Sectional Draws |
Ohio High School Tennis
FRIDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team
Congratulations to the players selected for the OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team for 2023.
OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
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Division I - Singles |
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 Amara Brahmbhatt Westlake |
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 Maddie Peisley Sylvania Northview |
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Division II - Singles |
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Division I - Doubles |
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Division II - Doubles |
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The OTZ list is a bit different than the OHSAA All-Ohio team. While a player's performance at States is the best way to get on the team, OTZ also looks at a player's entire season and has on rare occasions even included players who have not qualified for States because of unfortunate District draws.
The number of players on the OTZ All-Ohio Team can vary from year to year based on the skill levels of the players. The normal barometer in measuring the strength of the All-Ohio team is to count the number of Division I college or high-end Division III players on the list. Seven players are known to be playing Division I / III college tennis. The number of Ohio D1 players on the OTZ All-Ohio team this year is seven for D1 and five for D2. In previous years, it was the following for D1: 2022- 7; 2021 - 8; 2020 - 7, 2019 - 8, 2018 - 7, 2017 - 7, and 2016 - 6. The D2 teams have totaled: 2022 - 6; 2021 - 7, 2020 - 7, 2019 - 7, 2018 - 8, 2017 - 6, and 2016 - 6. This year was an anomaly in D2 because several of the state's best players played doubles, rather than singles which they have done in the past..
Note that players with the yellow PP tennis balls next to their names have Player Profiles and that more information is available for them by clicking on their names. Click to sign-up to obtain an OTZ Player Profile.
The OTZ Top Players Lists have also been updated. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. To see all of the players on one page, click on All Districts. Note that there may be more tweaking to come.
As for photos.. Photos from the 2023 Girls season are now uploaded on SmugMug for viewing. To order a photo, just provide the filename (i.e. DSC_1234). Click to view the SmugMug OTZ site. Click on Buy a Tennis Picture for the pricing information.
FRIDAY,
OTZ Photos from States and State Team Tournament Available for Purchase
OhioTennisZone photos have been added to SmugMug for your purchase consideration. Photos have been included for OHSAA States and for the State Team tournament. More photos will be added soon for other matches and tournaments (i.e. Central and Southwest Districts). Click SmugMug to view.
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Photos Available for Purchase - Click to SmugMug |
Photos are emailed to the purchasers and they can be printed, added to Tennis-Recruiting.net and UTR, shared on social media, put in digital picture frames, etc.
Some of the images will also be shown on OTZ under the player's profile. Click to view the profile for Hathaway Brown's Katie Mills.
The great majority of these images have *not* been "enhanced" by OTZ. The final purchased photos will be color-corrected, cropped, and straightened. All will be in 5x7 dimensions unless asked to do otherwise.
The SmugMug service has been very helpful to display the photos that are available for purchase. It is; however, not inexpensive for OTZ to use. Hopefully numerous photos will be sold from this season.
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Ottawa Hills' Catherine Rhegness - Click to enlarge |
To get started , simply provide the name of the image file(s) in a Feedback message to OhioTenniisZone. For example, the name of the Catherine Rhegess image is in the bottom left portion of the image in "red". Click on image to the right to enlarge.
There are substantial quantity discounts. Click for pricing at Buy an OTZ Tennis Photo.
Efforts are still underway to finish the season. Our family continues to work through the issues associated with my mother's passing on Sunday, October 22. Thank you for your patience. Click for the Maxine Gerber obituary.
TUESDAY,
OHSAA Tournament Championship Points
All of the championship points were captured this year, but barely. After leaving D2 Singles, I zoomed over to D1 Doubles where I saw Coach Mike Reid of Mason looking around like "Where's Gerber?". Thankfully, a single service fault provided me with enough time to get setup for the last point.
Player photos were included at the end of the videos. There was also an extra point added when possible.
Another camera and with a new camera lens was used this season. This provided a wider view. Vantage points varied based on where I could stand. By the time in which the D2 doubles match finished, I could stand anywhere.
For best results, use full screen mode and increase the resolution to HD (for high definition).
Crank up the volume so that co-workers (or neighbors) stop by your office cube to see what is going on.
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Division I Singles: North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Westlake's Amara Brahmbhatt. This video was stopped prematurely in error. |
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Division I Doubles: Mason's Pratyusha Chaudhuri - Emma Wagner beat New Albany's Richardlyne Francois - Paige Cornelius. |
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Division II Singles: Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Indian Hill's Martha Thompson. |
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Division II Doubles: Columbus Academy's Yasemin Bilgin - Arya Chabria beat Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu - Katie Mills. |
There are always some scoring snafus found by coaches as they begin to print off their end-of-season reports. If results are incorrect, please provide:
- the *incorrect* match information. The error first needs to be located in the database and there are a zillion scores. Please include the date, the name(s) of all of the player(s) and their schools, and the score.
- then provide the correct match information which includes all of the above, but with the correct information
If the commentary is incorrect, please provide *when* the commentary was in error, the erroneous comments, and what it should be. Screen shots are always helpful.
Please keep in mind there are quite a few moving parts. The players could have reported the wrong score, the coach could have recorded it incorrectly, the newspaper may have posted it incorrectly, or maybe, just possibly, OTZ could have made an error.
MONDAY,
Maxine J. Gerber - November 5, 1931 - October 22, 2023
There is some sad personal news to report. My mother. Maxine Gerber, passed away yesterday afternoon. Since I had not seen her since States started, my wife, Kathy, and I dropped by at lunch to see how she was doing. She was certainly weaker since I had seen her earlier in the week but she was looking forward to eating some City Barbecue with us that we were bringing over for supper. We found that she had passed away in her sleep when we arrived.
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Mad Max Regal (actually Gerber) - Click to enlarge |
She was an incredible mother, who was a very nice, hardworking lady, with a great sense of humor. She was raised on a farm and she was one of nine children. She was always eager to pitch in to help, and she was a lot of fun to be around.
Thanks to her sense of humor, some of the long-term OTZ readers may remember her from an article published in early April 2019. I referred to her as Maxine Regal in that article. (Many will recall that this pre-COVID article was well before the pickleball craze kicked into gear.) My mother did not actually play pickleball (she was 87 in the article's photo) but she was willing to help me out with the photo, plus there was probably ice cream involved. Her maiden name was Riegle, and we have numerous relatives in the Findlay / Arlington area. Click for the 4/1 article.
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At Lauren's Wedding |
Thankfully, she was able to attend our daughter's wedding on October 7, which was 15 days before her death. She died 14 days from her 92nd birthday. In the wedding day photo to the right, that was probably her 55th photo and her enthusiasm in being in yet another photo was starting to wear thin..
The timing of some of the season wrap up articles are in question as we work through the funeral details.
SUNDAY,
Mason and Indian Hill are the State Team Championships
Congratulations to Mason, the Division I team champion, and to the Division II champion, Indian Hill. Mason defeated North Canton Hoover and Upper Arlington to get the championship. Indian Hill beat Hathaway Brown and Columbus Academy. This was Mason’s seventh consecutive championship. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Most of the singles matches involving the top players went unfinished. The exceptions were: North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Mason's Addison Cassidy and Anthony Wayne's Mara Boyd; Indian Hill's Martha Thompson beat Hathaway Brown's Madeline Everest and Columbus Academy's Gabrielle Stewart; Mason's Addison Cassidy defeated Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth; and Upper Arlington's Alexa Roth beat Anthony Wayne's KaiYing Buskirk. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
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Mason - D1 Champions - Click to enlarge |
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Indian Hill - D2 Champions - Click to enlarge |
Some of the excitement diminished yesterday after the top two teams in Division I and Division II faced each other in the first round. Just to keep people grounded though, some in the crowd remembered how the Bexley boys team upset Hawken in 2017 for the D2 championship after Hawken had a joyous celebration after their first-round win over Cincinnati Country Day. Life forces were further drained when the 3rd/4th consolation matches were played prior to the championship rounds. Thankfully, the consolation matches were 8-game pro-sets. All but one of the matches yesterday finished at 3-0.
Thankfully the tournament started outdoors on the 12 courts at the College of Wooster so that one and a half rounds could be played before moving indoors to the six court Aspen Racquet Club (ARC) at 1pm. Special HS tennis thanks to both facilities. The accommodations provided by the College of Wooster and the Aspen Racquet Club could not have been better. Both of the facilities are absolutely top notch. It was also nice to be wanted. After making 2.5 gazillion-thousand dollars (approximate) from juniors in their tennis clinics, some facilities have the mind-set that they are doing Ohio HS tennis “a favor” by holding the State tournament at their location. That was not the case with these two great facilities. Again, thank you.
Special thanks to Mrs. Thompson for providing the photo of Indian Hill after their championship win at about 8:00pm. I had already hit the road and was back at OTZ world headquarters at 7:35pm. Before I left, I flippantly suggested that Indian Hill and Columbus Academy each hold the State Tournament banner in a celebratory fashion so that I could have a “championship photo” but that idea was met with some resistance (and abject horror).. (Technically, it would not have been a jinx if both teams did it..)
While there are no guarantees, Mason has potential to be a pretty darn good team again next year.. This was technically a re-building year for Mason after losing Shyla Aggarwal (2x State singles champion), Nishi Gandra, Harshita Uppuganti, and Risha Chada last year to graduation. They return their entire starting line-up from yesterday’s matches. Indian Hill will lose considerable strength to graduation including Brooke Arington, Lilly Dwyer, and Lexi Larsen. They return Sophia Thompson, Caroline Brown, and Cassie Larsen.
Here is another nice article about the State Tournament from Chris Sweeney of The Chonicle Telegram. Click to read. The Columbus Dispatch's David Purpura wrote this article about yesterday's State Team Tournament matches.
The championship points video edition will be tomorrow.
SATURDAY,
Congratulations to the State Champions
Congratulations to all of the players who competed yesterday and especially to the State Champions. Conditions were warm and dry - inside the Aspen Racquet Club. With six courts, Division II doubles got off to a slow start because two of the matches had to wait until the other matches finished. Both of the D1 semi-finals also went three sets. As expected, matches were much more competitive than the previous day's competition. There were five 3-setters yesterday (out of 16 matches) versus just three (out of 48 matches) on the first day of States. Play finished at approximately 4:00pm after two marathon 3-set finals in Division I singles and Division II doubles. (Last year, the tournament ended at 2:25pm.)
Click for the final OTZ Enhanced State Tournament Draws.
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NC Hoover's Tess Bucher - Click |
Mason's Chaudhuri-Wagner |
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Bexley's Bowles |
CA's Bilgin-Chabria |
The State champions and the finalists are:
Division I Singles: North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Westlake's Amara Brahmbhatt.
Division I Doubles: Mason's Emma Wagner - Pratyusha Chaudhuri beat New Albany's Richardlyne Francois - Paige Cornelius.
Division II Singles: Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Indian Hill's Martha Thompson.
Division II Doubles: Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria - Yasemin Bilgin beat Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu - Katie Mills.
In the District versus District competition, Central had the most champions with two. The Southwest and Northeast Districts both had one.
Aspen Racquet Club is a new club and it was *very* nice. The viewing was very good for an indoor facility. Parking was ok with additional parking across the street at a neighborhood business.
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Upcoming Wooster-area Weather |
The State Team Tournament takes place today at the College of Wooster. The goal is to play the tournament outdoors; otherwise, it will take place at the Aspen Racquet Club.
Here are links to articles that included States coverage: article by the Columbus Dispatch's David Purpura and article by CBUS Sports' Michael Rich. The articles may require a subscription to view. Aware of other articles about Friday's championships? Please forward them via Feedback.
Other than mangling some of the names, the OTZ Top Picks for States video came out pretty solid. Who else thought that Papcke had at least three sylables?
Tomorrow will be devoted to OTZ pictures. For those interested in purchasing an action photo or two, please check out OTZ tomorrow.
See you at the State Team Tournament.
FRIDAY,
Ready for Day 2 of States
The College of Wooster welcomed the OHSAA State Tournament to its campus, and the fans appeared to be happy about it. It was especially nice to have the parking close to the action so that it was easy to return to the vehicles for food and different clothes. The 12 courts also kept things moving. The competition ended at approximately 4pm so the tournament was able to beat the rain. We will not atbe as fortunate with the weather today. (See below.) [Update: The tournament will be played indoors at Aspen Racquet Club: 850 Venture Blvd, Wooster, OH, 44691]
As they were yesterday, click on the graphic below or use this link to follow the action throughout the day - OhioTennisZone.com/draws.
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Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay - Click to enlarge |
In the District versus District competition, the Southwest won with six semi-finalists, Central had five, Northeast had four, and the Northwest had one. We will see how the championship count turns out.,,
In the D1 matches, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Butler's Natalie Schoenherr and Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed; Amara Brahmbhatt beat Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri and Sylvania Northview's Maddie Peisley; Avon's Natalie Smitek defeated Centerville's Clara Owen and Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett; Turpin's Sarah Clark beat Magnificat's Anna Mancino and Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell.
In Division II, Bexley's Amiya Bowles beat Shawnee's Ava Patel and Miami Valley School's Ginevra Muratori; Westlake's Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock defeated Gilmour Academy's Abigail Lynch and Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay; Indian Hill's Martha Thompson beat Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya and Kenston's Brooke McNeal; and Badin's Caroline Boyle defeated Bath's Anne Oliver and South Point's Meredith Riley. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
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State Draws - Click to draws |
Players in the Semi-Finals are:
Division I
Singles: North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher, Westlake's Amara Brahmbhatt, Avon's Natalie Smitek, and Turpin's Sarah Clark.
Doubles: Mason's Emma Wagner - Pratyusha Chaudhuri, New Albany's Richardlyne Francois - Paige Cornelius, Dublin Jerome's Lydia Foster - Adayla Coakley, and Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman - Tyra Butler.
Division II
Singles: Bexley's Amiya Bowles, Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock, Indian Hill's Martha Thompson,, and Badin's Caroline Boyle.
Doubles: Indian Hill's Brooke Arington - Lilly Dwyer, Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu - Katie Mills, Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria - Yasemin Bilgin, and Ottawa Hills' Catherine Rhegness - Bryn Tangeman.
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Upcoming Wooster-area Weather |
Today's image is of Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay. Slay is a junior. i liked this photo because it also helped show the weather conditions.
The day did not start smoothly for OTZ when I discovered that the OHSAA had once again changed the Division I Singles draw. This had apparently been done on Thursday. While there was a statement on the OHSAA web site that there was a draw change on Sunday, there was no mention of the Thursday change. This meant that the OHSAA program, which are distributed on the grounds, and the OTZ online draws were incorrect. Thanks to Mrs. OTZ's help at OTZ headquarters, I was able to make the changes from my vehicle, but that took me away from taking photos. As a refresher, please note my comments on Sunday with my comment, "The good news is that the State Draws are now available. The bad news is that early releases can mean that sneaky errors are more likely to occur. It would be nice for the OHSAA to put a time stamp on the draws so that everyone knows what the current version is, but that is not the case with this version." Hey, when can the draw issues finally be resolved?
See you at States.
THURSDAY,
Ready to Roll for States
On with the show, this is it. The State tournament begins today!
The OTZ draws are ready to roll and they will be updated throughout the day. To make things more convenient, save OhioTennisZone.com/draws on your smart phone now.
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State Draws - Click to draws |
When the tournament was at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the courts that players were competing on were listed on the draws to help fans get to the right place quickly. That information is probably unnecessary today since the venue is smaller.
I will be taking action photos today. If you want a photo of your daughter, please email me or send me a Feedback. It is unclear how much demand there will be so please contact me quickly.
The field is set for the State Team Tournament that takes place on Saturday at the College of Wooster. This year, Division I plays first. In the first round, Central District teams play the Northwest District and Southwest plays Northeast. The teams are:
Central D1 / D2:
Upper Arlington and Columbus Academy
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Upcoming Wooster-area Weather |
Northeast:
North Canton Hoover and Hathaway Brown
Northwest:
Anthony Wayne and Ottawa Hills
Southwest:
Mason and Indian Hill
If you are awaiting for a reply from me, it likely will not occur prior to Sunday.
See you at States.
WEDNESDAY,
OhioTennisZone Video of Its Top Picks for the State Championships
It is time for another OhioTennisZone video. This video recognizes the players who are OTZ's top picks for States. The video uses a combination of OTZ action photos and videos that were taken over the last two years. Hope you find it to be interesting and informative. This will also help match a name with a face for those who attend States.
Click for OTZ Top Picks for States - Click for video |
Time frames are always super tight in creating these videos. This video was hammered out last night and super early this morning. Taping began at about 8:30pm, and it was done in one take. The player photos and videos were added after that. I doubt that I ever will, but I would like to get to a 99% ok video level. This one is probably about 85-90%. It is really hard to become proficient in something that is done just three or four times a year, but I will keep trying.. Losing a day in an already super busy week also makes this a challenge.
VIDEO CORRECTION: In the States video, I stated that Avon's Natalie Smitek and Clara Owen were on a second round colision course. That is not the case. If Smitek wins her first round match and Tess Bucher wins hers, Smitek and Bucher would play against each other. Sorry for the mistake and for posting this correction so late in the day. I was out of town from 7am to 7pm. [Updated @8:04pm on 10/18]
The goal was to make this a five minute video and it did not quite make it. It came in at six minutes and 26 seconds.
For a better viewing experience, please click on the little gear thingy and select 1080p60 HD. The screen can also be enlarged by clicking on the partially completed "square".
Google will likely include advertisements with this and other OTZ videos. I do not have any control over who advertises, nor does OTZ benefit financially from these advertisers.
Please let me know if there are any inaccuracies. There always are and you always do. I do not purposely try to say names incorrectly. Really. I don't. I should establish some sort of prize for the player with the most mangled name. For consideration, please enter a Feedback.
It is normally fun to review older videos. Here are a few from both prior girls and boys seasons. Click for Girls 2020, Boys 2021, Girls 2021, Boys 2022, Girls 2022, and Boys 2023. At one point, I created "hype" videos for States but Google eventually prevented professional music from being used. That eliminated my interest. Perhaps with AI generated music, this will be possible again in the future. Here is one from Girls 2019. Tennis fans will recognize a few of these high school players.
