WIAA state tennis facts and figures for Clark County players
Some facts and figures for Clark County tennis players entering the WIAA state championships on Friday and Saturday:
PARTICIPANTS
7 — Greater St. Helens League boys at state (1 singles, 3 doubles teams)
15 — GSHL girls at state (5 singles, 5 doubles)
USTA RANKINGS
4A players
**Two-time defending 4A state champion Sammi Hampton of Skyview is ranked 2nd in girls 18s by the United States Tennis Association Pacific Northwest section. She is No. 1 among Washington players.
**Camas’ Esther Kwon is ranked 55th in girls 18s.
3A players
**Prairie’s Akari Baba is ranked 62nd in girls 18s.
**Columbia River’s Dominik Gorecki is ranked 24th in boys 16s.
DIDN’T WE PLAY HERE BEFORE?
Columbia River’s Dominik Gorecki placed 8th at state last year, losing 6-0, 6-1 to Henry Smith of Mercer Island. The same two face off in the first round this year in the Tri-Cities. Smith is ranked 15th in boys 18s by USTA PNW.
ON A ROLL
Prairie’s Akari Baba is 20-1 this season and making her third appearance at state. She won a doubles title as a freshman and went 1-2 in singles last year.
BACK FOR MORE
Sammi Hampton has only played three-set matches in her two 4A finals (obviously, her six other match wins at state were in straight sets). Five other players in the 16-player draw this year are returning to state including three place winners: 3rd, 4th, 7th.
WE CAN’T ALL BE CHAMPS
Three 4A GSHL doubles team made the state draw. Obviously, two of those teams can’t win it all. But one team will be knocked out early as Skyview’s Olivia Coale and Darby Tinker were paired against district and bi-district champion Jen Lewis and Hannah Gianan of Camas in the first round of the bottom half of the bracket. Union’s Jelena Vidovic and Sydney Wallace are in the upper half of the draw.
GLAD TO BE BACK
Washougal’s doubles team of Christina Zack and Haley Briggs are the Panthers first 2A state entries since 2011.
AND THE FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS ARE …
4A boys and 4A girls at Columbia Basin Racquet Club & Richland HS
Boys doubles — Alex Chanthavong/Jacob Buckley (Union) vs. Ryan Chenug/Kelvin Uchen (Newport of Bellevue)
Girls singles — Esther Kwon (Camas) vs. Alexita Fite (Garfield); Sammi Hampton (Skyview) vs. Avery Liening (Todd Beamer)
Girls doubles — Jelena Vidovic/Sydney Wallace (Union) vs. Alex Ferry/Ariel Steinback (Garfield); Olivia Coale/Darby Tinker (Skyview) vs. Jen Lewis/Hannah Gianan (Camas)
3A boys and 3A girls at Tri City Court Club & Kamiakin HS
Boys singles — Dominik Goercki (Columbia River) vs. Henry Smith (Mercer Island)
Boys doubles — Colton Reed/Nick Shiraishi (Mountain View) vs. Ben Welch/Matt Inman (Kamiakin); Lane Cooper/Ian David (Columbia River) vs. Brendan McKenzie/Alex Bolt (Kennewick)
Girls singles — Angelina Polina (Fort Vancouver) vs. Daniela Giacomelli (Shadle Park); Lauren Skelly (Columbia River) vs. Daniella Brengelmann (Shorewood); Akari Baba (Prairie) vs. Lina Larson (Interlake)
Girls doubles — Amila Gogalija/Milla Benedetti (Mountain View) vs. Gabriella Venditti/Lydia Venditti (Mercer Island)
2A boys and 2A girls at Nordstrom Tennis Center, Seattle
Girls doubles — Christina Zack/Haley Briggs (Washougal) vs. Chelsea Rosebrook/Sarah Hamai (Kingston)
All brackets are posted at www.wiaa.com.
