Tennis: Dawson makes immediate impact for Permian

MIDLAND Charlotte Dawson probably is delivering beyond what could have been hoped of her only a few months into her Permian High School tennis career.

Dawson was simply a theory early in the summer, a nationally ranked player from Georgia who was moving to Odessa and would join the Permian program.

The freshman, who attends Bonham, played atop the Permian ladder from the outset of the fall season and already has won three girls singles titles this spring.

She also dropped only one game Friday during the Tall City Classic, that coming in a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Abilene High’s Kylee Davis that was tougher than the score indicates.

But the fact that Dawson is playing in the semifinals at 8 a.m. today against Lubbock High’s Marca Dotson — and perhaps in the final later in the day — is only a part of the story for Permian coach Mary Kay Mann.

“Charlotte doesn’t brag about how good she is. She shows it with her racquet,” Mann said. “She’s fit in with all these girls and all these guys and become part of this team. She loves the kids. She loves to practice, and it’s just fun. It’s just a good thing for Permian tennis.”

Dawson lost just two singles matches while playing at No. 1 during the team tennis schedule in the fall. She is undefeated in the spring season, and she has won titles in the last month in Midland, Fredericksburg (Mason was the host school) and Odessa.

But this weekend’s visit to Midland certainly is designed to be the most challenging event of the spring yet — regardless of how routine Dawson’s three championships have looked.

The 16-team tournament includes El Paso Coronado, which lost in the state team tennis final, and perennial powers Abilene High and Lubbock Coronado.

There are good players from all of the programs, making for strong competition in every draw.

For instance, Dawson’s victory against Davis wasn’t a runaway. The players broke each other in the first two games of the second set, and Dawson had to fight off two break points in the third game to avoid a 2-1 hole.

“She played really good,” Dawson said. “I just didn’t want her to get the momentum to think she was back in the match. This tournament’s good because there’s a lot of people who keep the ball on the court and hit really hard and have good serves.”

Dawson previously lived in Gainesville, Ga. — which she said is about an hour from Atlanta — and she moved to Odessa with her parents to be closer to family who lives in town.

She picked up tennis from an early age since her four older siblings — two brothers, two sisters — played the sport and her parents both are U.S. Tennis Association officials.

The move to Odessa meant Dawson would be enrolled in public school for the first time. She was home-schooled in Georgia, so she had to endure a lot of changes.

“I was a little hesitant, but I like it a lot now,” Dawson said. “I think it was for the best, and I think I’ve gotten a lot better since I came here.”

Mann said that it is obvious that tennis has been in Dawson’s bloodlines just by watching her play.

Dawson stays in points with consistency and scrapping however she can, but she also can crank a forehand winner with plenty of pace.

“She is very good at court awareness,” Mann said. “I could blindfold her and move her around, and she could tell me where she’s at on the court. She can disguise shots, and she’s got great touch on the ball. With those combinations, she’s a great player.”