The OTZ-Enhanced State Draws now include photos of all of the players. Thanks to those who contributed photos of their players.
TUESDAY,
North Canton Hoover Beats Avon | Top Players List Updated
In one of the best matches of the season, North Canton Hoover narrowly defeated Avon, 3-2, last night to earn a spot in the Final Four. Hoover will play Mason in the first round of the State Team Tournament. To view the graphical results, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click to view the OTZ State Team Tournament Draws.
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OTZ Top Players List - Click to report |
The OTZ Top Players / Watch List underwent numerous changes yesterday. Several changes were the results of District competition from last weekend. There could still be a few tweaks today. There will likely be three or four more players added to the Top Players list and a couple more to the Watch List before the season is wrapped up.
MONDAY,
Enhanced OTZ State Draws
The draws were released yesterday by the OHSAA, and they were posted on OTZ in the early evening. As is often the case, the OHSAA made a correction later. There was a change made to the D1 singles draws. The draws will be monitored today by OTZ for additional changes. It would be really nice if the OHSAA included a version number (or date/time stamp) at the top of each draw sheet but they do not. Again, these mistakes happen so do not get caught up in the "someone doesn't like my daughter" mode. There are a lot of moving parts associated with these draws and the OHSAA relies on many people for information. Plus, your daughter is very nice.
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Girls 2023 State Draws - Click to view |
The OTZ draws are heavily accessed prior to and during the tournament because they are built for speed. All of the information is on one page and it is easy to skip to the different draws by clicking on the links. The photos enable fans to know "who is who" and there are match results for many of the competitors. It was not too long ago that Ohio HS tennis had better, more informative tournament draws than the Grand Slams. While the Slams do a great job now, OTZ still exceeds what is provided for Division I college tennis.
To save keystrokes, the draws are also at ohiotenniszone.com/draws.
OTZ will be on-site, taking photos, and updating the draws at Wooster. Please send me a Feedback (or email) now if you want an OTZ photo. If I get a good photo of your daughter, it is expected that you actually pay for it. [Who knew? Sorry, if you find this to be a shocking new concept.]
There are quite a few tests necessary to get the draws ready to accept scores so the date and time stamp at the top of the page will be changing frequently. It does not necessarily mean that the OHSAA has made additional changes.
While I have been taking plenty of photos and video footage all season, efforts are about to begin on the OTZ Top Picks for States video.
North Canton Hoover and Avon play tonight for the NE Final Spot. It is unclear what is going on in the Northwest D2 bracket. We may have to wait and see who gets out of the van on Saturday.. [Update @9:30am: Players from Ottawa Hills will be getting out of the van.]
SUNDAY, - 8:00PM
State Draws Available
The good news is that the State Draws are now available. The bad news is that early releases can mean that sneaky errors are more likely to occur. It would be nice for the OHSAA to put a time stamp on the draws so that everyone knows what the current version is, but that is not the case with this version. [The OHSAA made a correction to the D1 Singles draws. Central's Burkett and Cordell's draw locations were switched from the OHSAA's first version.]
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Girls 2023 Draws - Click to view |
To access the draws, click on the image to the right or click on the link at the top of the page. This link will remain until the boys season is about to start.
Player profile photos are already available for most of the players. There are also a few that have been received from parents and coaches that need to be uploaded. The plan is to have photos for all players before the tournament begins. If a player photo does not match a player name, please let me know.
I have not yet had time to review the draws, but I will probably wait until Monday afternoon just in case the draws change.
SUNDAY,
District Results Now Online
The seeding rounds were (eventually) finished throughout the State yesterday. It was a long day for many. For those with "Homecoming" listed on their refrigerator calendars for Saturday night, it was really a frustrating day.
Results are online for the Central and Southwest Districts. Their players are listed in seed order. The results will be included on OTZ for Northeast and Northwest soon after they are posted on their respective web sites. If anyone took a photo of the draws, please pass it my way. [NE and NW District results are now online @3:30 10/15/2023.]
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Central District D1 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
It is way too early to freak about the Wooster weather forecast, which is listed below. One of the reasons why the College of Wooster was selected by the OHSAA was because of their access to six indoor courts at the Aspen Racquet Club. Wooster also has 12 new outdoor courts. Click for more.
It is; however, not too early to think about how you can be kind to a player's grandparents to give them a better viewing angle to watch their granddaughter play, especially if States are played indoors. It always drives me nuts when people, who are closest to the action, stand and block the view of everyone behind them.. (I try to avoid this when I am taking photos.)
Special thanks to Columbus Academy parent, Jai Chabria, for providing the photo of the Central District D2 qualifiers. Centerville coach, Scott Long, has also provided the group photos of the Southwest players, and those will be posted soon.
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Central District D2 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya; Turpin's Sarah Clark beat Mason's Addison Cassidy and Centerville's Clara Owen; Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett defeated Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed and Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell; and Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock beat Badin's Caroline Boyle and Indian Hill's Martha Thompson.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
State Qualifiers (Players listed in seed order.)
Central Division I
Singles: Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett, Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell, Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri, and Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed.
Doubles: New Albany's Richardlyne Francois - Paige Cornelius, Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth - Alexa Roth, Dublin Jerome's Lydia Foster - Adayla Coakley, and Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman - Tyra Butler.
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Upcoming Wooster-area Weather |
Central Division II
Singles: Bexley's Amiya Bowles and Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya.
Doubles: Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria - Yasemin Bilgin and Columbus Academy's Grace Philip - Sophie Wu.
Northeast Division I
Singles: North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher, Westlake's Amara Brahmbhatt, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming, Avon's Natalie Smitek, Magnificat's Anna Mancino, and Highland's Ally Haynes.
Doubles: North Canton Hoover's Addison Sheil - Ema Papcke, Avon Lakes' Autumn and Amber Korey, North Canton Hoover's Bridget Fink - Nyla Spangler, Aurora's Gracie and Kamy Milano, TBD, and TBD.
Northeast Division IISingles: Kenston's Brooke McNeal, Hawken's Dani Forte, Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay, and Laurel's Rida Tahir, and Gilmour Academy's Abigail Lynch.
Doubles: Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu - Katie Mills, Hawken's Hayley Garber - Valeria Kislyansky, Archbishop Hoban's Campbell Miller - Kate Wenzlik, Canfield's Whitney Miller - Sisi Nalluri, and Orange's Lily Guiler - Daniela DeMata Hiciano.
Northwest Division I
Singles: Sylvania North's Maddie Peisley and Perrysburg's Penelope Giammarco.
Doubles: Anthony Wayne's Mara Boyd - Cora Langenderfer and Anthony Wayne's Emily Szul - Mallory Rettig.
Northwest Division II
Singles: Maumee Valley Country Day's Mari-Yona Shannon, Bath's Anne Oliver, Shawnee's Ava Patel, and Shawnee's Rose Kottapalli.
Doubles: Ottawa Hills' Catherine Rhegness - Bryn Tangeman, Lima Central Catholic's Libby Simmons - Claire Janowski, Shelby's Annie Mahek - Bella Carver, and Port Clinton's Reagan Ruthsatz - Grace Arnold.
Southwest Division I
Singles: Turpin's Sarah Clark, Centerville's Clara Owen, Mason's Addison Cassidy, and Butler’s Natalie Schoenherr.
Doubles: Mason's Emma Wagner - Pratyusha Chaudhuri, Mason's Saanvi Reddy - Ana Gotike, Walnut Hills' Irisa and Perasa Poompanit, and Centerville's Eva Siler - Sasha Riley.
Southwest Division II
Singles: Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock, Indian Hill's Martha Thompson, Badin's Caroline Boyle, and Miami Valley School’s Ginevra Muratori.
Doubles: Indian Hill's Brooke Arington - Lilly Dwyer, Mariemont's Ella Malafa - Lucy Glassmeyer, Indian Hill's Cassie Larsen - Lexi Larsen, and Archbishop Alter's Annie Gayonski - Annie Schaefer.
Southeast Division II
Singles: South Point's Meredith Riley
Doubles: Marietta's Olivia Emory - Jenna Jackson
SATURDAY,
Northwest and Northeast District Results
More State qualifiers were determined yesterday, but there are still a few more to be decided today in the Northwest and Northeast Districts. The players will also be competing against the weather but hopefully things will clear up. The Central District is slated to start at noon, but that will be revisited at 10am. Central will play on Sunday if it does not happen today. The Southwest District will be playing indoors at Walnut Hills today.
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Oak Hills' Morgan Lint - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay defeated Ursuline's Maria Meranto and Gilmour Academy's Abigail Lynch; Sylvania Northview's Maddie Peisley beat Madison's Megan Reynolds and Fremont Ross' Kayla Lewis; Hawken's Dani Forte defeated Canton South's Marissa Zaleski and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Amy Grace Beebe; Kenston's Brooke McNeal beat Archbishop Hoban's Karlie Nicolae and Canfield's Hadley Moser; Perrysburg's Penelope Giammarco defeated Clay's Remi Galyas and Bowling Green's Libby Barnett; Laurel's Rida Tahir beat Perry's Audrey Austin and Norton's Katarina Jovanovic; Perrysburg's Allison Barry defeated Clay's Grace Fortier and Notre Dame Academy's Nora Johnson; and Bowling Green’s Julia Barnett beat Toledo St. Ursula Academy’s Marybelle Mawad and Norwalk’s Megan Miller. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Northeast Division II
Singles: Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay, Kenston's Brooke McNeal, Hawken's Dani Forte, and Laurel's Rida Tahir, TBD, and TBD
Doubles: Hawken's Hayley Garber - Valeria Kislyansky, Canfield's Whitney Miller - Sisi Nalluri, Archbishop Hoban's Campbell Miller - Kate Wenzlik, Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu - Katie Mills, TBD, and TBD.
Today's photo is of Oak Hills' senior, Morgan Lint. It was taken at the Southwest District Tournament. As with yesterday's photo, the ball "atoms" are visible thanks to the sun being behind the player.
Best of luck today!
FRIDAY, - UPDATED WITH SW DISTRICT RESULTS @11:40AM
Results Online for Northeast D1 and Northwest D2
Congratulations to the State Qualifiers from the Northeast D1 and Northwest D2 Districts. These results are now online. The Southwest District got off to a slow start after a rain shower moved through the area on Thursday morning. Those results will be included on OTZ after they become available. The NW D1 and NE D2 tournaments take place today.
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Turpin's Sarah Clark - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Hudson's Erica Liu and Magnificat's Anna Mancino; Westlake’s Amara Brahmbhatt defeated Massillon Jackson’s Alessandra McCann and Highland's Ally Haynes; Avon's Natalie Smitek defeated Dover's Taylor Rose and Wooster's Ava Mathur; and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming defeated Avon's Denver Johnson and Perry's Haylee Fearon.
In SW Division I, Centerville's Clara Owen defeated Mason's Chloe Zhang and Oak Hills' Morgan Lint; Turpin's Sarah Clark beat Northmont's Erin Kelsey and Sycamore's Lisa Kai; Mason's Addison Cassidy defeated Lakota West's Leah Schleibaum and Springboro's Sofia Tomlin; and Butler’s Natalie Schoenherr beat Miamisburg’s Sophie Jovanov and Milford’s Jasmin Mu.
In SW Division II, Indian Hill's Martha Thompson defeated Miami Valley School's Washington and Summit Country Day's Puryear; Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock beat Tippecanoe's Morgan Collins and Indian Hill's Caroline Brown; Badin's Caroline Boyle defeated Archbishop Alter's Maggie Shope and Cincinnati Country Day's Ayla Daoud; and Miami Valley School’s Ginevra Muratori beat Seven Hills' Brogan Bell and Cincinnati Country Day’s Rana Arebi.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
State Qualifiers
Northeast Division I
Singles: North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher, Westlake's Amara Brahmbhatt, Avon's Natalie Smitek, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming, TBD, and TBD
Doubles: North Canton Hoover's Bridget Fink - Nyla Spangler, Avon Lakes' Autumn and Amber Korey, Aurora's Gracie and Kamy Milano, North Canton Hoover's Addison Sheil - Ema Papcke, TBD, and TBD.
Northwest Division II
Singles: Bath's Anne Oliver, Maumee Valley Country Day's MariYona Shannon, Shawnee's Rose Kottapalli, and Shawnee's Ava Patel.
Doubles: Ottawa Hills' Catherine Rhegness - Bryn Tangeman, Lima Central Catholic's Libby Simmons - Claire Janowski, Port Clinton's Reagan Ruthsatz - Grace Arnold, and Shelby's Annie Mahek - Bella Carver.
Southwest Division I
Singles: Centerville's Clara Owen, Turpin's Sarah Clark, Mason's Addison Cassidy, and Butler’s Natalie Schoenherr.
Doubles: Mason's Emma Wagner - Pratyusha Chaudhuri, Mason's Saanvi Reddy - Ana Gotike; Centerville's Eva Siler - Sasha Riley, and Walnut Hills' Irisa and Perasa Poompanit.
Southwest Division II
Singles: Indian Hill's Martha Thompson, Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock, Badin's Caroline Boyle, and Miami Valley School’s Ginevra Muratori.
Doubles: Indian Hill's Brooke Arington - Lilly Dwyer, Indian Hill's Cassie Larsen - Lexi Larsen, Mariemont's Ella Malafa - Lucy Glassmeyer, and Archbishop Alter's Annie Gayonski - Annie Schaefer.
Today's photo is of Turpin's Sarah Clark. When the sun is behind players, it is common to see tennis ball "dust" from the point of impact. That is the case with this photo. Clark has been the subject of some of the best OTZ photos over the years. Here are other Clark photos from 2020 forward: 2020 (taken COVID Summer) - 2021 - 2022. She will be playing for Coastal Carolina next fall.
THURSDAY,
Central District State Qualifiers
Weather conditions were perfect yesterday as the Central District determined its State qualifiers. The Southwest will hold its District competition today. The Northeast D1 and Northwest D2 tournaments will also take place.
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Reynoldsburg's Boskovska / Meoko - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Bloom-Carroll's Marlene Gimsa and Emily Bratton; Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett beat Canal Winchester's Ava Griggs and Watkins Memorial's Nora Grennan; Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri defeated Hilliard Davidson's Mackenzie Kline and New Albany's Airi Clements; Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell beat Big Walnut's Rosie Hartzler and Westerville Central's Lauren Muniu; Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed defeated Hilliard Davidson's Madison Kline and Watterson's Sara Goodlive; and Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya beat Bexley's Mia Ehrsam and Eastmoor Academy's Daniyah Dingess. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's photo is of Reynoldsburg's Isabella Boskovska and Kareen Meoko as they celebrated their first round win over Dublin Jerome. Both had 13-1 singles records during the season.
This list will grow as more districts are played.
State Qualifiers
Central Division I
Singles: Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett, Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri, Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell, and Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed.
Doubles: New Albany's Richardlyne Francois - Paige Cornelius; Dublin Jerome's Lydia Foster - Adayla Coakley, Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth - Alexa Roth; and Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman - Tyra Butler.
Central Division II
Singles: Bexley's Amiya Bowles and Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya.
Doubles: Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria - Yasemin Bilgin and Columbus Academy's Grace Philip - Sophie Wu.
I finally got to the Central District D1 tournament, but I largely hung out in the shadows until my pupils returned to normal following my ophthalmologist appointment. That was not until about noon. The illness from last week led to "floaters" which now makes it more challenging to take photos. At least yesterday's brilliantly sunny skies were pleasant for everyone else..
WEDNESDAY,
W&S Open Stays in Cincinnati | Upper Arlington & Mason into Final Four
The biggest tennis news from Mason yesterday was not that Mason defeated Centerville in the State Team Tournament, but that the Western & Southern Open is staying in Mason for another 25 years. (More on that below.) In the Central District D1 final, Upper Arlington beat New Albany in a nail-biter with UA securing the win on Court 2 dubs. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
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Happy(er) Cincinnati Fans - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Centerville's Clara Owen defeated Mason's Addison Cassidy; New Albany's Richardlyne Francois beat Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth; Upper Arlington's Alexa Roth defeated New Albany's Paige Cornelius; Mason's Pratyusha Chaudhuri beat Centerville's Elise Hedrick; and New Albany's Airi Clements defeated Upper Arlington's Lili Bibbo. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The State of Ohio, Mason, and Warren County up'd their offer to $130 million to secure the Western & Southern Open for 25 years. The potential upside for the tournament *may* have been higher in a brand new facility in Charlotte but the unknowns were also huge in an uncertain environment. Mason is a well-oiled machine with volunteers and infrastructure in place. This was a much loved tournament with fans who already have the tournament on their schedules. Mason (and southwest Ohio) will also benefit from the additional events that will be held at the facility. Currently, 50 new events are in planned. For all of the details, click to listen to yesterday's WLW's Bill Cunningham's show with David Young as guest.
Today's photo is a father / daughter who are long-term tennis fans who were hoping that the W&S Open would stay in Cincinnati. They were trying to take a selfie with their cell phone and I offered to take it for them. I then offered to take a photo of them with my camera just in case they wanted a better image. I did not hear from them yet, but maybe I eventually will.
The Central District holds it State Qualfiier Rounds today. I will be there later than I would have liked.
TUESDAY,
Anthony Wayne and Columbus Academy Advance to the Final Four
In the State Team Tournament, Anthony Wayne defeated Perrysburg and Columbus Academy beat Wellington for spots in the Final Four. Avon also advanced by beating Solon. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Wellington - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Wellington. They are coached by Tommy Haddow. They are Team Members. They are led by Caliope Mlicki, Samika Varma, and Mary Claire Thompson.
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Upcoming Columbus-area Weather |
I think that I will finally feel "normal" today. This will be the first day since catching the flu / food poisoning last Thursday. Watch for overdue replies to Feedback messages and emails.
The weather may get uncooperative over the next few days..
New Albany and Upper Arlington will face off in today's Central District D1 final.
MONDAY,
Awaiting District Draws
The District draws have been released for the Central and Southwest Districts.
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Centerville - Click to team page |
OTZ plans are to go to the Central District D1 tournament on Wednesday and the Southwest D1-D2 tournament on Thursday. For many years, I also traveled up to the Northeast D2 District on Friday but when that became an indoor tournament, that eliminated my interest. Unless there is inclement weather, all of the other tournaments, including States, are outdoors.
