Lyons’ Chatt returning to state meet in one piece

Updated: October 17, 2011 7:34PM

The hip injuries that ended Alex Chatt’s trip to last year’s state meet are a distant memory; the Lyons Township sophomore has momentum heading into this year’s version, which begins Thursday.

Chatt won the Hinsdale Central Sectional on Saturday, and is looking for a high seed when State brackets are released.

For Chatt, winning a sectional final served as a bit of redemption. A week earlier, she suffered her first loss of the season, falling to Hinsdale Central sophomore Alex Solovyev 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 in the West Suburban Silver singles championship.

Chatt returned to defeat Solovyev 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a rematch at the sectional final.

“I felt I played a lot smarter,” Chatt said. “The wind was a factor. It was really crazy.”

The two Alexes are no strangers. Chatt estimates she played against Solovyev about a half-dozen times during the offseason at U.S. Tennis Association tournaments. Chatt played at doubles when the two teams met in Western Springs on Sept. 6.

Chatt qualified for last year’s state meet, but had to pull out of the just days before it started when her sore hips did not respond to physical therapy.

She is 100 percent healthy this year.

“I’m really happy,” Chatt said. “When I could not play last year, it was such a bummer. I’m happy to be able to compete this year.”

Chatt will have company this time around, as junior Katie Miller qualified with a fourth-place finish at singles in the sectional.

Miller beat 2010 State qualifier Lindy Wing of Hinsdale South 6-2, 7-5 in the semifinals to qualify for her first state meet. She lost the third-place match to Hinsdale Central junior Tiffany Chen 6-0, 6-0.

“It’s really exciting,” Miller said. “I thought I could (qualify more) at singles than doubles. I knew it could go either way. The wind definitely affected the ball. I think the best thing was that I was able to play with the wind and not let it throw (me) off as much.”

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