Tennis: Individual state tournaments begin Friday April 20

April 18, 2018 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Pusch Ridge's Preston Grammond is D-III's defending singles champ (AZPreps365 photo)

The first three rounds of the 2018 individual state boys and girls tennis championships will be contested Friday April 20 and Saturday April 21 at venues around the metro Phoenix area.

Seedings for Division I, II and III were compiled last weekend and Monday for singles and doubles competition. Here are the top four seeds for singles and doubles for each division and gender and some accompanying facts about the seeded participants:

BOYS

DIVISION I

Sites: Friday April 20 at Indian School Park, 4289 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale; Saturday April 21 at Gene Autry Complex, 4125 E. McKellips Road, Mesa

Singles: 1. Tripp Dillon, Chaparral; 2. Maximo Lawlor, Millennium; 3. Luke Urlaub, Desert Vista; 4. Jack Woodrow, Brophy Prep.

Doubles: 1. Freddie Wentling-Neil Bhardwaja, Hamilton; 2. Chris Lambert-Brandon Huss, Red Mountain; 3. Greg Abbott-Drew Postillion, Brophy Prep; 4. Drew Dillon-Sandy Wietor, Chaparral.

FACTOIDS: Lawlor is the most decorated  of the division having won doubles last year along with third-place finishes in 2015 and 2016. This is his first year competing in singles. Woodrow took runner-up honors last year in doubles and reached the quarters in 2016. Wentling was third last year in doubles and quartefinalist in 2016. Urlaub finished fourth in doubles last year and Tripp Dillon was part of a doubles runner-up in 2016.

DIVISION II

Sites: Friday April 20 at Scottsdale Ranch Park, 10400 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale; Saturday April 21 at Paseo Racquet Center, 6268 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale

Singles: 1. Colin McConnon, Cactus Shadows; 2. Oliver Boleratsky, Deer Valley; 3. Rush Williams, Arcadia; 4. Jack Mandala, Salpointe.

Doubles: 1. George Jiang-Mason Lee, Catalina Foothills; 2. Jackson Hartenbach-Eric Cho, Salpointe; 3. Harry Carrozza-Ryan Hildebrand, Cactus Shadows; 4. Tyler Calia-Dawson Turner, Bradshaw Mountain.

FACTOIDS: McConnon wound up as doubles champ last year. JIang was singles champ last year  and took 3rd in singles in 3016. Lee has a pair of runner-up finishes in doubles (2016 and 2017).  Boleratzky was singles runner-up last year. Hartnebach notched fourth in doubles last year and Mandala placed 3rd in doubles in 2016 and advanced to the quarters in singles last year.

DIVISION III

Site: Friday April 20 and Saturday April 21 at Paseo Racquet Center, 6268 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale

Singles: 1. Peter Grammond, Pusch Ridge; 2. Adway Gopakumar, Scottsdale Prep; 3. Eric Emami, Phoenix Country Day; 4. Jordan Merrill, Benson.

Doubles: 1. Wilder Cooke-Alex Sparks, The Gregory School; 2. Christian Fetsis-Daniel Rodriguez, Pusch Ridge; 3. Jack Swenson-Avinash Vikram, Scottsdale Prep; 4. Tyler Bierman-Michael Greer, Thatcher.

FACTOIDS: Grammond is the 2017 singles champion. Gopakumar placed 3rd in singles in 2017. Fetsis was part of the 3rd place doubles team in 2017 and part of doubles runner-up in 2015. 

GIRLS

DIVSION I

Site: Friday April 20 and Saturday April 21 at Gene Autry Complex, 4125 E. McKellips Road, Mesa

Singles: 1. Liza Isayev, Horizon; 2. Rimona Rouf, Desert Vista; 3. Hailey Stelse, Desert Mountain; 4. Ana Badulescu, Hamilton.

Doubles: 1. Josie Frazier-Ava or McKenna Koenig; 2. Grace Koester-Anya Ramras, Chaparral; 3. Erica Stutz-Emily Even, Xavier Prep; 4. Lindsey Pesqueira-Marcia Lopez, Rincon/University

FACTOIDS: Koester has placed in each of her first three years taking second in doubles in 2016 snd 2015 and earning the doubles title in 2017. Isayev followed up a runner-up finish in singles in 2016 with the singles title in 2017. Frazier won the singles title from Isayev in 2016. Pesqueira was singles runner-up last year notcvhed a 3rd-place finish in doubles in 2015. Even was doubles runner-up last year and Stutz took third last year in singles. Ramrus was part of a D-III doubles champion team in 2015 at Scottsdale Prep.

DIVISION II

Sites: Friday April 20 at Phoenix Tennis Center, 6330 N. 21st Avenue, Phoenix; Saturday April 21 at  Paseo Racquet Center, 6268 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale

Singles: 1. Selma Fereres, Catalina Foothills; 2. Samantha Loving, Salpointe; 3. Luz Zamudio, Seton Catholic; 4. Faith Daab, Coconino

Doubles: 1. Jillian Rasmussen-Katie Reed, Arcadia; 2. Chloe Gavino-Abby Watson, Catalina Foothills; 3. Brooke Belitz-Nataline Zarasian, Notre Dame Perp; 4. Halle Zadro-Annabelle Mulick, Catalina Foothills.

FACTOIDS: Rasmussen-Reid are the defending doubles champs and placed third in doubles in 2016. Zadro was 3rd in singles last year  and runner-up in doubles in 2016. Zarasian took second in doubles last year and Fereres took home 3rd in doubles. Zamudio was fourth in doubles last year and placed third in D-III singles in 2016.

DIVISION III

Site: Friday April 20 and Saturday April 21 at Paseo Racquet Center, 6268 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale

Singles: 1. Sofia Fetsis, Pusch Ridge; 2. Katerina Stender, Gilbert Classical; 3. Fofo de Marneffe, Phoenix Country Day; 4. Lydia Yuk, Scottsdale Prep.

Doubles: 1. Kay Lee Merrill-Piper Thoutt, Benson; 2. Corinne Bryce-Lacie Whitmer, Thatcher; 3. Sadie Schow-Tatum Leyvas, Casteel; 4. Keiryn Lines-Ella Peterson, Safford.

FACTOIDS: Fetsis finished 3rd in singles in 2017 and de Marneffe took fourth in singles in 2017. Kay Lee Merrill was part of the 2017 doubles champions team and Corinne Bryce part of the 3rd place doubles team in 2017.