Rogers shows off all his shots for repeat
Foster Rogers has become a can’t-miss recruit simply because he seemingly can’t miss.
Rogers, a junior from Pulaski Academy, repeated as the boys tennis Overall singles champion Tuesday afternoon with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Christian Greer of Joe T. Robinson on the indoor courts at the Burns Park Tennis Complex in North Little Rock.
Rogers took home the top prize by knocking off Greer for the third time in three weeks. Tuesday’s match lasted 58 minutes.
“I was hitting my serve pretty well,” Rogers said. “I like [playing] indoors, so I hit a lot of my shots cleaner more than I usually hit. My backhand was on and my forehand was on. Usually my weakest shot is my forehand, and I’ve had a little bit of trouble with that but it was a lot better today.”
Rogers and Greer met in the finals of the conference and state tournaments prior to Tuesday’s showdown.
“He doesn’t miss,” said Greer, a senior. “But more importantly, his backhand is maybe the best this state has ever seen. He just doesn’t miss his backhand, and most people’s backhand is weak. His backhand is better than his forehand. And his forehand is still pretty good.”
There was also a repeat in the boys doubles championship. Little Rock Catholic seniors Henry Nolan and Steven Weeks capped off a 19-0 season and won for the third consecutive year, defeating the Jonesboro team of Tristian Cato and Cole Spainhauer 6-1, 6-1.
After winning the final four games of the first set, Rogers fell behind 2-0 to start the second set, but he completed the match in dominant form.
“My forehand was really rocking at that point,” Greer said. “I was able to come in and hit some balls earlier than I was before, and Foster made a couple of errors. He hit into the net a couple of times, and that gave me some confidence. But I won both of those games on deuce points, so they were really close games.”
“He’s tough. He’s a really good player,” Rogers said of Greer. “He’s very fast. He’s athletic. He gets to a lot of balls so you can’t take anything for granted. You have to put it away against him.”
Tuesday morning’s semifinals matches were played on the outdoor courts with the temperatures hovering around 45 degrees. Rogers eliminated Bentonville junior Hayden Shoemake 6-4, 6-2. Greer outlasted Baptist Prep’s Seth Hernandez 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
“I love it indoors,” Rogers said. “I’m fine playing outside, it’s just when it’s that cold it’s hard to feel the ball. Your hands are freezing off. I like indoors better.”