State Tennis Individual Results - Thursday

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Five Defending Champions in State Tennis Finals

 

The first day of the state singles and doubles had its share of big wins, upset losses, player's now out of the shadows of past champions and programs who won team titles on Wednesday continued that momentum today at BlueCross Spring Fling XVI.

 

State champions McCallie, University School of Jackson boys', University School of Nashville boys' and Hutchison each have a singles and doubles state finalist. Science Hill has its colors in the boys' and girls' singles finals.

 

Players back to defend their titles are Brandon Fickey (Webb, singles), Tarah Garner (Boyd Buchanan, singles), Sadie Shackelford (St. Andrews-Sewanee, singles), Guinn and Vicki Garcia (Webb, doubles) and Nick Widmer-Steven Young (Knox Catholic, doubles).

 

In an all-family final, the St. Andrews-Sewanee Shackelford sisters ??“ Avery and Sadie ??“ are in the singles final of D-II A. Sadie (9th) is the defending champ, while Avery (11th ) defeated the other 2008 finalist Kendall Ganus (Davidson Academy), 6-3, 6-3, in the semis.

 

D-II A Girls' Doubles: Caroline Awh-Olivia Doochin (USN) takes on Sabrina Blum-Mary Ashley Seabrook (St. George's). Awh won the 2008 doubles with Jillian Berkman. Current teammate Doochin was also in the 2008 tourney, but played with Morgan Wilters and lost in the semis

 

At D-I AAA, junior Kayla McMurray (Bearden) proved to be the bad draw as she swept past two seniors in 2008 state finalist Kelly Gray (Siegel) and defending champ Allison Hodges (Houston) with straight set wins. Hodges also has two state doubles titles on her resume.

 

???I got some momentum going early against Allison and that helped,'' said a smiling McMurray who, with a win Friday, will be the her school's first singles champion.

 

???It was really hot out there today, but I was pumped to play well,'' she stated. ???It's good to get these two behind me, but the finals (Alison Storie, Science Hill) will be tough.''

 

The state tournament-tested Hodges had no answer for McMurray's game whether it was cross court passing shots or rallies from the baseline. Hodges defeated Gray in a three-set final in 2008.

 

D-I AAA Girls' Doubles: Ninth graders Kasey Spilman and Kayla Jones (White Station) took their team to the state finals on Wednesday and Friday they play for the doubles crown against Julia Hsu-Leslie Roberge (Farragut).

 

D-I AAA Boys' Singles: Riding the momentum of the state team title from Wednesday, the Hilltoppers' main man Chris Smith is one win from a dream.

 

???I look forward to playing in the finals for the second year and hope to come out on top,'' said Smith who will play ITA tournaments this summer before playing for UT-Chattanooga in the fall.

 

In the semis, Smith beat one of the state's players of the future in Henry County's Nick Slavick, 7-6 (3), 6-0.

 

???He's a tough player, but I had too many unforced errors in the first set, but played a solid second set'' said Smith.

 

Missing from the state tournament bracket is three-time champion Ian Chadwell (Centennial) who broke two bones in his left foot in the district tounament and had to forfeit.

 

Chadwell, who will play at Alabama in the fall, defeated Smith in the 2008 final, 6-3, 6-3.

 

Chadwell never lost a set in three years at the state tournament. As a freshman, he defeated a Soddy Daisy ninth grader named William Disterdick, 6-3, 6-1, in a semifinal match.

 

Disterdick later transferred to McCallie and plays No. 4 singles for this year's state champion Blue Tornado.

 

???It's sad that Ian is not able to play because I wanted to play the best and he is the best,'' said Smith.

 

Smith will not face Chadwell in Friday's final, but will face Chadwell's best friend, Drake Hernandez, a ninth grader from Brentwood. Hernandez was the recipient of Chadwell's forfeit in the district tournament.

 

Hernandez defeated Xan Witherington (Oak Ridge) and Kelly Lane (Rhea County) in straight sets to earn a spot opposite Smith.

 

???Ian and I are like brothers and I have been playing for him the last couple of weeks,'' said Hernandez.

 

???I played solid tennis today and being in the finals is the biggest moment for me in high school tennis.''

 

Before his injury, Chadwell was the odds on favorite to win a state record fourth singles championship. Three other boys and six girls have won three singles titles, but no one in the first 50 years of the state tournament won four.

