNSON, Banner

Rachel Rosman wrapped up another impressive year at Estero High. In three years as a Wildcat, Rosman has compiled a 33-1 regular season record, in addition to being Estero's No. 1 singles player.

Rosman, who picked up a tennis racket at age 4 and has been playing USTA events since age 10, doesn't mind the occasional difficult match in the regular season, though it rarely happens. "Sometimes it's nice to have tough matches," she said last week.

Except for one three-set loss against a foreign exchange student in her freshman year, Rosman has been unbeatable in the regular season.

Her tougher tests come outside of the county, and this year she forged a niche in state competition with an opening round win that lasted nearly three hours.

Rosman said she was thrilled to get to states this year and hopes to return next season with a goal of advancing further.

That's one reason why every morning this summer she's on the courts in Bonita Springs receiving instruction from Florida Gulf Coast University player Alberto Gutierrez.

"When you play with someone better than you are, you want to elevate your game," said Rosman, who plans to play in the Busch Florida Open later this month as well as other USTA tournaments.

In addition to returning to states next year, another goal for Rosman is to land a spot on a college team. Alonzi said six college have already inquired about her.