TCA's Sidwell named Male Tennis Player of the Year

Being able to compete on the state level in high school tennis means that an athlete is one of the best that West Tennessee has to offer.

In the first two years of his high school career, Trinity Christian Academy sophomore Benjamin Sidwell has proven that he has what it takes to be one of the best in the state.

This past season, he reached the semifinals of the Class A-AA singles state tournament and helped lead the Lions to the semifinals of the team competition to be named the 2017 All-West Tennessee Boys Tennis Player of the Year.

"I think our team has a good shot at winning a state title in the next two years," Sidwell said. "We lost a close one this year 4-3 in the semifinals. We played better than we did last year."

Sidwell said that the turning point of the season for him came in a tournament that TCA hosted.

"When we played the Lion Invitational, we played USJ in the final," Sidwell said. "Beating Cade [Reasons] was one of the best wins I have had, and it put me on some good momentum going into the districts and regions."

In fact, Sidwell went through the entire regular season with one loss, which came in a tournament in Hendersonville, and his second loss happened in the semifinals of the state tournament.

"I learned that I had a lot of competition," Sidwell said. "The loss wasn't bad for me. It just put me in my place a little bit and showed me that I can still get better from my losses."

Sidwell feels that his strength is his serve, while he feels his volleys are consistent shots.

But he knows that if he or his team are going to win a title in the next two years, he is going to have to put in the work.

"More practice," Sidwell said. "I need to get on the court more and play more tennis and more tournaments."

Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.

All-West Tennessee Tennis Team

Singles

Jacob Escue

South Gibson, senior

Why chosen: Won the Region 7 A-AA singles championship and reached the Class A-AA quarterfinals for the second straight season.

Garrett Evans

USJ, junior

Why chosen: Helped the Bruins reach the Division II-A state semifinals as a team, and his doubles team along with Miguel Sioson reached the state quarterfinals.

Cade Reasons

USJ, senior

Why chosen: Was the No. 1 player for the Bruins, who reached the Division II-A state semifinals as a team, and reached the state semifinals as a singles player.

Seth Snider

Jackson Christian, sophomore

Why chosen: Played in the District 15 A-AA and Region 8 A-AA singles championship finishing runner-up to Ben Sidwell.

Doubles

Andre Gregory (senior),

Mason Woods (freshman)

USJ

Why chosen: Reached the Division II-A state semifinals as a team after finishing runner-up in the West region tournament.

Adam Todd (freshman),

Cam Presley (junior)

TCA

Why chosen: Reached the Class A-AA state quarterfinals after winning the Region 8 A-AA doubles championship.