Blake Friese finds his groove, survives marathon match in Jacks' win over Crookston

In a match that lasted nearly two and a half hours, which was full of deuces against Crookston's Gunnar Groven, Friese regrouped himself after an initial first-set heartbreaker to take control of the No. 3 singles match, winning the latter set 6-2 with ...

Apr. 2—BEMIDJI — Losing a long first set in a tiebreaker could be devastating for any high school tennis player. Not to Bemidji's Blake Friese.

In a match that lasted nearly two and a half hours, which was full of deuces against Crookston's Gunnar Groven, Friese regrouped himself after an initial first-set heartbreaker to take control of the No. 3 singles match, winning the latter set 6-2 with a 10-0 tiebreaker triumph. His win was a part of Bemidji's 5-2 victory over Crookston in the climate-controlled confines of Bemidji State's Gillett Wellness Center on Thursday.

After losing the first set 7-6, Friese admitted that he felt frustrated and was trying to do too much. Going into the second set, he didn't feel any pressure. He just knew he needed to make some slight adjustments that would tip the court in his favor.