Some players are better outdoors than indoors. Since States is held outdoors, it is in everyone's best interest to hold district tournaments outdoors.
Today's featured team is Centerville. They are coached by Scott Long. They are Team Members. They are led by Clara Owen, Elise Hedrick, and Eve Alappatt.
Today's matches include: Anthony Wayne versus Perrysburg.
SUNDAY,
Sectional Seeding Rounds Completed
The summer to fall weather conversion took one day, but these are State's week temperatures, so it gave everyone a reason to find colder weather gear a bit earlier than normal. The seeding rounds were completed yesterday so now the waiting begins for the all-important District draws. The District draws will be included under the same links as above. The draws for District are random, but it is always nice to see the players who are on the edge of reaching States (i.e. the fourth and fifth best players when there are four State spots) compete against each other.
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Lauren Playing for CSG in 2011 - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Bexley's Gabbie Theile and Eastmoor Academy's Daniyah Dingess; Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett beat Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell and Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri; Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed defeated Upper Arlington's Lili Bibbo and Westerville Central's Lauren Muniu; New Albany's Airi Clements beat New Albany's Sophia Bojko and Chillicothe's Bella Flores; Big Walnut's Rosie Hartzler defeated Hilliard Davidson's Madison Kline and Watkins Memorial's Nora Grennan; and Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya beat Bloom-Carroll's Emily Bratton and Bloom-Carroll's Marlene Gimsa. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
On a fun note, our daughter, Lauren, got married to Guy Dille yesterday. The photo is from 2011 when Lauren played tennis for Columbus School for Girls. The lefty reached States in dubs in 2011. OhioTennisZone (or as it was originally named, GerberAnalytics.com) began soon thereafter. Lauren got married at Darby Dan Farms, which is a pretty incredible place west of Columbus. The property was owned by John Galbreath. Galbreath had a Kentucky Derby winner and he owned the Pittsburgh Pirates. He grew up in Mount Sterling which lies between Columbus and Cincinnati.
The combination of the wedding activities and the food poisoning (or whatever I had) has led to a big backup on OTZ tasks. Current plans are to start the catch-up process today. I am currently at about 80%, which is roughly 79% better than on Friday. [As it turned out, I faltered yesterday, too, and I did not really accomplish anything. Additional information was added this morning. 10/9/2023].
Unlike other daily updates, which are largely not modified with results after they are posted, today's entry will be modified.
SATURDAY,
Upper Arlington Beats Dublin Jerome
Upper Arlington defeated Dublin Jerome, 3-1, in the State Team Tournament. The match got rained out on Thursday night with UA leading 2-0. That was the only match recorded (but there were no individual scores provided). UA will take on New Albany for the the Final Four spot. Click for the OTZ-Enhanced State Team Tournament draw.
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Bexley's Amiya Bowles - Click to enlarge |
Today will be a busy day with Sectional seeding rounds taking place throughout the state. The chilly temperatures will be a tough adjustment for fans, but the players should be fine.
There is a lot of catch-up work necessary on OTZ thanks to some bad food that I ate at lunch on Thursday. I have largely been out of commission since late Thursday afternoon. I am feeling better today but we have family matters that take precedence. Watch for things to gradually catch-up by Monday or Tuesday.
Bexley's Amiya Bowles is the defending D2 champion. She has lost only four games the entire season, and she has not dropped a game thus far in the Sectional tournament.
FRIDAY,
More Sectional Results Posted
Well, this is not fun. I believe that I got some bad food at lunch yesterday. The result is that I lost five pounds utilizing all of the body's ways to lose weight. The good news is that I now feel about 1% better than I did at 5am when I first started to process this update.. The Dublin Jerome versus Upper Arlington match was the only dual match scheduled. It got delayed by leaves and then it got rained out after UA had secured two courts.
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Centerville's Clara Owen - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Worthington Christian's Tori Bourgeois; Bexley’s Mia Ehrsam beat Columbus School For Girls' Emmy Dizon; Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya defeated London's Josie Cover; Columbus Academy's Gabrielle Stewart beat Buckeye Valley's Ella Sheets; and Bexley's Gabbie Theile defeated Worthington Christian's Elise Bourgeois. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Back to bed..
THURSDAY,
Magnificat Beats St. Joseph Academy
In the only dual match reported, Magnificat defeated St. Joseph Academy. To view the graphical results, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Sectional data is online for the three of the six Central District sites. More results will be added as it becomes available. Results submitted last night by coaches and parents are also online.
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Crunching data - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Magnificat's Anna Mancino defeated St. Joseph Academy's Sydney Lorenz; Wooster's Ava Mathur beat Revere's Ananya Jayaraman; Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed defeated Thomas Worthington's Neela Ramachandran; New Albany's Airi Clements beat Pickerington North's Chloe Mason; Big Walnut's Rosie Hartzler defeated Marysville's Linnea Olofsson; Canal Winchester's Ava Griggs beat Lancaster's Gracyn Gagni; and Chillicothe’s Bella Flores defeated Delaware Hayes' Reghan Gist. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The spreadsheets used to enter the Sectional are very specialized and customized for the Central District. The Central District provides OTZ with a list of all of the players competing in Sectionals. I then modify the player names to reflect what is used on OhioTennisZone. For example, an initial is used for Avery Reed (A.Reed) because her sisters played for Olentangy Orange and all names need to be "unique". The spreadsheets are further honed were I can key in "23", and the system knows that the score is 6-2, 6-3. There is a huge amount of upfront work necessary but it allows the results to be entered rather quickly. A "green" block indicates that the names reflect what is stored on OTZ. If it is "red", that means more lookup work for me. Again, I can only do this for the Central District because they provide the initial spreadsheet. I rely on data entry by coaches and parents for Sectional data in the rest of the state.
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Upcoming Columbus-area Weather |
The perfect Ohio weather is being replaced with regular Ohio weather. This could be an issue if your daughter is playing tennis or getting married outdoors on Saturday.
Dublin Jerome hosts Upper Arlington in a State Team Tournament match.
WEDNESDAY,
New Albany Beats Coffman | Perrysburg Defeats Notre Dame Academy
In the State Team Tournament, New Albany defeated Dublin Coffman and Perrysburg beat Notre Dame Academy. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
The close, 3-2 matches included: Newark defeated Watkins Memorial and Olentangy Liberty beat Worthington Kilbourne. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Mason - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Mason. They are coached by Mike Reid. They are Team Members. They are led by Addison Cassidy, Pratyusha Chaudhuri, Emma Wagner, and Ana Gotike.
The first Sectional Results were emailed to OTZ yesterday by North Canton Hoover. All of their players reached the next round. The format is:
- 10/3/2023
- Bucher (North Canton Hoover) def. Trent (Lake) 6-0, 6-0
Bucher (North Canton Hoover) def. Mamula (New Philadelphia) 6-0, 6-0
Crawford (North Canton Hoover) def. Miller (Green) 6-0, 6-0
Crawford (North Canton Hoover) def. Levy (GlenOak) 6-1, 6-3
Crawford (North Canton Hoover) def. Tamang (North) 6-0, 6-0
Pablo (North Canton Hoover) def. Coutris (Boardman) 6-2, 6-0
Pablo (North Canton Hoover) def. Prabhakaran (Jackson) 6-4, 7-6
Fink-Spangler (North Canton Hoover) def. Brown-Harberghs (GlenOak) 6-0, 6-0
Sheil-Papcke (North Canton Hoover) def. Yurko-Konnerth (Boardman) 6-0, 6-0
Sheil-Papcke (North Canton Hoover) def. Maize-Lint (Dover) 6-0, 6-0
Individual OTZ members from the Northeast, Northwest, or Southwest Districts may also use the above format if they want the results posted for their daughter. Note that any other characters (such as first names) only take me more time because I have to delete them. To prevent duplicates, only enter results that are not currently online.
Magnificat (A) is expected to play St. Joseph Academy today. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Coffman Beats Berlin | Anthony Wayne Defeats Norwalk
In the State Team Tournament, Dublin Coffman defeated Olentangy Berlin and Anthony Wayne beat Norwalk. Yesterday was likely to be the last double digit match-day of the season. There were 13 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 1, Northeast - 1, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Big Walnut defeated Worthington Christian; Worthington Kilbourne beat Hilliard Bradley; Franklin Heights defeated Ready; Turpin beat Sycamore; DeSales defeated Whetstone; and Medina beat Copley. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Worthington Christian - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Worthington Christian. They are coached by Dino Tsibouris. They are Team Members. They are led by Emma Flanigan, Juliette Piper, Brooke Stone, and Elise Bourgeois.
As mentioned to OTZ Member coaches in an email, OTZ will gather and post the Sectional results for the Central District because I have a very effective process to handle those. Plus, almost all matches include Team or individual OTZ members. For the other Districts, I am asking the coaches to email the results to me if they care to include the Sectional results in their records. The format is:
- 10/10/2023
- Jones (Avon) def. Gerber (Bloomingburg) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
- Ja.Mossbarger-Jo.Mossbarger (Bloomingburg) def. Smith-Wilson (Avon) 6-4, 6-3
Individual OTZ members from the Northeast, Northwest, or Southwest Districts may also use the above format if they want the results posted for their daughter. Note that any other characters (such as first names) only take me more time because I have to delete them.
Today's matches include: Lakeside (H) versus Mentor and Newark (H) versus Watkins Memorial.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
It's Sectional Week! | Greater Columbus Tennis Association Awards
Sectionals begin today in the Northeast (at Solon) and Southwest (at Centerville) Districts. The rest of the state begins tomorrow through Thursday.
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2023 Award Recipients - Click to enlarge |
The Greater Columbus Tennis Association (GCTA) Awards Banquet took place last Thursday and a several great tennis people were recognized. They included: Steve Hoffman (organizer of the Champions tennis camp and previous assistant coach at Columbus Academy), Ebay Day (Columbus Recreation and Parks Award and previous coach at Cincinnati's Mount Notre Dame High School), Eberlyn Family (Preston Eberlyn is the Columbus Academy coach), Bexley's Amiya Bowles (defending Division II singles champion), and New Albany's Will Gibson (the inspiration behind Buddy-Up Tennis), Bill Warrens (in memoriam) (long-time Columbus-area pro), and Jane McMeekin (previous long-time secretary of the GCTA). Click for the GCTA.net web site to see the past award winners.
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Amiya Bowles - Click to enlarge |
Will Gibson |
Numerous junior tennis players from throughout Ohio have volunteered for Buddy-Up Tennis sessions. Beth Gibson (and Will) are the founders of this great organization. Click for more information on Buddy-up Tennis.
Click for the family photos of the Amiya Bowles and the Will Gibson.
If you noticed that photos on GCTA.net and the GCTA web site look similar to the OhioTennisZone web site, that is because I provide both sites. Yes, the fall tennis season is really busy for me..
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (H) versus Olentangy and Medina (H) versus Copley. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Academy Beats Hawken and Magnificat
Upper Arlington defeated Reynoldsburg in a State Team Tournament match and
Columbus Academy went on the road to beat Hawken and Magnificat. In tournament play, Mason won the GMC. To view all of the dual match results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the
OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
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Season-to-Date Report - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Magnificat's Anna Mancino defeated Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria; Hawken's Dani Forte beat Columbus Academy's Grace Philip; Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth defeated Reynoldsburg's Elliott; and Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya beat Hawken's Valeria Kislyansky. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
As the end of the season nears, coaches find the Season-to-Date Report (or End-of-Year Report) to be very beneficial in summarizing player stats. It lists all of the matches of all of the varsity players. This report is available in the OTZ Personalized Report page under OTZ Tools. Please sign-in to view.
Delaware Hayes is playing Pleasant today. That is the only match on the schedule.
SATURDAY,
Magnificat Defeats Westlake
It was a quiet tennis evening with just five matches recorded. The biggest match was Magnificat defeated Westlake. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Big Walnut - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Big Walnut. They are coached by Ryan Balaz. They are Team Members. They are led by Rosie Hartzler, Jaden Nelson, and Addie Miller.
Columbus Academy goes on the road today to northeast Ohio. They will play both Magnificat and Hawken. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
North Canton Hoover Beats Westlake | Mariemont Defeats Walnut Hills
Rained dampened match play yesterday, especially in Central Ohio. There were just seven matches recorded from state-wide play with five from Southwest and two from the Northeast District. In the two biggest matches of the day, North Canton Hoover defeated Westlake in a State Team Tournament match and Mariemont beat Walnut Hills. In a close, 3-2 match, Milton-Union defeated Eaton. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click on OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws to view the most recent additions.
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Coffman's Bethel Binyam - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Westlake's Makenzie Stokes; Centerville's Clara Owen defeated Oakwood's Newman; Avon's Natalie Smitek defeated Avon Lake's Amber Korey; and Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock defeated Milton-Union's Shannon Brumbaugh. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
It is an OTZ Photo Friday. Today's photo is of Dublin Coffman's Bethel Binyam at the Lexington Invite. There will be more photos added throughout the day. Click for Most Recently Added Photos.Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Avon and Magnificat (A) versus Westlake. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Mariemont Defeats Tippecanoe | Columbus Academy Beats Coffman
In yesterday's play, Mariemont defeated Tippecanoe and Columbus Academy beat Dublin Coffman. The score was 2-2 when Mariemont clinched the match on court 1.
There were 14 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 4, and Northeast - 4. The close, 3-2 matches included: Massillon Jackson defeated Magnificat and Sycamore beat Ursuline Academy. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Beachwood - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Beachwood. They are coached by David Cole. They are led by Shreya Chellu and Amy Zhou.
Today's matches include: North Canton Hoover (H) versus Hathaway Brown; Turpin (H) versus Seven Hills; and Mariemont (H) versus Walnut Hills.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Indian Hill Beats St. Ursula Academy | Coffman Defeats Jerome | OTZ College Report
Indian Hill defeated St. Ursula Academy and Dublin Coffman beat Dublin Jerome in the two marquis matches of the evening. There were 17 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 4, and Northeast - 5. The close, 3-2 matches included: Highland defeated Hudson; Worthington Kilbourne beat Pickerington North; and Lakeside defeated Harvey. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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College Report - Click to view |
Among the top players, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Revere's Gabi Iler; Turpin's Sarah Clark downed Seton's Ella Vatter; Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri beat Dublin Jerome's Lydia Foster; Indian Hill's Martha Thompson defeated St. Ursula Academy's Ellie Texter; Magnificat's Anna Mancino beat Laurel's Rida Tahir; Oak Hills' Morgan Lint defeated Mariemont's Ella Malafa; Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth beat Olentangy's Harshini Mallipeddi; Columbus Academy's Grace Philip defeated Wellington's Caliope Mlicki; Hudson’s Hannan Mallory beat Highland's Ally Haynes; and Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett defeated Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The OTZ College Report is being released today. This report lists the Ohio high school tennis players who are competing in college. It is not all-inclusive. If a player was a OTZ-paying member (or playing under a Team Membership), they absolutely should be included in this report. If not, they will likely not be included. (Some are included at the bottom of the report though.) This is a very time consuming report to create for a number of reasons. They include: kids stop playing tennis, players switch teams, URL's for teams change, etc. It has always been a bit weird to me when I release this report, because I will have parents who have never been OTZ members, reach out to me and request that their son or daughter be included.. Every year, I tell myself that I will never do this report again. Yet, here we are again. More on the College Report tomorrow.
Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Indian Hill; Columbus Academy (H) versus Dublin Coffman; and Mariemont (A) versus Tippecanoe. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Tippecanoe Beats Chaminade-Julienne
The rain expected this week may make it difficult for some teams to close out the season. Sectionals begin next week. The spotty rain may impacted some matches yesterday. There were 14 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 4, and Northeast - 4. The close, 3-2 matches included: Tippecanoe defeated Chaminade-Julienne; Marysville beat Worthington Christian; Springboro defeated Lakota East; Centerville-B beat Badin; and Turpin defeated Cincinnati Country Day. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Lexington - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Lexington. They are coached by Jansen Webster. They are led by Jade Adkins, Maggie Wallace, and Malaina Wolfe.
All of the Sectional Draws have been posted for the Central, Southwest, and Northeast Districts. They are available via the links above.
Today's matches include: Dublin Jerome (H) versus Dublin Coffman; Highland (H) versus Hudson; and Turpin (H) versus Seton. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Sectional Draws
The Sectional draws are available for the Central District and they are slowly coming online for the other districts as well. The Southwest District currently has two of their four locations posted as of 8:00am this morning. Access to all of the draws will be linked to at the top of this page.
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Central D2 Sectional - Click to draws |
While there are very few players who will participate at "States" in Wooster, all of these players are essentially now in the OHSAA state tournament. That is a big deal so congratulations to the players who were selected by their coach to compete.
College coaches really appreciate having player school years on the draws. It really helps them with recruiting. The Central and Southwest do a good job with this, and it is great that they help their kids by doing it. It is unclear why the Northeast and Northwest Districts do not. Parents, in many ways, you are the customer in this relationship. Ask for this information to be included. (And yes, it is ok to ask.) Some districts are more technically adept than others. Special note to Northeast and Northwest tournament directors.
The OTZ-Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws have been updated. Aware of other updates? Click on Feedback. Unless a coach includes in the score-entry comments area that a match is an OTCA or State Team Tournament match, it difficult to determine if a match counted for the tournament or if it was just a league or regularly scheduled match.
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Upcoming Columbus-area Weather |
Today's matches include: St. Ursula Academy (A) versus Indian Hill and Beaumont (A) versus Gilmour Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
Efforts are underway to update the OTZ College Player page. This is an extremely time-consuming report to create. While it would be nice to get this report updated earlier in the season, many college teams do not update their rosters until their seasons are about to begin.
Ohio tennis has had a long stretch of great weather. That may change this week.
SUNDAY,
Centerville Wins Lex Invite | Mason is Flight A Champ
It was a big tournament day with the Lexington Invite and the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association Classic. Centerville was the Lex champ. Mason won Flight A and Mariemont won Flight B of the Classic.
