Northwest’s Gontaryk looks to keep proving everyone wrong

MARYVILLE, Mo. (KQTV) -- Polina Gontaryk is a Northwest Missouri State senior tennis player who is making a name for herself after winning the women's tennis singles tournament title at the ITA Central Regional.

Gontaryk entered the tournament unseeded, but she pulled something off that had even her legendary coach Mark Rosewell in awe.

"She beats four seeded players in the tournament, with the last one being the number one seed and a returning all-American who lost all of one match last year," Rosewell said. "45 years of coaching and I thought I'd see it all, but I never saw anything like this before in my life."

Despite going into the tournament unseeded, Gontaryk had complete confidence in herself and thought being the underdog gave her an advantage.

"I think it's a little bit easier for me to play players who are supposed to play better than me or on paper they're better than me," Gontaryk said. "I feel a bit more motivated. I'm like, 'I can prove all of you wrong.' I didn't really think about if they're seeded or not. I was just going into the match and hoping I can give my best and leave the court with the thought that I couldn't play better."

Gontaryk will now head to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to compete in the ITA Cup on Nov. 4-8.