High school tennis: Highland takes care of business at first day of sectionals

GRANGER TWP. — The Highland boys tennis team did what it was expected to do Monday at the Highland Division I Sectional. Now the two-time reigning Suburban League American Conference champion Hornets are out to do more. Highland freshman singles player Aaron Davis and the sophomore doubles team of Nikita Belyanskiy and Alex Blagrave will have to beat seeded opponents to earn district berths when the sectional quarterfinals are held today at 4 p.m. Hornets sophomore Ani Katta and junior Sawyer Sulzener, who are seeded first in doubles, just have to keep doing what they've been doing. Katta, who reached the state tournament in doubles last season with two-time Gazette MVP Luke Butcher, and Sulzener won 24 of 26 games to easily reach the quarters, where they will meet Strongsville's unseeded Jignesh Dave and Chaatwik Nettem. A win would guarantee the Hornets the top-four placement necessary to reach the Northeast District, with sectional semifinal, final and third-place matches to be played Saturday morning. "It's really just playing our game," said Katta, who manned the first singles spot in the regular season. "We're the top seed for a reason. We just have to back it up and do what we've been doing." Sulzener, the SL American champion at second singles, will be out to erase a bad sectional doubles memory while attempting to help Katta repeat a great one. Two years ago when Sulzener was a freshman, he and Butcher, then a junior, were seeded third in doubles but got upset in the first round of sectionals. When Katta was a freshman, he teamed with Butcher to reach the state tournament, while Sulzener played singles in the 2025 postseason. "There's definitely some pressure because of that," Sulzener said. "I try not to let it get to me, but I want to help him get back there again and get another banner (on the gymnasium wall). I'm confident in my ability, so I try not to feel like I'm the weak link of the team." The vastly improved Sulzener is helped by the fact he's a much more aggressive and confident player this season. Though he teamed with Katta only in a couple in-season doubles events, he's also more comfortable at net and hitting passing shots. "My ability to read an opponent and make a poach depending on what shot is hit has improved," he said. "I used to stand around more. Now I'm more proactive. I've learned to be a more active part of the point." Belyanskiy and Blagrave rarely stand around. Their goal is to end a point as soon as possible, especially when serving. That's what they did while winning 24 of 28 games in their two matches Monday, and it's what they'll need to do today against St. Ignatius' third-seeded Cody Hodge and Reynaldo Guillermo, who hit the ball just as forcefully. The teams met earlier this season when Highland beat St. Ignatius in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Tournament, but the Wildcats won their head-to-head meeting at first doubles in three sets. "We've improved since then," Blagrave said. "We don't have to change anything from what we're doing now to win." The Hornets, who won the SL American crown at first doubles, expect an improved mental outlook to help them today. "When we played them the first time we were expecting to lose very quickly," Belyanskiy said. "We weren't expecting to go to a third set. Now it's basically the end of the season. Our groundstrokes are better and our serves are more consistent. I think it's going to come down to a tiebreaker." Davis, who also dropped just four games in reaching the quarterfinals, will take on Strongsville's fourth-seeded Sathvik Velumarni this afternoon. Davis won the SL American title at third singes, while his opponent played first singles for the Mustangs in the regular season. "I have a tough path," Davis said. "There's a lot of good players at this sectional, so I try to focus on playing loose and not leaving anything out on the court. "I've just got to keep the ball deep and play consistently. I can't worry about what's happening on the court. I just have to concentrate and play with confidence." Highland's third doubles entrant, SL American second doubles champs Keaton Jones and Jared Bryan, posted a double bagel in the first round before falling 6-1, 6-0 to St. Edward's second-seeded Zoard Vasarhelyi and Kyle Vaziri, who occupied the top two singles spots for the Eagles in the regular season. The biggest upset on the first day of the tournament came when Amherst's third-seeded Katelyn Bussard lost her first match to Wooster's Saxon Ranney, who won three matches to reach the quarters. Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com.