In the biggest upset of the state tournament, Atlanta International has eliminated mighty Stratford Academy 3-2 in the second round of the Class A Private championship.
“It was a great win for our guys,” Atlanta International coach Matt Webb said. “Our guys were really excited. We all went out to eat and celebrate. It was a real bonding experience.”
Stratford Academy had won the last four state championship and had won five of the previous six since its move to the GHSA. The Macon school has been one of the state’s premier tennis programs with more than 90 individual and state championships since its creation in 1966.
Atlanta International began with a win at No. 1 singles from junior Heys Parker, who prevailed 6-2, 6-2 to keep his unbeaten season intact. Once-beaten Mauricio Uribe won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles and the No. 1 doubles team of Colin Crawford and Sebastian Terwindt closed it with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Also in the lineup for AIS is Aryan Sinha at No. 3 singles and William Kartochian and Tiago McGuire at No. 2 doubles.
The win elevates the profile of Atlanta International, which seeks its first state championship.
“We love it,” said Webb, in his second season as head coach. “Our guys are ready. We’re going to respond.”
How the other defending champions fared:
Class 7A: Boys – North Gwinnett opened by beat Denmark 3-0 and will play Campbell, a 3-1 winner over Grayson. Girls – Walton blanked Tift County 3-0 and will play Roswell, a 3-0 winner over Duluth.
Class 6A: Boys – Johns Creek defeated Carrollton 5-0 in the first round and will play Valdosta, a 5-0 winner over Rockdale County. Girls – Cambridge opened its title defense by blanking Dalton 3-0 and will meet Houston County, a 3-0 winner over Grovetown.
Class 5A: Boys – Woodward Academy shutout Wayne County 3-0 in the opening round and will play Chamblee, a 4-0 winner over Calhoun. Girls – McIntosh got past Eagle’s Landing 4-1 in the opener and moves on to play Loganville, a 3-0 winner over North Springs.
Class 4A: Boys – Marist downed Flowery Branch 4-0 in the first round and will play Troup, a 3-2 winner over Spalding. Girls – Marist turned away Jefferson 4-0 in the opening round, then pounded Perry 4-0 in the second round. The War Eagles await the winner of the Heritage-Islands match.
Class 3A: Boys – Westminster has already advanced to the Elite Eight. The Wildcats defeating Lumpkin County 5-0 in the opening round and bounced Appling County 3-0 in the second round. Girls – Westminster rolled over Dawson County 3-0 in the first round and will play Pierce County, a 4-0 winner over Savannah Arts.
Class 2A: Boys – Lovett defeated Rabun County 4-1 in the opening round and will face Davidson Arts, a 5-0 winner over Vidalia. Girls – Pace Academy, which had a first-round bye, will play Vidalia, a 4-1 upset winner over Tech Magnet in the opening round.
Class A Public: Boys – Seminole County beat Claxton 3-0 in the opener and advances to play Georgia Military, a 3-1 winner over Furlow Charter. Girls – Telfair County downed Clinch County 3-0 in the firstr round and advances to play Armuchee, a 3-0 win over Washington-Wilkes.
Class A Private: Girls – First Presbyterian blanked Aquinas 3-0 in the first round and advances to meet Mount Vernon, a 3-2 upset winner over Mount Paran.
No. 3 singles hero sparks Lakeside
The No. 3 singles player is often overlooked in high school tennis, but they often can be the ones who determine the match. That’s what happened this week when Lakeside’s Andy Moehlich came up big to help the Vikings knock off Wheeler and advance to the Class 6A Elite Eight.
Lakeside swept the two doubles matches, but Wheeler won the two singles matches. That left Moehlich, who defeated Swarat Kulkarni 6-3, 6-1 and clinched the match for Lakeside.
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