Play at the boys’ Second Region Tennis Tournament was suspended Monday and will hopefully continue Wednesday at Hopkinsville’s Ruff Park.
A light rain caused play to be stopped three times, including a 40-minute delay at the start. After an hour of play, the second stoppage lasted 40 minutes.
A 35-minute delay at 7:23 proved to be the final one of the night as play was suspended just before 8:00 due to wet court conditions.
The girls’ tournament is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 4:30. However, there is a solid chance of rain around the time play is scheduled to begin. If Tuesday’s matches are postponed, the boys will resume Wednesday morning at 10:00 with the girls’ tournament to begin at 1:00.
Schools are working to get the tournaments completed before Thursday due to graduation and other senior class activities set to begin later this week.
SINGLES
Top seed Ryan Hammett of Caldwell County led 5-1 in the first set of his match against 17 seed Jagger Byrum of Hopkins County Central. Byrum advanced to meet Hammett with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Webster County’s Triggo Torres.
Second seed Mason Bridgeman of Hopkins County Central was leading 18 seed Weston Wint of Webster County 6-1 after one set. Wint knocked off 15-seed Cash Johnson of Caldwell County 6-0, 6-0.
Three-seed Ethan Larkin of Madisonville-North Hopkins saw his match stopped early against Heritage Christian Academy Stephen Whitecotton. The HCA seventh grader became the first player from the school to win a match at the region tournament with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Tyrone Hopson of Hopkins County Central. Whitecotton rallied from a 4-3 deficit to claim the match.
Five-seeded Caleb Tagg of Madisonville-North Hopkins advanced with a 6-0, 6-2 win over 12-seed Hunter Patterson of Lyon County.
Six seed Jacob Matchen of Lyon County and 11 seed Nicholas Fantini of University Heights Academy saw their match suspended in the third set. Matchen took the first set 6-3, with Fantini battling back to take the second 6-3. Matchen led 2-1 in the third set when play was stopped.
10 seed Derek Loar of Fort Campbell and seven seed Kaleb Rust of Union County were one game away from completing their match before rain halted play. Loar was leading 6-2, 6-5.
Eight-seed Rudra Patel of University Heights Academy defeated nine-seed Malachi Dang of Fort Campbell 6-1, 6-0.
Henderson County’s Jaxton Duncan, the fourth seed, moved into the semifinals by default.
DOUBLES
In doubles play, four of the five matches were completed with three teams advancing to the semifinals.
Caldwell County’s Noah Bailey and Cason Littlejohn came in as a nine seed but buried the eight seed, Caden Nunley and Colton Colburn of Fort Campbell 6-0, 6-1.
Bailey and Littlejohn advanced to the semifinals where their match with top seed Jackson Crawford and Zach Radivonyk was suspended with the Lyon County pair winning 4-1 in the first set.
The lower-seeded teams all advanced to the semifinals. No. 2 Eli Pinkerton and Noah Mays of Madisonville-North Hopkins defeated Caldwell County’s Ben Menser and Elijah Thomas 6-0, 6-0.
The other team from Madisonville – four-seeded Austin Crick and Justin Rodgers beat Henderson County’s Brayden Dhom and Landon Hurtte 6-1, 6-3.
Henderson County’s Alton Berger and Thomas Berger – the three seed – beat University Heights Academy’s Bradley Simmons and Paxton Aldridge 6-3, 6-1.