In dual match play, Solon and Hathaway Brown both defeated Dublin Jerome. Jerome did not have all of its players. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Watterson - Click to team page |
Today is Sectional Draw day. It is always interesting to see which players will be competing in singles or doubles.
Among the top players, Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu defeated Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley; Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley beat Solon's Ariel Hsieh; Hathaway Brown's Katie Mills defeated Dublin Jerome's An.Kulkarni; and Solon's Chahak Gupta beat Dublin Jerome's Anika Kulkarni. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's featured team is Watterson. They are coached by Susan Weil. They are led by Sara Goodlive, Julia Caravella, and Lilly Kasson.
SATURDAY,
Centerville Beats Lexington | Upper Arlington Beats Anthony Wayne
There were just two matches reported, which is good because I will be on my way to the Lexington Invite in a few minutes. Upper Arlington defeated Anthony Wayne and Centerville beat Lexington. To view the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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St. Ursula Academy - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Centerville's Clara Owen defeated Lexington's Adkins; Anthony Wayne's Mara Boyd beat Upper Arlington's Alexa Roth; Upper Arlington's Alice Hawley defeated Anthony Wayne's Cora Langenderfer; and Centerville's Elise Hedrick beat Lexington's Maggie Wallace. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is St Ursula Academy. They are coached by Linda Stafford. They are Team Members. They are led by Emily Jennewein, Maria Poon, and Elle Schuermann.
Today is a big tournament day. Teams participating at the Lexington Invite include: Anthony Wayne, Bexley, Canfield, Centerville, Columbus Academy, Dublin Coffman, Laurel, and Lexington. In addition to the Lex Invite, Cincinnati has its Coaches' Classic. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Upper Arlington Beats Dublin Jerome
As Sectional draws near, many teams are hustling to enter their results and finding last minute, good match-ups. In the most notable match yesterday, Upper Arlington defeated Dublin Jerome. They will likely meet again in the semi-finals of the State Team Tournament. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
There were 22 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 7, and Northeast - 5. The close, 3-2 matches included: Archbishop Hoban defeated Massillon Jackson; Seven Hills beat Wyoming; Western Reserve Academy defeated Magnificat; Miami Valley School beat Eaton; St. Ursula Academy defeated Springboro; and Mariemont beat Milford. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Watkins Memorial's Schaar / Walter - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein defeated Springboro's Sofia Tomlin; Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock beat Miami Valley School's Kennedi Washington; Westlake’s Amara Brahmbhatt defeated Highland's Evy Boucher; Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay beat Massillon Jackson's Alessandra McCann; Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Amy Grace Beebe defeated Revere's Gabi Iler; Dublin Jerome's Lydia Foster beat Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth; Oak Hills' Morgan Lint defeated Sycamore's Lisa Kai; Upper Arlington's Alexa Roth beat Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley; Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed defeated Dublin Scioto's Amelia Kunard; Seven Hills' Brogan Bell beat Wyoming's Myatt; Western Reserve Academy's Riya Hegde defeated Magnificat's Corinne Daniels; Mariemont’s Ella Malafa beat Milford’s Mu; and Watkins Memorial’s Nora Grennan defeated Big Walnut's Rosie Hartzler. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
It is an OTZ Photo Friday. Today's photo is of Watkins Memorial's Claudia Schaar and Coach Shawn Walter as they finish their strategy talk during the court change. Thankfully, both have good hand-eye skills. Click Most Recently Added Photos. Look for more photos after the OTZ dog walks her OTZ humans.Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Lexington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Centerville Beats St. Ursula Academy | Solon Defeats Magnificat
Centerville defeated St. Ursula Academy and Solon beat Magnificat in State Team Tournament play. Ba dee ya. There were 20 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 4, Southwest - 7, Northeast - 7, and Northwest - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Copley defeated Padua; Archbishop Alter beat Chaminade-Julienne; Waynesville defeated Valley View; Troy beat Butler; and Lakeside defeated Edgewood Ashtabula. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Gahanna - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Gahanna. They are coached by Chris Schwinnen. They are led by Daniela Guzman and Jackie Graham.
Today's matches include: Dublin Jerome (H) versus Upper Arlington; St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Springboro; and Massillon Jackson (H) versus Archbishop Hoban. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
New Albany Beats Dublin Jerome | Oakwood Defeats Archbishop Alter
New Albany defeated Dublin Jerome and Oakwood beat Archbishop Alter in two of the bigger matches of the evening. Other notable matches included Centerville defeated Springboro and Mason beat Sycamore. The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy Berlin defeated Olentangy Orange; Reynoldsburg beat Marysville; Orange defeated Chagrin Falls; and Bexley beat Worthington Christian.
There were 23 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 7, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 2. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Top Teams Report - Click to view |
Among the top players, Centerville's Clara Owen defeated Springboro's Sofia Tomlin; Bexley's Amiya Bowles beat Worthington Christian's Brooke Stone; Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay defeated Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming; Mason's Addison Cassidy beat Sycamore's Lisa Kai; Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria defeated Columbus School For Girls' Priya Mehta; Dublin Jerome's Lydia Foster beat New Albany's Richardlyne Francois; Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman defeated Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth; Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley beat New Albany's Paige Cornelius; and Oakwood’s Miranda Riggs defeated Archbishop Alter's Maggie Shope. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
To help identify the top teams in the state, the Top Teams Report and the Matrix Reports are extensively used. That said, it is also important to understand the line-ups that the coaches used in various matches. The Matrix Report can be really tough to understand so the Top Teams Report is a friendlier version of it. Yes, it should be a premium report, but it is not. Yet.With more new coaches this year, there are more duplicate results being entered. If a score is already online, it does not need to be re-submitted. It is super time consuming for me to remove these duplicates (and that is in addition to processing them for inclusion twice). It is normally the Home team's responsibility to submit scores, but not all teams are OTZ members. This is where the coaches need to talk so that the OTZ Member coach knows that he/she must be the one to submit the scores in order to recognize the players for both teams. If neither coach is an OTZ member, there is still an option for players to get their matches online. This is time consuming for OTZ to handle these, but I will make accommodations to help the kids get recognized. Submit a Feedback for more information. (Note that I do not really want to do this, but I will.)
Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus St. Ursula Academy; Magnificat (A) versus Solon; and Mariemont (H) versus Walnut Hills. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Columbus Academy Beats Dublin Jerome
In the biggest match of the night, Columbus Academy defeated Dublin Jerome. As normal, the weather was perfect.. There were 24 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 9, Southwest - 7, Northeast - 5, and Northwest - 3. The close, 3-2 matches included: Hawken defeated Archbishop Hoban; Canal Winchester beat Hamilton Township; Highland defeated Aurora; and Copley beat Tallmadge. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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North Canton Hoover - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is North Canton Hoover. They are coached by Ryan Shaffer. They are Team Members. They are led by Tess Bucher, Addison Sheil, Ema Papcke, and Bridget Fink.
Today's matches include: Sycamore (A) versus Mason; Dublin Jerome (A) versus New Albany; and Centerville (H) versus Springboro. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
North Canton Hoover and Indian Hill Remain at #1
The OhioTennisZone.com Top Ten Teams rankings have been updated. While the two teams at the top of the rankings, North Canton Hoover in Division I, and Indian Hill in Division II, have remained the same, there were significant changes in the rest of the rankings. This is due to some players deciding not to play high school tennis, and in other cases, key players have gotten injured.
 OhioTennisZone.com
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| 1. North Canton Hoover◄TEAM | Indian Hill◄TEAM |
| 2. New Albany◄TEAM | Hathaway Brown◄TEAM |
| 3. Mason◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 4. Centerville◄TEAM | Archbishop Alter |
| 5. St. Ursula Academy | Hawken◄TEAM |
| 6. Dublin Coffman◄TEAM | Bexley◄TEAM |
| 7. Avon | Mariemont |
| 8. Upper Arlington◄TEAM | Tippecanoe |
| 9. Dublin Jerome◄TEAM | Cuyahoga Valley Christian Acad. |
| 10. Perrysburg◄TEAM | Archbishop Hoban |
| HM: Magnificat◄TEAM | Orange◄TEAM |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
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Because of their great travel schedule, Sycamore is the "Rosetta Stone" team this fall. They have played eight of the top ten teams in D1 and D2, and they have also played teams from all over the state. Seeing how the various teams have played against Sycamore, helps rank all of them.
It is important to note that some teams have fluctuated their line-ups so that it is unclear how strong they really are. Mason is the main example of this.
OTZ also does not have all of the match results for some of these teams so some guess work was necessary. It is really helpful when teams are OTZ Team Members because this allows fans to see the individual results for all of the players. In some cases though, several of the Top Ten teams are not even OTZ Coach Members.
Interesting match-ups today include Dublin Jerome (H) versus Columbus Academy; Loveland (H) versus Mariemont; and Solon (A) versus Hudson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Massillon Jackson Beats Notre Dame Academy
There were just three dual matches reported yesterday. Massillon Jackson defeated Notre Dame Academy; Whetstone beat Northland; and Archbishop Hoban defeated St. Vincent-St. Mary. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Seven Hills - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay defeated St. Vincent-St. Mary's Ellis Lewis; Massillon Jackson’s Alessandra McCann beat Notre Dame Academy's Nora Johnson; and Massillon Jackson’s Ashley Helle defeated Notre Dame Academy's. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Seven Hills. They are coached by Tim Drew. They are Team Members. They are led by Brogan Bell, Katie Stephens, and Daniela Alper.
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St. Xavier's Temming and Stearns - Click to team page |
The Qualifier for the Columbus Challenger takes place today. Several Ohio State players will be competing including Preston Stearns. Stearns, as a freshman, and Charlie Temming won D1 State dubs for St. Xavier in 2019. (See photo.) Stearns was red-shirted last year. Temming plays for Xavier where he is a junior. The actual tournament begins tomorrow. Admission and parking are free. Click for more.
A new OTZ team ranking will be released tomorrow.
SATURDAY,
Mason Beats Turpin | NCH Defeats Solon
Perhaps not in the football stadiums, but it was a quiet night on the tennis courts. Among the top teams, Mason defeated Turpin and North Canton Hoover beat Solon. In the State Team Tournament, Avon defeated Mayfield and Mariemont beat Wilmington. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Turpin - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Turpin. They are coached by Gail Maundrell. They are led by Sarah Clark, Brooke Malone, and Elaina McDonald.
Today is primarily a tournament day. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Centerville Defeats Sycamore | OTZ Photo Friday
It was another perfect evening for tennis. There were 23 matches recorded and there several more posted after the update process had already begun. The Central District posted the most matches with 11. The Southwest had eight, followed by the Northeast with three, and the Northwest with one. In the State Team Tournament, Centerville defeated Sycamore. The close, 3-2 matches included: Delaware Hayes defeated Hilliard Darby; Laurel beat Twinsburg; Reynoldsburg defeated Pickerington North; Loveland beat Milford; Olentangy Berlin defeated Watterson; Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy beat Perry; Magnificat defeated Bay; Springboro beat Lakota West; and Dublin Coffman defeated Olentangy Liberty.To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Watterson's Julia Caravella - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Centerville's Clara Owen defeated Sycamore's Lisa Kai; Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri beat Olentangy Liberty's Sahasra Banda; Dublin Jerome's Lydia Foster defeated Dublin Scioto's Amelia Kunard; Reynoldsburg's Kareen Meoko beat Pickerington North's Poeppelman; Laurel's Rida Tahir defeated Twinsburg's Julia Bazarov; Perry’s Lily Walker beat Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Amy Grace Beebe; Mariemont’s Ella Malafa defeated Wyoming’s Nina Myatt; Columbus School For Girls' Priya Mehta beat Buckeye Valley's Molly Jones; Loveland's Marlee Fleming defeated Milford's Mu; and Westerville Central’s Lauren Muniu beat Westerville South’s Kayla Saunders. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today is an OTZ Photo Friday. The leaves are starting to change in central Ohio and the photo of Watterson's Julia Caravella helps illustrate this. This photo was taken at the Park of Roses. More photos will be available for viewing at Most Recently Added Photos soon after this update is posted.
Today's Upcoming Match Report currently show just one match -- Turpin (A) versus Mason. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Archbishop Hoban Beats Magnificat | Olentangy Orange Defeats Olentangy
Perfect playing conditions provided plenty of great match-ups yesterday. In the biggest matches of the night, Archbishop Hoban defeated Magnificat and Olentangy Orange beat Olentangy. The close, 3-2 matches included: Chaminade-Julienne defeated Oakwood; Eaton beat Waynesville; Orange defeated Canfield; Reynoldsburg beat Westerville Central; Ursuline Academy defeated Loveland; and Solon beat Wadsworth. There were 27 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 7, Northeast - 9, and Northwest - 1. The Northeast continues to slowly catch-up to the Central and Southwest Districts. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Solon - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Solon. They are coached by Fredrik Nyborg. They are Team Members. They are led by Ariel Hsieh and Chahak Gupta.
Today's matches include: Centerville (H) versus Sycamore; North Canton Hoover (H) versus Solon; and Mariemont (H) versus Wyoming. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Anthony Wayne Beats Findlay
Rainy conditions affected play yesterday. There were just seven matches recorded. The breakdown by District was: Central - 2, Southwest - 4, and Northwest - 1. Anthony Wayne defeated Findlay and Delaware Hayes beat Buckeye Valley. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
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Dublin Scioto - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Dublin Scioto. They are coached by CJ Juda. They are Team Members. They are led by Amelia Kunard, Emmy Evans, and Mio Awano. The Scioto versus Hilliard Davidson match was one of the rare times in which the sun has been favorable this season for photos. Note the slight shadow beneath the players in their action photos.
Today's matches include: Magnificat (H) versus Archbishop Hoban; Massillon Jackson (A) versus Wooster; Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (H) versus Beaumont. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Solon Beats Brecksville | SUA Defeats Turpin
Rain may affect play today, but yesterday was a good tennis day. In two of the bigger matches, Solon defeated Brecksville and St. Ursula Academy beat Turpin. The close, 3-2 matches included: Big Walnut defeated Westerville Central and Buckeye Valley defeated Ready. There were 29 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 9, and Northeast - 8. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Bexley - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Bexley. They are coached by Heath Goolsby. They are Team Members. They are led by Amiya Bowles, Mia Ehrsam, and Gabbie Theile.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus New Albany; Dublin Jerome (A) versus Olentangy Orange; and Anthony Wayne (A) versus Findlay. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Busy Week Ahead
The goal is to get all of the pertinent (i.e. your daughter's) scores online before the Sectional Draws take place on September 24. The good news is that the draws are still about 1 1/2 weeks away, but please do not let them sneak up on you. Contact OTZ if you are an OTZ member and your daughter's scores are not online. For the full tennis calendar, scroll down to view the right side-bar.
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Columbus Academy - Click to team page |
There are several good matches taking place today. They include: St. Ursula Academy(H) versus Turpin; Upper Arlington (H) versus Bexley; and Mariemont (H) versus Badin. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
There are a couple of good tournaments coming up in Central Ohio for boys and for girls not in high school tennis. These are both very affordable and they benefit the school teams involved. They are: Dublin Coffman Fall Junior Open (September 16-17) and Upper Arlington Fall Junior Open (September 30 - October 1). As tennis people already know, the USTA is out of touch with technology so these links cannot be accessed while a computer is in VPN-mode. Virtual Private Networks (VPN) need to be turned off first to view these links. Central Ohio has not had any major junior USTA junior tournaments for many years and even these smaller tournaments have dwindled to a tiny number. The lack of junior tournaments state-wide will get worse before it gets better as clubs fill their off-hour courts with pickleball players.
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Upcoming Columbus-area Weather |
Today's featured team is Columbus Academy. They are coached by Preston Eberlyn. They are Team Members. They are led by Arya Chabria, Grace Philip, and Tamanna Arya.
The Central Ohio weather looks good for this week.
SUNDAY,
New Albany > Mason > Upper Arlington
The best teams in the state went on the road yesterday to get more great competition. New Albany defeated Mason and Mason beat Upper Arlington. North Canton Hoover traveled to the Northwest District to play. They beat Toledo St. Ursula Academy and Notre Dame Academy. Mason did not have their complete line-up. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Hawken - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Hawken. They are coached by Lori Shulman. They are led by Dani Forte and Bella Hsieh.
SATURDAY,
Centerville Beats Magnificat | Mariemont Defeats 7Hills
For a Friday night, there were numerous good matches. In matches involving the top teams, Centerville defeated Magnificat and Mariemont beat Seven Hills. To see the results for the other four matches that were reported, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Columbus School For Girls - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Columbus School for Girls. They are coached by Shelby Cheses. They are Team Members. They are led by Priya Mehta and Victoria Dizon.
