The OHSAA Division II boys district tournament was completed on May 18th at Dover City Park. In singles, the No.1 seed from Cambridge, Jacob Vincent, defeated Cooper Newton from Claymont 6-2, 4-6, 6-0
No.3 seed Subh Patel from Zanesville defeated No.2 Conner Baldwin from Zanesville 6-2, 6-1
In the district finals, Subh Patel defeated Jacob Vincent 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the Division II East District singles title and advance to the state tournament on May 28th, in Mason, Ohio.
Blue Devil’s sophomore tennis standout Subh Patel said, “I mean, it feels great, obviously. It’s my second season. Yeah, I’ve been working hard for it, so I’m proud. I’m going to focus on power with my shots and the accuracy where I want it to be.
“I actually watched the Cincinnati Open on TV, and now I’m actually playing there [Lindner Family Tennis Center]. So it feels great to be there.”
The Zanesville boys tennis team has been working hard this season, with two singles players making it to the district tournament, proving themselves on the OHSAA stage in a big way.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the community, first of all. It means a lot to me because, you know, I started my eighth year coaching with them, finished my eighth year coaching with them, and I just think I’m happy and blessed for a player of this caliber, the ones I’ve had in the past, to finally make it to state and be rewarded. It’s all about the boys and girls that play on the team because I’m a coach, but I just help them get where they need to be. They want to be really good, and they’re going to work at it. I’m the helper. I help them get it, so I give all the credit to the players. [Subh will be playing] a guy from Pepper Orange High School up there by Cleveland. They’re a strong Division II school. They’ve sent kids to the state. They’ve got two kids in singles in the state this year instead of one, but they won the state tournament last year as a team. They haven’t had any players really win it to my knowledge lately. So, it’ll be a tough competition, 16 players in the draw. So, he’s in the top 16 in Ohio now in Division II. So, he went through the third seed, the second seed, and the first seed in the district tournament. So, he was the fourth seed. So, he’s well-deserved, “ stated Zanesville Tennis Head Coach Jeff Moody.
“He put a lot of effort into it, so he’s very well-deserved of that. But, you know, the opponent will be good, as the rest of them are, but I still think we’re very capable of playing competitive tennis with them, if not beating them, and we’re very competitive, so we’ll have to just see how it runs.”
The OHSAA State boys tennis tournaments return to the Lindner Family Tennis Center this year.
The professional tennis facility in Southwest Ohio hosted the OHSAA tennis state tournaments from 2014 through the spring of 2022 before undergoing renovations. The College of Wooster hosted the state tournaments the last two years.
“We’re proud to welcome back the OHSAA state tennis tournaments to the Lindner Family Tennis Center,” said Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports and Entertainment. “After a major transformation, our campus will be a year-round public facility where Ohio’s best high school players will compete on the same courts as the world’s best. It is an opportunity that will inspire them throughout their season and serve as a great reward for their hard work.”
The Lindner Family Tennis Center transformation is a $260 million investment by the Cincinnati Open with the City of Mason, Warren County, and the State of Ohio. It brings the total number of outdoor courts at the venue to 31 while also adding a six-court indoor facility, pickleball and padel courts, new locker room facilities, and a clubhouse that will be utilized year-round with a restaurant and function room space.
“The Lindner Family Tennis Center is one of the finest tennis facilities in the country, and we are thrilled that our student-athletes will be able to have the experience of competing there for state championships,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “We would like to thank the College of Wooster for hosting the state tournaments for the last two years. We had a great experience at Lindner previously and are looking forward to being back.”
State Playoff Results:
In state playoff action, Subh fell in a singles match against Lllia Shcherbakov, 6 – 0, 6 – 0, ending his postseason.
