Sectional Draws |
Ohio High School Tennis
WEDNESDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team
Congratulations to the players selected for the OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team for 2025.
 OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
|||
Division I - Singles |
|||
 Finn Keenan Revere |
 Xander Jhaveri Westlake |
||
 A.J. Sidoti Avon |
|||
Division II - Singles |
|||
 Cooper Grim Heartland Christian |
|||
Division I - Doubles |
|||
 Isaac Vens Sylvania Southview |
 Landon Vens Sylvania Southview |
||
Division II - Doubles |
|||
The OTZ list is a bit different than the OHSAA All-Ohio team. While a player's performance at States is the best way to get on the team, OTZ also looks at a player's entire season and includes players who may not have even qualified for States because of unfortunate District draws.
The number of players included on this list will vary from year to year.
To see the results for each player, click on those with an OTZ Player Profile. Profiles are denoted with a tennis ball.
The OTZ Top Players Lists for 2025 were also updated. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. To see all of the players on one page, click on All Districts.
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2025
50+ New Photos
After today's additions, there have been 117 photos posted online during the boys season. That is a few less than in past seasons due to the bad weather. To view the photos that were added, sign-on first and then click on Most Recently Added Photos.
 |
Marysville's Gianni Russo - Click to enlarge |
A few photo orders are coming in and those are greatly appreciated. OTZ provides high-resolution images that players and parents can use digitially. A couple of players mentioned that they planned to post them Instagram. Of course, there are also no shipping costs associated with digital images.
OTZ will identify the 10-12 that are the favorites in a few days.
The photos that are available to be purchased are included on SmugMug. They are sorted newest to oldest by event. To get started, just provide the filenames via a Feedback message. Yes, they make great Father's Day presents, too..
MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025
OHSAA Tournament Championship Points
Four out of four of the championship points were captured this year. It was close though. D2 dubs finished about 45 seconds before the D2 singles match point was played.
Player photos are included at the end of the videos. There was also an extra point added when possible.
For best results, use full screen mode and increase the resolution to HD (for high definition).
Crank up the volume so that co-workers (or neighbors) stop by your office cube to see what is going on.
|
Division I Singles: Mason's Greg Bernadsky beat St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty. |
|
|
Division I Doubles: New Albany's Jackson Clements and Abhi Dandu beat Sylvania Southview's Isaac & Landon Vens. |
|
|
Division II Singles: Columbus Academy's Nason Lo beat Hawken's Axel Neely. |
|
|
Division II Doubles: Bexley's Henry & Sam Lessard beat Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi and Michael Ryu. |
There are always some scoring snafus found by coaches as they begin to print off their end-of-season reports. If results are incorrect, please provide:
- the *incorrect* match information. The error first needs to be located in the database and there are a zillion scores. Please include the date, the name(s) of all of the player(s) and their schools, and the score.
- then provide the correct match information which includes all of the above, but with the correct information
If the commentary is incorrect, please provide *when* the commentary was in error, the erroneous comments, and what it should be. Screen shots are always helpful.
Please keep in mind there are quite a few moving parts. The players could have reported the wrong score, the coach could have recorded it incorrectly, the newspaper may have posted it incorrectly, or maybe, just possibly, OTZ could have made an error.
More photos will be released tomorrow.
For those of you unaware of this, Dublin Coffman Coach Brett Hundertpfund's wife, Chelsey, is ill with a rare form of cancer. There are not good treatment options for her. She and Brett must travel to hopefully find something that will be effective. It is also uncertain what insurance will pay for (if anything). The tennis community has a great reputation for aiding those who need help. Please click to view her gofundme page and consider giving.
SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2025
Mason and Orange are the State Team Championships
Congratulations to Mason, the Division I team champion, and to the Division II champion, Orange. Mason defeated New Albany and University School to get the championship. Orange beat Lexington and Indian Hill. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Mason - D1 Champions - Click to enlarge |
 |
Orange - D2 Champions - Click to enlarge |
On the excitement meter, this State Team Tournament was rated "pretty good". The Mason versus New Albany had a 3-2 result and so did the Indian Hill versus Columbus Academy match. It seemed that Columbus Academy used up their emotional energy on Saturday and Indian Hill used theirs on their big win over Columbus Academy. All of the other matches were 3-0's, except for the University School versus St. Johns Jesuit match. The weather was as wacky yesterday as it has been all season. There were no wind-chill numbers reported, but many parents were seen returning to their cars for extra layers. It was a long day that finished at 6:00pm.
Most of the singles matches involving the top players went unfinished. The exceptions were: Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated New Albany's Jackson Clements and University School's Vishwum Kapadia; Orange's Illia Shcherbakov beat Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi; Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi defeated Columbus Academy's Nason Lo; and Indian Hill's Gareth Kurowski beat Columbus Academy's Lucas Xue. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Mason was about to win the prestigious "Holding the OTCA Banner the Levelist" award, but they were abruptly disqualified when they let the banner touch the ground. Even though this near-crime is not eligible to be reviewed by video, the picture above confirmed it. Sorry.
Normally parents charge the boys like a swarm of overcharged drones for team photos, but they did not do so this season. [This is a brand new analogy at no extra charge.]
While there are no guarantees, Mason will be favored to win again next year. They lose just one starter to graduation. Orange lost a ton of great seniors last year but they obviously reloaded quickly. Most of their starters return.
The championship points video edition will be tomorrow.
SATURDAY, May 31, 2025
Congratulations to the State Champions
Congratulations to all of the players who competed yesterday and especially to the State Champions. Yes, it rained again, but there was good progress made outside before heading indoors at noon. The championship matches were completed by 2.20, but the 3rd/4th contests continued. Aspen Racquet Club was a great host.
Click for the final OTZ Enhanced State Tournament Draws.
 |
 |
Mason's Greg Bernadsky - Click |
New Albany's Clements - Dandu |
 |
 |
Columbus Academy's Nason Lo |
Bexley's Sam & Henry Lessard |
The State champions and the finalists are:
Division I Singles: Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty.
Division I Doubles: New Albany's Jackson Clements and Abhinav Dandu beat Sylvania Southview’s Isaac & Landon Vens.
Division II Singles: Columbus Academy's Nason Lo defeated Hawken's Axel Neely.
Division II Doubles: Bexley's Henry & Sam Lessard beat Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi and Michael Ryu.
In the District versus District competition, Central won with three champions. The Southwest District had one.
 |
Wooster-area Weather |
The State Team Tournament takes place today at the College of Wooster at 9:30am. (Per OTCA's Mike Teets, it is delayed by one hour.) If it rains, Division I will play at Aspen Racquet Club, and Division II will go to Lakewood Racquet Club in Lexington. The start times vary if play goes indoors. The safest course of action is to reach out to your coach if there is uncertainty.
The OTZ Top Picks for States video came out pretty solid. The entire field does not need to be seeded to make this a better tournament. Just make sure that the top singles players and doubles teams do not collide until the second day. Thankfully the temperatures were cool; otherwise, the results may have been different.
Tomorrow's update will be videos of the championship points.
See you at the State Team Tournament.
FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2025
Ready for Day 2 of States
It's time up the ante on the video. Let's go with this happy little one today. Things went pretty well yesterday considering the one hour rain delay. Play wrapped up at roughly 6pm with CA's dubs team beating Lex's, 6-4, 6-4.
There were clearly several matches that should have taken place today rather than yesterday. It was clear that this was going to happen after the draws were released. This happened in Division I and Division II. In D2, there cannot be a draw with six #1 seeds where all of the #1 seeds are treated as #1 seeds. That's obvious. And no, it's not as simple as simply using a bunch of UTR, TRN, or WTN ratings. These are; however, good tools to use in the analysis along with head-to-head comparisons within high school competition. Let's fix this before the girls season.
As they were yesterday, click on the graphic below or use this link to follow the action throughout the day - OhioTennisZone.com/draws.
 |
Hawken's Axel Neely - Click to enlarge |
In the District versus District competition for superior superiority, the Southwest won with six semi-finalists, Northeast had five, Central had four, and the Northwest had one. We will see how the championship count turns out...
In the D1 matches, Revere's Finn Keenan defeated Centerville's Elliot Galbraith and New Albany's Tyler Thomas; St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty beat Mentor's Theodore Vanjo and Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand;
Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Solon's Zach Krantz and Avon's A.J. Sidoti; and Westlake's Xander Jhaveri beat Tippecanoe's Nick VonKrosigk and Marysville's Gianni Russo.
In Division II, Orange's Illia Shcherbakov defeated Jackson's Smith and Seven Hills' Adi Nayak;
Columbus Academy's Nason Lo beat Cincinnati Country Day's Nikhil Shah and Heartland Christian's Cooper Grim; Northwestern's Aiden Yeager defeated Columbus Academy's Jacob Khvalsky and Perkins' Chase Young; Hawken's Axel Neely beat Archbishop Alter's Michael Shope and Orange's Vivaan Moghekar. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
 |
State Draws - Click to draws |
Players in the Semi-Finals are:
Division I
Singles: Revere's Finn Keenan, St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty, Mason's Greg Bernadsky, and Westlake's Xander Jhaveri.
Doubles:New Albany's Jackson Clements and Abhinav Dandu; GlenOak’s Dylan Wiles - Jack Slay, Sylvania Southview’s Isaac Vens – Landon Vens, and Springboro's Peyton Nelson - Drew Baumgartner.
Division II
Singles: Orange's Illia Shcherbakov, Columbus Academy's Nason Lo, Northwestern's Aiden Yeager, and Hawken's Axel Neely.
Doubles: Bexley's Henry & Sam Lessard, Indian Hill's Gareth Kurowski - Jeremy Starczynowski, Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi - Michael Ryu, and Columbus Academy's Lucas Xue - Rowen Lo.
See you at States.
THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2025
It's Time.
It's time for States, and more importantly, it's time to play this video. The weather forecasts have gone back and forth, but hopefully there will at least be dry weather today.
|
State Tennis Draws - Click to enlarge |
Click on the image to the right or click on the link below to go to the draws:
ohiotenniszone.com/drawsThe OTZ Enhanced draws will be updated throughout the day. The normal cycle is that I take a few photos, talk with a few people, update the draws, rinse, repeat.
Everyone stepped up yesterday with the OTZ draws. Twenty player photos were needed at the beginning of the day, and now, all but two players have photos. Thank you for helping recognize the players.
This is a busy OTZ usage day. Older information has been removed from the OTZ home page to enable it to it load faster.
 |
Wooster-area weather |
See you in Wooster.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2025
OTZ "Top Picks for States" Video
It is time for another OhioTennisZone video. This video recognizes the players who are OTZ's top picks for States. The video uses a combination of OTZ action photos and videos that were taken over the last two years. Hope you find it to be interesting and informative. This will also help match a name with a face for those who attend States.
Click for OTZ Top Picks for States - Click for video |
Time frames are always super tight in creating these videos. This video was hammered out last night and early this morning. I doubt that I ever will, but I would like to get to a 95% ok video level. This one is probably about 85-90%. It is really hard to become proficient in something that is done just twice a year, but I will keep trying. I did create my own teleprompter to make the task easier by using a music stand, a picture frame, and strategically placed gaffer's tape. Thankfully, we do not live in an earthquake zone..
