El Dorado opens tennis season against Texarkana

El Dorado opened its tennis season Thursday at the Racquet Club against Texarkana. The Lady Wildcats won three of their four matches while the Wildcats' Wenhua Huang prevailed in singles.

Hannah Gatson (6-0, 6-3) and Millee Mobley (6-2, 6-2) both won their girls' singles matches with Kendall Ricker and Kasynn Bledsoe winning 6-1, 6-0 in doubles. The team of Ava Clark and Sarah Kellet dropped a tough match in doubles, 6-7, 1-6 to Ava Price-Gentry and Rachel Massey.

“Had an injury so we shuffled some girls around,” said El Dorado coach Rex Hayes. “Hannah Gatson worked all summer and took the number one spot as a junior. Millee's partner (Caroline Byrd) got hurt so she stepped in and played singles again. Doubles girls did really well, Ricker/Bledsoe both have great chemistry and Clark/Kellet both played a great match, but taking that first set to tie-break sapped their energy just a bit.”

Huang won the boys' singles match 6-0, 6-0 for the Wildcats' lone win.

Maddock Preston fell 6-0, 6-1 in singles. Spencer Langston and Chester Passmore and Amarion Davis and David Valero fell in doubles by 6-0, 6-0 scores.

“Wenhua Huang's partner from last year isn't playing so he stepped back into singles. Excited to see how he does this year,” said Hayes. “Maddock just picked up the racquet last year and played very well despite the scoreline. Same with Langston/Passmore and Davis/ Valero, all these boys just started playing tennis and have a lot of growing to do, but showed great attitudes after playing tough doubles teams.”

Parkers Chapel competed against Texarkana with the PC boys going 2-2 and the Lady Trojans winning 4-of-5 matches.

Jackson Dison won in boys' singles with Jordis Battisto and Ashton Moss winning in boys' doubles.

In girls, PC's Tatum Watson and Delaney Gilmore won in singles. The doubles teams of Kallie Martin and Bella Frisby and Makenzie Morgan and Brookelyn Porter also won.