Today's matches include: North Canton Hoover (A) versus Notre Dame Academy and Toledo St Ursula Academy and Upper Arlington versus Mason. Ohio State has their first home football game so that affects schedules (well, at least my tennis schedule). To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Columbus Academy Beats Bexley | Hathaway Brown Defeats Laurel | OTZ Photo Friday
Columbus Academy defeated Bexley and Hathaway Brown beat Laurel in two of the bigger matches of the evening. In State Team Tournament play, Solon defeated Wooster and Highland beat Shaker Heights. Overall, there were 20 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 8, and Northeast - 4. The other close, 3-2 matches included: Chaminade-Julienne defeated Badin and Upper Arlington-B beat Reynoldsburg. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
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North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria; Turpin's Sarah Clark beat Loveland's Marlee Fleming; St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein defeated Mount Notre Dame's Zole Benz; Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri beat Hilliard Davidson's Madison Kline; Reynoldsburg's Kareen Meoko defeated Upper Arlington-B's Kylie Husted; Wooster's Ava Mathur beat Solon's Olivia Liu; Laurel's Rida Tahir defeated Hathaway Brown's Anna Mills; Mason's Emma Wagner beat Lakota East's Latty; Highland's Ally Haynes defeated Shaker Heights' Alexis Glinzler; and Columbus Academy's Grace Philip beat Bexley's Mia Ehrsam. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The sun has been weird lately where it has been too brutally bright or too much cloud cover. Click for the OTZ Most Recently Added Photos. More photos will be added later today.Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Magnificat; Mariemont (H) versus Seven Hills; and North Canton Hoover (A) versus Sylvania Northview. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
New Albany Beats Dublin Coffman | HB Defeats Magnificat
In the matches that included the OTZ highest ranked teams, Hathaway Brown defeated Magnificat and New Albany beat Dublin Coffman. It was a busy evening state-wide with 29 matches recorded. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 9, Northeast - 6, and Northwest - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Highland defeated Massillon Jackson; Eaton beat Miamisburg; Reynoldsburg defeated Delaware Hayes; Dublin Scioto beat Pickerington North; Copley defeated Cuyahoga Falls; Dublin Jerome beat Olentangy Berlin; Hilliard Davidson defeated Westerville Central; Chaminade-Julienne beat Milton-Union; Springboro defeated Oakwood; and Archbishop Alter beat Bellbrook. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
In the State Team Tournament, Anthony Wayne and Upper Arlington recorded wins. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
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ATP Challenger - January 2022 - Click to enlarge |
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Ball People - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Gahanna's Daniela Guzman; Centerville's Clara Owen beat Tippecanoe's Nicki Bauer; Turpin's Sarah Clark defeated Ursuline Academy's Ansari; New Albany's Richardlyne Francois beat Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri; Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu defeated Magnificat's Anna Mancino; Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming beat Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Amy Grace Beebe; Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell defeated Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley; New Albany's Paige Cornelius beat Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett; Anthony Wayne's Mara Boyd defeated Toledo St. Ursula Academy's London Cohen; Hathaway Brown's Katie Mills beat Magnificat's Corinne Daniels; Highland's Ally Haynes defeated Massillon Jackson's Alessandra McCann; Perrysburg's Penelope Giammarco beat Ottawa Hills' Tangeman; Milton-Union's Shannon Brumbaugh defeated Chaminade-Julienne's Paige Harsman; Springboro’s Sofia Tomlin beat Oakwood’s Miranda Riggs; and Mount Notre Dame’s Scharfenberger defeated Loveland's Marlee Fleming. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Even though Ohio State is not hosting the OHSAA tournament **, it is nice that they are still hosting an ATP Challenger. The next one will be September 17-24. This is an opportunity to see up and coming players up close and personal. There is no charge for admittance. One recent player who competed was Dominic Stricker. He just recently beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the US Open. They are also looking for ballpeople, credential checkers, and driver volunteers. This is a perfect opportunity for home school kids. Click if interested. Eagle eye tennis fans will also notice that Alex Guthrie was the tournament directory. At one time, Guthrie was the high school coach at Mayfield.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Bexley; Solon (H) versus Orange; and Turpin (A) versus Loveland. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
** Yes, I know that the timing of this seems a little weird. Ohio State needs Ohio HS help after just turning down Ohio HS for the State Tournament..
WEDNESDAY,
SUA Beats Sycamore | Oakwood Defeats Bellbrook
There were 21 matches recorded in *hot* conditions. In the two biggest matches, St. Ursula Academy defeated Sycamore and Oakwood beat Bellbrook. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 5, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Valley View defeated Milton-Union; Lakota East beat Seven Hills; Geneva defeated Lakeside; Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy beat Bay; and Hudson defeated Orange. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Upper Arlington - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Upper Arlington. They are coached by Shaun Stamps. They are Team Members. They are led by Isabella Roth, Alexa Roth, and Alice Hawley.
Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Tippecanoe; Magnificat (A) versus Hathaway Brown; and Mariemont (A) versus Indian Hill. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
College of Wooster to Host OHSAA Tournament
The big news for today will make some players quite happy. Others? Maybe not so much. Ohio State did not make as much money as they wanted during the boys state tournament last spring to re-up for the girls tournament. This forced the OHSAA to hustle to find a replacement since the Lindner Family Tennis Center's availability is still in doubt due to construction. The OHSAA reached out to several locations and the College of Wooster answered the call. The tournament will take place on Thursday, October 19, and Friday, October 20.
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College of Wooster - Click for tennis team |
Wooster has 12 new outdoor courts and an indoor facility on campus. They courts are shown on Wooster's college map in the northeast corner. The Google Satellite Map has not yet been updated to include the new courts, but they are located northeast of the football stadium and at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Gasche Street. Click video to learn more about Wooster's tennis program and their facilities from Coach Amy Behrman.
The Ohio State facility was absolutely perfect for the state tournament thanks to its central location and its outdoor / indoor combination. The crowds for the high school tournament are larger than what Ohio State gets for their own matches. The attendance would have also grown as more Central Ohio fans discovered that the tournament was back in Columbus. It is unfortunate that revenue played such a big role for an institution that is partially funded by taxpayers. It is unknown how large a difference there was between what the OHSAA was willing to offer and what Ohio State wanted. It is also unknown if another event was planned by Ohio State on that Thursday and Friday. There is a home football game against Penn State on Saturday.
The Columbus Challenger takes place indoors in September at OSU and it is unknown if there are revenue requirements for that tournament.
The location and date of the State Team Tournament has not been announced.
Thank you, Wooster, for being a friend of Ohio High School tennis. Hopefully you will pick up a few additional college students and a few good tennis players due to your hospitality.
I am finally done preparing the OTZ invoices so now it is time for me to finally kick back and enjoy the Labor Day holiday weekend. Wait. What?
Today's matches include: Hudson (H) versus Orange; Franklin Heights (H) versus Grandview; and Anthony Wayne (A) versus Sylvania Southview. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Big News Tomorrow
Yesterday was another quiet day for Ohio high school tennis. There will also be no results to report tomorrow morning. There will; however, be other big news which should make teams in Northeast Ohio very (very) happy.
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Marysville - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Marysville. They are coached by William Romine, who also happens to be a new grandfather. (Congratulations!) They are Team Members, and they are led by Paige Hobbs and Linnea Olofsson.
The OTZ invoice process is about half way done. I should be able to finish them today. So, yay.
SUNDAY,
By-Court Report | Delaware Hayes Beats Marion Harding
There was just one score reported due to the Labor Day holiday. Delaware Hayes defeated Marion Harding. To view the graphical results from this match or for previous days, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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By-Court Report - Click to report |
Among the top players, Delaware Hayes' Gina Martin defeated Marion Harding's Audrey Feasel and Delaware Hayes' Reghan Gist beat Marion Harding's Abigail Harke. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
To celebrate Labor Day, OTZ will labor on the task that is the most hated by the entire OTZ staff - processing the invoices for the service. Last year, the invoice process was done in early July, but it has been a hectic summer (and year). No one was cut-off due to the delay in distributing the invoices. It may not be well known, but "OTZ access" continues unless the member is a rampant non-payer. Many thanks to the members who simply pay without prompting. Also note that the cost of OTZ has not increased despite the rampant inflation. The Team Membership price has never been increased since it was introduced about 10 years ago.
The "By-Court" Report is taking form as more matches are played. This report is a key component in understanding team depth. It is also a great way to identify players to add to the OTZ Watch List. As is the case with all OTZ reports, it is heavily "linked" to promote additional research. This is an OTZ creation and it is not duplicated anywhere else in tennis - not even for Division I college tennis.
There are no matches scheduled for today or tomorrow.
If you are awaiting a reply from me or for me to do a task that was promised six weeks ago, today would be a great day to re-ping me. I welcome diversions while processing invoices. Our dog, Zoey, wants to go on a walk. Good dog, Zoey. Good dog.
SATURDAY,
Bexley Beats Buckeye Valley
It was really quiet on the tennis courts yesterday as players headed off to football games. There were just two matches recorded. (There were; however, numerous matches entered late from Thursday's matches.) Newark defeated Central Crossing and Bexley beat Buckeye Valley. To view the results graphically, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Westerville North - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Westerville North. They are coached by Max Quinton. They are led by Anna Spitale and Mira Shyamalan. There is a Westerville North, a Westerville South, and a Westerville Central. I will not be happy until I see a Westerville East.. Note that Westerville Central is further north than Westerville North.
It is best for coaches (or players who have been designated by the coach) to enter results in the evening after the match. The OTZ update begins crazy early the next morning and it is like following a complex recipe. The scores are added first and then there are about 50 steps/processes that take place before it is finished. Once started, additional ingredients (or scores) are not added. Older scores may be entered anytime, but the daily commentary is not updated to include these older matches. To get recognized in the daily commentary, the scores need to be entered in the evening.
It is going to be a quiet weekend because of the Labor Day holiday. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Avon Beats Hudson
At this point of the season, there are primarily league matches being played and many of those matches are one-sided. The closest of the 24 matches recorded included: Reynoldsburg defeated Pickerington Central; Avon beat Hudson; Mason-B defeated Loveland; St. Joseph Academy beat Lake Ridge Academy; and Lancaster defeated Newark. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 7, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Martina Trevisan - Click to enlarge |
Today is an OTZ Photo Friday. The majority of the photos are from the Western & Southern Open. These photos are available for everyone to see. Click for Most Recently Added Photos. As with most photos, they tell a thousand words about a player's skill-level. The pros do everything well -- on almost every stroke. It is worthwhile to analyze a high school player using the same criteria. I see HS players through a different lens than parents because I really do not care who wins (other than your daughter, of course, I certainly want her to win). Since I often take 3-5 shot bursts, I can see the mechanics much better than others. Here is what I look for:
- Eye on ball through the hitting zone. The best players will hold their heads still for a split second even after the ball leaves the racquet.
- Coiling. Does a player coil their torso before hitting the ball? Seeing a player stand straight-up is a "quick tell" on her ability.
- Foot work / legs. Obviously a player needs to be in the correct spot for her swing pattern, but does she use her legs and hips to set-up a kinetic chain? In the photos, note Coco's position after she strikes the ball. She is springing into the ball.
- Speed. It is not just the speed of getting to a ball, but to the next one and the next one, etc. To do that, a player has to quickly accelerate and then quickly stop to get to the next ball. to In the above photo, Trevisan is in control to blast this shot and then recover for the next ball.
- Facial expression. I hesitate to say this, but it really does tell fans how confident a player is about particular strokes. I am sure I look horrified when someone hits the ball to my backhand because I am horrified.
As I have mentioned before, it is easy to get great shots of pros and Division I college players (when they play outdoors) because they make a lot of balls and they do everything correct. Since their skill levels are similar, they force their opponents to be at maximum speed. It is not at all easy to get good high school photos. Most of the best players in HS tennis will only be tested 3-4 times during the regular season.
Trying to take good photos of boys playing doubles in the early spring is absolutely impossible because boys value aces so much that they are willing to hit about five double faults to get one ace. When I go to the hereafter, I will spend all of my time at boys doubles matches..
THURSDAY,
Mason Beats SUA | Indian Hill Defeats Turpin
Mason defeated St. Ursula Academy and Indian Hill beat Turpin in the marquis matches of the evening. The close, 3-2 matches included: Milton-Union defeated Northwestern; Chaminade-Julienne beat Butler; Worthington Kilbourne defeated Columbus School For Girls; Hilliard Darby beat Gahanna; Copley defeated Kent Roosevelt; and Wooster beat Ashland.
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Loveland - Click to team page |
There were 25 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 8, and Northeast - 7. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri defeated Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell; Indian Hill's Brooke Arington beat Turpin's Sarah Clark; Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman defeated Columbus School For Girls' Priya Mehta; Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria beat Watterson's Sara Goodlive; Mason's Pratyusha Chaudhuri defeated St. Ursula Academy's Elle Schuermann; and Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett beat Olentangy Berlin's Claire Emanuel. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Loveland. They are coached by Jennifer Kapszukiewicz. They are led by Marlee Fleming, Laura Hiett, and Katie Murphy.Today's matches include: Hudson (A) versus Avon; Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (H) versus Hathaway Brown; and Centerville (A) versus Archbishop Alter. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Avon Beats Magnificat | CVCA Defeats Orange
Great weather meant that the entire state was playing tennis yesterday. There were numerous interesting matches. Avon defeated Magnificat and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy beat Orange. The close, 3-2 matches included: Hudson defeated Kenston; Worthington Christian beat Upper Arlington-B; Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin defeated Shaker Heights; Archbishop Alter beat Badin; Dublin Coffman defeated Upper Arlington; Dublin Scioto beat Big Walnut; Gahanna defeated Grove City; and Massillon Jackson-B beat St. Joseph Academy.
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Copley - Click to team page |
Overall, there were 35 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 18, Southwest - 9, Northeast - 7, and Northwest - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Avon's Natalie Smitek defeated Magnificat's Anna Mancino; Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri beat Upper Arlington's Isabella Roth; Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming defeated Shaker Heights’ Alexis Glinzler; Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Amy Grace Beebe beat Orange's Daniela DeMata-Hiciano; Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley defeated Watterson's Sara Goodlive; Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell beat Marysville's Paige Hobbs; Perrysburg's Penelope Giammarco defeated Bowling Green's Elizabeth Barnett; Dublin Scioto's Amelia Kunard beat Big Walnut's Rosie Hartzler; Avon's Denver Johnson defeated Magnificat's Corinne Daniels; Kenston's Brooke McNeal beat Hudson's Erica Liu; Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett defeated Upper Arlington's Alexa Roth; and Badin’s Williams beat Archbishop Alter's Maggie Shope. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's featured team is Copley. They are coached by Jodi Mirman. They are Team Members. They are led by Cassandra Komlanc, Vaishnavi Medapati, and Aanya Patel.
The start of this season was even more hectic than in previous years so there are still probably 2.4 billion million emails (exaggeration alert) that I have not responded to or taken action on. If you are awaiting action on anything, please ping me again. If you have not heard from me after 3-4 days, please email me again. Also, email is by far my preferred way of communicating. I primarily use text to inform Mrs. OTZ that I will be leaving the match "soon", and of course, she knows that is never the case.
On a brighter note, the team photos that I have been receiving this year have almost all been in high resolution mode. In the past, I have had to endure receiving three low resolution images in a row from the same team before getting one that I can use on OTZ. This has been a big time saver. Thanks for this.
Today's matches include: St. Ursula Academy (A) versus Mason; Turpin (A) versus Indian Hill; and Loveland (H) versus Oak Hills. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Indian Hill Beats St. Ursula Academy
In the biggest match of the night, Indian Hill defeated St. Ursula Academy. Overall though, it was a big night for tennis. There were 27 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central -10, Southwest - 10, and Northeast -7. The close, 3-2 matches included: Granville defeated Watkins Memorial; Lancaster beat Reynoldsburg; Carroll defeated Wilmington; Olentangy beat Hilliard Darby; and Lehman Catholic defeated Greeneview. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Sycamore - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Sycamore. They are coached by Mike Teets. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Lisa Kai, Caitlin Meyer, and Allison Sayles.
Today's matches include: Upper Arlington (A) versus Dublin Coffman; Copley (A) versus Highland; Centerville (A) versus Beavercreek; and Hudson (A) versus Kenston. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
OTZ Girls State Team Draws
The OhioTennisZone.com Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws are now (finally) available. Click link above to view. As is normally the case, the Central District D2 leads the way in having all of its teams already in the semi-final round. No other District in the state comes close to this level of promptness. Not only can the Central District get its matches done on time, but they always finish in the Top 5 of the Final Four.
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State Team Tournament Draws - Click to go to draws |
The draws are available at the top of this page and they will remain there throughout the season. As with everything else on OTZ, the goal is to enable high school tennis fans to quickly obtain the information they need rather than to maximize OTZ clicks and page views. As indicated in the four features that are circled: 1) the most recent update date is included; 2) the navigation links allow users to quickly jump throughout the draw; 3) the Team designation means that a Team Membership was purchased and that all of the individual player information is available via their OTZ Player Profiles; and 4) the team links are "click-able" to enable fans to do more research. For the best experience, sign-in to OTZ first. The goal is to keep the draws promptly updated throughout the season. Please click on Feedback if you are aware of a result that is not yet posted.
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State Team Tournament Participation- Click to enlarge |
The number of schools participating in the state team tournament continues to decrease. All districts had a lower number of teams competing this year versus last year. For the Central, Northeast, and Southwest Districts, this was the lowest number of teams participating since OTZ started keeping these stats in 2015. Central had 25 schools playing in 2015 and 18 are competing this year. For other districts, the numbers are: Northeast: 45 down to 35, Northeast: 29 to 24, and Southwest: 35 to 30. The totals decreased from 134 in 2015 to 107 this year.
As shown in the graph, Southwest and Northeast have the most participants and Central has the least. Out of the 372 (down from 378 last year) OHSAA girls tennis teams, 28.8% of the teams are competing in this tournament. Please click on the graph to enlarge it for easier viewing.
This year, the Central District teams will play the Northwest teams in the first round of the State Team Tournament, while the Northeast will play the Southwest. If there are insufficient courts available for all teams to play (likely), Division I will go on court first.
SUNDAY,
North Canton Hoover Beats New Albany and Sycamore
Ohio got a break from the high temperatures yesterday. OTZ #1 North Canton Hoover traveled to New Albany yesterday and defeated both OTZ #2 New Albany and Sycamore. To view all of the graphical results from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Jonathan Alder - Click to team page |
In tournament play, Anthony Wayne placed first at the Perkins Invite. Worthington Christian won the Hilliard Darby Doubles Tournament. (I am happy to post other tournament winners - just email me on the same day on which the tournament takes place.) See more below.
Among the top players, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Sycamore's Lisa Kai and New Albany's Richardlyne Francois; St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein beat Beavercreek's Kenna Ruggles; New Albany's Richardlyne Francois defeated Sycamore's Lisa Kai; and New Albany's Paige Cornelius beat Sycamore's Caitlin Meyer. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
OTZ will include tournament results online if they are emailed by the coach to OTZ in precisely the following format:
9/31/2023:
Smith (Bloomingburg) def. Jones (Bishop Sycamore) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
S.Williams-V.Williams (Bishop Sycamore) def. Nadal-Federer (Bloomingburg) 6-4, 6-3
Note that the scores are always shown from the winner's perspective (6-2, 6-3), never ever ever 2-6, 3-6. Never. Ever. Exclamation point. Period. Not now. Not then. Not in a million billion years. (Kindly note the frustration in the typing above. The keyboard keys were slightly bruised in this process.)
Today's featured team is Jonathan Alder. They are coached by Bryan Deeken. They are led by Ella and Katie Sloat.