For a better viewing experience, please click on the little gear thingy and select 1080p60 HD. The screen can also be enlarged by clicking on the partially completed "square".
Google will likely include advertisements with this and other OTZ videos. I do not have any control over who advertises, nor does OTZ benefit financially from these advertisers. Thankfully, we are not in an election season. .
Please let me know if there are any inaccuracies - there always are and you always do. I do not purposely try to say names incorrectly. Really. I don't. I should establish some sort of prize for the player with the most mangled name. For consideration, please enter a Feedback.
It is fun to review older videos. Here are a few from both prior girls and boys seasons. Click for Girls 2020, Boys 2021, Girls 2021, Boys 2022, Girls 2022, Boys 2023, Girls 2023, Boys 2024, and Girls 2024. Hopefully you will agree that the production quality has improved at least slightly over the years. At one point, I created "hype" videos for States that included action photos of the players in the State Tournament and the State Team Tournament, but Google eventually prevented professional music from being used. That eliminated my interest. Perhaps with AI generated music, this will be possible again in the future. Here is one from Girls 2019. (It includes Daniel Tonkal's sister.) Tennis fans will recognize a few of these high school players.
The OTZ-Enhanced State Draws are still missing quite a few photos. Thanks to those who contributed photos of their players. It is not too late to add your player's photo..
TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025
Prep Work for States
Work is underway at OTZ to get ready for States. There are still quite a few players without profile photos for the State Draws. If players, parents, or coaches see that a player does not have a photo, please forward one to OTZ.
 |
Southwest D1 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
 |
Southwest D2 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
There are two items to note for States photos. Taking photos during Girls States was a challenge because most photographers were limited to the area behind the courts. That restriction has been lifted, and photographers are now able to be court side.
The second. The OHSAA has an exclusive on selling photos from States. The exception to this is that bona fide newspapers, as determined by the OHSAA, are permitted to do so. This is expected to change for Girls States, but no OTZ photos are available for sale for Boys States. There are no restrictions for OTZ, or for other entities, to sell photos during the rest of the season, including the State Team Tournament.
If any of the names of the Southwest District qualifiers are amiss, please submit a Feedback. Thanks to Scott Long for providing me with these photos.
In my hurried effort to get to the tasks necessary for States, I did not push this update "live" until Tuesday afternoon (even though I finished it at 7:15am). Thanks go to Yoon Lee for making me aware of this..
MONDAY, MAY 26, 2025
State Draws Released
The OTZ-Enhanced OHSAA draws are now available. Click the image below to go to the draws. A link to the draws will also remain at the top of this page. These draws will be updated throughout the tournament
 |
State Draws - Click to enlarge |
There are quite a few player photos that need to be added. Some have already been obtained - others will need to be acquired. The goal is to have photos for all of the players by Wednesday morning.
Even though photos and video footage have been gathered all season, efforts begin *now* on the OTZ Top Picks for States video. Click for last year's OTZ Top Picks video. [Note that OTZ does not benefit from any ads that YouTube includes.]
In the State Team Tournament, the Central District plays the Southwest first. Division I takes the courts first. Play will end as soon as a match is "clinched" with one team winning three courts.
The weather looks favorable for Wooster for the State Tournament and for the State Team Tournament. Note that the weather chart is for the Wooster area.
 |
Wooster Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
This will be the last States at Wooster. It is returning to Lindner Family Tennis Center for the girls season. Wooster has been a great host. The location of the Girls State Team tournament has not been announced.
SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2025
Field Set for States
The state finished the seeding rounds yesterday. While earlier in the week, the goal was to *make States*. Yesterday was for those who want to *win States*. The best players do not always win States if they get tough draws. Doing well yesterday was the key in getting a better draw at States.
 |
Central D1 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
The results from yesterday will be shuttled onto the OHSAA. The draws may come out as early as today. (That was the case for the girls season.)
Among the top players in their matches yesterday, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Tippecanoe's Von Krosigk and St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty; Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand beat Marysville's Gianni Russo and Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough; Westlake's Xander Jhaveri defeated Mentor's Theodore Vanjo and Revere's Finn Keenan; Heartland Christian's Cooper Grim beat Orange's Illia Shcherbakov and Orange's Vivaan Moghekar; and Archbishop Alter's Michael Shope defeated Northwestern's Aiden Yeager and Seven Hills' Adi Nayak.
State Qualifiers (Seed order):
Central Division I
Singles: Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand, Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough, Marysville's Gianni Russo, New Albany's Tyler Thomas.
Doubles: New Albany's Jackson Clements and Abhinav Dandu; Olentangy Orange's Luke Rutherford - Shailen Patel; Upper Arlington’s Jackson Lloyd - Keshav Goyal, Upper Arlington's Owen Hawley - Luca Mlicki.
Central Division II
Singles: Columbus Academy's Nason Lo, Columbus Academy's Jacob Khvalsky.
Doubles: Bexley's Henry & Sam Lessard, Columbus Academy's Lucas Xue - Rowen Lo.
East District Division II
Singles: Steubenville's Luke Karzelberger.
Doubles: West Holmes' Sami Latouf - Alex Pringle.
Northeast Division I
Singles: Westlake’s Xander Jhaveri, Revere’s Finn Keenan, Avon's A.J. Sidoti, Mentor's Theodore Vanjo, Solon's Zach Krantz, Canton McKinley’s Elijah Corrin.
Doubles: GlenOak’s Dylan Wiles - Jack Slay, Hudson's Henrique Sa - Zelin Shen, University School's Rohit Talasila - Connor Barragate, Highland’s Luke Burcher - Ani Katta, University School's Vishwum Kapadia - William Henry, St. Edward’s Sean Curran - Zoard Vasarhelyi.
Northeast Division II
Singles: Heartland Christian's Cooper Grim, Orange's Vivaan Moghekar, Orange's Illia Shcherbakov, Hawken's Axel Neely.
Doubles: Hawken's Zach Forte - Billy Beseth, Hawken's Tyler Snyder - Anthony Piazza, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Lincoln Gates – Jonathan Van Hala, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Ben Reske – Dylan Scott.
Northeast Division I
Singles: St. Francis DeSales' Nick Miller, Clay's Nathan Horvath.
Doubles: Sylvania Southview's Isaac & Landon Vens, St. John's Jesuit's Miles Green - Adam Darwich.
Northeast Division II
Singles: Perkin's Chase Young, Bryan's Landon Bassett, Lexington's Dylan Catanese, Lexington's Tony Palmer.
Doubles: Lexington's Cooper Remy - Phil Etzel, Elida's Ben Osmon - Jaden Neuman, Huron's Mason Schindley - Jason Lenczyk, Port Clinton's Blake Denno - Kai Weit.
Southeast Division II
Singles: Jackson's Landon Smith.
Doubles: Logan Elm's Maddox Arledge - Mason Wolfe.
Southwest Division I
Singles: Mason's Greg Bernadsky, St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty, Centerville's Elliot Galbraith, Tippecanoe’s Nick Von Krosigk.
Doubles: Springboro's Peyton Nelson - Drew Baumgartner, Mason's Daniel Tonkal - Janek Teply, Beavercreek’s Michael Page - Noah Ehret, Walnut Hills’ Rapeegon Tangsantikul - Girish Murali.
Southwest Division II
Singles: Archbishop Alter's Michael Shope, Seven Hills' Adi Nayak, Northwestern's Aiden Yeager, Cincinnati Country Day's Nikhil Shah.
Doubles: Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi - Michael Ryu, Indian Hill's Gareth Kurowski - Jeremy Starczynowski, Milton-Union’s Levi Brumbaugh – Ben Iddings, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s Zander Chan - Julian Guitron.
SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2025
New Albany & St. John's Jesuit Clinch Final Final Four Spots
The state made good use of a break in the yesterday's weather to finish the state qualifying rounds of District and to finalize the two remaining Final Four spots for the State Team Tournament. In the State Team Tournament, New Albany defeated Upper Arlington and St. Johns Jesuit beat Sylvania Southview. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Note that this is a partial posting. More will be added later today. I got back later than expected from Findlay yesterday. Greasing zerks between the mower and the mower deck can be hard to do..
 |
Central D2 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
In the Final Four match, New Albany's Jackson Clements defeated Upper Arlington's Owen Hawley; New Albany's Abhi Dandu beat Upper Arlington's William Abouhassan; and New Albany's Tyler Thomas defeated Upper Arlington's Charlie Freiburger.
In Southwest District tournament play, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Centerville's Michael Wildermuth and Lakota West's Worden; St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty beat Beavercreek's Hunt and Moeller's Adam Anastasia; Northwestern's Aiden Yeager defeated Summit Country Day's Lammers and Badin's Chen; Archbishop Alter's Michael Shope beat Greenon's Gilbreth and Seven Hills' Machavaran; Centerville's Elliot Galbraith defeated Fairfield's Alkuino and Mason's Sean Fu; Cincinnati Country Day's Nikhil Shah beat Dixie's Emrick and Indian Hill's Camp; and Seven Hills' Adi Nayak defeated McNicholas' Schnizer and Miami Valley School's Jain.
In Northeast District competition, Orange's Illia Shcherbakov defeated Andrews Osborne's Lopez and Ursuline's Morgione; Hawken's Axel Neely beat St. John School's Petros and Orange's Zayd Adi; Heartland Christian's Cooper Grim defeated Bay's Willhoite and Hawken's Nihal Gummadala; and Orange's Vivaan Moghekar beat West Geauga's Wenger and Central Christian's Miedel. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.The entire state will be playing the seeding rounds today. Good luck!
FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2025
Soggy Southwest District Tournament | Northeast D1 Results Online
No sun tan lotion? No problem. With rain, cool temperatures, and wind, weather conditions were poor at Centerville yesterday for the Southwest District D1/D2 Tournament. The tournament was fortunate to get in an hour of outdoor play. It was raining on the way down from Columbus and it was raining for those driving up from Cincinnati. Match play began on time at 9am, but the rain began at 9:55. The tournament then went to South Regency. It was not raining there initially so South Regency’s indoor and outdoor courts were used. The combination of the rain and the timing of AP tests made things difficult for everyone. Play will begin at 9am today to finish yesterday's matches.
 |
Upper Arlington's William Abouhassan - Click to enlarge |
It appears that the Northeast District D1 Tournament had far more success. Their results are linked to above and they are also on OTZ.
Among the top players in the Northeast District, Avon's A.J. Sidoti defeated Avon Lake's Grozav and Solon's Zach Krantz; Westlake’s Xander Jhaveri beat Mayfield’s Josh Kutsikovich and Canton McKinley’s Elijah Corrin; Mentor’s Theodore Vanjo defeated Walsh Jesuit’s Joe Demboski and Massillon Jackson's Kahan Patel; and Revere’s Finn Keenan beat Wooster's Henry Pozefsky and Shaker Height’s Jaylon Jamal. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today is an OTZ Photo Friday. Today's featured photo is of Upper Arlington's William Abouhassan. Sign-in first and click on Most Recently Added Photos to view. To see the photos available for purchase, click on SmugMug. One player just purchased photos for his graduation party. More photos have yet to be added.
New Albany hosts Upper Arlington today in the Central District D1 Final for the State Team Tournament.
THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2025
Mason Beats Sycamore for SW Final Four Spot | Central District D1 State Qualifiers
The weather conditions were iffy yesterday. The Central District started their matches outdoors at Upper Arlington and Columbus Academy for D1 and D2, respectively. D1 finished indoors at Olympic Indoor, and D2 will finish things up tomorrow.
In the State Team Tournament, Mason defeated Sycamore for the Southwest D1 Final Four spot. To view all of the graphical results from that match, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Worthington Kilbourne - Click to team page |
Among the top players in dual match play, Mason's Daniel Tonkal defeated Sycamore's Jake Farquhar. In the Central D1 District tournament, Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand defeated Dublin Jerome's Amish Pairu and Watkins Memorial's Graham Smith; Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough beat Granville's Sam Pfau and Upper Arlington's William Abouhassan; Marysville's Gianni Russo defeated Upper Arlington's Charlie Freiburger and Pickerington Central's Austin Bruey; New Albany's Tyler Thomas beat Olentangy's Gavin Cheung and Watterson's Tommy O’Brien; Upper Arlington's William Abouhassan defeated Chillicothe's Noah Flores; Pickerington Central's Austin Bruey beat DeSales' Gabe Arbona; Watterson's Tommy O'Brien defeated Dublin Jerome's Saharsh Chalumalla; and Watkins Memorial’s Graham Smith beat Pickerington North’s Gabe Eskander. In the D2 Northwest Tournament, Lexington's Dylan Catanese defeated St. Mary’s Memorial's Jacob Harrison and Toledo Central Catholic's Sebastian MacDonald. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Congratulations to the State Qualifiers. They are:
State Qualifiers - Central District - Division I
Singles:
Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand; Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough; Marysville's Gianni Russo; and New Albany's Tyler Thomas.
Doubles:
New Albany's Jackson Clements and Abhinav Dandu; Olentangy Orange's Luke Rutherford - Shailen Patel; Upper Arlington's Owen Hawley - Luca Mlicki; Upper Arlington’s Jackson Lloyd - Keshav Goyal.
Today's featured team is Worthington Kilbourne. They are coached by Stephen Metzmaier. They are Team Members. They are led by Luka Young, Aidan Palchick, and Tej Sampath. Young and Palchick competed in Districts yesterday.
I am off to the Southwest District Tournament. It takes place at Centerville High School.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2025
Indian Hill, Lexington, Orange, and University School in Final Four
Shazaam. Ohio tennis had just one Final Four team yesterday. Today we have five. Indian Hill, Lexington, Orange, and University School will join Columbus Academy in the fun in Wooster on May 31. Indian Hill defeated Seven Hills; Lexington beat Elida; Orange defeated Hawken; and
University School beat Westlake to clinch their Final Four spots. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click to view the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
 |
Upper Arlington - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Upper Arlington. They are coached by Will Thieman. They are Team Members.They are led by Owen Hawley, William Abouhassan, and Charlie Freiburger.
The Central District Tournament takes place today (weather permitting). See you there. OTZ travels to Centerville tomorrow for the Southwest District tournament.
TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2025
Columbus Academy Beats Bexley for Final Four
In what had to be one of the most exciting high school matches, Columbus Academy defeated Bexley, 3-2, to earn the Central District's D2 Final Four spot. The match was decided in a 3-setter on 2nd dubs. The order of finish was 2-3-1-4-5. There was a large crowd to support Bexley, and the weather conditions were perfect. This is the first Final Four spot to be determined. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
 |
Watterson - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Watterson. They are coached by Tyler Johnston. They are Team Members. They are led by Tommy O'Brien, Teddy Cline, and Charlie Schmiesing. O'Brien will be competing in Districts.
There was a nice little kid who came up to me at the Bexley match and he told me that he had seen me on YouTube. He got a shiny new OTZ tennis bad-tag.
Today's matches include: New Albany versus Upper Arlington, Mason versus Sycamore, University School versus Westlake, and Orange versus Hawken. These are all District finals. Rain is expected in at least a portion of the state. (Thanks to Yoon Lee for the NE info.)
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2025
Draws Posted for Central, Northeast, and Northwest Districts
Three of the four District draws have been posted. The Southwest Draws have not. It is always nice when the fourth, fifth, and sixth best players/teams battle it out for four States positions. The Central Draws are great from this perspective. The Southwest Draws are always the most agonizing. Typically, an OTZ Top 10 player does not get to go to States. There have been times when a Top 5 player in the State did not get a States spot (i.e. Lakota East’s Zach Mueck (~2009) and Seven Hills’ Nick Williams (~2016)).
 |
Central District Qualifiers - 2024 - Click to enlarge |
Districts will hopefully finalize their State Tournament selections this week. Columbus Academy will play Bexley today for the D2 Central District spot. Mason will play Sycamore for the Southwest D1 spot on Tuesday. New Albany will face Upper Arlington on Thursday for the Central D1 spot.
OTZ plans are to go to the Central District competition on Wednesday and to the Southwest District tournament in Centerville on Thursday. Rain could change those plans.
Do not jinx your players by making elaborate plans to take State Qualifier photos, but OTZ will be posting group photos of the players from each District. I will handle the Central D1 photo, but others will need to take photos of the other Districts. It is always best to do this before the seeding round on Saturday. Photos are far more vibrant if the players face the sun (but do not burn up their retinas). Please also provide player names. Click to view past State Qualifier photos. If you tell me in what year the OTZ kids went to States, you get a shiny new OTZ bag-tag.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
I will be using the group photos to obtain the individual player photos for the State Draws. If you know that I do not have a player photo for your State Qualifier, please email one to me. Click for the Girls 2024 State Draws.
SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2025
Sectional Seeding Rounds Wrapped-Up
The rain was disruptive last week but the State got through Sectionals. Yesterday, it was windy day for the seeding rounds. Now the State awaits the extremely important District draws. Hopefully the best players in the Southwest District will have a path to States.
 |
St. Charles - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is St. Charles. They are coached by Costas Alevizopoulos. They are Team Members. They are led by Ted Must, Will Kennedy, and Pearce Stealey.
SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2025
Sycamore Beats St. X | New Albany Defeats Liberty
With the first day of Sectionals wrapped up, the teams caught up on their State Team Tournament play. Sycamore defeated St. Xavier, and they will play Mason in the SW finals. New Albany will face Upper Arlington in the Central finals after NA beat Olentangy Liberty. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the updated, OTZ-Enhanced State Team Tournament draws.
 |
Bexley - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Bexley. They are coached by Will Gingery. They are Team Members. They are led by State Singles champion, Henry Lessard, Sam Lessard, Max Almasanu, and Adrian Schiff.
The Sectional seeding rounds take place today. Watch the above the links for the all-important District draws.
FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2025
Indian Hill Beats CCD | Central District Finishes First Day of Sectionals
The weather cleared so that the Central District could finish its first day of Sectionals. Results for three of those six sites are now OTZ. In dual match play, Indian Hill defeated Cincinnati Country Day to advance to the Finals of the State Team Tournament in the SW District. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click to view the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
 |
Whetstone's Avi White - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players in the Sectionals,Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand defeated Olentangy Orange's Aarav Gala; Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough beat Reynoldsburg's Michael Shamis; Marysville's Gianni Russo defeated Dublin Coffman's Tomoya Akiyama; New Albany's Tyler Thomas beat Reynoldsburg's Miles Suber; and Dublin Jerome's Amish Pairu defeated Olentangy Berlin's Zach Heister. In dual match play, Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi defeated Cincinnati Country Day's Nikhil Shah and Indian Hill's Gareth Kurowski beat Cincinnati Country Day's Deshmukh. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. Click to view all the Top Players in the same report (and yes, some players need to be added)..
Today is an OTZ Photo Friday. Sign-in first to view the Most Recently Added Photos. Another batch of photos have also been added to SmugMug for purchase. Just provide the filename (i.e. DSC_1234.jpg) via Feedback to purchase. Today's featured photo is of Whetstone's Avi White. It was taken during their match versus DeSales.
THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025
Rain Hampers Sectional Play
The Central District finished one of its six Sectionals yesterday. The results from the Pickerington Central site are now online. Others will be added as they become available.
 |
Whitehall's Preston Song - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Watterson's Tommy O'Brien defeated Marion Harding's Christian Pearson and Gahanna's Akhil Rao; Chillicothe's Noah Flores beat Big Walnut's Noah McCorkle and Watterson's Madden Slack; Pickerington Central's Austin Bruey defeated Delaware Hayes' Hayden Stevens and Lancaster's Jayden Stone; and Pickerington North’s Gabe Eskander beat Big Walnut’s Gavin Ewing and Delaware Hayes’ Drake LaMar. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
It is always nice to see teams at Sectionals that I have not seen for a while. Click for OTZ team photos for Hamilton Township, Logan, Westerville South, Whitehall-Yearling, Westerville North, Dublin Scioto, and Hilliard Bradley that were taken at the Upper Arlington site. The last time that that Hamilton Township's photo was updated was in 2015..
My plan was to get to the UA site early so that I would not have to trek for blocks after finding a parking spot. Not only did I get a great spot, but I was also able to take team photos as the teams arrived.
The photo of Whitehall's Preston Song was taken at the UA site while he was playing Upper Arlington's Noah Mason.
I also distributed bag-tags to OTZ users. If you see me at a match, just ask if you would like one. The supply is limited.
Dual matches were expected to be played today, but the wrap-up of Sectionals takes precedence.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2025
Central District Sectionals | Watkins Memorial Beats DeSales
Sectional play really (really) kicks into gear today as the entire Central District begins matches. Weather is expected to be iffy. In dual match play, three matches were recorded from yesterday. Bexley defeated Worthington Christian; Watkins Memorial beat DeSales; and Bexley-B defeated Grandview. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Tomorrow’s OTZ update will be delayed as the Central District Sectional results are (hopefully) added.
 |
Lakota East - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Lakota East. They are coached by Jon Burchfield. They are led by Ethan Vass, Ryan Everding, and Mercer Mills.
Good luck in Sectionals!
TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025
Lexington and Pepper Pike Orange Advance
Sectional play began yesterday at the Centerville (SW), Medina/Magnificat (NE), and Solon (NE) sites. The brackets have already been updated for the Northeast Sectionals. See above for links. The brackets have not been updated for Centerville so it is unclear how much play took place before the rain began. In dual match play, two more teams advanced in the State Team Tournament. Lexington defeated Ottawa Hills and Orange beat Ursuline. To view the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
 |
Dublin Jerome - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Dublin Jerome. They are coached by John Mere. They are Team Members. They are led by Rudy Anumula, Aarush Gupta, and Austin Xiao.
New Albany and Olentangy Liberty are scheduled to play today, weather permitting. This will be for a spot in the Central District Finals against Upper Arlington.
MONDAY, MAY 12, 2025
It's Sectionals Week!
This week will be the biggest week of the year in terms of matches played. All teams will be competing in their respective Sectionals. The problem is that there are not enough indoor courts to handle rain outs. Expect long delays if there is rain in the forecast. Those with squeegee skills might be in demand.
 |
Franklin Heights - Click to team page |
OTZ will enter all of the results for the Central District sectionals. I have a process in place to help me do this. (Of course it takes me hours to get this process ready.) The Central District also provides me with a spreadsheet of all of the participants so that greatly reduces the amount of time required. OTZ will enter the results for coaches who provide me with the results. The results must be exactly in the following format.
