High school tennis: Highland's Elijah Hadler wins in straight sets to advance to state

MONTROSE — For the first time since 2006, Highland will be represented at the state boys tennis tournament. Sophomore Elijah Hadler posted two straight-set victories Thursday at the Springside Division I District, remaining undefeated in 25 career singles matches and qualifying for next weekend's state tourney at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason. Hadler eliminated Jackson junior Denil Joseph 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round, then punched his ticket to state with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Mayfield senior Yukun Wang in the quarterfinals. "I never felt the pressure. I just went out and played today," he said. "Even though I had a pretty intense battle with (Wang), it was a fun match. I was really focused on breaking his serve, and I played my heart out in order to get the win." The first member of the Hornets boys team to advance to state in D-I, Hadler is the first Medina County qualifier since Brunswick's Adam Slomski in 2018. The Springside Sectional champion held serve all 18 times on the day. Highland's only other state participants were the doubles team of Aris Spirtos and Rodney James (2006) and singles player Jake Burns (2001), who competed in D-II. Spirtos was seated courtside to watch Hadler join the exclusive club. "We are all incredibly proud of Elijah," Hornets coach Lisa Reynolds said. "He played such a complete game under difficult conditions. It was really something to appreciate. I am super proud of him, knowing that he can go into the semifinals already going to state." Hadler easily beat Joseph in one of four matches inside the fieldhouse in the morning but needed to withstand Wang and the scorching heat in his second match. The temperature was 84 in the shade and 90 on the court during the 1½-hour clash. Wang was visibly affected by the conditions at times, sending volleys well out of bounds. Hadler broke him to take a 4-3 lead in the first set, then again to go up 5-3 in the second, looking fresh throughout. "It didn't bother me much because I'm used to the heat from cross country and track," said Hadler, who is slated to run the 3,200 meters at the Brunswick D-I District track meet today. "I'll be fine with the weather either way the next two days." The Suburban League American Conference MVP will take on Solon sophomore Nikolas Romanov in the semifinals Saturday. Romanov upset Canton Sectional champ Griffin Millsbaugh of Louisville in the first round 6-3, 6-0. University School senior Ben Martin and St. Ignatius senior Nate Day meet in the other semifinal. Two additional state bids will be claimed in the consolation bracket. "I've known (Romanov) since I was 9 or 10 years old and am not surprised at all that he's gotten this far," Hadler said. "It should be an interesting match." Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.