Page turns in a winner
Wheaton Warrenville South’s Andy Page knew he was going to have a tough match against fellow freshman Martin Joyce of Hinsdale Central at the Naper Valley Tennis Invite at Waubonsie Valley on Saturday.
After impressing observers by winning his three matches leading to the finals, Page finished second to Joyce for only his second loss of the season, a 6-1, 6-1 decision in the second-singles championship match.
“He’s a close friend and he’s a really good player,” Page said. “I’ve never beaten him. I was excited to play against him. He has a huge serve and he hits the ball really hard. I was missing a lot of shots in our match, but it’s always good for you to play against top players like Joyce. It’s preparing me for the competition ahead in conference and sectionals.”
Page, who has been splitting time at first singles for the Tigers with senior Quinn Jennings, is undefeated in DuPage Valley Conference competition going into next weekend’s conference tournament.
“Andy’s getting stronger all the time,” said Tigers coach Patti Clousing. “It’s fun to watch him progress. He’s gaining in power, speed and confidence, and he has all the tools and a great shot selection. He will be a great tennis player in the coming years.”
The Tigers finished seventh in the 16-team Naper Valley field as Hinsdale Central won the championship by taking individual titles at both first and second singles and second and third doubles. The one championship that eluded them was first doubles, where Dominic Amalraj and Danny Oakes of St. Charles North topped the field.
It was the first individual championship for St. Charles North in its 10 years in the tournament.
Amalraj and Oakes defeated Oak Park-River Forest’s Jeremy Dixon and Tim McAdam 6-1, 6-2 in the final. That win came on the heels of a tough 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) victory over Downers Grove South’s Connor Harmon and Cody Freischlag in the semifinals.
“I’m real proud of the way our kids handled themselves today,” said St. Charles North coach Sean Masoncup. “They faced a couple of the top doubles teams in the state and came away with the win as the fourth seed. Dominick and Danny feed off each other real well. Danny is a tall athletic player with a great serve, and Dom is a terrific counter-puncher. They had a great tournament.”
Both were state qualifiers last year, Amalraj as a singles player, and Oakes is a two-time doubles qualifier who will attend Valparaiso on scholarship in the fall.
The North Stars finished eighth in the team standings with 33 points.
The Red Devils, who had won Naper Valley in previous years but were bested in 2011 by Oak Park-River Forest, scored 82 points in returning to the top of the heap.
Downers Grove South finished second with 56 points, while Oak Park-River Forest and Edwardsville tied for third with 52. They were followed by Naperville North with 46.
The Red Devils’ Sam Bloom outdueled Joey Leto of Downers Grove South 6-2, 6-4 to win first singles, while second-doubles Harold Martin and Griffin Johns and third-doubles Ronnie Lorenzini and Chris Saltiel also took home the top prize for Hinsdale Central.