The decision to take on a tougher road to a state tennis title shows a player's desire to beat the best in order to become the best.
Desert Vista's Yolena Carlon is taking on the challenge of the state singles tournament after coming up short in the doubles tournament. She is the No. 2 seed and will most likely have to get past top-seeded Madison Clark of Xavier.
Photo by Jason Skoda
The individual portion of the state tennis tournament is about choice as much as it is anything else. Players can only enter the event in the singles or doubles tournament, not both.
Teams size up the field to see what best fits their individuals in order to figure out the best path to a medal. Take
Desert Vista (Phoenix) senior Yolena Carlon as an example.
She has come on as an individual after a great summer of work, but there is a Division I three-time defending champion returning in Madison Clark of
Xavier College Prep (Phoenix), and Carlon would be a real threat to win it all at No. 1 doubles with Melissa Kahn.
The easier road might have been doubles, but Carlon craves a challenge rather than cave into a threat.
"I am definitely ready for singles and for all the challenges that are going to come with it," Carlon said before the tournament started last weekend. "Of all the years I've played tennis I've had a lot of really tough matches in USTA. But going into state I know I can't underestimate any opponent."
Clearly, Carlon, the second seed in Division I, didn't underestimate anybody through the first three rounds as play resumes Friday with the elite eight remaining in singles and doubles action for all divisions. The semifinals and finals are on Saturday for all divisions at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale.
Carlon, who competed in the World Team Tennis Junior Nationals, takes on Hamilton's seventh-seeded Anamika Deokar. A win there and she is just two wins away from winning it all. It will be a difficult route, but one Carlon chose to take.
"She is playing so well right now she has a great shot," Desert Vista coach Angel Singer said. "She figures out how to win better than anyone I have ever seen."
How that decision and others like it play out will be decided with only the champions remaining on Saturday.
In D-I doubles action,
Mountain View (Mesa) twin freshmen Madeline and Anya Lamoreaux are the No. 1 seed.
"They have a very unique chemistry as twin sisters," Toros coach Lori Flake told the East Valley Tribune. "It's a chemistry you almost can't coach, almost can't teach and it's literally from birth. Other teams have to work for years and years to develop the kind of chemistry that they have and theirs is literally inborn, it's a wonderful thing.
"It's beautiful tennis."
On the boys' side of the D-I state tournament, Jarod Hing of
Horizon (Scottsdale) is the top seed with Daniel Hollands of
Mesquite (Gilbert), who finished third last season, on the same side of the bracket as the fourth seed.
The other half of the bracket is led by second-seeded Zach Chilar of
Brophy College Prep (Phoenix), who finished as the state runner-up a year ago, and the third seed Adam Oscislawski of
Desert Mountain (Scottsdale).
The D-I boys double tournament is much like the D-I girls singles tournament, as the rest of the field tries to unseat the defending champion.
Desert Mountain's Jeremy Auh and Chase Victor are the No. 1 seed after winning it all last season.
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
