Tuesday’s semifinal matches in the Channel League singles tournament began under perfect tennis conditions at the Cathedral Oaks Athletic Club in Goleta.
In the first semifinal, Santa Barbara High School teammates Booie Grant and Graham Maassen opposed each other. Grant took the lead at the outset and won 6-0, 6-4.
In the second semifinal, Dos Pueblos High School’s Jared Madison had another intense battle, this time against Santa Barbara’s Sammer Aziz, and prevailed 7-5, 7-6. In both sets, Madison and Aziz showcased their speed in covering every square inch of the court, as well as their ability to mix up their shots — from low, deep groundies, wide angles, aggressive volleys, dropshots, lobs and kick serves, just to name a few.
The momentum kept shifting. No one was holding back, and no one was giving up. It was a duel to the end. As the second set was more than halfway through, Aziz developed cramps. Despite eating bananas and drinking sports drinks, his cramps never really went away. As the set continued into the tiebreaker, Aziz’s cramps became worse. He stoically finished the set.
Madison moves on to the finals against Grant. The finals will begin at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Cathedral Oaks Athletic Club.
Way to go, Channel League players. We hope for a speedy recovery for Aziz!
On Wednesday, the Channel League doubles tournament will get under way at San Marcos High School. All matches will begin at 2 p.m.
— Liz Frech coaches boys’ tennis at Dos Pueblos High School.