Tiebreakers are an integral part of tennis.

If a best-of-three match comes to a draw, a third-set tiebreaker decides the winner. The first team to 10 with a lead of at least two wins. It can be one of the most brutal yet exhilarating aspects of the sport.

Wheelchair tennis is no exception.

Down after the first set, 19-year-old Sydney Fowler and her doubles partner came back in the second, advancing to a third-set tiebreaker. Points went back and forth until Fowler hit the winner to make it 12-10, and the duo were officially on to the Cajun Classic’s Division C semifinal.

“It was very stressful, definitely a roller coaster, but we pulled through in the end,” Fowler said.

The very windy semifinal match on Sunday afternoon turned into another nail-biter. They had the better start and claimed set one, but lost the momentum in the second. Their match would go down to the tiebreaker – again.

The third set was pure deja vu as neither team could keep the lead, but eventually, Fowler’s duo punched their ticket to the final.

A sophomore at Clemson, she plays for the university’s own wheelchair tennis team. She traveled with her team and parents to compete in one of the sport’s largest tournaments in the world, which takes place every year right here in Baton Rouge.

Fowler is one of 100 wheelchair athletes, ranging from amateurs to pros, who flock to the South for the world-class event. Wheelchair tennis is one of many adaptive sports that have their own leagues, levels and tournaments around the globe.

Fowler is vocal online about her life after becoming paralyzed at 13 and gives perspective to life as a paraplegic student-athlete.

“It provides us an outlet,” Fowler said. “Sports were taken from a lot of us, so to have this amazing community is better than I could have ever imagined.”

Last week, the 34th annual Cajun Classic kicked off at the Paula G. Manship YMCA and Highland Road courts, bringing together disabled athletes of all skill levels for a spirited and welcoming tournament that blended competition with camaraderie.

The tournament director, Jennifer Edmonson, started as a volunteer almost 30 years ago. The hospital where she worked was a sponsor, so she signed up. Five years later, she was spearheading the event and never looked back.

In the decades since the tournament’s birth, the Cajun Classic has only grown. With a growing number of athletes, the event is recognized as a “Super Series,” which is one step down from a grand slam.

The brackets are split into multiple categories depending on age, gender and ranking. Skill level places you in an A, B, C or D division with A being the most advanced.

There is also a “quad” division for quadriplegic athletes who have a disability that affects the functioning of their upper limbs as well.

A senior on the Clemson team, Mckenna Woodhead, is one of those athletes. Like many quad players, she tapes the racket to her hand for matches due to her limited grip strength.

It may look a little different, but the tennis is the same. The one major rule change from standing tennis is the allowance for two bounces of the ball, but many of the pro athletes don’t use it.

As adaptive sports continue to expand at the collegiate level, more university programs like Clemson compete in the Classic.

Although this is only her second Cajun Classic, Fowler’s seen the growth.

“I haven’t been playing that long, but I was here last year, and seeing so much improvement in a year is really encouraging,” Fowler said.

Even though the player pool is widening, the wheelchair tennis community remains tight-knit. Everybody is friends with everybody – like one big family reunion with first-timers immediately welcomed into the mix.

“We are very proud to say that we have a very family-oriented atmosphere,” Edmonson said. “We have a crawfish boil because, let’s face it, we’re in Baton Rouge.”

As big as it’s gotten, the tournament still prioritizes southern hospitality, providing a seafood boil, fish fry, jambalaya and more at the courts this year.

“We do try to not lose that,” Edmonson said. “Even though we have a very professional event, we want to keep that family thing, because that’s how it started, and that’s how it’ll always be for us.”

That community is one of the biggest draws for players like Fowler.

According to her father, Fowler was an athlete before her paralysis and is still one after because adaptive sports like wheelchair tennis help her to maintain an active lifestyle.

She also has her own clothing business called “Single Soul” and is pursuing a degree in business marketing and a minor in entrepreneurship.

“Everybody’s just motivated to get out there and live life a little bit,” her father, Jeremy Fowler, said. “I think that’s why she loves doing sports and competitions. Winning is cool, but it’s really more about being around motivated people who are trying to be better and better.”

Fowler’s finals match was destined to be anything but simple, and so it was. After two sets, the score was tied.

Ultimately, she and her partner would lose the third by two points and finish the tournament as the runners-up. Win or lose, Fowler’s spirit remains unbreakable, just like so many of these players.

“I’m just excited to see where I am next year,” Sydney said. “I’m just here to get better every single year, and I’m doing that.”

Tiebreakers are a reflection of resilience. It’s not just about ability, but the will to fight for every point, and that’s what this sport is all about.