SATURDAY,
Magnificat Beats Notre Dame Academy
Ohio HS tennis will be rather quiet for the rest of the season on Friday nights as kids head off to football games. Last night, Magnificat defeated Notre Dame Academy and North Canton Hoover beat Olentangy Orange. To view the graphical results recorded from matches yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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New Albany - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is New Albany. They are coached by Marc Thomas. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Richardlyne Francois, Paige Cornelius, and Airi Clements.
There are a few tournaments today. New Albany is also hosting dual matches where Sycamore, North Canton Hoover, and New Albany with play. I will be going to NA in a few minutes to watch and to take photos. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Bexley Beats CSG | Massillon Jackson Defeats Walsh Jesuit | Photo Friday
The temperature was impressive again, but now we are getting use to it. As always, the girls season weather is far better than the boys. The most notable matches of the evening were Bexley's win over Columbus School For Girls and the Massillon Jackson victory over Walsh Jesuit. There were 10 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 3, Southwest - 2, and Northeast - 5. The close, 3-2 matches included: Kenston defeated Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy; Loveland beat Walnut Hills; and Wooster defeated St. Joseph Academy. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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New Albany's Paige Cornelius - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Brecksville's Claire Martens; Bexley's Amiya Bowles beat Columbus School For Girls' Priya Mehta; Turpin's Sarah Clark defeated Anderson's Laura Johnson; Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Amy Grace Beebe beat Kenston's Madison Davila; Walnut Hills’ Irisa Poompanit defeated Loveland's Marlee Fleming; Wooster's Ava Mathur beat St. Joseph Academy's Ella Kowalski; and Massillon Jackson’s Alessandra McCann defeated Walsh Jesuit’s Laura Stephens. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
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Coco Gauff - Click to enlarge |
It is an OTZ Photo Friday. Sign-in first to view the Most Recently Added Photos. Eight high school photos were added. There are also a few Western & Southern Open images included, too. The W&S Open photos are available for all to see. Gauff is amazingly athletic..
Today's matches include: North Canton Hoover (A) versus Olentangy Orange; Centerville (A) versus Bellbrook; and Magnificat (H) versus Notre Dame Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Indian Hill Beat Mason
It was another hot day and today is expected to be worse. In the marquis match of the evening, Indian Hill defeated Mason. The close, 3-2 matches included: Mariemont defeated Ursuline Academy; Grove City defeated Bloom-Carroll; and Chaminade-Julienne defeated Springboro. There were 15 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 8, and Northwest - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Franklin Heights - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Franklin Heights. They are coached by James Wassmuth. They are led by Safourata Bah and Nadya Geter.
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Vivek Ramaswarmy - Click for video |
In the "It's a Small World . ." ** department, Presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswarmy, a St. Xavier grad, appears to have a solid forehand based on this link. His brother, Shankar, also played tennis for St. X, and Shankar was a very accomplished player. Shankar played twice at States. Click for his draws in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, he finished 4th. Our son, Kyle, played Shankar in junior tennis.
Vivek Ramaswarmy is an Upper Arlington resident. Shankar is now in California. [LinkedIn link].
** Click for ear-worm. Click for Shrek version of ear-worm.
The OTZ computer that does the daily update is unplugged during thunderstorms. This morning was a start, stop, start, stop, start process. Sorry for the delay in today's update, but the computer gear needs to stay safe.
Today's matches include: Magnificat (H) versus Archbishop Hoban; North Canton Hoover (A) versus Brecksville; and St. Joseph Academy (H) versus Wooster. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Perrysburg Beats Anthony Wayne | Archbishop Hoban Defeats Solon
Ok. Now things are starting to click. The weather was great and it appears that the entire state is now active with matches. There were still be interesting match-ups but as more teams enter their league schedules, there will not be as many marquis matches.
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Olentangy Berlin - Click to team page |
There were 30 matches recorded from state-wide play. (This will likely grow to 40 matches after all of the coaches eventually submit their results.) The breakdown by Districts was: Central - 13, Southwest - 10, Northeast - 6, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy defeated Hudson; Laurel beat Aurora; Magnificat defeated Avon Lake; Shaker Heights beat St. Joseph Academy; Archbishop Hoban defeated Solon; Perrysburg beat Anthony Wayne; Orange defeated Massillon Jackson; and Reynoldsburg beat Newark. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Magnificat's Anna Mancino defeated Avon Lake's Amber Korey; Archbishop Hoban's Haley Slay beat Solon's Olivia Liu; Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman defeated Big Walnut's Clare Murphy; Dublin Jerome's Adayla Coakley beat Marysville's Paige Hobbs; Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Amy Grace Beebe defeated Hudson's Mallory Hannan; Anthony Wayne's Mara Boyd beat Perrysburg's Penelope Giammarco; New Albany's Airi Clements defeated Gahanna's Daniela Guzman; Laurel's Rida Tahir beat Aurora's Grace Milano; Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell defeated Hilliard Darby's Mackenzie Davis; Shaker Heights’ Alexis Glinzler beat St. Joseph Academy’s Ella Kowalski; and Columbus School For Girls' Priya Mehta defeated Wellington's Caliope Mlicki. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's featured team is Olentangy Berlin. They are coached by Richard Hunt. They are Team Members. They are led by Soleil Cordell and Claire Emanuel.
Today's matches include: St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Sycamore; Mariemont (H) versus Ursuline Academy; Magnificat (H) versus Avon; and Highland (A) versus Copley. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Magnificat Beats Highland | UA Defeats Berlin
The number of matches played last night increased as more schools began classes. In some of the bigger matches: Magnificat defeated Highland; Upper Arlington beat Olentangy Berlin; North Canton Hoover defeated Massillon Jackson; and Mariemont beat Seton. The 3-2 matches included: Centerville-B defeated Lebanon; Marysville beat Hilliard Darby; Seven Hills defeated Mount Notre Dame; and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin beat Brecksville. There were 16 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 4, Southwest - 5, Northeast - 6, and Northwest - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Newark - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Newark. They are coached by Rob Hays, and they are off to a great, 5-0 start. They are led by Addi Taylert, Vanessa Bennett, and Becca Helber.
Today's matches include: Massillon Jackson (A) versus Orange; Upper Arlington (A) versus Olentangy Liberty; and Dublin Jerome (H) versus Marysville. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Toasty
The big news this week will be the high temperatures. It is going to be *hot*. It was so hot yesterday at the Western & Southern Open that the place looked like a bee hive with all of the fans' fans rapidly fluttering.
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Dublin Coffman - Click to team page |
With the W&S Open over and with just a few more things to do to wrap up the summer pickleball league, efforts will switch full-time to the OhioTennisZone.com web site. Really..
The Miami Valley Tennis Coaches Association web site has been a reliable source for Dayton-area team results for years. That does not appear to be the case this year. Hopefully this will change. The frequent rain showers last week certainly did not help.
Today's featured team is Dublin Coffman. They are coached by Brett Hundertpfund. They are Team Members. They are led by Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri, Lauren Burkett, and Bethel Binyam.
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Upcoming Columbus-area Weather |
Today's matches include: North Canton Hoover (H) versus Massillon Jackson; Dublin Jerome (A) versus Wellington; Magnificat (H) versus Highland; and Upper Arlington (H) versus Olentangy Berlin. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Turpin Beats Summit Country Day
There were numerous tournaments yesterday, but not many dual matches played. In the one dual match that was reported, Turpin defeated Summit Country Day. Most of the tournaments were not reported, but Tippecanoe did win the Schroeder Invitational. To view the graphical results from the Turpin match, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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New Albany - Click to team page |
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New Albany - 2022 - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is New Albany. They are coached by Marc Thomas. They are Team Members. They are led by Richardlyne Francois, Paige Cornelius, and Airi Clements.
The 2023 and 2022 team photos for New Albany are side-by-side today to show the difference between having the players face the sun versus having the sun behind them. Even though looking at the sun does partially tinge the players' retinas, the colors are much more brilliant and the photo looks much better. I had considered using the Olentangy Orange photos (Click for 2022 - 2023) as today's examples, but showing those skirts would torch our retinas.
The OTZ plans are to take photos at the Western & Southern Open today. Hope to see you there.
SATURDAY,
Sycamore Beats Walsh Jesuit and Seven Hills' Defeats Seton
It was a slow night for Ohio high school tennis as another sport began its competition. Just three matches were recorded. Sycamore defeated Walsh Jesuit and Seven Hills defeated Seton. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Reynoldsburg - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Reynoldsburg. They are coached by Les Somogyi. They are led by Kareen Meoko and Isabella Boskovska.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas - Click to team page |
Another photo is included from the Western & Southern Open. The photo of Stefanos Tsitsipas was taken on Wednesday. This was from the "Bee Match" when he played against Ben Sheldon. I was not there when it happened.
There are tournaments at New Albany, Canfield, and Reynoldsburg today. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Indian Hill Beats Columbus Academy | Coach Tim Drew with 900 Wins
Thursday meant more iffy weather and more unfinished matches. The common question from coaches yesterday was, "How do we report unfinished matches?". The reply was "Just wait until a match has been decided before reporting the score." There were still some great matches that took place that included the top teams. Indian Hill defeated Columbus Academy and Hathaway Brown beat Magnificat. There was also a significant milestone reached by Seven Hills' Tim Drew. Coach Drew earned his 900th career win. Congratulations!
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Coach Drew after 7Hills' Team Championship - Click |
There were 16 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 6, and Northeast - 4. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein defeated Ursuline Academy's Cristina Rainne; Indian Hill's Brooke Arington beat Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria; Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu defeated Magnificat's Anna Mancino; Upper Arlington’s Isabella Roth beat Hilliard Bradley’s Grace Hurley; Seven Hills' Brogan Bell defeated Madeira's Sloane Warner; Laurel's Rida Tahir beat Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming; Indian Hills’ Sophia Thompson defeated Columbus Academy's Grace Philip; and Hathaway Brown's Anna Mills beat Magnificat's Corinne Daniels. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
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Emma Navarro - Click to enlarge |
As many tennis fans know, the USTA recently sold the rights to the Western & Southern Open to Ben Navarro. This has put in doubt the future of the Cincinnati tournament. There is certainly a strong possibility that the tournament will be moved from Mason to Charlotte, NC. WLW's Bill Cunningham had a great radio segment earlier in the week where he spoke with Warren County Commissioner, David Young, about the future of the Western & Southern Open. Click here for the interview. (It is in the first segment of the August 15, 2023 show.) An interesting part of this story is that Ben Navarro daughter, Emma, is a very promising, young professional player. Emma was the NCAA Women's Singles Champion in 2021. She teamed up with Mason's Peyton Sterns on Wednesday in doubles. Her photo is included today.
Today is a Photo Friday. Eleven new photos were added. Sign-in first to view to view the Most Recently Added Photos.
Today's matches include: Sycamore (A) versus Walsh Jesuit and St. Joseph Academy (A) versus Medina. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
New Albany Beats Liberty | Coffman Defeats Olentangy
New Albany defeated Olentangy Liberty and Dublin Coffman beat Olentangy in two of the bigger matches yesterday. Close, 3-2 matches included: Willoughby South defeated Lakeside; Reynoldsburg beat Gahanna; and Delaware Hayes defeated Westerville North. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Ohio had a good weather day yesterday, and 13 matches were recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 9, Southwest - 2, and Northeast - 2.
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Hathaway Brown - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Hathaway Brown. They are coached by Greg Aten. They are Team Members. They are led by Katie Mills and Summer Mu.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Indian Hill; Magnificat (H) versus Hathaway Brown; North Canton Hoover (A) versus Wooster; St. Ursula Academy (A) versus Ursuline Academy; and Olentangy (A) versus Olentangy Berlin. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
SUA Beats Mag | Highland Defeats Olentangy Orange
Yesterday was largely a rain-out, but there were still a few big matches that were played. St. Ursula Academy defeated Magnificat; Highland beat Olentangy Orange; and Magnificat defeated Sycamore.
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Dublin Jerome - Click to team page |
There were five matches recorded from state-wide play. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein defeated Magnificat's Anna Mancino; Olentangy Orange's Avery Reed beat Highland's Ally Haynes; St. Ursula Academy's Maria Poon defeated Magnificat's Corinne Daniels; and St. Ursula Academy's Elle Schuermann beat Magnificat's Margaret Williams.Today's featured team is Dublin Jerome. They are coached by Jeremy Mokry. They are Team Members. They are led by Lydia Foster, Adayla Coakley, and Madeline Lynch.
Yesterday, there was a small dent made in the pile of "beginning of season" OTZ tasks that still need to be done. Hopefully more can be accomplished today. (Rain-outs do help with this.) Players that graduated were removed from view.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus St. Ursula Academy; Highland (A) versus Lakota West; Solon (A) versus Hawken; and St. Joseph Academy (H) versus Laurel. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Hathaway Brown Beats Sycamore
Just one match was reported yesterday. Hathaway Brown defeated Sycamore. HB makes a swing through central and southwest Ohio at the beginning of each season and then they attend the Western & Southern Open. Click on Previous Day's Match Results to see the graphical information.
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Highland - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Highland. They are coached by Lisa Reynolds. They are Team Members. They are led by Ally Haynes, Claire Schlak, and Ella Tople.
Today's matches include: Highland (A) versus Olentangy Orange; Magnificat (A) versus Sycamore and St. Ursula Academy; and Copley (H) versus Woodridge. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
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Upcoming Columbus-area Weather |
Today will largely be a tennis-only day. (Yay!) If the weather clears, the OTZ plans include watching the Highland versus Olentangy Orange match.
SUNDAY,
North Canton Hoover Beats Wellington | UA Defeats Mariemont
Weather cooperated for the most part yesterday as teams participated in tournaments and dual matches. In dual match play, North Canton Hoover defeated Wellington; Mayfield beat Laurel;
Upper Arlington defeated Mariemont; and Upper Arlington-B beat Centerville-B.
Chaminade-Julienne won its CJ Invitational. Seven Hills finished second.
To view the dual match results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Gilmour Academy's Lauren Davis - Click to enlarge |
In today's matches Sycamore hosts Hathaway Brown in Cincinnati.
Today's photo is of Gilmour Academy's Lauren Davis during yesterday's Western & Southern Open qualifier. Davis played one year of high school tennis prior to focusing on professional tennis. She was the D2 State Singles Champion in 2008. Click for 2008 article. She lost yesterday's match against Ann Li, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
OTZ attention has been stretched too thin over a number of different projects over the last four weeks. The good news is that the PickleballZone.com summer pickleball league comes to a close with its end-of-year tournament today. Mrs. OTZ (and Mrs. PBZ) and I provided a adult summer coed pickleball league in central Ohio that included 40 teams (up from 24 last year). The bad news is that I cannot multi-task.. At all.
As for other things, the Western & Southern Open begins in earnest tomorrow, but Mrs. OTZ and I made a quick trip down to the tournament yesterday. We made the trip after I returned from the Columbus School for Girls Doubles Invite. (It was great seeing everyone again!.) Other projects have included making another video and taking a lot of photos for numerous projects and causes. There will be more focus on Ohio high school tennis beginning tonight.. Hopefully.
SATURDAY,
North Canton Hoover Beats Olentangy | HB Defeats NA & Coffman
Many of the state's best teams hit the road yesterday to play out of area teams. They included: North Canton Hoover defeated Olentangy; Hathaway Brown defeated New Albany and Dublin Coffman; Centerville defeated Notre Dame Academy; and Perrysburg defeated Sycamore.
There were 12 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 5, Southwest - 3, Northeast - 2, and Northwest - 2. Click on Previous Day's Match Results to view all of the details.
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Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. They are coached by David Ramey. They are led by Amy Grace Beebe, Libby Cain, and Kyle Moore.
Today's matches include the CSG Doubles Tournament and North Canton Hoover (A) versus Wellington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Magnificat Beat Solon | OTZ Photo Friday!
This is the first Photo Friday of the season. There is more on that below.
In matchplay among the top teams, Magnificat defeated Solon and Olentangy Berlin beat Bexley.
Close 3-2 matches included: DeSales defeated Marysville; Pickerington Central beat Westerville Central; and Aurora defeated St. Joseph Academy. The DeSales / Marysville match included four 3-setters and it was decided at second dubs in a tie-break. The parents won't forget their Rolaids for the next match..
There were 15 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 2, and Northeast - 5. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Marysville's Linnea Olofsson - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Magnificat's Anna Mancino defeated Solon's Olivia Liu; Olentangy Berlin’s Soleil Cordell beat Bexley's Mia Ehrsam; Highland's Ally Haynes defeated Medina's Megan Nuske; Aurora’s Grace Milano beat St.Joseph Academy’s Ella Kowalski; Norton’s Jovanovic defeated Copley's Cassandra Komlanc; DeSales’ Olivia Sanabria beat Marysville's Paige Hobbs; and Magnificat's Corinne Daniels defeated Solon's Isabella Liu.
Today's matches include: North Canton Hoover (A) versus Lexington and Olentangy; Sycamore (H) versus Perrysburg; and Centerville (H) versus Notre Dame Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
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Buy an OTZ Photo - Click toSmugMug |
There will be an attempt to promote photos every Friday. Long-time readers know OTZ plans rarely match reality. (Even short-time readers know this.) The new twist this year is that photos available for purchase will be uploaded each week as well.
Consider this.. Mothers normally like to get photos of their daughters for the mothers' enjoyment, but it really goes far beyond that. These are photos that current players will want their granddaughters to see. Envision how this will play out.
Teenage grandchild in the year 2073*: "Grandma, what did you do as a kid?"
Today's daughter who is a grandmother in 2073: "I played tennis. Would you like to see a photo?"
Teenage grandchild: "Is that you?! Really? Wow!"
* (15 year old now + 10 more years to have a child + 25 more years to have a grandchild + 15 more years to have a teenage grandchild) = 2073 (or 2023 + 10 + 25 + 15) (time flies)
Click to Buy a tennis photo.
THURSDAY,
Archbishop Alter Beats Tippecanoe | Highland Defeats NDA
Great team match-ups continued. Archbishop Alter defeated Tippecanoe and Highland defeated Notre Dame Academy. Other close matches included: Hilliard Bradley defeated Lancaster; Geneva beat Lakeside; and Olentangy Berlin defeated Pickerington Central.
