It was a simmering hot day in Belton for the girls’ 18-year-old singles semi-finals. The heat beaming down on the onlookers was nothing compared to the sweltering semifinal match between Sarah Guzick of Greer, and Alex Martin of Mount Pleasant.

The marathon match, which lasted close to three hours, would be pushed as far as the second set would go, into a tiebreak with each lady tallying six games apiece. The points went back and forth, until Martin took control, and tallied the 7-5 tiebreak to advance to the tournament championships by a score of 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), and eliminating the top seeded Guzick.

The match itself was a seesaw battle from start to finish. Both ladies stayed at the backline for the majority of the match, exchanging shots, and testing the others conditioning.

“The heat was a little bit of a factor,” said Martin, who after the match was drenched from head to toe in sweat, and exuberating signs of fatigue. “I got a little tired in the second set, but I fought through it.”

The grueling match play could be summed up in one word, deuce. Countless deuces occurred, with each player fighting off the advantages as they fought for every point. “I can’t remember how many I played, but it was a ton,” said Martin.

One would think that such a close match would be a repeat of a prior match, but this was the first time Martin and Guzick have faced off.

A polar opposite match occurred in the other semifinal, as Michelle Green of Hilton Head made quick work of Jeri Reichel, winning 6-0, 6-3.

After match play began, it was merely a blink and it seemed Green, the two seed, had already won the first set. Reichel, the three seed, came back in the second set, and made it interesting before Green finished her off, and punched her ticket for a finals date against, at the time, was an unknown competitor.

“The heat was definitely a factor. It was really hot out there the match,” said Green. “The long points were pretty tough.”

For each young lady, this marks the first time either have played in the tournament final.

“I haven’t been able to play here in recent years because of injury, so this is the first time,” said Martin.

“I’ve never been to the finals here before, and this is a pretty prestigious even,” said Green. “I real honored to be in the finals. I’m pretty excited.”

The Championship match will get underway tomorrow, in Belton, early in the morning. One can imagine that Martin and Green are happy for the start time, which brings hope of cooler temperatures. Martin and Green have played each other before.