5/15/2025
Smith (Mason) def. Jones (Jeffersonville) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
S.Williams-V.Williams (Bloomingburg) def. Jones-Smith (Bishop Sycamore) 6-4, 6-3
Note that first initials are only required if there are players on the team with the same last name.
Today's featured team is Franklin Heights. They are coached by James Wassmuth. They are led by Vaughn Chum, Noah Mitchell, and Arturo Amarillas. Franklin Heights will be competing at the Pickerington Sectional this week.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
The Columbus area rarely has a major USTA tournament so all of the Central Ohio kids have to travel and stay at hotels. This will not be the case for this year (at least for girls in two age groups). On June 7-9 the Girls 16-18’s Ohio Valley District Qualifier will be held at the Upper Arlington courts. This tournament had been scheduled at Five Seasons in Cincinnati, but that facility is no longer available. Those girls who do well, will have an opportunity to play at the Midwest Closed. Click for more information about the tournament.
The indoor court problem will get worse before it gets better as the lesser used tennis clubs convert to pickleball. While watching the Olentangy Orange versus Upper Arlington at Orange, buses with eighth graders returned from their Washington DC class trip. One of the girls was wearing a "Pickleball Social Club" shirt.. Pickleball isn't just for older, ex-tennis players anymore. Sofa manufactuers might be more negatively impacted than any other business.
Today's matches include: Hilliard Davidson (H) versus Whetstone and Big Walnut (H) versus St. Charles. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2025
Happy Mother's Day! | St. John's Jesuit Beats Massillon Jackson | OTZ on Zoom
It was a great weather day for tennis yesterday. (Don't look at next week's weather.) Many teams participated in tournaments. Delaware Hayes won the Hilliard Doubles tournament, edging out Westerville Central. Three dual matches were recorded. They were: St. John's Jesuit defeated Massillon Jackson; North Royalton beat Lake-Uniontown; and Western Reserve Academy defeated Worthington Christian. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Miss. State vs OSU (country in red)- Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Massillon Jackson's Kahan Patel defeated St. Johns Jesuit's Nathan Tam; Lake-Uniontown's Carson Craig beat North Royalton's Enrique Isaev; and St. Johns Jesuit's Miles Green defeated Massillon Jackson's Manav Rawal. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
In the “what is the purpose of U.S. college tennis?” department, the Ohio State Men’s team was beaten yesterday by Mississippi State. Mississippi State only had foreign players in their line-up. (See image.) At some point, it probably makes sense to just play the matches overseas and save everyone gas money. This issue could have been resolved years ago. The NCAA should have followed the overseas professional basketball model that limits US player involvement so that local talent can be protected. Meanwhile, OSU had two foreign players in the line-up – one from London (UK not Ohio) and one from Michigan.. Can there be tariffs placed on overseas players?
Have an OTZ question? What to talk about Ohio HS tennis? OhioTennisZone will be on Zoom tonight (Sunday) from 8:00pm to 9:00pm. The good news is that if no one shows up, I'll be tied to my computer for one hour rather than get distracted by other things. Click to access Zoom. Submit a Feedback with any questions, but please no "What is Zoom?" questions..
There are actually two matches scheduled today (or the coach entered the wrong date). They are: Delaware Hayes (H) versus Pleasant and Massillon Jackson (H) versus St. Francis DeSales. Click List of Upcoming Matches.
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2025
Mason Beats Centerville | Upper Arlington Defeats Olentangy Orange
OTZ #1 Mason defeated OTZ #5 Centerville and OTZ #8 Upper Arlington beat OTZ #3 Olentangy Orange last night. Both were State Team Tournament matches. The UA / Orange match finished at about 8pm under chilly and breezy conditions. It was a great HS match that was tied at 2-2 before finishing with a great 3-set battle on court 1.
 |
Oakwood - Click to team page |
There were 20 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 9, Southwest - 8, and Northeast - 3. The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy Berlin defeated Big Walnut and Lake-Uniontown beat Louisville. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the updated, OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws
Among the top players, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Centerville's Elliot Galbraith; St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty beat Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi; Hawken's Axel Neely defeated Massillon Jackson's Kahan Patel; Upper Arlington's Owen Hawley beat Olentangy Orange's Luke Rutherford; Olentangy Orange's Shailen Patel defeated Upper Arlington's William Abouhassan; and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Andrew VanHala beat North Canton Hoover's Matthew Indorf.Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Oakwood. They are coached by Christy Heppner. They are Team Members. They are led by Grant Zhou, Nathan Coyne, and Chase Crowder.
Today's matches include: Massillon Jackson (A) versus St. Johns Jesuit; Hudson (H) versus St. Francis DeSales; and Lexington (A) versus Bexley. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025
Mason Beats Sycamore | US Defeats Massillon Jackson | OTZ Photo Friday
It has been a busy week as many teams wrap up their dual match schedules and they prepare for the Sectionals next week. In the two biggest matches of the evening, Mason defeated Sycamore and University School beat Massillon Jackson. Rain impacted the Mason match and other Southwest District matches. Overall, 19 matches were recorded from yesterday with Central at 12, Southwest with five, and the Northeast with two. The close, 3-2 matches included: Centerville-B defeated Milton-Union; Olentangy Berlin beat Pickerington Central; Thomas Worthington defeated Grandview; and Copley beat Wadsworth. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Tho. Worth.'s Pedro Prieto-Moura - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Sycamore's Andrew Mao; Centerville's Elliot Galbraith beat Miamisburg's Ferguson; Olentangy's Gavin Cheung defeated Westerville Central's Isaac Choo; Massillon Jackson's Kahan Patel beat University School's Connor Barragate; Pickerington Central's Austin Bruey defeated Olentangy Berlin's Zach Heister; Chillicothe's Noah Flores beat Jackson's Landon Smith; and Delaware Hayes' Dominic Davelli defeated Hilliard Darby's Roshan Ayanampudi. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today is an OTZ Photo Friday. In addition to high school photos, there were also several college photos added. Click for the Most Recently Added Photos. Click to view College Photos from recent and historical matches. The featured photo is of Thomas Worthington's Pedro Prieto-Moura. It was taken at the Thomas versus Grove City match.
There was also a change in how the Top Boys Photos are presented on OTZ. With the various "drop down" menu choices at the top of each page, it was very difficult to select the top photos using cell phones. This has been simplified. Click to view the Top Boys Photos and Top Girls Photos.
A shipment of brand new, OTZ bag-tags have arrived. I distributed a few during last night's Whetstone versus DeSales match. If you are an OTZ reader, see me at a match, and would like one, please let me know. We started distributing PickleballZone bag-tags a couple of years ago to league members and they appreciated it, so I thought that I would do the same for OTZ fans.
Today's matches include: Centerville (H) versus Mason; Massillon Jackson (A) versus Hawken; and Marysville (H) versus Olentangy Liberty. Olentangy Orange hosts Upper Arlington in a State Team Tournament match. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2025
Olentangy Orange, CA, 7Hills, and CCD Get Wins | Photos for Mother's Day
Weather conditions were perfect for great matches involving the top teams. They included: OTZ #3 Olentangy Orange defeated OTZ #4 (D2) Bexley; OTZ #1 (D2) Columbus Academy beat Olentangy Liberty; OTZ #7 (D2) Seven Hills defeated (soon to be ranked) Milton-Union; and OTZ #8 (D2) Cincinnati Country Day beat Northwestern.
There were 32 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 16, Southwest - 13, Northeast - 2, and Northwest - 1. Other close, 3-2 matches included: Lakota West defeated Lakota East; Pickerington Central beat Gahanna; Milford defeated Loveland; Tippecanoe beat Oakwood; Beechcroft defeated Ready; and Valley View beat Springfield. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Note that a score source that is used for Southwest Ohio matches did not include numerous second doubles results. It is unclear if those were defaults, omissions or a systems hick-up.
 |
OTZ on SmugMug - Click to SmugMug |
Among the top players, Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand defeated Columbus Academy's Nason Lo; Northwestern's Aiden Yeager beat Cincinnati Country Day's Nikhil Shah; Bexley's Sam Lessard defeated Olentangy Orange's Luke Rutherford; Archbishop Alter's Michael Shope beat Miami Valley School's Jain; Indian Hill's Gareth Kurowski defeated Beavercreek's Michael Page; Seven Hills' Adi Nayak beat Milton-Union's Levi Brumbaugh; New Albany's Tyler Thomas defeated Dublin Coffman's Ben Castle; Lakota West’s Jaden Worden beat Lakota East's Ethan Vass; and Lexington's Cooper Remy defeated Ashland's Oscar Haynes. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Looking for a Mother's Day gift? Of course you are. Let's be honest - your Mother's tennis kids are her favorites so give her the gift of you. OTZ action photos make a great gift because they can be shared online with everyone, including friends and relatives. They can even be posted on TennisRecruiting.net and UTR. OTZ photos are listed via SmugMug for easy viewing. All that is needed is to provide OTZ via a Feedback with the filenames of the images that you want. OTZ will carefully crop and enhance the photos and email them to you. Click Buy a Tennis Photo for more information. Photos from the boys and girls seasons are listed, but State photos are currently not. OSU photos are also not for sale.
Today's matches include: Orange (A) versus Western Reserve Academy and Centerville (A) versus Miamisburg. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025
Centerville, Mason, and Seven Hills Get Wins
The Southwest appears to be the only District that was able to avoid the showers yesterday, and that enabled several marquis matches to be played. Centerville defeated Springboro in a very close, 3-2 match. How close? Both teams won the same number of games (47) with 2nd dubs being the deciding court.
 |
Centerville vs Springboro By Court - Click to enlarge |
In two other huge matches, Mason beat Indian Hill and Seven Hills defeated Cincinnati Country Day. Other 3-2 matches included: Lakota East beat Sycamore-B; Loveland defeated Turpin; and Valley View beat Tippecanoe-B. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Avon - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi; Centerville's Elliot Galbraith beat Springboro's Drew Baumgartner; Cincinnati Country Day's Nikhil Shah defeated Seven Hills' Adi Nayak; Tippecanoe’s Nick Von Krosigk beat Moeller's Adam Anastasia; and Turpin’s Charlie Castlen defeated Loveland's Ethan Deck. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Avon. They are coached by Eric Korey. They are led by A.J. Sidoti, Aarav Kishorepuria, and Blake Netschke.
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Olentangy Orange; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Columbus Academy; New Albany (A) versus Dublin Coffman; and St. Xavier (H) versus Springboro. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
With the official OTZ rain gauge at slightly more than 3 inches, let's hope that it's safe to play this song.
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2025
Hawken Beats Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
More matches were recorded than expected but much of the state was rained out. Despite the poor weather, there have been five percent more matches recorded this year versus last during the same time period. In comparison to the 2023 season, 2025 has played 11% fewer matches. Last night, there were 11 matches recorded that included five for the Central District, and three for the Northeast and Southwest.
In two of the bigger matches from yesterday, Hawken defeated Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and University School beat Wooster. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
 |
Dublin Coffman - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Hawken's Axel Neely defeated Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Andrew Van Hala; Wooster's Henry Pozefsky beat University School's Vishwum Kapadia; and Loveland's Ethan Deck defeated Anderson's Scott Coopman. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The Northeast District has posted their Sectional draws. Several of the top singles players are playing dubs. They include: Hudson's Henrique Sa, GlenOak's Dylan Wiles, and Hawken's Zach Forte.
