Mason High School has mastered the tennis courts so far in Wooster this week.
The Comets celebrated their state singles and doubles champions at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament Friday at the College of Wooster.
Mason junior Addison Cassidy won her first DI singles championship, while junior Pratyusha Chaudhuri and sophomore Emma Wagner won the doubles title for the second year in a row.
This pair of titles marks the first time a Division I school has won both girls’ singles and doubles in the same tournament since 2003, and it is the 15th Once in OHSAA history, a girls’ tennis school has won both titles.
Division I singles
Cassidy won the final in dominant fashion, 6-0, 6-1 over Olentangy Berlin sophomore Soleil Cordell, who was also competing in the state final for the first time. Cordell reached the quarterfinals last year.
Cassidy won 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals against Rocky River Magnificat senior Anna Mancino, who was a multi-year veteran of the tournament. Cassidy lost just five matches Thursday in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Cassidy was a state runner-up in doubles in 2022 as a freshman, then lost in the first round of the singles tournament last year.
This year, she changed her approach. Instead of constantly trying to hit strong shots and win points quickly, she focused on longer points, keeping the ball in play and being sure her opponent would make a mistake before she did.
“I just had to stay focused the whole time,” Cassidy said. “My goal was just to create one more ball and keep it deep. Girls don’t want to be very patient. They prefer to be aggressive, so this helps keep the level high and deep so they can’t be aggressive and hit winners.
Cassidy has been working on this part of his game all year.
“Over the last year, that’s been my main focus,” she said. “I was the player who tried to squash every ball and I was losing games. It was really frustrating, so I had to change my game, and that really helped. Just keep it deep and consistent and don’t worry about overwriting it.
Division I doubles
Chaudhuri and Wagner cruised through the tournament, losing just 13 matches in eight sets during their four match wins.
In the final, they beat Elena Fleming and Ella Workinger of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 6-1, 6-3.
Last year they had no expectations in their first year in the tournament, so being able to handle the pressure of repeating a year was really meaningful.
“It’s definitely good, much better than last year,” Wagner said. “We were able to continue, which I think is special.”
They handled the pressure by focusing on having fun and not worrying about whether they would win or lose.
“We work really, really well together,” Chaudhuri said. “Even though we don’t communicate all the time, or say things out loud, we know where we stand on the ground. And we still laugh on the pitch. We never put up with stress because we know it is useless.
Wagner agreed.
“We are opposites in some ways and we complement each other on the field,” Wagner said. “We’re going to go out there and have fun.”
Singles Division II
Indian Hill junior Sophia Thompson faced Bexley junior Amiya Bowles in the state tournament for the third year in a row.
The first two times were in the state championship game, and Bowles, currently ranked 22nd.sd in the country, defeated Thompson twice to win the title.
On Friday, they found themselves in the semi-finals. Thompson lost a long, dramatic three-set thriller that lasted nearly four hours. After winning the first set 7-6 in a tiebreaker that went to extra points (10-8), Bowles won the next two sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Bowles won his third state title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory in the final.
“It was amazing,” Thompson said. “I faced her in the final the last two years, so I wanted it this year. It was the closest game we’ve ever had. I gave it my all and she’s amazing, so hats off.
Thompson said the key was patience and keeping the ball in play, which contributed to the length of the game. The first set lasted two hours.
“I’ve worked really hard this year to get better,” Thompson said. “Obviously she did that too, but the way we both kept the ball really deep made a big difference.”
Thompson said she and Bowles are friends who see each other all the time at junior tournaments.
“We’re definitely friendly,” she said. “On the pitch, we shout at each other, ‘Come on’. But off the pitch we are completely good. We are friendly with each other at other tournaments.
Thompson was scheduled to face Eaton’s Mallory Hitchcock for third place an hour after her semifinal loss, but withdrew to save energy for Saturday’s team tournament.
Badin senior Caroline Boyle, a three-time state qualifier, lost in the second round to Pepper Pike Orange freshman Genevieve Hayden, who was the state runner-up to Bowles on Friday.
Double division II
Indian Hill seniors Caroline Brown and Cassie Larsen lost in the state semifinals in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, to Gilmour Academy freshmen Grier Peckham and Caroline Koch, who won the state title.
The Indian Hill duo won the third-place match against Toledo Ottawa Hills, 6-1, 6-1.
It was the third time at the state tournament for Brown and the second time for Larsen.
Summit Country Day seniors Maggie Marburger and Katelyn Bastos lost in the first round Thursday.
To be continued
Mason and Indian Hill will remain in Wooster to try to repeat as team state champions.
The Ohio Tennis Coaches Association will host the semifinals and finals of its state team championships. These matchups will be doubles team matches featuring three singles players and two doubles teams.
Anthony Wayne, Highland and Upper Arlington will join Mason in the DI semifinals.
Columbus Academy, Gilmour Academy and Maumee Valley Country Day join Indian Hill in DII.
This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: Mason tennis players win Division I state championships
