ROSEWOOD’S CUDDINGTON RETURNS TO FINALS; ELKIN TEAM TO FACE BISHOP MCGUINNESS FOR DOUBLES CROWN
CARY— Dylan Cuddington of Rosewood, the 2013 runner-up, has once again advanced to the singles finals after winning two matches on Thursday in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A men’s tennis championships at the Cary Tennis Center.
Cuddington will face Elkin’s Ryan Schell for the championship on Friday morning at nine o’clock. Schell lost only four games in four sets on Thursday in his two victories.
Cuddington lost in last year’s finals to Jacob Fuqua of Hendersonville, but Hendersonville has moved up to 2-A due to realignment.
Elkin also qualified a doubles team into the finals, as Chad Vestal and David Bullin won both of their matches. The Elkin pair had a tough three-set match in the quarterfinals, downing Harrison Stone and Christian Quic of Durfham Voyager Academy 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Vestal and Bullin will take on Sam McLaughry and Jack Jones of Kernersville Bishop McGuinness in the doubles championship, which will also start at 9 am.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2014 MEN’S 1-A STATE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cary Tennis Center—Thursday’s Results
SINGLES — FIRST ROUND
Dylan Cuddington (Rosewood) def. Zuri Kent Smith (Matthews Queen’s Grant) 7-6 (6), 6-3; Mitch Kessler (Mount Airy) def. Abichiran Baskaran (Raleigh Charter) 6-2, 6-4; Ryan Schell (Elkin) def. Max Kohn (Louisburg) 6-0, 6-0; John Latimer (Misenheimer Gray Stone Day) def. Chase Connor (Riverside Martin) 7-5, 6-0.
SINGLES — SEMIFINALS
Cuddington (Rosewood) def. Kessler (Mount Airy) 6-3, 6-4; Schell (Elkin) def. Latimer (Gray Stone Day) 6-4, 6-0.
SINGLES — CHAMPIONSHIP
Dylan Cuddington (Rosewood) vs. Ryan Schell (Elkin), 9 am
DOUBLES — FIRST ROUND
Harrison Stone-Christian Quick (Durham Voyager Academy) def. Sam Hill Jennings-Alex Wang (Misenheimer Gray Stone Day) 6-3, 6-2; Chad Vestal-David Bullin (Elkin) def. Brent Ross-Anderson Caldwell (Riverside Martin) 6-1, 6-1; Sam McLaughry-Jack Jones (Kernersville Bishop McGuinness) def. Cole Esleeck-Rukesh Chinthapatla (Raleigh Charter) 6-0, 6-1; Ben Jandzinski-Jonathan Ingram (Kernersville Bishop McGuinness) def. Jonathan Venable-Patrick Duffy (Franklin Academy) 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.
DOUBLES — SEMIFINALS
Vestal-Bullin (Elkin) def. Stone-Quick (Voyager) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; McLaughry-Jones (Bishop McGuinnes) def. Jandzinski-Ingram (Bishop McGuinness) 6-2, 6-3.
DOUBLES — CHAMPIONSHIP
Chad Vestal-David Bullin (Elkin) vs. Sam McLaughry-Jack Jones (Kernersville Bishop McGuinness), 9 am