Win is worth the wait for WW South's Page

The waiting wasn't the hardest part for Wheaton Warrenville South senior Andy Page on Thursday, though it sure wasn't easy.

The wear and tear of three matches at the boys state tennis tournament under a hot sun took more of a toll than a lengthy wait to complete his day.

"There was a few tough games, and it was really hot out and we were both really tired, but I just had to stick it out, get more balls in than he did," Page said.

Despite waiting more than three hours to play Normal Community's Tyler Washington in the third round, Page advanced to Friday's quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory that took 66 minutes. It was one of the last matches of the day at Rolling Meadows High School.

"I think I was more rested, but we were both (tired)," said Page, who tried to stay loose after his second match of the day by playing a little soccer with his teammates. "It was really hot out."

Washington, a 17-32 seed, took a 3-2 lead in the second set, but Page, a 9-16 seed, gathered himself and regained control after a brief conference with coach Patti Clousing.

"When Andy's playing well, he's really moving his feet, staying light on his feet, taking an extra step," Clousing said. "That's what I told him when I went up to the fence, just to try to get his focus back and stay light on his feet."

"I broke him the first game, and I wouldn't really say I was down," Page added. "He got back on serve and I just held my composure and got back."

Page will meet Hinsdale Central's Martin Joyce in the quarterfinals at 8 a.m. Friday at Hersey High School. Joyce, the tournament's top seed, placed second last year and first as a sophomore.

Page's WW South teammate Charlie McDonough, a 17-32 seed, didn't fare quite as well, falling in the third round to Colin Harvey of Stevenson, 6-1, 6-2. Harvey, a 9-16 seed, won the state doubles championship last year.

Wheaton Academy freshman Ty Krill, the Metro Suburban Conference West Division champion and a 17-32 seed, also lost in the third round, 6-3, 6-0 to Highland Park's Jacob Edelchik, a 5-8 seed.

Naperville Central sophomore Bill Zhang lost in the third round to Christian San Andres of Downers Grove South. Neuqua Valley junior Brett Meyer also was a third-round casualty, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Libertyville's Stefano Tsorotiotis.

"My backhand in the beginning was a little off, but I think my forehand throughout the match was pretty good," Meyer said. "I was striking it pretty well."

Tsorotiotis is a 5-8 seed.

"I was a little nervous in the beginning," said Meyer, who improved on last year's state showing. "He's a really great player so obviously it was going to be a hard one. I knew it from the beginning. As the match progressed I think we had better and better points. It turned out to be a really good match."

In doubles action, Neuqua Valley's Jackson Keating and Hayden Sass, a 17-32 seed, fell 6-2, 7-5 to Hinsdale Central's Lope Adelakun and Michael Czlonka, the tournament's No. 2-seeded team and the 2014 state runner-up.

Hinsdale Central sits atop the team standings after one day with 24 points, 3 better than second-place Stevenson. Lyons Twp. and New Trier each have 20 points.

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