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For the second straight year, Chisago Lakes sophomore Claire Mickelson is headed to the state girls tennis tournament after putting together another impressive run through the Section 4AA individual tournament last week.

Mickelson, who entered sections as the second seed, got to the finals with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory over Mahtomedi's Braelyn Skow in the semifinals on Tuesday, October 20, guaranteeing herself one of the section's two state tournament berths.

That set up a championship showdown with top-seeded Abby Manger of Mahtomedi, who had to work a little harder to reach the finals, rallying past Totino-Grace's Ava Schlichting 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the other semifinal.

Mickelson wasn't able to pull off the upset in the championship match, however, as Manger took care of business with a 6-3, 6-2 victory to claim the section title.

Despite the loss, it was another strong showing for Mickelson, who has established herself as one of the top singles players in the section during her first two years of high school tennis.

The sophomore will now turn her attention to the Class AA state tournament, where she will be looking to improve on last year's appearance.

Mickelson enters the state tournament unseeded and will open play on Thursday, October 29, at 8 a.m. against fellow unseeded competitor Aurora Jacobs of Perham/New York Mills.

The match will take place at LifeTime Fitness in Bloomington.

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