2020 Northwest Herald Girls Tennis Player of the Year: Jacobs' Chloe Siegfort

Jacobs sophomore Chloe Siegfort finished off her perfect season at the Class 2A Cary-Grove Girls Tennis Sectional with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Huntley’s Ruhi Gulati, the next-best player in the Fox Valley Conference this season.

Gulati had gotten a little better against Siegfort in each of their previous three matches, but that day Siegfort had it all working. The left-hander finished 28-0 with her second Fox Valley Conference championship and her first sectional title.

Siegfort did not get a chance to see competition outside the FVC this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IHSA canceled the state tournament this year, so the sectional was the season culmination and nine of the 10 teams were FVC schools.

Still, Siegfort worked on her game and improved throughout the season, not dropping a set for the entire year.

Siegfort is the Northwest Herald Girls Tennis Player of the Year, selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches.

During the season, she started training at the Forest View Racket Club in Arlington Heights, with coach Russ Hadziabdic. “They help me through my game so much,” Siegfort said. “I just started there a couple months ago and they have drastically improved my game.”

Siegfort will play some USTA events in the winter and spring, traveling around the Midwest.

Northwest Herald sports writer Joe Stevenson volleyed a few questions at Siegfort, who learned to juggle during the pandemic and knows that polar bears are lefties.

What is the last really good book you read?

Siegfort: "One of Us is Lying" by Karen McManus. It is a thrilling and exciting book.

If you could spend an afternoon taking a lesson with anyone, who would it be?

Siegfort: Victoria Azarenka, she is my favorite player of all-time.

What is your favorite wild animal?

Siegfort: Polar bears, because they are so powerful, fluffy and they are all left-handed.

What is something actually good that has happened for you because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Siegfort: One thing is that I discovered an elite tennis academy (Forest View Racket Club in Arlington Heights) that has improved my game tremendously in a short period of time.

What is your best subject in school?

Siegfort: Cyber security because I have a high interest in computer forensics.

Who would be the ultimate doubles partner?

Siegfort: Grigor Dimitrov. He is my favorite men's player and he has a great forehand.

If you could be a superhero, what would your power be and what would people call you?

Siegfort: My power would be to cure the coronavirus and everyone would call me Chlo-vid 19.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Siegfort: Chocolate and peanut butter.

What is the toughest tennis shot to hit?

Siegfort: It's a tweener. It's a trick shot where you hit the ball between your legs. It's hard because you have to time the bounce perfectly and you are usually facing away from the net.

If you could get tickets to any sporting event, what would it be?

Siegfort: The U.S. Open.

Do you have any hidden talent?

Siegfort: I learned to juggle back in April during quarantine. I learned from my mom (Beth).

What is one of your biggest pet peeves?

Siegfort: People who chew with their mouth open.

Who was your favorite Disney character when you were little?

Siegfort: I liked Nemo because he was born with a defective fin, but that never stopped him from doing what he wanted to do.

What is something that people don’t understand about tennis?

Siegfort: The scoring.

What sport that you don’t play would you be good at?

Siegfort: I would be good at basketball because I have really good footwork and I'm aggressive.