BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — Auburn High School’s Tony Park captured a state championship in boys singles at the in the 7A state tennis tournament, rallying from a first-set loss to defeat Hoover High School’s Diego Harris in the Flight 3 final.
Park dropped the opening set 6-2 before storming back to take the final two sets 6-4 and 10-6.
Park’s title highlighted a strong showing from the AHS boys’ team, which finished fifth overall with 19 points.
The Tigers also saw two other boys’ singles players reach championship matches.
Camden Coburn fell in the Flight 2 final, and Jason Wang came up short in the Flight 4 title match. Holtz Basquin advanced to the semifinals in Flight 5 before being eliminated.
On the girls’ side, the Lady Tigers finished fourth overall with 18 points and put together a deep postseason run across multiple flights.
Victoria Choo reached the Flight 2 championship match before falling, while Jiyeon Park, Yeonjin Ro, Arya Adhikari and Aniston Skipworth each advanced to the semifinals in their respective flights.
Naomi Hanks was eliminated in the quarterfinals of Flight 1.
In doubles, AHS’s girls’ teams of Hanks and Ro (Flight 2) and Jiyeon Park and Adhikari (Flight 3) both reached the semifinals.
Choo and Skipworth were knocked out in the quarterfinals of doubles Flight 1.
On the boys’ side, Basquin and Coburn advanced to the Flight 2 semifinals, while Martin Lee and Wang and Jinwoo Park and Justin Lee were each eliminated in the quarterfinals.
In the 1A-3A classification, the Lee-Scott Academy girls finished sixth overall with 20 points.
Anne Riley Marshall and Robin Debardelaben led the Warriors’ singles competitors with semifinal appearances in Flights 3 and 5, respectively.
Sara Beth Kahn reached the quarterfinals in Flight 4, while Savannah Stewart, Georgia Heartsill and Parker Fuqua were each eliminated in the first round.
The LSA boys finished 10th overall with six points.
In singles, Anderson Dobbs had the best result for the Warriors, reaching the Flight 2 semifinals.
Jack Stewart and Conlin Miller each advanced to the quarterfinals in Flights 4 and 5, respectively, while Cannon Ketchum, Sebastian Day and Chapman Jackson were eliminated in the first round.
In doubles, the LSA girls team of Ellie Prewett and Fuqua reached the Flight 3 semifinals, while the other two Lady Warriors doubles teams were knocked out in the quarterfinals or earlier.
Also in Class 1A-3A, Glenwood School’s girls finished tied for 12th overall with zero points.
Emma Rose lost in the first round of Flight 1 girls’ singles, while Rose and doubles partner Presley Wilkerson reached the quarterfinals in Flight 1 doubles.