There were 15 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 1, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 2. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Anthony Wayne - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Anthony Wayne. They are coached by Jim Sutto. They are Team Members. Anthony Wayne lost quite a few players from graduation including Lilly Black and Mia Rettig. They are led by Mara Boyd and Emily Szul.
Today's matches include: Solon (H) versus Magnificat; St. Joseph Academy (A) versus Aurora; and Marysville (H) versus DeSales. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Hawken Beats Magnificat | HB Defeats Solon
This is the first update of the season that includes match results. The top teams wasted no time in playing other strong teams. Hawken defeated Magnificat and Hathaway Brown beat Solon. In other close matches, Shaker Heights defeated Laurel and Avon beat Westlake.
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Delaware Hayes - Click to team page |
Overall there were 11 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 5, Southwest - 1, and Northeast - 5. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Hathaway Brown's Katie Mills defeated Solon's Ariel Hsieh; Hawken's Dani Forte beat Magnificat's Anna Mancino; Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu defeated Solon's Chahak Gupta; Avon's Denver Johnson beat Westlake's Makenzie Stokes; Hawken’s Valeria Kislyansky defeated Magnificat's Corinne Daniels; Centerville’s Elise Hedrick beat Miami Valley School’s Kennedi Washington; Westlake’s Nadia Milovich defeated Avon's Victoria Sidoti; and Big Walnut's Rosie Hartzler beat Hartley's Victoria Nedeau.
It did not take long for some of the strong incoming freshman players to make an impact. In today’s update, Centerville's Elise Hedrick, Hawken’s Valeria Kislyansky, HB's Anna Mills, and Laurel's Rida Tahir are included. Click for the complete list of top incoming freshmen that was originally published on October 28, 2022 and frequently updated since that date.
Today's featured team is Delaware Hayes. They are coached by Dianna Hibinger. They are Team Members and they are led by Tavi Jeisel-Steffel, Gina Martin, and Reghan Gist. Thanks to the Delaware Hayes tournament that takes place on the first Saturday of the season, OTZ can acquire team and action photos early in the season.
This is the ugly duckling part of the season for OTZ because the team and player records have sparse information. Parts of the web site adjust automatically from the boys to the girls season (and vice versa), but most of the site requires manual changes.
Today's matches include: Delaware Hayes (H) versus Jonathan Alder; Dublin Jerome (H) versus DeSales; St. Joseph Academy (A) versus Bay; and Highland (A) versus Notre Dame Academy. To view all of the matches that have been entered into the OTZ schedule system, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2023 -- 6:45PM
Indian Hill Starts Season as #1 in Division II (delta release - updated 6:45pm)
Well, that didn't take long. About three and a half hours after posting the first version of this Pre-Season draw, this is version two.. m
The Top Teams in Division I were ranked by OTZ on Thursday. Today, it is Division II's turn. Many of last year's top teams got hit by graduation (especially CHCA). Some teams will be able to reload faster than others.
The rankings and the rational behind the rankings are listed below. They are all subject to tweaking if players decide not to play (or to play) Ohio high school tennis this fall.
OhioTennisZone.com
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| Division II | |
| 1. Indian Hill◄TEAM | |
| 2. Hathaway Brown◄TEAM | |
| 3. Columbus Academy◄TEAM | |
| 4. Archbishop Alter◄TEAM | |
| 5. Hawken◄TEAM | |
| 6. Bexley | |
| 7. Tippecanoe◄TEAM | |
| 8. Seven Hills◄TEAM | |
| 9. Orange◄TEAM | |
| 10. Cincinnati Hills Christian Acad.◄TEAM | |
◄TEAM - Denotes Team Membership so extensive OTZ information is available | |
Note that the Division II rankings are more difficult to create because D2 teams do not travel as well as Division I teams. This means that it is difficult to compare teams from the various Districts. For example, Division I's North Canton Hoover will likely play teams in the Central, Southwest, and Northwest Districts. NCH basically becomes a Rosetta Stone to compare teams throughout the entire state. Why they do not travel is a complete mystery because the same school will allow teams of other sports to travel. Plus, tennis players and parents are accustomed to traveling frequently to participate in USTA tournaments so they expect to do some travel in high school. Please remember that Columbus remains a perfect location for teams throughout the state to meet for dual matches. Schedule a match for 10:00, book another match at 1:00pm, eat Cane's Chicken at 3:00pm, and grab an ice cream cone at Graeters at 4:00pm.
Last year's seniors will be removed when this year's new results are posted (which will probably occur tomorrow).
Division II
#1 Indian Hill returns Brooke Arington, Caroline Brown, Lexi Larsen, and Cassie Larsen. They pick up Sophia Thompson from CHCA and Lillian Dwyer will also be playing for IH. They lost Hannah Pollock and Sarika Singh to graduation. They were fourth last year.
#2 Hathaway Brown returns their top two singles players, Summer Mu and Katie Mills, but they lost three big contributors to graduation. Gone are Alice Lin, Ally Mills, and Teagan Clark. They picked up another Mills sister, Anna, who is a 3-star. They also get Ava Kamensky - a 2-star freshman. They finished #2 last year.
#3 Columbus Academy had a great deal of depth last year, and much of that strength returns this fall. Returning are: Arya Chabria, Grace Philip, Yasemin Bilgin, and Tamanna Arya. Anna Chang graduated. They pick up Gabrielle Stewart - a 2-star freshman. They finished #3 last fall.
#4 Archbishop Alter returns their entire varsity team that was ranked seventh from last year. They include: Maggie Shope, Annie Gayonski, Annie Schaefer, and Alana Baker. Very unfortunately, their long-time coach, Charlie Painter, passed away on March 16. Click for Coach Painter's obituary.
#5 Hawken kept many of their players from last year's team. They include: Dani Forte, Hayley Garber, Bella Hsieh, and Beatrice Hardacre. They lost Eliana Yang and Tina Tewari to graduation. They will gain Valeria Kislyansky who is a 3-star freshman.
#6 Bexley returns State Champion, Amiya Bowles, as well as Mia Ehrsam and Gabbie Theile. They lost Ava Foster and Leah Baumann to graduation. If Bowles returns for another season, Bexley is going to be a very tough team. Note that Bexley did not enter the State Team Tournament.
#7 Tippecanoe returns most of last year's team. They include: Nicki Bauer, Ellie Waibel, and Mia Tobias. They lost Eliza Zweizig to graduation.
#8: Seven Hills lost several of their top players to graduation including: Sohana Thompson, Clara Chen, and Mallory Dorsch. They return Charolette Scharfenberger, Katie Stephens, and Daniela Alper.
#9: Orange got hit hard by graduations. They lost UNC Asheville recruit, Alexis Nyborg, plus Blake Rothchild and Nina Dzidzishvili. They return Daniela DeMata-Hiciano, Sana Adi, and Lily Guiler. They also picked up 1-star freshman, Raina Patel.
#10 Defending D2 champion, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, lost seven players from their championship team. Gone are: Ananya Annapantula, Addison Cassidy (to Mason), Tara Chalasani, Julianna Filomena, Payton Puryear, and Sophia Thompson (to Indian Hill). Mika Morris is also not returning. Returning is Lucy Snyder.
Teams that are normally mentioned in the pre-season rankings but who got hit hard by graduations include Wellington, Laurel, and Kenston.
Have a good team that OTZ does not follow? Join OTZ (at least as a Coach Member) so that your scores can be submitted.
Feel free to submit a Feedback if any obvious schools are missing from the rankings.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2023
North Canton Hoover Starts Season as #1 in Division I (beta release)
It is time for the OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten Team Rankings. Today, the Division I teams are ranked. The Division II rankings will be posted on Friday. In year's past, there have been clear favorites to win D1, but this year, there are several teams in contention. It will likely boil down to which team has the best schedule to prepare for the biggest matches and which team has the least number of injuries.
The rankings and the rational behind the rankings are listed below. They are all subject to tweaking if players decide not to play Ohio high school tennis this fall. "OTZ thanks" go to several coaches who provided feedback for the list. This is; however, not a coaches poll.
OhioTennisZone.com
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| Division I | |
| 1. North Canton Hoover◄TEAM | |
| 2. New Albany◄TEAM | |
| 3. Mason◄TEAM | |
| 4. St. Ursula Academy◄TEAM | |
| 5. Centerville◄TEAM | |
| 6. Dublin Coffman◄TEAM | |
| 7. Avon◄TEAM | |
| 8. Magnificat◄TEAM | |
| 9. Olentangy◄TEAM | |
| 10. Olentangy Berlin◄TEAM | |
| HM: Upper Arlington◄TEAM | |
| HM: Dublin Jerome◄TEAM | |
◄TEAM - Denotes Team Membership so extensive OTZ information is available | |
The TennisRecruiting.net star rankings are included for many of the top incoming freshmen. Click for the complete list of top incoming freshmen that was originally published on October 28, 2022 and updated since that date.
Click on player names for their OhioTennisZone Player Profiles. (Also note that if your daughter does not have an OTZ Player Profile, it is easy to obtain one by becoming an OTZ member. Please check to see if your team has an OTZ Team Membership first though before purchasing a membership.)
Division I
#1 North Canton Hoover finished last year in the #2 spot, and they return many of their top players. They include: UK recruit, Tess Bucher, Addison Shiel, Bridget Fink, and Ema Papcke. They lost Claire Wood, Angelina Koinoglou, and Cecilia Holben to graduation.
#2: New Albany returns a really solid team. They get back their top three singles players and strong doubles players. Their three singles are: Richardlyne Francois, Paige Cornelius, and Airi Clements. Other contributors include: Madeleine Naumoff and Katia Jacoby. They lost Emily Noonan and Demi Shostak to graduation. NA finished the season last year at #5.
#3 Mason is the defending Division I champion. Mason lost huge contributors to graduation. The graduates include: Shyla Aggarwal (2x State singles champion), Nishi Gandra, Harshita Uppuganti, and Risha Chada. Mason returns some depth with Pratyusha Chaudhuri. They also picked up sophomore Addison Cassidy from CHCA. Incoming freshman players for the Comets include: Emma Wagner (4-star) and Saanvi Reddy (3-star).
#4 St. Ursula Academy returns their top three singles players - Emily Jennewein, Maria Poon, and Elle Schuermann, along with Tyler Berry. They lost Kathleen Davin to graduation. They finished seventh in the state last year.
#5 Centerville returns State dubs champion, Clara Owen (Xavier recruit), as well as Eve Alappatt, Eva Siler, and Hazel Rindler. They lost Caroline Hinshaw, a Connecticut recruit, and Arabelle MacPherson to graduation. They pick up Elise Hedrick who is a 2-star. This is a team that went 19-3 last year and finished third in the State Team Rankings.
#6 Dublin Coffman returns a solid group of singles players. They include: Pritika Ghosh Choudhuri (Denison recruit), Lauren Burkett, and Bethel Binyam. They lost two key contributors to graduation: Dasha Chistyakova and Emily Yoshino. They finished sixth in last year's team rankings.
#7: Avon's Natalie Smitek returns, along with Denver Johnson, and Victoria Sidoti. Smitek is a Western Michigan recruit. They lost Amelia Tomak and Julia Kacenjar to graduation.
#8 Magnificat returns two of their top players - Anna Bennett and Anna Mancino. They lost Caroline Moritz and Maddie Nock to graduation. (Update 8/4/2023 - Bennett is not playing high school tennis this fall. She is now at IMG.)
#9 Olentangy returns three strong players - Sheryl Gerald, Pranjal Agochiya, and Deepthi Paruchuri. They lost Sydney Nickel and Breanna Ball to graduation.
#10 Olentangy Berlin has a strong team this year. They return Allison Snyder, Claire Emanuel, and Siri Ponna.
HM: Upper Arlington lost Ava Richard and Ellis Mizer to graduation. Their returning players include: Isabella Roth, Alice Hawley, and Danielle Ball. They pick up 3-star Alexa Roth.
HM: Dublin Jerome returns their top three players, who are Lydia Foster, Madeline Lynch, and Anu Gorukanti. They return several doubles players and perhaps Adayla Coakley.
Perennially strong teams that got hit hard by graduation, include: Solon, Notre Dame Academy, Massillon Jackson, Sycamore, Anthony Wayne, and Highland.
Feel free to submit a Feedback if you believe that a team was overlooked or if your team is ranked too high. Please provide specific reasons why.
As always, teams are encouraged to not mess up these rankings by winning when they should not.. Win when expected and lose when expected. That's how it's done. Buckle down and do your part..
MONDAY,
The Season Starts.. Today!
The OHSAA Girls Season starts today with coaching and matches begin on Friday. It has been a quick summer.. Today's posting includes a variety of items. It provides: the key dates for the season; OTZ member information; OTZ Top 10 team update; why Top 10 teams are encouraged to be OTZ Team Members; and why graduates are still included on team rosters.
OhioTennisZone.com
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| Jul. 31 (M): First Day of Coaching |
| Aug. 4 (F): High School Match Play Begins |
| Aug. 5 (Sa)-13: USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 16-18 National Championships |
| Aug. 26 (Sa): SAT Test Date |
| Sep. 5 (T): Non-Interscholastic Date |
| Sep. 9 (Sa): ACT Test Date |
| Sep. 17 (Su): Waiver Extension Ends |
| Sep. 15 (F)-17: Rosh Hashanah |
| Sep. 24 (Su): Sectional Draw |
| Oct. 7 (Sa): SAT Test Date | Oct. 2 (M)-Oct. 7: Sectional Tournament |
| Sep. 24 (Su)-25: Yom Kippur |
| Oct. 9 (M)-14: District Tournament |
| Oct. 19 (Th)-20: State Tournament |
| Oct. 22? (Su): State Team Tournament |
| Oct. 28 (Sa): ACT Test Date |
| Oct. 28 (Sa): HS Season Ends |
The key dates for the season are included in the table. It also includes testing dates, holidays, and, of course, the key OHSAA dates. This calendar will remain in the right-side navigation bar during the entire season. Note that this is not the official schedule -- always check with your coach on the most important dates.
Note that the State Tournament is currently listed as October 19 - 20. Since that is Thursday and Friday, that could mean that the tournament will take place at the Ohio State University courts. This is what happened during the boys season. OSU has a home football game on October 21 against Penn State.
If you are currently an OTZ Member, there is no need to go through the sign-up process again for OhioTennisZone. Please just mail or PayPal your payment to OhioTennisZone.com. Click the link for the OTZ PayPal info.
OTZ will soon post its Pre-Season Top 10 Team lists after it is clear where players are going to attend school and which girls are playing high school tennis.
It is highly encouraged that the OTZ Top 10 teams become OTZ Team Members. OhioTennisZone provides the teams in the Top 10 with a great deal of recognition and coverage. This recognition is very helpful because many middle school kids follow OTZ and they want to be a part of a program which has a winning tradition. It is a complete no-brainer for private schools to be team members because attracting strong tennis players also means more tuition dollars for the school, but it also makes sense for public schools, too. Consider an OTZ Team Membership as the cheapest and most effective advertisement that you can buy, plus it is focused on the absolute perfect audience for your program. Click on Join OTZ for more information about being a team, coach, or individual OTZ member.
Note that graduates are still included on rosters. Many fans like to see which players have graduated. Note to coaches - OTZ will remove the graduates as match play begins. It is unnecessary for coaches to remove them.
MONDAY,
More Wrap Up from Boys Season - Final Top Ten Team Rankings
Before efforts go toward the girls season, there is just a bit more Boys Season wrap-up that needs to be done. The Final OTZ 2023 rankings are listed below.
OhioTennisZone.com
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| 1. Sycamore◄TEAM States 3 Final 4 | Seven Hills◄TEAM 3 Final 4 |
| 2. Mason◄TEAM 2 | Orange◄TEAM 4 Final 4 |
| 3. St. Xavier◄TEAM 1 | Indian Hill◄TEAM 3 |
| 4. Olentangy Orange 1 Final 4 | Lexington◄TEAM 3 Final 4 |
| 5. New Albany◄TEAM 2 | Col. Academy◄TEAM 2 Final 4 |
| 6. Olentangy Liberty◄TEAM 1 | University School◄TEAM 2 |
| 7. Springboro◄TEAM 2 | Bexley◄TEAM 1 |
| 8. Solon◄TEAM 2 Final 4 | Oakwood◄TEAM 1 |
| 9. Avon◄TEAM 2 | Hawken◄TEAM 1 |
| 10. Massillon Jackson◄TEAM 1 | Chaminade-Julienne 0 |
| HM: St. John's Jesuit◄TEAM 1 Final 4 | |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
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In addition to the rankings, the table includes the number of State "spots" each team earned and which team represented their District in the Final Four. A State spot could be a singles player or a doubles team, or both. Orange had the most representatives at States with two singles players and two doubles teams.
To make it easier to refer to, this information is also included on the right-side navigation bar.
MONDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team
Congratulations to the boys selected for the OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team for 2023.
OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
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Division I - Singles |
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 Elijah Hadler Highland |
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Division II - Singles |
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Division I - Doubles |
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Division II - Doubles |
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The OTZ list is a bit different than the OHSAA All-Ohio team. While a player's performance at States is the best way to get on the team, OTZ also looks at a player's entire season and includes players who may not have even qualified for States because of unfortunate District draws. OTZ also believes that the OHSAA team is too mechanical in its approach by granting honors only based on the rounds in which players reach at States. If a player reaches the semi-finals, he is on the first team and quarter finalists are on the second team. If a player gets an unfavorable draw in the first round of States, then he might not receive any recognition. Again, their list is great, but a more subjective approach allows other deserving players to be recognized.
The number of players included on this list will vary from year to year. This year's group has about the same number of players as last year.
More players are becoming OTZ members - either by enrolling individually or via a Team Membership. OTZ members are provided with a Player Profile as indicated by the yellow-PP. Click on the player name to view his OTZ Player Profile. Click Join OTZ to obtain a Player Profile and to be recognized later on the College List.
The OTZ Top Players Lists will eventually be updated. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. To see all of the players on one page, click on All Districts.OTZ will soon list next year's top upcoming freshman players. The purpose of this list is to not only recognize the players but to also help coaches understand which teams should be included in their schedules next spring.
