By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic tennis player Alex Yeager had to win three tiebreaker sets in his final two matches at the state tournament to come away with the singles title on Thursday at the University of Kentucky.
“It was pretty crazy,” Yeager said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation like that before, but you’ve got to be mentally tough in tennis.”
Two of the tiebreakers came in the championship match. Yeager defeated Collegiate Academy of Louisville senior Landon Ecarma, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 12-10, to become Northern Kentucky’s first state champion in boys singles since 2013.
In the third-set super tiebreaker, Yeager said he took an 8-3 lead and Ecarma rallied to make it 9-6 before he closed it out.
“In my coaching career, it might be one of the grittiest wins I’ve ever seen,” said CovCath coach Al Hertsenberg. “You just can’t shake Alex. He figures things out. He made one or two adjustments during the match that were enough to bring home the title.”
Yeager said the first person to congratulate him after the title match was his father, Jason, who won back-to-back state singles titles in 1989 and 1990 when he was a student at Dixie Heights.
After winning state titles in doubles the last two years, Alex switched to singles for his senior season and was able to join his father on that list of state champions. But it didn’t come easily. He had to win third-set tiebreakers in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
“You just grind it out,” he said of the mindset that carried him through it all. “Just to fight, to not give up and keep going. And my endurance. I worked on that a little bit and it started paying off.”
Covington Catholic also won the state doubles title for the third straight year on Thursday when senior Kalei Christensen and sophomore Blake Hussey defeated Aditya Shah and Walker Bush of St. Xavier, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), in the final.
Christensen and Yeager won the previous two state championships. Hussey replaced Yeager when he switched to singles and the new duo continued the state title run.
“It fell into place,” coach Hertsenberg said of the revised lineup. “We had a lot of options on this team and Kalei and Blake get along well and they’re two left-handers, which people don’t like playing against.”
CovCath’s other doubles team — sophomores Will Tribble and Jacob Kramer — made it to the semifinals of the state tournament. The Colonels ended up with a 16-1 combined record in singles and doubles matches.
Next week, CovCath will play in the state tournament for boys tennis teams. The Colonels won that 16-team tournament last year and are considered the favorite once again.
“I don’t want to be cocky or anything, but we’re in a good spot,” coach Hertsenberg said. “It’s going to be a tough first round going against St. X. There’s little room for error against them. But if we all do our job I think we’ll have a good shot at winning it again.”
BOYS STATE TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Doubles semifinals
Kalei Christensen-Blake Hussey (CovCath) def. Jacob Ray-Logan Elliott (St. Xavier), 7-5, 7-5.
Aditya Shah-Walker Bush (St. Xavier) def. Will Tribble-Jacob Kramer (CovCath), 6-4, 6-1.
Doubles championship
Kalei Christensen-Blake Hussey (CovCath) def. Aditya Shah-Walker Bush (St. Xavier), 6-1, 7-6 (7-1),
Singles semifinal
Alex Yeager (CovCath) def. Colby Berson (Louisville Collegiate), 2-6, 6-4, 10-3.
Singles championship
Alex Yeager (CovCath) def. Landon Ecarma (Collegiate Academy of Louisville), 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 12-10.