New Albany High School boys tennis players led the area during the first day of the Division I district tournament May 17 at Hilliard Bradley, as singles players Robert Cash and Ryan Mudre and the doubles team of Devin Boyer and Nathan Jose all qualified for state.
Cash, a junior, did not lose a game in two matches and earned his third state berth with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Westerville South’s Raphael Guilhem, an exchange student from France.
Mudre, a freshman, defeated Upper Arlington’s Elliot Jones 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) to advance.
The top four finishers in singles and doubles advanced to state May 25 and 26 at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.
The area’s other singles qualifier is Olentangy’s Stu Brdicka, who defeated Dublin Jerome’s Anish Patel 6-1, 6-2 to advance. Lancaster’s Colton Clark earned the district’s other state berth.
Qualifying for state in doubles were Boyer and Jose, Olentangy Orange’s Alex Heiden and Jordan Phelps, St. Charles’ Jack Dabek and Reese Yakubov and UA’s Josh Cole and Will Reynolds.
Boyer and Jose won two matches by 6-0, 6-1 scores, including their qualifying match against Orange’s David Cavote and Ben Thompson.
Heiden and Phelps beat UA’s Paige Kompa and Nathan Yu 6-1, 6-4 to advance.
In other state-qualifying matches, Dabek and Yakubov swept Jerome’s Nate Meadors and Pranav Murali 6-2, 6-1 and Cole and Reynolds topped Olentangy’s Alex Konstan and Sam Routzahn 6-4, 6-3.
Semifinals and finals to determine state placement will be held May 19 at UA.
Division II
Wellington dominated the first day of the Division II district tournament May 17 at Columbus Academy, advancing two singles players and a doubles team to state.
Trevor Ball and Milan Gonela qualified in singles, as did teammates Connor Biernat and Griffin Biernat in doubles. Academy’s Suriya Sundaram and Sam Vogel earned the other doubles berth to state.
The top two finishers in singles and doubles advanced.
In singles qualifying matches, Ball edged Wellington’s Adam Sorrels 7-5, 6-1 and Gonela defeated Academy’s Arie Tuckerman 6-1, 6-1.
In doubles, the Biernats beat Academy’s Drew Haffer and Rhian Seneviratne 6-2, 6-3 in one semifinal, while Sundaram and Vogel defeated Bexley’s Christian Roddy and Leo Schottenstein 6-2, 6-4 in the other.
The singles and doubles finals will be May 19 at UA.
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