West Albany High has never had an athlete win the boys singles title at the OSAA championships. This may be the year that changes.
West Albany senior Hayden Elliott dominated the Mid-Willamette Conference district tournament, taking the title with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Crescent Valley’s Richard Wang on Friday night. The game Wang won in the second set was the first Elliott had surrendered in five tournament matches at the Timberhill Tennis Club.
This is the first district title for Elliott, whose high school career was interrupted by the pandemic.
“It means quite a bit,” Elliott said of the championship. “I didn’t play last year. I got to play sophomore year and we didn’t have state that year, so a little tough. So pretty excited to get to go to state.”
Wang played singles for the Raiders at this year’s district tournament after winning a state doubles championship last year with partner Luke Forester.
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Elliott, who has committed to play collegiately at Portland State, served well, controlled play from the baseline and attacked when he had opportunities. He has learned how to maintain focus regardless of the score.
“I honestly try to think one point at a time,” he said. “I don’t try to think about the score or anything like that. I’m trying to put myself in a place where I’m not overthinking things. Because really easily if you overthink then the momentum can shift and you can start going down, losing points.”
Looking ahead to the state tournament, defending 5A champion Aidan McBride of La Salle Prep returns, but he took second at the Northwest Oregon Conference district tournament with Milwaukie freshman Aiden Yeung taking first place.
Elliott helped lead the Bulldogs to the boys team championship at the district meet. West Albany finished with 28 points while Crescent Valley and Corvallis each finished with 27 points.
The Raiders duo of Noah Curtis and Abe Tsai won the boys doubles title with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win over West Albany’s Hudson Clark and Caleb Simpkins.
Girls
Crescent Valley ran away with the girls team title with 49 points. Silverton placed second with 24 points and Corvallis was third with 16.
Raiders freshman Emily Gu dropped the first set of the final to teammate Sophie Katz but rebounded for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
“I just wasn’t really in the right mindset, I guess,” Gu said. “My brain mentally wasn’t there. I wasn’t focusing my best.”
Gu said she has learned how to reset after a bad set and that’s what she did in the final.
“I think it’s really about not focusing on the game or the score but about winning every single point,” Gu said.
The defending 5A girls champion also returns. Kennedy Harris of La Salle Prep defeated Katz in the championship match last year to claim the title as a freshman. Gu goes into state hoping to accomplish the same feat this year.
“I’m pretty excited. I’m hoping to get as far as I can. I don’t want to jinx anything,” Gu said.
The girls doubles was also an all-Crescent Valley affair. Anna Nguyen and Kiah Hollister defeated teammates Zoe Hughes and Haley Bland 6-1, 6-1.
The 5A state tournament will begin Friday at the West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club and will conclude next Saturday at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton.
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<&SPAGEm>All semifinalists qualify for the OSAA state championships</&SPAGEm>
Hollister/Nguyen, CV, d. Taylor/Taylor, Sil, 6-0, 6-2
Hughes/Bland, CV, d. Davisson/Gardner, Sil, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
Davisson/Gardner d. Taylor/Taylor, 6-2, 6-1
Hollister/Nguyen d. Hughes/Bland, 6-1, 6-1
Emily Gu, CV, d. Elizabeth Li, CV, 6-0, 6-0
Sophia Katz, CV, d. Corinna Lobscheid, CHS, retired
Tsai/Curtis, CV, d. Elliott/Madsen, WA, 6-3, 6-2
Simpkins/Clark, WA, d. Jones/Jones, Dal, 6-3, 6-3
Jones/Jones d. Elliott/Madsen, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
Tsai/Curtis d. Simpkins/Clark, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
Hayden Elliott, WA, d. Liam Gottlieb, CHS, 6-0, 6-0
Richard Wang, CV, d. Blaine Leichty, SA, 7-6 (7-0), 6-4
Leichty d. Gottlieb, 6-3, 6-3
Elliott d. Wang, 6-0, 6-1