Lehighton’s Bekim Cokrlija appeared to experience a range of emotions in his two matches at the District 11 Class 2A singles tournament at Saucon Valley Monday.

In his opening-round match, the fourth-seeded Cokrlija disposed of unseeded Palmerton’s Colton Ruzicka, 6-1, 6-1. He then had a grueling match with Moravian Academy’s Nikhil Skandan, pulling out a three-set 2-6, 7-6 (13-11), 6-2 victory in the quarterfinals.

In the second match, Cokrlija was down 5-3 and faced multiple match points in the second set, as well as in the 13-11 tiebreaker. In the final set, Cokrlija trailed 2-0 before rallying to win the next six games.

The victory certainly tested his mettle, and the senior easily could have been pleased with an effort that sent him to Wednesday afternoon’s semifinals at Freedom High School.

However, Cokrlija wasn’t overly enthused with his performance.

“I played OK today,” said Cokrlija. “I definitely could’ve played better in the second match. My forehand was shaky, my volleys were off, and my serve was inconsistent.”

Yet, he realized when the match turned in his favor.

“The turning point in the second match was when I squeezed out the win in the second-set tiebreaker,” said Cokrlija. “That gave me momentum going into the third set.”

Lehighton head coach Andrew Hozza saw a different picture.

“I was thrilled with Bekim’s performance,” exclaimed Hozza. “He was working his hardest and making sure every point counted. His first serves helped shape the points and allowed him to stick to his game plan and get the win.

“He was calm and cool under pressure while also controlling and dictating the match, especially during the entire first match and in the second-set tiebreaker and third set.”

Hozza thought the opening match set the tone for the rest of Cokrlija’s afternoon, even though he had roughly a 45-minute wait between matches.

“Bekim had a great first match where he executed perfectly, got off to a strong start and never looked back,” emphasized Hozza. “He had a very solid game plan for the second match, but he started a little slow and didn’t quite execute his shots. After some mid-match adjustments during the second set, he found a rhythm and was able to force a third set.

“He faced a lot of match points, but he buckled down every time and kept forcing another point until he pushed the match into a third set. He eventually won the next set in commanding fashion.”

Ruzicka, a senior, anticipated a challenging match with Cokrlija on a chilly April afternoon.

“I thought I played pretty good,” said Ruzicka, who was making his first postseason appearance after posting a 9-3 regular-season record. “I know Bekim is a really good player, and I was a little nervous at the start.

“I just wasn’t hitting my shots consistently, and Bekim really started to play well. I thought the weather was great because you don’t want to play on a hot day.”

Ruzicka plans to attend Northampton Community College next fall, and his tennis playing days may not be over.

“The year went by really fast,” added Ruzicka. “I’m not sure if the college has a team, but I will try out if they do.”

Unseeded Levi Johnson, another Palmerton player, lost to third-seeded Evan Burcik of Blue Mountain, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.

Like Ruzicka, Johnson had some butterflies in his first appearance.

“I was a little nervous, but I settled down,” said Johnson, a junior who also went 9-3 during the regular season. “I didn’t know too much about the kids from Blue Mountain, but they always have a good team.

“He had a high pop-up forehand that kept sending me all the way to the back of the court.”

Palmerton head coach Jennifer Danziesen appreciated her players’ showings.

“I think they had some really nice shots, but they ultimately made some scoring errors,” said Danziesen. “Their opponents moved them around more and forced some misses.

“But overall, I thought they did a nice job, and they progressed throughout the season. That was Lehighton’s No. 1 player, and he knew where to place the ball. We didn’t see Blue Mountain this year, and their player was very solid.”

Cokrlija, who went 11-2 during the regular season, will meet top-seeded Moravian Academy’s Aveer Chadha, last year’s runner-up, in Wednesday’s semifinal.

He doesn’t expect any surprises from Chadha.

“He’s a great player and also a great kid,” said Cokrlija of Chadha. “He is easy to talk to, and it will be fun playing him.”

Cokrlija feels confident moving ahead.

“Around the end of the season, I started to gain confidence in my swing and release my forehand with power,” said Cokrlija. “Overall, I have played well this year, and I am ready for Wednesday.”