Many of the player profile photos have been updated to show the players during a match.
As for action photos.. Click on Buy a Tennis Photo to view those available for purchase.
Again, congratulations to these players.
As soon as the season ends, OTZ has to zoom off to other things. Sorry for the delay in getting this published..
THURSDAY,
Photos from State Team Tournament Uploaded
The last of the boys season photos have been uploaded to SmugMug. These include the photos from the State Team Tournament. Click SmugMug to view.
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Orange's Ace Bloom - Click to enlarge |
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Photos Available for Purchase - Click to SmugMug |
Using this service has been very helpful this season to display what photos are available to purchase, and thankfully, numerous photos have been sold. (See below.) With some luck, there might even be enough photos sold to pay for the SmugMug service!
After 70 straight daily updates and 76 total boys season updates, activity on OTZ is winding down for the season. Things that still need to be done include: identify the OTZ All-Ohio players, update the OTZ Team Rankings, identify the top incoming freshman boys, and identify the top OTZ photos of the season. Today might end the string of daily updates though..
The photo of Orange's Ace Bloom is from the State Team Tournament. As I told Ace when I left the court, that was the OTZ shot of the day.
The image below Bloom's takes users to the SmugMug service to purchase photos.
The group of four photos are an example of what has been sold to-date. (Of course, the actual photos sold do not include the copyright and name.) Photos are emailed to the purchasers and they can be printed, added to TennisRecruiting.net and UTR, shared on social media, put in digital picture frames, etc. These specific photos are from States and the Central District tournament, but OTZ took photos at 25 different tennis tournaments/matches this spring.
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Ben Jamal - Click to enlarge |
Michael Ulrich |
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Maxwell Stratford |
Cayden Stratford |
To get started , simply provide the name of the image file(s) in a Feedback message to OhioTenniisZone.
WEDNESDAY,
OhioTennisZone Usage Report: Who, What, Where from?
What is accessed on OhioTennisZone and who accesses it? It is time for the seasonal usage edition. Read on to learn what areas of the nation access OTZ the most. Which players get the most views on their OTZ Player Profiles; and what team pages generate the most views. The usage covered is for the time period of March 1 to May 30, 2023.
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Gahanna's Carpico - Click to enlarge |
7Hills' Cozens - Click to enlarge |
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Sycamore's Meyers- Click to enlarge |
Orange's Pomeranets - Click |
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Pick. North's Uppu - Click to enlarge |
NA's Clements - Click |
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Mason's Bernadsky - Click |
Bexley's Lessard - Click to enlarge |
From the team page perspective, the Massillon Jackson team page drew the most interest during the season. The other teams in the top ten (in order) were: Sycamore, Columbus Academy, Mason, Olentangy Liberty, Bexley, Olentangy, Seven Hills, New Albany, and Pepper Pike Orange.
The eight players who had the most views of their OTZ Player Profiles are (in order): Gahanna's Brandon Carpico, Seven Hills' Cole Cozens, Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers, Orange's Ben Pomeranets, Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu, New Albany's Jackson Clements, Mason's Greg Bernadsky, and Bexley's Sam Lessard. Click on the player names above to view their OTZ Player Profiles. The parent associated with the Player Profile may view the total number of views since the Player Profile was created. The photos of the players may be clicked to enlarge them.
While it is unknown who specifically accesses each OTZ page, note that middle school players and parents are certainly big users. Teams need to think of these OTZ Team pages as advertisements for future customers (tennis parents and players). Of course, having an OTZ Team page for a private school is a complete no-brainer. Tennis parents value the education / tennis combination and if a school can attract a parent/player by using an OTZ $99 team membership who will then spend $65,000 over four years, that is a return on investment that would make a CPA hug him or herself with happiness..
The top pages accessed on OhioTennisZone (outside of this main page) are listed below and they are sorted in pageview order. The OTZ Personalized Report is what users see when they first login. The biggest usage day of the season was on the second day of States.
- Central Ohio Team Lookup
- Boys State Draws-2023
- OTZ Personalized Report (page presented at sign-in)
- Boys State Team Tournament Draws
- Southwest Ohio Team Lookup
- Northeast Ohio Team Lookup
There was a new system high usage day set on the second day of States. That usage would have primarily been the Boys State Draws.
Per Google Analytics, there were 36,850 users who accessed OTZ during the above time period. That is up from 33,,564 (+9.8%) in 2022. Note that the number of users, counts the number of devices that people use to access OTZ. For that reason, the actual number of users is probably about half of the above.
There were 520,946 pageviews generated during the boys season, and that is up from 465,641 (11.9%) from last year.
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Ohio Usage - Click to enlarge |
There are 5.3% more users and 11.9% more pageview generated during the Boys 2023 season than in the Girls 2022 season.
The Columbus Metro has the highest percentage of usage in Ohio at 34.9%. That is followed by Cleveland-Akron - 24.2%; Cincinnati - 14.6%; Dayton - 6.4%; Toledo - 5.3%; Youngstown - 1.9%; and Lima - 1.3%. As more people use virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask their locations and identities, 9.4% of the usage could not be identified.
OhioTennisZone is actively used in numerous states. Ohio has 29% of the usage. That is followed by Virginia (Ashburn) - 13.5%, Georgia (Atlanta) - 6.2%, New York (NYC) - 5.2%, and Michigan (Lowell, Onaway, Three Rivers) - 5.1%. The cities in the parentheses had the most usage in that state.
Yes, Twitter is largely a waste of time. It does; however, draw people from Twitter onto the OhioTennisZone web site. It also extends the OhioTennisZone brand. The top six OTZ tweets for the season are as follows. To see the actual "Tweet", click on the "[Tweet]" hyperlink. To return on OTZ, click on your browser's back button.
1. Central D1 Qualifiers Singles: Gahanna's Brandon Carpico, Pick North's Pavan Uppu, UA's Ethan Samora, NA's Jackson Clements
Dubs: NA's B.Bilenko-T.Thomas; Orange's K.Arledge-N.Bhimireddy; Liberty's J.Ramakkagari-H.Ali; Olentangy's S.Sriram- M.MacDowell. [Tweet]
2. It's States Week! Things will happen fast and furious now as everyone finalizes their plans with one less day to do so (because of the Thursday start). Click for more at #2023-05-22_art. [Tweet]
3. It's time for the OTZ Top Picks for States video, because yes, States begin tomorrow. Also - congrats to St. John's Jesuit in their victory over Lima Shawnee. SJJ is the NW D1 representative in the State Team Final Four. Click for more at #2023-05-24_art @dp_dispatch. [Tweet]
4. Great Central District summary article by Dave Purpura on the upcoming State Tennis tournament. [Tweet]
5. The OHSAA Boys State Tennis Draws (and enhanced by OTZ) are now available. This is the earliest that they have been released, so good job to the OHSAA. Click for the draws at tennis_state_draws_b23 @dp_dispatch @mlaughman @OHADNewsHS [Tweet]
6. Upper Arlington has a great facility but the tennis scoreboard was built facing the wrong direction.. #oops [Tweet]
OTZ appreciates its sponsors and advertisers and absolutely more are needed. Please contact OTZ for more information. Online activity continues to grow. For more information about advertising, please submit a Feedback.
The orders are coming in for photos. Please get your order in soon.
TUESDAY,
OHSAA Tournament Championship Points
All of the championship points were captured this year. This is another benefit of having the tournament at Ohio State. It was also helpful that there was a considerable amount of time between championship points.
Player photos were included at the end of the videos. There was also an extra point added when possible.
The locations where I stood to take the videos probably needs to be reconsidered going forward, but the long lens that is used makes it difficult. At the Lindner Family Tennis Center, it was possible to keep switching ends and to stand further back, but that is not a good option at Ohio State.
For best results, use full screen mode and increase the resolution to HD (for high definition)..
Crank up the volume so that co-workers (or neighbors) stop by your office cube to see what is going on.
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Division I Singles: Gahanna's Brandon Carpico defeated Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu. |
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Division I Doubles: St. Xavier's Drew Evans - Carson Dwyer beat Sycamore's Arjun Rajagopala - Andrew Wittenbaum. |
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Division II Singles: Ben Pomeranets defeated Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan. |
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Division II Doubles: Orange's Chika Nwaozuzu - Gabi Kalir beat Oakwood's Arick Baldwin - Noah Boyce. |
There are always some scoring snafus found by coaches as they begin to print off their end-of-season reports. If results are incorrect, please provide:
- the *incorrect* match information. The error first needs to be located in the database and there are a zillion scores. Please include the date, the name(s) of all of the player(s) and their schools, and the score.
- then provide the correct match information which includes all of the above, but with the correct information
If the commentary is incorrect, please provide *when* the commentary was in error, the erroneous comments, and what it should be. Screen shots are always helpful.
Please keep in mind there are quite a few moving parts. The players could have reported the wrong score, the coach could have recorded it incorrectly, the newspaper may have posted it incorrectly, or maybe, just possibly, OTZ could have made an error.
Tomorrow is the OTZ usage issue which includes the most viewed teams and players.
MONDAY,
Sycamore D1 and Seven Hills D2 State Team Champions
Congratulations to Sycamore and Seven Hills for winning the State Team Tournament for Division I and Division II, respectively. Sycamore beat Olentangy Orange in the finals while Seven Hills defeated Lexington. This was a repeat win for Sycamore. Seven Hills last won the title in 2011.
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Sycamore D1 Champs - Click to enlarge |
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Seven Hills D2 Champs - Click to enlarge |
Solon defeated St. Johns Jesuit for third place in Division I. Columbus Academy beat Orange for the D2 third place position. Line-ups for these third / fourth place contests are often done to allow other kids to play.
To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Most of the matches involving the top players did not finish, but those that did included: Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers defeated Olentangy Orange's Kallan Arledge; Seven Hills' Cole Cozens beat Lexington's Ethan Remy; Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan defeated Orange's Krish Mehra and Lexington's Jake Chilcote; Sycamore's Nicholas Choo beat Olentangy Orange's Nikhil Bhimireddy; Orange's Chika Nwaozuzu defeated Columbus Academy's Nason Lo; Lexington's Ethan Remy beat Columbus Academy's Lucas Xue; Solon's Zach Krantz defeated St. Johns Jesuit's Jack Oswald; Columbus Academy's Nason Lo beat Lexington's Karl Etzel. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
OTZ photos from the State Team Tournament will be uploaded later today.
SUNDAY,
OTZ Photos Available for Purchase (Includes State Tournament)
OTZ action photos of the entire boys season are now online on SmugMug to view and to purchase. Tennis is an expensive sport with lessons, clinics, tournaments, and gear totaling thousands of dollars a year. Buying a great photo for a few dollars is a way to remember the great memories associated with your son's favorite sport.
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OTZ Photos on SmugMug - Click to enlarge |
The photo galleries are sorted by date (most recent to oldest), and the names of the gallery include the home team and opponent (for dual matches) or the event (for tournaments). Just provide the filename of the photo (i.e. DSC_1234) to order one.
No other state has anything like OhioTennisZone to recognize the kids who play high school tennis. Most people also understand that OTZ is not exactly a lucrative endeavor. Purchasing a photo (or two or more) helps keep the site moving forward.
Most of the images posted are not "finished" so additional OTZ work must still be done before they are ready.
The OTZ photos are taken with the best action sports camera on the planet (Nikon Z9) and with the best sports lens (Nikon 70-200mm). The downfall with this is that there are almost too many photo options from which to choose. (Of course, the best solution is to buy more than one..)
Is your son interested in playing college tennis? If so, buy a photo where your son has his eye on the ball through the hitting range. Adding these photos to your son's profiles on TennisRecruiting and/or Universal Tennis Rating is a "must do". (Think of these photos as the best advertisement for your son that you can buy.)
Most people are really happy with high-resolution digital images and that is what is sold on OTZ. For those interested in a physical print, I use Midwest Photo Exchange for 5x7 prints. The cost is only $.99/image. The prices for OTZ photos are listed in the right-hand side bar of Buy an OTZ Tennis Photo. Prices go down with quantity purchased.
There is still a bit more clean-up work to do on the photo galleries. That will take place after returning from the State Team Tournament in New Albany. Hope to see you there.
SATURDAY,
Congratulations to the State Champions
Congratulations to all of the players who competed yesterday and especially to the State Champions. Conditions were perfect for playing and watching. Play finished at approximately 2:25pm. (Last year, the tournament ended at 3:15pm.)
Click for the final OTZ Enhanced State Tournament Draws.
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Gahanna's Carpico - Click to enlarge |
St. Xavier's Dwyer-Evans |
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Orange's Pomeranets |
Orange's Kalir-Nwaozuzu |
The State champions and the finalists are:
Division I Singles: Gahanna's Brandon Carpico defeated Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu.
Division I Doubles: St. Xavier's Drew Evans - Carson Dwyer beat Sycamore's Arjun Rajagopala - Andrew Wittenbaum.
Division II Singles: Orange's Ben Pomeranets defeated Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan.
Division II Doubles: Orange's Chika Nwaozuzu - Gabi Kalir beat Oakwood's Arick Baldwin - Noah Boyce.
A couple more benefits of playing at Ohio State were enjoyed by fans. The scoreboard was operational so it was much easier to follow all of the action. The side-by-side matches enabled fans to enjoy multiple matches.
The State Team Tournament takes place tomorrow (Sunday) at New Albany HS. While it would have been somewhat nice to wrap-up the season today, the players could certainly use a break. Some of the players will likely have rematches from yesterday which will be interesting. Things tend to even out where teams that do not do as well in the OHSAA tournament, play better in the State Team tournament.
Here are links to articles that included States coverage: article by the Columbus Dispatch's David Purpura; article by Cleveland.com's Robert Fenbers; and article by Cincinnati Enquirer's Alex Harrison. The articles may require a subscription to view. Aware of other articles about Friday's championships? Please forward them via Feedback.
Today will be devoted to OTZ pictures. For those interested in purchasing an action photo or two, please check out OTZ later today.
FRIDAY,
On to Day Two of States
The play was great and the weather was perfect yesterday. Match play turned out to be pretty close to the OTZ projections made on Wednesday. The exceptions were the strong performances by the Central District doubles teams.
OTZ usage records were broken yesterday, thanks to the online draws. As they were yesterday, click on the graphic below or use this link to follow the action throughout the day - OhioTennisZone.com/draws.
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Shaker Heights' Ben Jamal - Click to enlarge |
It was nice being back at the Ohio State courts. The smaller front print meant that it was much easier to get around and see more matches. There was also just more energy because it was easier to interact with others. The Columbus Academy versus Indian Hill doubles match was really close and the cheering attracted even more attention to the match. At the Lindner Family Tennis Center (LFTC), that cheering would have largely gone unnoticed, especially if it had happened on Courts 4, 16, or 15. Of course, the big benefit will take place today because fans will be able to watch several championship matches at the same time.
With LFTC's 17 courts versus OSU's 10, play finished at about 6pm which was perhaps about a half hour to an hour later than if it were at the LFTC. The number of courts will not be an issue today.
In the District versus District competition, the Southwest won with eight semi-finalists, Central had six, Northeast had two, and the Northwest did not have any. Today, the number of champions will be counted.
The profile image of Shaker Heights' Ben Jamal was the last added to the online draws, but he was the subject of the best OTZ photo yesterday. The elevated, reaching shots are always my favorites.
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State Draws - Click to draws |
In matches including the top players in D1, Gahanna's Brandon Carpico defeated Solon's Niko Romanov and Mason's Greg Bernadsky; Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu beat St. Johns Jesuit's Tyler Wood and Springboro's Rishi Dore; Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers defeated Hudson's Henrique Sa and Sylvania Southview's Isaac Vens; and Sycamore's Nicholas Choo beat Highland's Elijah Hadler and New Albany's Jackson Clements.
In Division II, Orange's Ben Pomeranets defeated Indian Hill's RJ Poffenberger and Orange's Krish Mehra; Seven Hills' Cole Cozens beat Beachwood's Landis Teren and Columbus Academy's Lucas Xue; Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan defeated Lexington's Karl Etzel and St. Vincent-St. Mary's Ben McKnight; and Indian Hill's Jack Pollock beat University School's Dean Kirchick and Wellington's Sanjan Shanker. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Players in the Semi-Finals are:
Division I
Singles: Gahanna's Brandon Carpico, Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu, Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers, and Sycamore's Nicholas Choo.
Doubles: St. Xavier's Drew Evans - Carson Dwyer; Sycamore's Arjun Rajagopala - Andrew Wittenbaum; Olentangy Liberty's Jay Ramakkagari - Hummza Ali; and Olentangy Orange's Kallan Arledge - Nikhil Bhimireddy.
Division II
Singles: Orange's Ben Pomeranets, Seven Hills' Cole Cozens, Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan, and Indian Hill's Jack Pollock.
Doubles: Orange's Chika Nwaozuzu - Gabi Kalir; Oakwood's Arick Baldwin - Noah Boyce; Bexley's Sam Lessard - Stefan Schiff, and Columbus Academy's Rowen Lo - Nason Lo.
See you at States.
THURSDAY,
Ready to Roll for States | State Team Tournament Field Set
On with the show, this is it. The State tournament begins today!
The OTZ draws are ready to roll and they will be updated throughout the day. To make things more convenient, save OhioTennisZone.com/draws on your smart phone now.
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State Draws - Click to draws |
When the tournament was at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the courts that players were competing on were listed on the draws to help fans get to the right place quickly. That information is probably unnecessary today since the venue is much smaller so it is unlikely to be provided.
I will be taking action photos today. If you want a photo of your son, please email me or send me a Feedback. It is unclear how much demand there will be so please contact me quickly.
The field is set for the State Team Tournament that takes place on Sunday at New Albany HS. In the first round, Central District teams play the Northwest District and Southwest plays Northeast. The teams are:
Central D1 / D2:
Olentangy Orange and Columbus Academy
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Upcoming Columbus-area Weather |
Northeast:
Northwest:
St. John's Jesuit and Lexington
Southwest:
Sycamore and Seven Hills
Unlike the last two years, the weather should be perfect. You may even see your school's athletic director today.
See you at States.