Today's featured team is Dublin Coffman. They are coached by Brett Hundertpfund. They are Team Members. They are led by Nik Shough, Tomoya Akiyama, and Ben Castle.
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Olentangy Orange; Centerville (H) versus Springboro; and Hawken (A) versus Hudson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY, MAY 5, 2025
Sectional Draws
Ok. I was really trying to avoid this song this season, but it is a Monday and it's raining so here it is. (Long-time OTZ readers already know what it is..) The good news is that the Sectional Draws for the Central and Southwest Districts are posted. Links to the draws are listed above. Since college coaches need to know what year of school the players are in, it is great that the graduation years are included in the Central District and Centerville draws. Note that the Northwest Sectional draws are still from 2024.
 |
Centerville - Click to team page |
The most notable news in the draws so far is that Bexley's Henry Lessard is teaming up with his brother, Sam, to compete in D2 doubles. Henry was the D2 singles champion last year. New Albany's Jackson Clements and Abhinav Dandu will also be doubling up. Dandu was the D1 singles finalist last year. The Super Sectional for Central D1 singles will be Gahanna, and it will include: Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand, Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough, New Albany's Tyler Thomas, and Marysville's Gianni Russo. The benefit of being in a "Super Sectional" is that none of these players will have to face each other again until after they have qualified for States.
Today's featured team is Centerville. They are coached by Scott Long. They are Team Members. They are led by Elliot Galbraith, Vibhu Rola, Luke Edwards, and Jake Critchfield.
 |
Columbus Info from Weather Channel - Click to enlarge |
Today's matches include: Centerville (H) versus Archbishop Alter; New Albany (H) versus Upper Arlington; Orange (A) versus Massillon Jackson; and St. Xavier (H) versus Beavercreek. Hopefully there will be a break in the rain. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2025
Columbus Academy Beats SJJ | MLP at Pickle & Chill
Yesterday was yet another wet day but it did not deter the Cincinnati Coaches Classic. Sycamore was the champ of the Flight A group with Indian Hill coming in second. Springboro came in first in Flight B where Walnut Hills was the runner-up. In Flight C, Lakota West was first. In dual match play, Columbus Academy defeated St. John's Jesuit. Click on Previous Day's Match Results for the graphs.
 |
University School - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is University School. They are coached by Adam Atwell. They are Team Members. They are led by Vishwum Kapadia, Rohit Talasila, and Anthony Zhang.
The MLP (Major League Pickleball) tournament is underway at Columbus' Pickle & Chill. Most people know that tennis pros, Jack Sock and Genie Bouchard (OTZ photo), are now competing in pickleball. Two ex-Ohio high school tennis players are as well. Zoey Weil (OTZ photo) played high school tennis at Centennial (in Columbus) before moving on to play tennis collegiately for Washington and Minnesota. Ross Whittaker, a Lake grad, is also competing. Weil finished 3rd in States in 2016 and 2017, and Whittaker competed in State singles in 2011. If you plan to go to the tournament today, please be aware that one of our friends got her car stuck in the mud in the overflow lot. Click for interviews with Zoey Weil and Ross Whittaker. Click for more about the tournament.
Ohio State fans will recognize that the Ohio State Mens and Women's tennis teams once played at Pickle & Chill before most of the facility was converted to pickleball. There are still two tennis courts that are used for high-end junior tennis training.
The Ohio State Men’s team is playing in the NCAA’s at noon today. This is a home match.
When you wake up at 3:15 and you can’t get back to sleep, you find out stuff like our current weather pattern is called an Omega Block. Hopefully that "block" will be gone soon and that it will stay away until after States.
Good luck with the Sectional draw.
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2025
New Albany, University School, and Oakwood Get Wins
A few teams were able to avoid the showers yesterday, but there were numerous match cancellations. Some of the bigger matches that took place included New Albany defeated Olentangy; University School beat Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy; and Oakwood defeated Archbishop Alter. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Mason - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi defeated Mariemont's Dickenson; New Albany's Tyler Thomas beat Olentangy's Gavin Cheung; Archbishop Alter's Michael Shope defeated Oakwood's Grant Zhou; University School's Vishwum Kapadia beat Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Andrew Van Hala; and Worthington Kilbourne's Luka Young defeated Thomas Worthington's Finn Mahoney. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for the Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest Districts..
Today's featured team is Mason. They are coached by Mike Reid. They are Team Members. They are led by Greg Bernadsky, Daniel Tonkal, and Janek Teply.
Today's dual matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus St. John's Jesuit and versus Ottawa Hills. This was expected to be a big tournament day but the rain will dampen that. Per Sycamore's Mike Teets, the Cincinnati Coaches Classic will take place indoors at Queen City. It begins at noon. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2025
Centerville Beats Beavercreek | OTZ Photo Friday
Most of the matches in the state were rain-outs yesterday. Most of the matches this weekend will be rain-outs, too. This is especially unfortunate timing since many coaches are trying to finalize their line-ups for the Sectional draws. Matches recorded from yesterday included: OTZ #5 Centerville defeated OTZ #7 Beavercreek; Watkins Memorial beat Teays Valley; North Canton Hoover defeated Copley; and Wooster beat New Philadelphia. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Dublin Coffman's Tomoya Akiyama - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Centerville's Elliot Galbraith defeated Beavercreek's Michael Page; North Canton Hoover's Brennan Calhoun beat Copley's John Komlanc; and Centerville's Luke Edwards defeated Beavercreek's Noah Ehret. Click to view the Top Ohio Players in the Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest Districts.
The Ohio State Mens and Womens tennis teams will be hosting the NCAA's this weekend. Click for the NCAA schedule for both teams.
Today is an abbreviated version of an OTZ Photo Friday since I am super backed up with photos. Sign-on first and then click on Most Recently Added Photos to view. Today's featured photo is of Dublin Coffman's Tomoya Akiyama. It has been difficult to get great photos because of the weather, but the OTZ Top Ten Boys Photos for 2025 is starting to take form. This page will be in flux as more photos are taken and processed.
Today's matches include: Bexley (A) versus Upper Arlington; Seven Hills (H) versus Northwestern; and Thomas Worthington (H) versus Worthington Kilbourne. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2025
St. X, Bex, CA, and UA Won Big Matches
It was a busy night for Ohio's best teams. #4 St. Xavier defeated #9 Springboro; #4 (d2) Bexley beat #2 New Albany; #1 (d2) Columbus Academy defeated #3 Olentangy Orange; and #8 Upper Arlington beat Dublin Coffman (State Team match) in perfect weather conditions. As always, look at the line-ups. There were 30 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 15, Southwest - 12, Northeast - 2, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Lakota East defeated Mason-B; Badin beat Centerville-B; Chaminade-Julienne defeated Kenton Ridge; Lexington beat Wooster; St. Charles defeated Worthington Christian; and Dublin Jerome beat Marysville. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Ohio returns to more Ohio-like weather for the next few days.
 |
Olentangy Berlin - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Olentangy Berlin. They are coached by Richard Hunt. They are Team Members. They are led by Zach Hiester, Tejas Sinha, and Kashyap Budavarthy.
Today's matches include: Bexley (A) versus Upper Arlington; Hawken (H) versus Solon; and New Albany (H) versus Olentangy Liberty. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2025
Updated OTZ Top Ten Team Rankings
It was quiet on the courts but loud in the clouds. There were just three matches recorded since most of the state was rained out. They were: North Canton Hoover defeated St. Vincent-St. Mary; Marysville beat St. Charles; and Chillicothe defeated Hillsboro. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
OhioTennisZone.com
|
|
| 1. Mason◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 2. New Albany◄TEAM | Orange◄TEAM |
| 3. Olentangy Orange◄TEAM | Indian Hill◄TEAM |
| 4. St. Xavier◄TEAM | Bexley◄TEAM |
| 5. Centerville◄TEAM | Hawken◄TEAM |
| 6. Sycamore◄TEAM | Lexington◄TEAM |
| 7. Beavercreek | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| 8. Upper Arlington◄TEAM | Cincinnati Country Day◄TEAM |
| 9. Springboro◄TEAM | Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy |
| 10. University School◄TEAM | Archbishop Alter◄TEAM |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
|
Among the top players, Marysville's Gianni Russo defeated St. Charles' Ted Must; Chillicothe's Noah Flores beat Hillsboro's Ryan Fender; and North Canton Hoover's Brennan Calhoun defeated St. Vincent-St. Mary's Nate Taylor. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
With the Sectional Draws coming up this Sunday, it is appropriate to update the OTZ Pre-Season draws. Note that there are strong teams (i.e. St. John's Jesuit and Sylvania Southview) that are not included because there are just not enough results for them. This will sort itself out, but perhaps not until the post-season. The OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws have been updated.
Please ping me if there is anything that you are waiting for me to do. Things have been crazy busy.
Today's matches include: St. Xavier (H) versus Indian Hill; Bexley (H) versus New Albany; Columbus Academy (H) versus Olentangy Orange; and Archbishop Alter (H) versus Beavercreek. To view all of the matches scheduled, lick List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025
Columbus Academy, St. Xavier, and Orange Get Wins
Yesterday's great weather enabled several great match-ups to take place among the top schools. The marquis contests included Columbus Academy defeated New Albany; St. Xavier beat Sycamore; and Orange defeated Hudson. The quantity of matches was also high. Thirty matches were recorded with the Southwest District leading the way with 12 matches, followed by Central with 10, and Northeast with eight. The close, 3-2 matches included: Worthington Christian defeated Worthington Kilbourne; Big Walnut beat Westerville Central; Jonathan Alder defeated Kenton Ridge; Grove City beat Teays Valley; Archbishop Alter defeated Valley View; Chillicothe beat Unioto; Copley defeated Tallmadge; and Chaminade-Julienne beat Lehman Catholic. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
OTZ Season-to-Date Report - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Columbus Academy's Nason Lo defeated New Albany's Jackson Clements; New Albany's Abhi Dandu beat Columbus Academy's Lucas Xue; Orange's Illia Shcherbakov defeated Hudson's Henrique Sa; St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty beat Sycamore's Andrew Mao; Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi defeated Springboro's Drew Baumgartner; Centerville's Elliot Galbraith beat Seven Hills' Adi Nayak; Lakota East's Ethan Vass defeated Loveland's Ethan Deck; Lexington's Dylan Catanese beat Walsh Jesuit's Brennan Albainy; and New Albany's Tyler Thomas defeated Columbus Academy's Jacob Khvalsky.Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There is one more OTZ report that will help coaches with the Sectional Draw this Sunday. The "Season-to-Date" report provides all of the matches in which each player has competed. This report is available under the Tennis Statistics / Info >> OTZ Personalized Report. This is also the page that all users see after logging into OhioTennisZone.
Today's matches include: Archbishop Alter (A) versus Oakwood; Massillon Jackson (H) versus University School; and Lexington (H) versus Wooster. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2025
Sectional Draw Week | By-Court Report
This is the all-important Sectional Draw week. The draw takes place on Sunday, but there is a substantial amount of work that the coaches need to do prior to Sunday.
 |
By-Court Report - Click to enlarge |
Obviously OhioTennisZone can be very helpful to coaches to get their players and teams seeded in the correct place. Today's featured, By-Court Report, provides data on how players perform on their specific court on a state-wide basis. This report is also very helpful to OTZ to identify players who should be on the OTZ Top Players / Watch List. As always, the competition that players face is also a huge factor.
