Henry Clay’s sweep of 11th Region tennis team titles includes a three-peat
Henry Clay senior Evan Duggal secured his third straight 11th Region boys’ singles title more than 20 minutes before any other championship match concluded on Thursday.
“It’s a great win for me,” Duggal said. “It’s also a great win for the team.”
The University of Louisville signee defeated his friend of six years, No. 2 seed Tyler Fox of Sayre, in two sets at the Top Seed Tennis Club in Nicholasville. His victory marked the first of three impressive title wins for the Blue Devils, which would eventually result in region team championships for both the Henry Clay boys and girls.
It was the Henry Clay boys’ eighth straight region team title, and the Henry Clay girls’ first since 2016.
Duggal, the 11th Region boys’ No. 1 overall seed and last year’s state runner-up, was expected to come out on top. His smooth 6-0 and 6-1 victories didn’t cause much surprise. But, to him, this year was about far more than himself.
“My last year here, my focus has shifted a little bit,” Duggal said. “I took the focus off myself and more towards my teammates. So being able to give the team a lot of points and maybe give us a shot of winning the team title is really important to me.”
MIXING THINGS UP
The boys’ doubles contest, which saw a 6-4, 6-1 victory for sophomore Zachary Thompson and freshman Charlie Mooney out of Lafayette, pitted two new pairings head-to-head.
The No. 1-seeded Lafayette pair hadn’t competed together before this year, but the decision to team up was easy enough. Sometimes, when deciding the perfect doubles pairing, the sticking point is as simple as it gets — “We thought it’d be fun,” Thompson said.
Thompson and Mooney took down second-seeded Paul Laurence Dunbar brothers Kian and Nikan Rosenau, who decided to play together this season following Kian’s semifinalist finish in the 2022 11th Region boys’ singles contest.
The girls’ doubles champions also found their way together for the first time ahead of this season.
Henry Clay junior E.P. Cassidy and senior Lilly Hartman prevailed for the second straight match decided by three sets, defeating top-seeded Sophia Miller and Evelyn Quinn of Lexington Catholic.
Cassidy and Hartman had earned a spot in the finals with a hard-fought three-set victory, 3-6, 6-4, 12-10. In the finals, the Henry Clay duo stayed patient and battled back from a 2-6 loss in the first set before turning up the heat and taking the second and third sets 7-5 and 10-5, respectively.
“Our opponents played a really great match,” Cassidy said. “And they had momentum a lot in the first set. And so, us transferring it was something hard, but something important to do.”
For Hartman, who will play tennis at Wittenberg University next year, to even play for an 11th Region title at all was significant.
“I know it means a lot for me,” Hartman said. “Because I tore my ACL last year and I didn’t get to play in this. So getting to play was really great and winning it was just even better.”
FIGHTING FOR EVERY POINT
Henry Clay freshman Anna Du, the No. 3 seed in girls’ singles, drew defending region champ and No. 1 seed Jaycie Mair of Lexington Catholic in the finals.
“I was just trying to keep my composure,” Du said. “And try to stay focused because I know it was a tough game and she was gonna come back and fight. So I just kept on fighting for every point and tracking every ball.”
And fight she did, earning a 6-4, 7-5 victory.
Du’s path to the championship match was far from an easy one, with difficult matchups against No. 5 seed Katie Lankford of Lexington Christian and No. 2 seed Greer Webb of Sayre. Du credited her growth as a player over her nearly 10 years of tennis for her ability to remain focused when the stakes are high.
“Now I know how to be competitive,” Du said. “And I’m better at these close situations where it’s tough, and I know how to handle my emotions and all the pressure.”
11th Region tournament
(All semifinalists advance to the state tournament)
BOYS’ SINGLES
Champion: Evan Duggal, Henry Clay (6-0, 6-1); Finalist: Tyler Fox, Sayre; Semifinalists: Jacob Holland, Lexington Catholic; Evan Fomby, Tates Creek.
GIRLS’ SINGLES
Champion: Anna Du, Henry Clay (6-4, 7-5); Finalist: Jaycie Mair, Lexington Catholic; Semifinalists: Sydney Zakic, Scott County; Greer Webb, Sayre.
BOYS’ DOUBLES
Champion: Zachary Thompson/Charlie Mooney, Lafayette (6-4, 6-1); Finalist: Kian Rosenau/Nikan Rosenau, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Semifinalists: Logan Blakemore/Will Howell, Lexington Christian; Kevin Rhyne/Isaiah Smith, Lexington Christian.
GIRLS’ DOUBLES
Champion: E.P. Cassidy/Lilly Hartman, Henry Clay (2-6, 7-5, 10-5); Finalist: Sophia Miller/Evelyn Quinn, Lexington Catholic; Semifinalists: Lily Harper/Lauren Spraggins, Lexington Christian; Nicole Hanna/Stella Benedetti, Lexington Catholic.
TEAM STANDINGS
Boys: 1. Henry Clay 9, 2. Paul Laurence Dunbar 8*, 3. Sayre 8*, 4. Lexington Christian 7, 5. Lafayette 6.
*Dunbar was named the second-place finisher by way of official KHSAA tiebreaker of percentage of games won by all team entries.
Girls: 1. Henry Clay 14, 2. Lexington Catholic 11, t3. Lexington Christian 6, t3. Sayre 6, t5. Madison Central 5, t5. Model 5, t5. Scott County 5.
ALL-REGION TEAMS
Boys: Evan Duggal, Henry Clay; Jacob Holland, Lexington Catholic; Evan Fomby, Tates Creek; Tyler Fox, Sayre; Zachary Thompson, Lafayette, Charlie Mooney, Lafayette; Logan Blakemore, Lexington Christian; Will Howell, Lexington Christian; Kevin Rhyne, Lexington Christian; Isaiah Smith, Lexington Christian; Kian Rosenau, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Nikan Rosenau, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Cam Hechemy, Madison Southern; Josiah Russell, Franklin County; Milo Johnson, Henry Clay.
Girls: Jaycie Mair, Lexington Catholic; Sydney Zakic, Scott County; Anna Du, Henry Clay; Greer Webb, Sayre; Sophia Miller, Lexington Catholic, Evelyn Quinn, Lexington Catholic; E.P. Cassidy, Henry Clay; Lilly Hartman, Henry Clay; Lily Harper, Lexington Christian; Lauren Spraggins, Lexington Christian; Stella Benedetti, Lexington Catholic; Nicole Hanna, Lexington Catholic; Camilla Lindahl, Lafayette; Katherine Nova, Henry Clay; Jacey Wilson, Madison Central; Katie Lankford.
OTHER HONORS
11th Region Coach of the Year Award: Boys—Britt Chandler, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Girls—John Herring, Henry Clay.
USTA Senior Sportsmanship Award: Boys—Cam Hechemy, Madison Southern; Girls—Jacey Wilson, Madison Central.
