Page victory hands WW South team title on tiebreaker
Wheaton Warrenville South senior Andy Page had no idea while playing his singles finals match at Saturday's Naperville North boys tennis sectional that the team championship hinged on the outcome of his match.
Either way, he delivered.
The setting was perfect: fast, intense action under a hot, beaming sun. In what came down to two IHSA criteria on how to award a tiebreaker win, Wheaton Warrenville South edged Benet after they tied 21-21.
The winner of a tiebreaker in sectional play is determined by how many state qualifiers your team has. In this case the Tigers and Redwings each qualified two qualifying competitors.
The next criteria of a tiebreaker is based on whomever has the most champions. That is where WW South was awarded the victory. Enter Page, the lengthy, laser-focused singles player who has an almost unstoppable first serve.
Page met Naperville Central sophomore standout Bill Zhang, who has produced similar dominance on the courts this year. In their third time playing each other in two weeks, Page and Zhang fired shots back and forth, but Page surged to victory 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
"I hit my serves, just kept playing my game, and he didn't take me down and use my weaknesses," said Page, who has committed to playing at University of Illinois-Chicago next year.
Zhang kept a positive attitude knowing he will continue his powerful game in the state tournament.
"I thought he played really well today. He made me hit a lot of balls, and he is a consistent player who was moving really well and he took his chances," Zhang said.
Another storyline that took center stage was the battle of the Kovach brothers, who couldn't escape colliding in the finals.
Sophomore Nick Kovach of St. Francis and older brother Stephen, a senior at Benet, both were at their best, but the younger sibling along with teammate Chris Chacko won 7-6 (14-12), 3-6, 6-4 and notched first place in doubles action.
A laughing, exuberant Nick Kovach didn't hold back giving a jab in jest.
"He is all talk and no action. He is a senior and I had to put him in his place," Nick Kovach joked.
Glenbard West junior Nate Dell, while nursing a left wrist injury, zipped through the competition without relenting a single game. He defeated Lisle's Oliver Phreykz 6-0, 6-0 and Benet freshman Jack Carroll 6-0, 6-0 on Friday until running into Page in the semifinals Saturday.
WW South junior Charlie McDonough defeated Dell in the third-place match.
The other squads to fill in the rest of the total team points were St. Francis (14), Naperville Central (12), Glenbard West (12), Naperville (North) (10), Glenbard South (8), Addison Trail (4) and Lisle (0).
The state tournament begins Thursday.