OTZ's Top Players / Watchlists have been updated again. New players have been added and the rankings have been tweaked. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. Click to view all of the districts in the same report.
The Ohio State Men's Team got beat, 4-3, in the Big Ten Championship by UCLA.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
Today is going to be a huge day for great matches. It will be very interesting to see how these turn-out. Matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus New Albany; Centerville (H) versus Seven Hills; Hudson (A) versus Highland; and Sycamore (H) versus St. Xavier. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
The Weather Channel's 10 Day outlook shows more dampness heading our way. We are using today's dry day to work in Findlay.
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025
New Albany and St. John's Jesuit Co-Champs at Lex Invite
New Albany and St. John’s Jesuit are the co-champs of the Lexington Invite. Damp conditions restricted play to the Lakewood Racquet Club for early-round matches. In dual match play, Indian Hill and Mason defeated St. Xavier-Louisville. To view the dual match results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Lexington's Dylan Catanese - Click to enlarge |
New Albany's Abhi Dandu defeated St. Johns Jesuit's Nathan Tam; Lexington's Dylan Catanese; and Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough to win singles at Lexington. Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough beat St. Francis DeSales' Nick Miller and Solon's Arjun Balasundaram to finish second. Lexington's Dylan Catanese also defeated Tippecanoe's Nick Von Krosigk. In dual match play, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated St. Xavier-Louisville's Elliott; Indian Hill's Neelan Gandhi beat St. Xavier-Louisville's Hammond; Indian Hill's Gareth Kurowski defeated St. Xavier-Louisville's Jackson Kempf; and Mason's Sean Fu beat St. Xavier-Louisville's Hoyt Teague. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's photo is of the defending D2 State Doubles Champion (with partner, Ethan Remy), Lexington's Dylan Catanese. The photo was taken yesterday at the Lexington Invite.
The OSU Women's team are the Big Ten Champions (!). They beat the team associated with the weasel family (Mustelidae) last night by the score of 4-3. The OSU Men's team will play UCLA in the finals today at noon in Columbus.
Off to Cincinnati to paint..
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2025
Olentangy Orange Beats Sycamore | Lex Defeats Centerville
There were just three matches recorded from yesterday. Olentangy Orange defeated Sycamore; Lexington beat Centerville; and Avon defeated Olmsted Falls. To view all of the graphical results from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Westerville Central - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Westerville Central. They are coached by Bradley Baker. They are led by Isaac Choo, Carsten Weidner, and Zander Tee.
In Big Ten tennis tournament play, the Ohio State Men's team plays Washington today at 11:00 at OSU in the semi-finals. The OSU Women's team will play a team that is north of Ohio tonight at 8pm in California.
I will be at the Lexington Invite today. See everyone there.
Today's dual matches include: Indian Hill (H) versus St. Xavier-Louisville and Copley (A) versus Medina. There are also numerous tournaments today in addition to the Lex Invite. This is a prom weekend so let's finish up a bit early today so you can get an early start on those prom photos.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025
Olentangy Orange Beats Olentangy Liberty | OTZ Photo Friday
It was yet another perfect weather day. Many teams have now gotten caught up from the poor weather earlier in the season. In the biggest match of the evening, Olentangy Orange defeated Olentangy Liberty. The close, 3-2 matches included: Newark defeated Reynoldsburg; Jonathan Alder beat Bellefontaine; Gahanna defeated Pickerington North; Green beat Copley. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the OTZ-Enhanced State Team Draws.
 |
Hill. Davidson's Danny Bordjadze - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand defeated Olentangy Orange's Luke Rutherford; New Albany's Jackson Clements defeated Westerville Central's Isaac Choo; Olentangy's Gavin Cheung defeated Olentangy Berlin's Zach Heister; and Green Liam O’Farrell defeated Copley's John Komlanc. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Ohio State is hosting the Big Ten Men's Tennis Tournament, where the Buckeyes will face Illinois today at 9 a.m. The event offers Ohio tennis fans a chance to see former Ohio high school stars in action. Northwestern's Chad Miller, a Sycamore alum (click to view his HS OTZ Player Profile), is among the competitors. It was great to see many Sycamore supporters cheering him on. Check out the May 2022 OTZ interview with Miller for more insights. Miller's photo from yesterday's match is posted below.
The Ohio State Women's team advanced to the semi-final round of the Big Ten Tournament by beating Illinois yesterday. OSU's Sydni Ratliff (Columbus Academy) and Dani Schoenly (Olentangy Liberty) teamed up to win at third doubles. The women's tournament is taking place in California.
 |
NW's and Sycamore's Chad Miller - Click to enlarge |
Today is another OTZ Photo Friday. More photos will be uploaded throughout the day. Sign-in first and then click on Most Recently Added Photos.
Today's matches include: Hawken (H) versus Orange; Centerville (A) versus Lexington; and Sycamore (A) versus Olentangy Orange. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2025
OTZ on ParentingAces.com | Hudson and Sycamore Get Wins
Parenting Aces' Lisa Stone has been a long-time provider of all-things tennis via her podcast and web site. With the slogan, of "For Tennis Parents by a Tennis Parent", she covers the journey from junior tennis to college. She has interviewed hundreds of experts over the last 14 years, and she is recognized as a Tennis Channel Podcast. (This means she is an expert herself.) I had an opportunity to talk with Lisa in March about Ohio high school tennis and OhioTennisZone. Click below for the interview.
 |
OTZ on Parenting Aces - Click to podcast |
In yesterday's matches involving the top teams, Solon defeated Hudson and Sycamore beat Walnut Hills. Of the 30 matches recorded, the Southwest District led the way with 14 matches, followed by Central with 12 and the Northeast with 4. The close, 3-2 matches included: Chillicothe defeated Waverly; Cincinnati Country Day beat Lakota East; Ready defeated Westland; Dublin Scioto beat Hilliard Darby; North Canton Hoover defeated Dover; Milton-Union beat Archbishop Alter; Moeller defeated Milford; Grove City beat Thomas Worthington; and Avon defeated Avon Lake. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Hudson's Henrique Sa defeated Solon's Zach Krantz; Centerville's Elliot Galbraith beat Miami Valley School's Jain; Sycamore's Andrew Mao defeated Walnut Hills' Rapeegon Tangsitukal; Beavercreek's Michael Page beat Tippecanoe's Nick Von Krosigk; Archbishop Alter's Michael Shope defeated Milton-Union's Levi Brumbaugh; Cincinnati Country Day's Nikhil Shah beat Lakota East's Ethan Vass; Moeller's Adam Anastasia defeated Milford's Koen Dominguez; and Delaware Hayes' Dominic Davelli beat Hilliard Davidson's Jinu Kim. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's matches include: Centerville (H) versus St. Xavier; Olentangy Orange (H) versus Olentangy Liberty; and Watterson (H) versus St. Charles. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2025
Columbus Academy Beats Bexley | Orange Defeats Solon
Teams took advantage of the perfect weather. There were 36 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 16, Southwest - 14, Northeast - 5, and Northwest - 1. In the two marquis matches of the evening, Columbus Academy beat Bexley for the Jack Madison Memorial Cup and Orange defeated Solon. The close, 3-2 matches included: Sidney defeated Butler; Hilliard Davidson beat Hilliard Darby; Yellow Springs defeated Legacy Christian Academy; Waynesville beat Valley View; and DeSales defeated Hilliard Bradley. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Columbus Academy - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Columbus Academy. They are coached by Preston Eberlyn. They are Team Members. They are led by Nason Lo, Lucas Xue, Jacob Khvalsky, and Rowen Lo.
As errors are discovered in the results, please ask the coach to provide the *incorrect* information and then the *correct* information. There are thousands (and thousands and thousands) of results, and I need to search for the *incorrect* data before I can fix it. Always provide the last names. For example,
- Incorrect: 4/9 Federer-Nadal (Bloomingburg) def. S.Williams-V.Williams (Jeffersonville) 6-1, 6-4
- Correct: 4/9 Federer-Nadal (Bloomingburg) def. S.Williams-V.Williams (Jeffersonville) 6-3, 7-5
The Big Ten Mens Tennis Tournament is at Ohio State this year. It begins tomorrow. Click for the bracket.
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Dublin Coffman; New Albany (H) versus Dublin Jerome; and St. Xavier (A) versus Walnut Hills. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025
Coffman, Sycamore and Mason Get Wins
It was not unusual to see scores of eight sets to two last night. That is just what happens with score cards under windy conditions at Dublin Jerome. In that match, Dublin Coffman beat Dublin Jerome to advance in the State Team Tournament. The 3-2 match included three 3-setters. In other interesting matches, Sycamore defeated Seven Hills and Mason beat Centerville. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the OTZ-Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
 |
Sycamore - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Centerville's Elliot Galbraith; Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough beat Dublin Jerome's Rudy Anumula; Sycamore's Andrew Mao defeated Seven Hills' Adi Nayak; Beavercreek’s Michael Page beat Loveland's Ethan Deck; Olentangy Orange's Luke Rutherford defeated Hilliard Davidson's Jinu Kim; and Pickerington Central's Austin Bruey beat Watkins Memorial's Graham Smith. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Sycamore. They are coached by Mike Teets. They are Team Members. They are led by Andrew Mao, Jake Farquhar, and Abi Dinesh.
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Columbus Academy and Orange (A) versus Solon.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2025
Top Ten Boys Teams Report
One of the tools that OTZ uses to evaluate teams is the Top Ten Boys Team report. It shows all of the teams that the top OTZ teams have played, the date in which the match took place, the opponent, score, and the game winning percentage. Losses are shown in "red". It also shows that either the rankings need to be updated or that some of the lower ranked teams mistakenly won when they should have lost.. The pre-season rankings (March 25) were used in this report.
 |
OTZ Top Ten Teams - Click to enlarge |
Bexley has played the most matches with 12. Sycamore has 11. Some teams have not played many matches or the matches were not entered into OTZ. If a team (or coach) is not an OTZ member, it is harder to rank these teams unless they play other OTZ members.
It is important to review line-ups before evaluating teams. Note that some of the teams have been rather coy with their line-ups. Their "real" line-ups will be the ones that are used in the later stages of the State Team Tournament competition.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Mason; Seven Hills (H) versus Sycamore; and Solon (H) versus Hudson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
The weather continues to improve with dryer conditions and less wind.
SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2025
Columbus Academy > Indian Hill > Bexley
Happy Easter. The expectation of rain hampered play yesterday. Central Ohio was expected to be a washout, but it was not. Some teams played indoors just in case it did rain. Other teams cancelled their matches. There were four matches recorded from state-wide play, and they were good matches. Indian Hill defeated Bexley; Sycamore beat Upper Arlington; Columbus Academy defeated Indian Hill; and Centerville beat Milford in the State Team Tournament. It is still important to point out that the line-ups that coaches used over the weekend may not be the ones that are used for the State Team Tournament. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. They are coached by David Ramey. They are Team Members. They are led by Lincoln Gates, Jonathan VanHala, and Andrew VanHala.
SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2025
Indian Hill Beats Upper Arlington
There were more matches than expected played, especially since it was Good Friday. In the yesterday’s most notable matches, Indian Hill defeated Upper Arlington and Beavercreek beat Oakwood. The Southwest District led the others with 10 matches recorded. Central had four and the Northeast had one. The close, 3-2 matches included: Wheelersburg defeated Chillicothe; Dixie beat Valley View; Massillon Jackson defeated Dublin Jerome; and Tippecanoe beat Troy. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws.
 |
Indiana's/Orange's Pomeranets - Click to enlarge |
 |
Piqua at OSU Match - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Mason's Greg Bernadsky defeated Tippecanoe's Nick Von Krosigk; Indian Hill's Gareth Kurowski beat Upper Arlington's Owen Hawley; Sycamore's Andrew Mao defeated Miamisburg's Ferguson; Beavercreek’s Michael Page beat Oakwood's Grant Zhou; Massillon Jackson's Larson Sutula defeated Dublin Jerome's Amish Pairu; Canton McKinley’s Elijah Corrin beat Wooster's Henry Pozefsky; and Reynoldsburg’s Myles Suber defeated Gahanna’s Isaac Banks. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The Ohio State Men's team played Indiana last night. It was nice to see Indiana's and Pepper Pike Orange's Ben Pomeranets play. The last time that he played at Ohio State was when he won the State D2 Singles Championship. Click for Pomeranets' May 2023 OTZ Interview.
The Piqua High School team was also in attendance at the OSU match. It would be great to see more high school teams take advantage of the opportunity to watch great college matches.
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Lexington and Indian Hill; Columbus Academy (H) versus Lexington and Indian Hill; and Sycamore (H) versus Upper Arlington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2025
Orange Beats Lexington & Bexley | OTZ Photo Friday
Ohio tennis will get "States-like" weather today as the temperatures reach 80 degrees. Yesterday was another big night with the Central District recording 15 results, Southwest - 12, and the Northeast nine. Orange had two great matches last night - beating both Bexley and Lexington. In two other notable matches, Upper Arlington defeated Dublin Coffman and Highland beat Avon. The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy Berlin defeated Marysville; Grandview beat Franklin Heights; Bellefontaine defeated London; Hilliard Darby beat Thomas Worthington; and Wooster defeated Glenoak. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
New Albany's Jackson Clements - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Orange's Illia Shcherbakov defeated Lexington's Dylan Catanese and Bexley's Sam Lessard; Avon's A.J. Sidoti beat Highland's Luke Butcher; Glenoak's Dylan Wiles defeated Wooster's Henry Pozefsky; Dublin Coffman's Nik Shough beat Upper Arlington's Owen Hawley; Sycamore's Andrew Mao defeated Lakota East's Ethan Vass; Marysville's Gianni Russo beat Olentangy Berlin's Zach Heister; Highland’s Luke Butcher defeated Copley's John Komlanc; Olentangy's Gavin Cheung beat Dublin Jerome's Rudy Anumula; Green’s Liam O’Farrell defeated Massillon Jackson's Larson Sutula; and Chillicothe's Noah Flores beat Washington CH's Mason Mullins. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today is the first OTZ Photo Friday of the season. Conditions for taking photos have been awful this season. Most of the photos included today were taken indoors, and the lighting is never good indoors. The photos taken at the New Albany versus Hawken match were not much better because it was such an overcast day. Sign in first and then click on Most Recently Added Photos to view. There were 22 photos added today.
Today's matches include: Massillon Jackson (A) versus Olentangy Liberty and Dublin Jerome; Oakwood (H) versus Beavercreek; and Centerville (H) versus Northwestern. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025
University School Beats Westlake | Mason Defeats Springboro
Last night was the busiest tennis night of the season as the entire state benefited from nice weather. The breakdown by District was: Central - 18, Southwest - 12, Northeast - 5, and Northwest - 2. In the biggest matches, University School defeated Westlake and Mason beat Springboro. There was a huge number of close, 3-2 matches. They included: Lakeside defeated Jefferson Area; DeSales beat St. Charles; Lexington defeated St. Johns Jesuit; Northwestern beat Miami Valley School; Franklin Heights defeated Bloom-Carroll; St. Xavier-B beat Centerville-B; Granville defeated Big Walnut; Hilliard Davidson beat Thomas Worthington; Marysville defeated Pickerington North; Perrysburg beat Rossford; Mount Vernon defeated Newark; and Sidney beat Bath. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Orange - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Orange. They are coached by Rich Bole. They are Team Members. They are led by Illia Shcherbakov, Zayd Adi, Vivaan Moghekar, and Gabriel Guiler.
Tomorrow will be an OTZ Photo Friday.
Today's matches include: Lexington (H) versus Orange; Copley (H) versus Highland; and Hawken (H) versus Westlake. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2025
Seven Hills and Olentangy Orange Get Wins
Despite the high winds and cold temperatures, it was a big night for matches. Twenty-nine matches were recorded with the Southwest District leading the pack with 14 and Central with 13. In the two biggest matches of the evening, Olentangy Orange defeated Upper Arlington and Seven Hills beat Cincinnati Country Day. The close, 3-2 matches included: Canal Winchester defeated Newark; Legacy Christian Academy beat Trotwood-Madison; Marysville defeated Thomas Worthington; and Pickerington Central beat Lancaster. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Delaware Hayes - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Delaware Hayes. They are coached by Gary Hibinger. They are Team Members.They are led by Dominic Davelli, Drake LaMar, and Alex Pacheco.
Today's Delaware team photo is one of the best of the season. Note that OTZ did not take this photo. When a photographer is known, their copyright will be included. If not, the OTZ copyright will appear in a smaller font. With all of the AI craziness going on, I think it is important to include a copyright in hopes of slowing down entities that are essentially harvesting photos for their own use. Photos taken by OTZ will include © Scott Gerber / OhioTennisZone.com.
Today's matches include: Bexley (A) versus Olentangy Liberty; Copley (A) versus Revere; and Lexington (H) versus St. Johns Jesuit.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2025
Columbus Academy Beats Dublin Coffman
Rain hampered play in much of the state yesterday, and today there will be high winds.. In the biggest match of the evening, Columbus Academy defeated Dublin Coffman. The close, 3-2 matches included: Massillon Jackson defeated Glenoak; Upper Arlington-B beat Big Walnut; and Olentangy defeated Wellington. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Hilliard Davidson - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Hilliard Davidson. They are coached by Shannon Murlin. They are Team Members. They are led by Jinu Kim, Danny Bordjadze, and Griffin Houseworth.
The weather finally cooperated long enough so that I could get some decent action photos last night. Watch for an OTZ Photo Friday coming up soon. (Likely to occur on Friday.)
Today's matches include: Solon (H) versus University School; Massillon Jackson (H) versus Hudson; and Olentangy Orange (H) versus Upper Arlington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2025
Changes to OTZ Top Players List
This week's weather is expected to be better for Ohio high school tennis if the rain can be avoided today.
 |
OTZ Top Players List - Click to view |
There was a major update to the OTZ Top Players and Watch Lists today. These lists will continue to be tweaked as players compete in more matches. Some players have not yet competed this season. Players "start" on the Watch List and some will move up from there. Note that high school player results are needed to make this list work. While OTZ is aware of non-HS results, these lists are for HS tennis performance. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
OTZ members should always sign-in first when using OhioTennisZone. In this case with the Top Players report, members can view the results and photos of non-OTZ members and get easy access to TennisRecruiting.net data for all players. There are also OTZ action photos for most of these players.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Olentangy Liberty; Hawken (A) versus Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy; Centerville (H) versus Oakwood; Chillicothe (A) versus Athens; and Columbus Academy (H) versus Dublin Coffman. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2025
Mason and Columbus Academy Get Wins
Yesterday was a good day for matches. With teams traveling to find great competition, Mason defeated Bexley and New Albany, and Columbus Academy beat Hawken. In another big match, New Albany defeated Indian Hill. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
|
Lake (Uniontown) - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Lake-Uniontown. They are coached by David Maurer. They are led by Carson Craig, Matt Potashnik, and Erik Neely.
OTZ traveled to Cincinnati (actually West Chester) to help our daughter and son-in-law paint yesterday. The highlight was stopping at Cones. We also stopped at The Pickle Lodge to check it out. It replaced Eastern Hills Indoor Tennis Club.
SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2025
New Albany Beats Hawken
Weather conditions were tough for fans and players yesterday. At New Albany, temperatures were 43 degrees with a breeze and no sun. This essentially guarantees that States will be played in 85 degree temperatures, and that all of the singles players who wear black clothes will cramp up and retire. (This has happened every year and it always will - forever.)
In the most notable match of the evening, OTZ #2 (D1) New Albany defeated OTZ #4 (D2) Hawken. The close, 3-2 matches included: Fairborn defeated Carroll; Centerville-B beat Springboro-B; Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy defeated Green; Northwestern beat Valley View; and Thomas Worthington defeated Canal Winchester. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Hawken - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Hawken. They are coached by Lori Shulman. They are Team Members. They are led by Zach Forte and Axel Neely.
Today's matches include: Bexley (A) versus Mason and Springboro; Columbus Academy (H) versus Hawken; and Indian Hill (H) versus New Albany. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2025
Upper Arlington Beats Olentangy Liberty
The weather cleared for the Central and Southwest Districts so a reasonable number (30) of matches were recorded from yesterday. Despite the recent rain, there have been 78% more matches recorded this year versus last. In the marquis matches from yesterday, Upper Arlington defeated Olentangy Liberty and Olentangy Orange beat Dublin Coffman. The close, 3-2 matches included: Jonathan Alder defeated London; Hilliard Davidson beat Hilliard Bradley; Legacy Christian Academy defeated Yellow Springs; Worthington Kilbourne beat Dublin Scioto; and Milton-Union defeated Valley View. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Solon - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Solon. They are coached by Fredrik Nyborg. They are Team Members. They are led by Zach Krantz, Ashwin Ramachandran, and Arthur Azhibekov.
Today's matches include: New Albany (H) versus Hawken; Centerville (H) versus Bellbrook; and Seven Hills (A) versus Moeller. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025
University School Beats Walsh Jesuit
The weather looks slightly less awful next week, so we have that going for us... In the biggest match of the evening, University School defeated Walsh Jesuit. The close, 3-2 matches included: Jonathan Alder beat Hilliard Bradley; DeSales defeated Big Walnut; Delaware Hayes beat Westerville Central; Bloom-Carroll defeated Grandview; North Canton Hoover beat Green; and Franklin Heights defeated Reynoldsburg. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
North Canton Hoover - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is North Canton Hoover. They are coached by Kay McHolm. They are Team Members. They are led by Brennan Calhoun, Josh Blake, and Luke Hillyer.
Today's matches include: Massillon Jackson (H) versus Wooster; Moeller (H) versus St. Xavier; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Upper Arlington; and Copley (H) versus Highland. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025
Olentangy Liberty Beats Dublin Coffman
Chilly temperatures did not slow down match play yesterday. In two of the bigger matches of the evening, Olentangy Liberty defeated Dublin Coffman and Indian Hill beat Mariemont. The close, 3-2 matches included: Big Walnut defeated Delaware Hayes; Chillicothe beat Waverly; Canal Winchester defeated Reynoldsburg; Kenton Ridge beat Jonathan Alder; Loveland defeated Little Miami; and Piqua beat West Carrollton. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Olentangy Orange - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Olentangy Orange. They are coached by Matthew Rutherford. They are Team Members. They are led by Shailen Patel, Luke Rutherford, and Devan Patel. This photo was taken at NewGen Racquet Club before the Olentangy Orange vs Orange match.
