WOOSTER, Ohio — Nine of the area’s top tennis players gathered at the College of Wooster on Thursday for the opening round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Boys State Championship, but only two advanced to the second round.
Southview’s brother tandem of Isaac and Landon Vens defeated Upper Arlington’s Jackson Lloyd and Keshav Goyal 6-3, 6-0, in the first round of the Division I bracket, stringing together victories in 12 straight games after dropping the first three.
“We were a little nervous at the start,” said Cougars head coach A.J. Zazda, “but then we started clicking and things fell into place.”
In the second round, the brothers took on Cincinnati St. Xavier’s Chase Homan and Nihal Narisetty, but came up short, losing 6-2, 6-2.
“[St. Xavier] played pretty close to the top of their game,” said Zazda. “Isaac and Landon gave their best efforts. The good news is that they are both back next year. We’re excited about that, and we hope that they will get another crack at it.”
Isaac Vens, a junior, said he and his brother played well, but were not able to take advantage of some opportunities in the second match.
“Everyone there was super good,” he said. “We had some chances against St. Xavier, but couldn’t convert.”
Landon Vens, a freshman, said the two will focus on next year.
“We’ll come back with a new fire,” he said. “We know how much it stings [to lose], so we’ll both be ready to get back out there next year.”
Also in Division I doubles, senior Aaron Miller and junior Sam Swisher of Findlay dropped a 6-2, 6-1 decision to Olentangy’s Sujan Sriram and Gavin Cheung.
“I feel like the match was closer than the scores showed,” said Findlay coach Jen Abel. “We had chances to win games, but couldn’t finish. We won a lot of points, but we just didn’t win a lot of games.
“We had our moments, but couldn’t maintain our momentum,” said Abel. “Olentangy’s players were very good at putting the ball away. We were hoping to at least go three sets, but at state everyone is very good, and just to get there is quite an accomplishment.”
Abel’s son, Aaron, was disappointed by the loss, but grateful for the experience.
“Our opponents were really good,” he said. “Losing the match was tough, but getting to state for the first time was a wonderful experience.”
In Division I singles, junior Nick Miller of St. Francis de Sales dropped a 6-3, 6-3 decision to Cincinnati Sycamore’s Dhruv Kota.
“I thought I would go and play the way I always do, but the first set did not go so well,” said Miller, who also qualified for the state golf tournament last fall. “In the second set, I started to play a little better, but [Kota] was very consistent. He just outplayed me.”
Miller’s coach and mother, Susie Miller, said her son’s nerves might have been a factor in the first set.
“[Nick] started coming on in the second set, but his opponent didn’t miss anything, and that’s the way things are at state,” she said. “When you come here, you have to play your best.”
In Division II, Bryan junior Landon Bassett squared off against Orange’s Chika Nwaozuzu, the defending state doubles champion, and put up a valiant effort before falling 6-3, 6-1.
“Chika is a great opponent,” said Bassett. “I knew it would be a tall task, but I was proud of the way I was able to hang in there. “It was an awesome experience. It was a great way to end the season. To be able to play against the best in the state was really great.”
Bryan coach Adam Swisher praised Bassett’s effort.
“I thought Landon played his best tennis in the first set. He really pushed [Nwaozuzu] as hard as he could, and left it all on the court. All you can ask is that your player plays his heart out, and Landon definitely did that.”
Also in the first round of Division II, Ottawa Hills sophomore Jack Kayse fell to Heartland Christian’s Cooper Grim, 6-3, 6-2.
“I thought I played pretty well,” said Kayse, who was making his second consecutive trip to the state tournament. “I thought every ball had a purpose. It was a competitive match, and I was pretty satisfied with my play.”
“Any of those games could have gone either way,” said Kayse’s coach, Dan Amato. “They were both solid players. Jack came out strong and played really well. He’s very tough and doesn’t give up on any points. I’m really proud of him.”
In Division II doubles, senior Savith Vijendra and freshman Chris Thompson were defeated by Columbus Academy’s Lucas Xue and Rowen Lo, 6-1, 6-0.
“They played a really tough team,” said Amato. “It was a little lopsided, but they really fought to the end. I am very proud of them.”
Vijendra said he was pleased with the season as a whole, and acknowledged the strength of Columbus Academy.
“They were really good,” he said. “Going in, we knew it would be tough, but getting to state is a great experience.”
Thompson also thought he and Vijendra played well, but acknowledged that the competition at state is at a whole different level.
“There’s a reason why these guys are at here,” he said.” They’re the best in the state.”
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