The Ohio High School Athletic Association's boys tennis state tournament will take place Thursday and Friday at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. Three singles players and three doubles teams from the Toledo area qualified through sectional and district tournaments to reach the state event.
Play will begin at 9 a.m. on both days. Competition will take place in brackets of 16 entries for singles and doubles in Divisions I and II.
Here is a breakdown of local participants in this year's state tournament.
DIVISION I SINGLES
Nick Miller, St. Francis de Sales
Year: Junior
Record: 10-4
Sectional finish: First
District finish: First
Notable: Miller made it to the state tournament last year as part of a doubles team with Ethan Little. The pair lost in the first round to a team from Lewis Center Olentangy.
Coach says: “Our season really opened up for more out of town matches to help prepare for the end of season. Nick's experience from states last year helped him understand what to expect this year. He's proud to represent St Francis at the state level. He feels confident and ready to compete.” — Susie Miller.
DIVISION I DOUBLES
Isaac Vens and Landon Vens, Southview
Years: Isaac junior; Landon freshman
Records: 7-0 doubles; Isaac 25-1 singles; Landon 18-0 singles
Sectional finish: First
District finish: First
Notable: The Vens brothers teamed up to play doubles for the postseason after each posted dominant singles records in the regular season. Isaac reached the state quarterfinals in singles last season, and both brothers are ranked among the top 10 singles players in the state for their respective classes.
Coach says: “The Vens brothers made it through sectionals and districts winning every set 6-2 or better. They are playing at a high level and are excited about the opportunity to compete at states together. Southview and I are excited to see what they can do." — A.J. Szozda.
Sam Swisher and Aaron Miller, Findlay
Years: Miller senior; Swisher junior
Records: 4-2 doubles in postseason play
Sectional finish: Second
District finish: Second
Notable: Swisher and Miller only played one tournament as a team together in the regular season, but they came together to secure back-to-back runner-up finishes in the postseason to make their way to Wooster. Swisher is a second-time state participant, having reached the doubles tournament last year with Arda Dastan. The pair lost to New Albany in the first round after being up a set.
Coach says: “The matches they have played have been primarily against great teams, which has prepared them for the type of players we’ll see at state. Also, they both are strong doubles players and play well in big matches. Their games complement each other, with Aaron being the steady baseliner with also solid volleys while Sam is a dominant net player. Aaron’s ground strokes set Sam up at the net for his solid put-away volleys and overheads, and Sam can take the pressure off of Aaron’s net game by taking many of the shots at the net. I think we’ll have a great chance to play well at state and see if our experience with the big-time players can pay off.” — Jennifer Abell.
DIVISION II SINGLES
Jack Kayse, Ottawa Hills
Year: Sophomore
Record: 22-7
Sectional finish: First
District finish: First
Notable: Kayse is 2 for 2 at reaching the state tournament in his career, having broken through as a freshman in 2023. He lost in the first round to Lucas Xue of Gahanna Columbus Academy, but he returns this year as a rare sophomore with state tournament experience.
Coach says: “He's grown a lot since last year and is stronger going into the state tournament. We have aspirations for him to get to Day 2 this year.” — Dan Amato.
Landon Bassett, Bryan
Year: Junior
Record: 21-6
Sectional finish: Second
District finish: Fourth
Notable: Bassett reached the district tournament as a sophomore in 2023, but this is his first time breaking through to state. He punched his ticket with a 6-3, 6-4 district quarterfinal win over Memorial’s Cody Birt.
Coach says: “This season Landon has made a large step forward by qualifying for the state tournament. Throughout the season, he has continued to improve and has competed well with some of the best players in northwest Ohio. After losing in the first round of districts last year, his personal goal at the beginning of the season was to make it to state, and to see that goal come to fruition is really special.” — Adam Swisher.
DIVISION II DOUBLES
Savith Vijendra and Chris Thompson, Ottawa Hills
Years: Vijendra senior; Thompson freshman
Records: 9-2 doubles; Vijendra 9-3 singles; Thompson 16-1 singles
Sectional finish: First
District finish: Fourth
Notable: Vijendra qualified for state last year in singles as a junior, losing in the first round to Sanjan Shanker of Columbus Wellington School.
Coach says: “Savith has had a tremendous senior season. He started the season playing singles and decided to enter the state tournament in doubles with Chris … Chris has come right in and had great success his freshman year, only losing one singles match all season. He has teamed up with Vijendra for the state tournament in doubles. We have high expectations for Chris, and he's been a welcomed addition to the program.” — Dan Amato.
First Published May 22, 2024, 11:09 p.m.
