Overall semis set
Little Rock Catholic’s Parker Stearns (above) advanced to the boys singles semifinals at the Overall state tennis tournament. Action concludes today with semifinals and finals at Burns Park in North Little Rock.
In his third state Overall tennis tournament, Episcopal Collegiate junior Harrison Janes is after more progress.
As a freshman, Janes lost in the quarterfinals, then he reached the semifinals a year ago as a sophomore. Now in his third go-around, the third-seeded Janes reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year with a 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over West Memphis junior Carlson Bennage in a match that took more than two hours.
“I don’t think I played my best tennis, but I did what I had to do,’’ Janes said. “I was able to execute my strategy.”
It was the first match between the two juniors.
“I knew he was a good player, but I didn’t know he had that kind of a forehand,’’ Janes said. “His forehand was really huge so I decided to hit it to his backhand. I just tried to hit nice, high, heavy balls to his backhand. His backhand is not a bad shot, but his forehand is just bigger so I knew to keep it away from there.”
Janes, a left-hander, will meet Foster Rogers of Pulaski Academy in the semifinals at 10 a.m. today. In the other semifinal, Parker Stearns of Little Rock Catholic faces Pulaski Academy’s Jake Bridges.
“I have bigger plans this year,’’ Janes said.
Rogers defeated Seth Hernandez of Baptist Prep 6-4, 6-0 to reach the semifinals.
Bridges defeated Jake Sweeney of Fayetteville 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Stearns topped Christian Greer of Joe T. Robinson 6-0, 6-3.
Rogers and Bridges met in the Class 5A finals with Rogers winning. Stearns is the Class 7A champion.
Bennage, the Class 6A champion, opened the day
with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Auguste Moisson of Bentonville Haas Hall.
In the doubles semifinals, Henry Nolan and Steven Weeks of Little Rock Catholic face Blake Wooldridge and Noah Ross of Hot Springs Lakeside, and Jackson Davis-Harrison Cook of Little Rock Catholic will take on Cole Spainhour-Tristan Cato of Jonesboro. Wooldridge-Ross is the only unseeded team in the semifinals.