If it’s going to be one-and-done for Jake Van Emburgh, this isn’t what he envisioned.
Middleton’s freshman tennis phenom had one thought on his mind heading into the WIAA Division 1 state tennis meet: winning a title.
Van Emburgh’s quest fell short, though, when he lost to Brookfield East sophomore David Horneffer, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the state semifinals last Saturday.
Van Emburgh bounced back and toppled Homestead’s Danny Coran, 6-2, 6-2 in the third place match. Meanwhile, defending state champion Felix Corwin defeated Horneffer — his teammate — for the state title, 6-3, 6-3.
“Having beaten (Horneffer) so many times in a row, I overlooked the player he was a little bit,” Van Emburgh admitted afterwards. “On top of that I was not 100 percent healthy during that match … things I would rather not discuss.”