Barker looking forward to solid season on court
El Dorado senior Macey Barker said she’s always kept a busy summer tennis schedule. This year, she was rewarded with a No. 5 Arkansas USTA ranking in Girls 18 singles, which is her highest, yet. The right-hander hopes her most productive summer leads to her best high school season.
“I’m always this active. Tennis has been a huge part of my life since I was about 11-years-old. Every summer, I’ve pretty much had tournaments every weekend.”
Barker will join El Dorado’s tennis team for a tournament in Searcy this weekend. She hopes to squeeze in another tournament or two before the summer ends.
“So far, number five in the state is as high as I’ve gotten. But, I’m hoping I can go to a couple more tournaments before school starts and I can get it a little higher,” she explained.
Barker is coming off a solid showing in the Arkansas Junior Closed State Championships, advancing to the consolation finals in singles
and winning the doubles competition.
She lost to the state’s top-ranked player, Little Rock’s Taylor Shaw, 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals but beat No. 8 ranked Vanessa Salinas of Rogers, 7-6, 7-6 in the consolation final. Barker also beat Salinas 6-0, 6-4 in the Serena Smith State Farm/Integrity Capital Wealth Management Jr. Open in Bentonville and lost to No. 3 Grace Harris of Little Rock, 6-3, 7-5.
Competing against the very best players in the state, win or lose, was a confidence builder.
“It definitely makes me feel more confident. As long as I play my game, I’m happy,” said Barker, who said the consolation final win over Salinas showed she could pull out a tough win against a top player.
“That finals match against Vanessa Salinas, I struggled a lot. I had to start playing a Plan B. I don’t want to lob it but sometimes you have to do that. That’s just part of playing. You’ll win some and you’ll lose some. You have to pull out of tough situations.
“It brought me up a lot, actually. I felt a lot better about myself.”
Barker described her game as all-court, from baseline to the net. A genuine student of the game, when asked who she styled her play after, Barker didn’t give the standard - Serena Williams or Roger Federer answer.
“There’s a newer player that just won the French. Her name is Jelena Ostapenko and I really like how she plays,” she answered. “She likes to go for it. She doesn’t really like the play-around game. She likes to just hit it as hard as she can.”
Barker would like to play collegiate tennis. But, for now, she’s thinking about her senior year as a Lady Wildcat. She lost in the second round of the 6A Tournament last season.
“I got knocked out by the same girl that beat me my freshman and sophomore year. But, she’s no longer there. She graduated,” Barker said.
Of the girls ranked in 18 singles, Jonesboro’s Hunter Roper was the only Class 6A player ahead of Barker, at No. 2 in the state. The two haven’t met this summer.
“That’s my competition this year,” Barker said. “She is very good. I’ve seen her play several times but I’ve never had the opportunity to play her. Every tournament we’re in, she’s never in it.
“To be honest, I really feel like I can win state if I pull everything together. I feel like I can. It’s just going to be a matter of hard work and dedication.”