Boys tennis roundup: NLS, Minnewaska sending individuals to state

May 21—FARGO, N.D. — An area singles player and a doubles team earned state berths on Wednesday.

New London-Spicer’s Jowell Gamez won the Section 8A singles title and Minnewaska’s Tenzin Dahl and Marshall Kopp won the section’s doubles championship at Courts Plus Tennis Center.

Gamez, who entered the tournament as the top seed, beat fifth-seeded Aaden Wavra of East Grand Forks 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. The junior defeated second-seeded Jett Cornelius of Thief River Falls 6-3, 6-3 in the championship.

Dahl and Kopp, who were seeded second, won 6-2, 6-4 against third-seeded Nick Buboltz and Max Mercil of Detroit Lakes in the semifinals. The senior and sophomore went on to beat fifth-seeded Spencer Hempel and Lucas Rantanen of Thief River Falls 6-1, 6-0 in the finals.

Minnewaska’s Drew Bleick and Carter LeClair were the top-seeded doubles pairing in the tournament and placed third. The duo lost to Hempel and Rantanen in the semifinals before defeating Buboltz and Mercil 6-0, 6-0 in the third-place match.

The Class A singles tournament begins at 8 a.m. Thursday, June 5 at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis. The Class A doubles tournament starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 5 also at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center.

Three singles and two doubles teams remain alive in their pursuit of a state berth at Huether Family Match Pointe in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Yellow Medicine East’s Ryan Syring and Benson’s Alex Carlson both won their first two matches to advance to the semifinals. Montevideo’s Gabe Lindeman, who earned a first-round bye, is also in the semifinals after winning his second round match.

Syring will face Redwood Valley’s Zack Lundeen, who ranks No. 7 among Class A individuals by the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Association, in the semifinals. Carlson and Lindeman will square off in the other semifinal.

Montevideo’s Chris Negen and Brady Backer went 2-0, including knocking off teammates Hunter Anspach and Patrick Baukol in the second round, to advance to the semifinals against Redwood Valley’s Kanyon Hicks and Elway Berg.

Benson’s Isaac Carlson and Harold Habben, who earned a first-round bye, beat Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd’s Luke Stock and Brody Bothun in the second round. Carlson and Habben will play Redwood Valley’s Cayden Johnson-Mariner and Rick Green in the semifinals.

Section 3A individual play resumes at 8 a.m. Tuesday back at Huether Family Match Pointe.

Litchfield has advanced a singles player and a doubles team into the Section 2A semifinals at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

Lincoln Dille, ranked No. 10 in Class A by the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Association, went 2-0 for the Dragons. He beat Mound-Westonka’s Joey Asche 6-0, 6-1 in Round 1 before sweeping St. Peter’s Jaxson Schaefer 6-0, 6-0 in Round 2.

Josh Blomberg and Matthias Bruning also went 2-0. The duo earned a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Mound-Westonka’s Leon Kravchenko and James Marth in the first round. Then, Blomberg and Bruning defeated Southwest Christian’s Wade Ganske and Isaac Wilson 6-2, 6-3 in Round 2.

Section 2A tournament play continues at 11 a.m. Thursday back at Gustavus Adolphus College.