Sports
(GALLERY) Hopkins Tennis Falls To Wayzata In Section Championship
The Royals lost 5-2 as the Trojans won their fourth consecutive section title on Wednesday
Hopkins boys tennis coach Ken Novak, Jr. knew Wayzata’s doubles teams could pose problems for the Royals in Wednesday’s Section 6AA championship match.
Turns out, the Trojans as a whole were too much to hold down.
Second-seeded Wayzata upset top-seeded Hopkins on the road Wednesday, claiming a 5-2 victory and earning their fourth consecutive team trip to the state meet.
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The Trojans fell 4-3 to Hopkins in the teams’ first meeting on May 3, but this time was a different story.
“I thought we fought hard,” Novak, Jr. said. “They’re a good team. They do very well. They’ve got a lot of depth, and their depth goes from beginning to end.”
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Hopkins senior Ryan Erickson seemed to set the tone early for the Royals. His No. 1 singles match against Wayzata’s Dustin Britton lasted 37 minutes and ended with a 6-0, 6-1 win for Erickson.
The two battled to a three-set match on May 3, which Erickson won, but this time the Royals’ standout took charge early.
“For me to come out and really dominate, it helps going into the individual tournament,” said Erickson, who is the top seed in the Section 6AA individual tournament and will begin play on Tuesday at the University of Minnesota’s Baseline Tennis Center.
Unfortunately for the Royals, the rest of the team didn’t follow suit on this day. Aside from Manfred Barrios’ 6-2, 6-0 win over Wayzata’s Nick Beaty at No. 3 singles, the Trojans swept the remaining matches and held on for victory.
The tipping point was at No. 3 doubles, where Trojans seniors Ketan Kularni and Mike Anderson held off Kenny Novak and Andy Harris to earn the fourth win of the day.
Novak, Jr. said Wayzata has the depth to possibly contend for a state title come June 7.
“They have a shot to win it all,” he said. “I don’t think there is a great team out there, so I think a team like themselves or ourselves, a lot of teams can win it. And they’re deep enough to be able to do it.”
GAME RESULTS
No. 1 singles: HOP Ryan Erickson def. WAY Dustin Britton 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 singles: WAY Scott Vezzosi def. HOP Michael Fields 7-5, 6-4
No. 3 singles: HOP Manfred Barrios def. WAY Nick Beaty 6-2, 6-0
No. 4 singles: WAY Conor Shook def. HOP Clay Thompson 6-1, 6-1
No. 1 doubles: WAY Jack Graven/Duncan Sallstrom def. HOP Andrew Rust/Brandon Rabinowitz 1-6 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 doubles: WAY Giuliano Kornberg/Matt Halverson def. HOP Zach Miller/Andy Novak 6-2, 7-6
No. 3 doubles: WAY Ketan Kularni/Mike Anderson def. HOP Kenny Novak/Andy Harris 7-5, 6-4
