Leo Zhao of Camas serves to Aaron Li, also of Camas, during the 4A District 4 boys tennis singles final on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at Club Green Meadows. Zhao won the marathon match 1-6, 6-0, 7-5 for his first district title. (Jeff Klein/The Columbian)
The first game of the match should have been a clue that the 4A District 4 boys tennis singles final would not be quick.
Like about 2 hours and 45 minutes of not-quick.
After those 165 minutes, it was Camas junior Leo Zhao who emerged victorious Saturday afternoon over sophomore teammate Aaron Li 1-6, 6-0, 7-5, for his first district title.
But it was probably that 10-minute first game that set the tone for the grinder of a championship match.
“We just kept alternating deuce-ad, deuce-ad until he finally won,” Zhao said of that first game.
Meanwhile, on the neighboring court inside Club Green Meadows, the doubles final was already into its fourth game.
Zhao said for the second set, he thought about everything that wasn’t going right for him and turned it around.
“He was overplaying me,” Zhao said. “So I slowed down, hit higher and with more spin, more safe, and was able to close out the set.”
And yet, it was far from over.
The third-set rallies would get longer and longer as both players ran down shot after shot. Discipline was the key to survival.
“I was running everywhere,” Zhao said. “I know it’s a long point and I know it’s only one point, but I’m not going to give it for free. You have to earn it. You’ll have to make two or three really good shots to even have a chance.”
Zhao had a 4-2 lead then Li survived one of the longest points of the set by hitting a winner on the line to hold his serve. Then Zhao lost his serve and the deciding set was tied at 4-4.
Li fell behind love-40 on his serve in the ninth game, and Zhao won it on a net-cord winner to go up 5-4 with the match on his racquet.
However, Zhao lost his serve without winning a point and the match continued.
Zhao said his experience in playing long matches helped get this victory.
“I have played a bunch of these, so experience helped,” he said. “And I have to give thanks to my coaches.”
Long since finished, Camas No. 1 doubles team of Connor Reid and Dylan Siems, who are both freshmen, won the district title 6-0, 6-3 over Skyview’s senior team of Eli Patel and Zach Nieda.
Reid said he and Siems had only been a doubles team for the past three weeks, and as a lefty-right combination, have found somewhat instant success.
The top three placers from the 4A district tournament advance to the 4A bi-district event Nov. 1-2 at the Boeing Employees Tennis Center in Kent where they will play for state berths.
Camas sophomore Andre Ter-Antonyan won the third-place singles match 6-0, 6-2 over Brian Lin of Union to advance to bi-district. Lin will be the alternate.
Patel and Nieda finished at the No. 3 seed in doubles to bi-district, with Camas junior Tristenh Teso and senior Thomas Wang getting the No. 2 seed.
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4A DISTRICT 4 TOURNAMENT
At Club Green Meadows
Singles
Championship — Leo Zhao (Camas) def. Aaron Li (Camas) 1-6, 6-0, 7-5.
Third-place semifinals — Brian Lin (Union) def. Kaden Arn (Battle Ground) 6-0, 6-0; Andre Ter-Antonyan (Camas) def. Sam Andrade (Union) 6-2, 6-2.
Third-place final — Ter-Antonyan def. Lin 6-0, 6-2.
Third-place semifinals — Joseph Wei/Daniel Tsay (Union) def. Ivan Wu/Caleb Ge (Camas) 6-4, 6-1; Tristenh Teso/Thomas Wang (Camas) def. Myles McCord/Ian Kim (Skyview) 6-4, 6-1.
Third-place final — Teso/Wang def. Wei/Tsay, score not posted.
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