Williamson ready for state

Dundee-Crown senior boys tennis player Mike Williamson is in one of those tough sporting spots.

Williamson, a four-time state qualifier, brings an unbeaten 28-0 record into his first-round boys state tennis finals match today at Buffalo Grove High School.

Williamson earned a 17-32 seed in the 64-player draw.

"Some people have asked me about being undefeated," said Williamson. "I don't know if it's good or not. I'm not feeling too much pressure because of it. All of the kids at state are top quality. If you lose to them -- it's bad to lose -- it's not a huge thing because everybody there is good."

But, Williamson is prepared to shoot for the stars this weekend.

"This is definitely what I've been working for the last four years in high school," said Williamson, a 17-32 state seed in each of the last three years. "Your senior year at the state meet is about as big as it can get. I think my game is solid right now. I've worked out a lot of the kinks. The key part of my game that has gotten better is my fight. There is no way I'll give up."

Williamson used that fight to get through several tough matches at the sectional.

"That's what helped me persevere," said Williamson, who sports a career 126-18 high school mark. "I wanted it so bad. That's what will help me this weekend."

Looking to the future, Williamson said he has been accepted academically at the University of Iowa where he would like to study business management.

"I'm going there to focus on school and I'll try and walk on to the tennis team," said Williamson, who has a 7-6 mark in career state matches. "If I make the team, it would definitely be a great, great honor. Iowa is a great place."

A pair of Williamson wins could put him in a position to play 9-6 seed Chris Speer (Stevenson) in the third round.

Williamson's teammate Andy Schuessler is in the state finals field for a second time and will bring a 14-5 record into play today.

Other area singles qualifiers include Streamwood junior Yuto Tsukida, the Bartlett senior duo of Yosh Patel and Kevin Veatch, along with the Prairie Ridge tandem of juniors Craig Greenwald and Matt Miller and Elgin Academy sophomore David Kaufman.

Tsukida brings a 21-10 mark into today's play and an improved mental game.

"I'm more motivated to win," said Tsukida. "If I'm feeling down, I try not to get mad too much and forget about it and try to do my best every point. I'm thinking a lot during every play."

Kaufman is Elgin Academy's first boys state finals qualifier.

"Since the school was chartered in 1839 or something like that," laughed the Woodstock resident. "I haven't stopped smiling. I still can't get over it that I made it."

Experience has played a key factor in Kaufman's improvement.

"I'm playing the game more," said Kaufman. "I'm more aggressive. I'm not just punching the ball back like I used to. I've improved a lot since school started."

Elgin's doubles team of senior Eric Meuangkhot and sophomore Kevin Baccam bring an 11-10 mark into the state doubles tournament (the duo went 3-1 at sectionals).

"We have a lot of chemistry," said Meuangkhot. "We know each other's moves and we can help each other when we get down."

The Larkin senior duo of Scott Shriver and Tyler Compere will also be in action today. The Shriver-Compere combo has 19 wins this season.

"Scott and I have been really good friends for awhile," said Compere. "We work really well together. Scott has been really consistent. If I'm not playing well, he will carry us and allow me to pick up my level of play. We can carry each other like that."

The Cary-Grove unit of senior Jake Szybowicz and freshman Chris Federighi also qualified for the state meet. They bring a 7-2 mark into the state meet. Szybowicz (No. 1) and Federighi (No. 2) were Cary-Grove's top 2 singles players this season.

"Chris and I had played together this past summer and had won a couple of tournaments," said Szybowicz. "We complement each other. We both have good court awareness. He has a good forehand and I have a good backhand and we are both good at the net."

Szybowicz is making his second state appearance. He qualified in the doubles division as a sophomore.