 

Three-Time Champs; On the boys side; Chris Brown (Notre Dame, 1962-63-64), Gary Dunn (David Lipscomb, 1971-72-73), Bill Cherry (MBA, 1986-87-89) and Ian Chadwell (Centennial, 2006-07-08). The six girls' are Susan Hill (Red Bank, 197-75-76), Megan Dunigan (Oak Ridge, 1996-97-98), Ellen Rogers (Chattanooga Christian, 1999-01-02), Stephanie Harris (GPS, 2002-04-05), Anamika Bhargava (Houston, 2004-05-07) and Claire Bartlett (GPS, 2006-07-08)

 

D-I AAA Boys' Doubles: In what could be an entertaining and much anticipated final, Lucas Kelley-Riota Yoshida (Maryville) face Alex Howard-Beau Blacksheer (Brentwood) at 11 a.m. CDT. Kelley was disqualified from the state finals last year for racquet abuse among other code violations.

 

D-I A/AA Boys' Singles: 2006 state doubles champion Colton Norton (USJ) faces Erick Hale (Ezell Harding) in the final. In the semis, Hale edged the previously undefeated Nathan Schley (Grace Academy of Chattanooga), 6-3, 6-4.

 

D-I A/AA Boys' Doubles: Defending champions Nick Widmer-Steven Young (Knox. Catholic) fought off four match points and rallied to defeat Will Reynolds and Andy Driggans (Chattanooga Christian) to advance to the finals against Hunt Magee-Allisson Mansur (USJ).

 

Widmer said, ???I wish Colton Norton (USJ, playing singles) was playing in the doubles. I think he is afraid to play us and it would make for a good match of two state champs.''

 

D-I A/AA Girls' Singles: In a re-match of the 2008 final, defending champion and senior Tarah Garner (Boyd Buchanan) faces junior Madison Patey (USJ) for the title. Gardner won last year, 6-1, 7-5.

 

Can this be the third time is the charm for Patey who lost to Stephanie Evans (Franklin Road Academy) in the 2007 final?

 

D-I A/AA Girls' Doubles: A sisters final as Julie and Brittany Covington (Clarksville) takes on Kayla and Ahmee Kelly of Chattanooga Arts and Sciences.

 

D-II AA Girls' Singles: A GPS player has won the state singles title the past five years and Bruiser junior Sarah Evans hopes to make it six as in a row. She faces Hayly Humphries (Hutchison) in the final.

 

Evans defeated Emory Klindworth (St. Agnes), 6-0, 7-6 (2), while Humphries rallied to beat Bronte Goodhue (GPS), 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. Evans beat Humphries in the team semis, 6-3, 6-3, on Tuesday.

 

???It's great to make the finals, but I could have played better,'' said Evans whose last high school loss was to former teammate Claire Bartlett in the 2008 state semis.

 

D-II AA Girls Doubles: Hutchison's Maggie Leavell-Maggie Donoghue face defending state champs Guinn and Vicki Garcia. Guinn also won state doubles title in 2006 with Berkeley Brock before falling to Claire Bartlett (GPS) in the 2007 singles finals.

 

The Garcia family are going for its 10th state title; two singles titles by Dena Garcia (1965, 1967) and seven doubles medals by Mary Jane (1967) and Rebecca (1970-72-73), plus two for Guinn and one for Vicki.

 

D-II AA Boys' Singles: Defending state champ Brandon Fickey (Webb) takes on McCallie's Chris Schlabach in the finals. Fickey, who had to go three sets to beat BGA 8th grader Maxx Lipman, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, has beaten Schlabach twice this season.

 

D-II AA Boys' Doubles: McCallie goes for its third state doubles title (with three different teams) in the past four years when Sawyer Voges-Thomas Fanjoy face Will Carter-Cliff Guyton of MUS. Carter and former teammate Watson George won the state in 2006.

 

Carter is playing in his fourth state doubles final, winning it in 2006 and second to McCallie teams in 2006 and 2008.

 

D-II A Boys' Singles: Teammates from University School of Nashville- Sreya Reddy and Alex Metzman ??“ meet in the finals. Metzman defeated Reddy in the region finals and also was in the 2008 singles final.

 

D-II A Boys' Doubles: The finals has USN ninth graders Sathvik Reddy-Michael Stephanides facing seniors Andrew Strafuss-Travis Sammons of St. George's.

 

In the quarters, Rob Hurst-Ben Calder of St.Andrews-Sewanee defeated Logan Schiedt-Jeremey Himmelstein (Lausanne) before losing to Reddy-Stephanides in the semis. Schiedt won the 2008 state doubles crown with Jason Alabaster.

 

Contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net