OTZ is in process of adding Player Profiles for team members. Those with individual membership are next. After the Profiles are setup, the player photos will be added. This is a multi-day process.
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Olentangy Orange; Hudson (H) versus Brecksville; Indian Hill (H) versus Springboro; and Archbishop Alter (A) versus Tippecanoe.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025
Seven Hills Beats Mariemont | Massillon Jackson Defeats NCH
It was a chilly but drier evening with 24 statewide matches being recorded. In the most notable matches of the evening, Seven Hills defeated Mariemont and Massillon Jackson beat North Canton Hoover. The close, 3-2 matches included: Tippecanoe defeated Bellbrook; Athens beat Chillicothe; Watkins Memorial defeated Granville; Ready beat Madison Christian; Archbishop Alter defeated Dayton Christian; Westerville Central beat Dublin Scioto; and Dixie defeated Chaminade-Julienne. In the "I hope the kids can use AI to do their homework" match of the evening, the Delaware Hayes versus DeSales include four 3-setters. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Jonathan Alder - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Jonathan Alder. They are coached by Ryan Swinehart. They are led by Gideon Sullivan, Max Metz, and Sean Gluntz.
Today's matches include: Hawken (H) versus Avon; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Dublin Coffman; and Indian Hill (A) versus Mariemont. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2025
A Week with Dryer Weather
Despite the cooler temperatures, it will be dryer this week. Even though there have been numerous rain-outs, Ohio tennis has still played more matches this year versus last year.
The State Team Tournament draws have been updated. There were numerous matches played in Northeast Ohio last week. Click for the draws.
 |
Massillon Jackson - Click to team page |
There will be more players added to the Top Players / Watch Lists today. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Massillon Jackson. They are coached by Brett Marlowe. They are Team Members. They are led by Larson Sutula, Roshan Patel, and Manav Rawal.
Today's matches include: Hawken (A) versus Orange; Indian Hill (H) versus Mason; Solon (H) versus North Royalton; and North Canton Hoover (A) versus Massillon Jackson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025
Orange, Sycamore, and Lex Get Indoor Wins
The rain continued and teams went indoors at to compete. Pepper Pike Orange defeated Olentangy Orange in the Orange Bowl*; Sycamore beat Bexley; and Lexington defeated Highland. As always, review the line-ups before assessing teams. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Canal Winchester - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Canal Winchester. They are coached by Leyton Mathias. They are Team Members. They are led by William Theuamthalaray, Alan Xicotencatl, and Brooklyn Todd.
Hopefully, Ohio tennis can catchup with matches this coming week.
* OTZ wishes to thank Bexley coach, Will Gingery, for his contribution of the "Orange Bowl" phrase.
SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2025
Beavercreek Beats Olentangy Orange
It's Raining Again. (And yes, the rain-related songs get worse after today.) Despite the rain, some teams were fortunate enough to find indoor facilities in which to play. OTZ traveled to NewGen Racquet Club to watch Massillon Jackson and Upper Arlington compete. Other teams that got rained out went to the Ohio State versus UCLA match. While it is great that NewGen is now available, the indoor court situation is likely to get worse as clubs fill their "off-hours" with pickleball.
 |
Archbishop Alter - Click to team page |
Other indoor matches included: Beavercreek defeated Olentangy Orange; St. Xavier beat Bexley; and Walnut Hills defeated Moeller. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players,St. Xavier's Nihal Narisetty defeated Bexley's Sam Lessard; Beavercreek’s Michael Page beat Olentangy Orange’s Shailen Patel; Moeller's Adam Anastasia defeated Walnut Hills' Rapeegon Tangsitukal; and Marysville's Gianni Russo beat Watterson's Tommy OBrien. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Archbishop Alter. They are coached by Ginny Boeckman. They are Team Members. They are led by Michael Shope, Moses Mabarak, and Noah Johnson.
Many of these matches will be rained out, but the scheduled matches are: Bexley (H) versus Seven Hills and Sycamore; Columbus Academy (H) versus Highland and St. Xavier; Massillon Jackson (A) versus Dublin Coffman; New Albany (H) versus Sycamore and Mason; Orange (A) versus Mason and Olentangy Orange; and St. Xavier (A) versus Columbus Academy and Upper Arlington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches. Some will be moving indoors. Check with the coach for details.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2025
University School Beats Avon
Most matches were rained out yesterday, but there were a few that were completed. They included University School defeated Avon; Upper Arlington beat Delaware Hayes in the State Team Tournament; and Wooster defeated North Canton Hoover. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click to view the State Team Tournament Draws.
 |
Moeller - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Archbishop Moeller. They are coached by Alex Thompson. They are Team Members. They are led by Adam Anastasia, Will Jordan, and Nick Shehata.
After getting hit with a bout of bronchitis (as diagnosed by Mrs. (not Dr.) OTZ), I am behind where I should be. The rain should enable me to get caught up.
Most matches are expected to be rainouts today. It has also been difficult for teams to find indoor facilities with available court time. Some of the matches that may still take place are: Massillon Jackson (A) versus Upper Arlington and New Albany (H) versus Orange. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025
Mason, New Albany, and Centerville Get Big Wins
Teams raced to get their matches done before the storms arrived. In the marquis matches of the evening, Mason defeated St. Xavier; New Albany beat Bexley; and Centerville defeated Sycamore. The close, 3-2 matches included: Dixie defeated Miami Valley School; Lakota West beat Centerville-B; Pickerington Central defeated St. Charles; Bellbrook beat Archbishop Alter; Marysville defeated Gahanna; Pickerington North beat Lancaster; and Moeller defeated Loveland. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Grandview - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Grandview. They are coached by Doug Page. They are led by Porter Knoff, Ben Donahue, and Sev Mohdasiahn. This is Coach Page's first year with the team.
While yesterday's matches were under (very) windy conditions, it is extremely important to play a few of these "wind" matches just in case there are similar conditions for Sectionals, Districts, or States. Unfortunately, the boys' internal algorithms are such that it is ok to hit 10 doubles faults just as long as they get one ace..
Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Indian Hill; Olentangy Orange (H) versus Olentangy; and Wooster (H) versus North Canton Hoover. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2025
Calm before the Storms
Yesterday was a really busy evening for matches. Based on the weather forecasts, that may have been the last evening for great match-play until next week. In some of the more notable matches, Columbus Academy defeated Upper Arlington; Hudson beat Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy; and Orange defeated North Royalton. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
New Albany - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is New Albany. They are coached by Marc Thomas. They are OTZ Team Members, and they are led by Abhinav Dandu, Jackson Clements, Tyler Thomas, and Jackson Goodman.
Today is "catch-up day". Most of the players with OTZ Player Profiles will be added today. Coaches, if you have not updated your rosters, please do so.
Today's matches include: Archbishop Alter (H) versus Bellbrook; Bexley (A) versus New Albany; Centerville (H) versus Sycamore; Hawken (H) versus Beachwood; Orange (A) versus Chagrin Falls; Seven Hills (H) versus Springboro; and St. Xavier (A) versus Mason. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2025
Rain Dampened Play | Past April 1 Articles
It was a damp day for many teams yesterday. Just 10 matches were recorded. In the three most competitive matches of the evening, Bexley defeated Dublin Jerome, St. Charles beat Westerville Central, and Loveland defeated Elder. As with all matches, take a quick look at the line-ups to see where the key players competed. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
OTZ World Headquarters - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Avon's A.J. Sidoti defeated Elyria's Zigon; Dublin Jerome's Rudy Anumula beat Bexley's Max Almasanu; Loveland's Ethan Deck defeated Elder's Austin Godfrey; Westerville's Isaac Choo beat St. Charles' Ted Must; Canal Winchester's William Theuamthalaray defeated Ready's Maura Himes; Bexley's Adrian Schiff beat Dublin Jerome's Amish Pairu.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's matches include: Hudson (H) versus Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy; Columbus Academy (H) versus Upper Arlington; Delaware Hayes (H) versus Marysville; Massillon Jackson (A) versus Walsh Jesuit; North Canton Hoover (A) versus Lake-Uniontown;Orange (H) versus North Royalton; and Seven Hills (A) versus Summit Country Day. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
The typical OTZ approach to April Fool's Day is to come up with something wacky to amuse and/or irritate readers. The combination of traveling and the prep work needed for the beginning of the season did not leave enough time this year for the normal high jinks. Since many readers are new every four years, it is probably appropriate to go back into the archives and see previous attempts of humor.
Behind the Scenes at OhioTennisZone.com - April 1, 2016
Total Revamp of OhioTennisZone Should Make Everyone Happy Faced - April 1, 2017
High School Tennis to Switch to Pickleball - April 1, 2019 - (My mother was featured in this article.)
Are Masks Leading to a New Form of Deception? - April 1, 2021
Is It Time to Wager on High School Sports? You Bet! - April 1, 2022
OhioTennisZone's ChatOTZ Becomes Sentient - April 1, 2023
MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2025
Lexington Beats Avon
In a match that was played on Saturday, Lexington defeated Avon.To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Loveland - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Loveland. They are coached by Jennifer Kapszukiewicz. They are Team Members. They are led by Beckett Zappin, Ethan Deck, and Liam Amy.
This will hopefully be the last update that has to be done "on the road". We have been visiting our son and his fiancé in Maryland. When considering the large number of matches slated to play today, it will be much easier to process all of these scores on the OTZ desktop.
Today's matches include: Archbishop Alter (H) versus Centerville; Bexley (H) versus Dublin Jerome; Canal Winchester (H) versus Ready; Franklin Heights (A) versus Westland; Grandview (A) versus London; Hudson (H) versus Stow-Munroe Falls; Loveland (H) versus Elder; Newark (A) versus Fisher Catholic; and Watkins Memorial (A) versus Zanesville. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2025
Massillon Jackson Beats Westlake
Massillon Jackson defeated Westlake, 3-2, yesterday. To view all of the results recorded, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Marysville - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Marysville. They are coached by Brian Ash. They are Team Members. They are led by Gianni Russo, Will Nuspl, and Soorya Loganand. Marysville is west of Columbus, and it is the home of Honda. Marysville is the second team to get their team photo into OTZ. Yesterday's featured team, Lancaster, was first.
Today's matches include: St. Xavier (A) versus St. Johns Jesuit. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2025
Bexley Beats Upper Arlington
Yesterday turned out to be a great day for tennis. There were 10 matches recorded from state-wide play. Bexley defeated Upper Arlington, 3-2, without Henry Lessard in the line-up. Other 3-2 matches included Milton-Union over Northwestern and Centerville-B over Troy. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
 |
Lancaster - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Lancaster. They are coached by Jason Roush. They are Team Members. They are led by Grace Hampson, Jayden Stone, and Christian Uhl. Lancaster is located south of Columbus.
There are still a few system-related issues ("issues" is a kinder word for "problems") that may be noticeable to some users. Expect most of these to be resolved by Tuesday.
Today's matches include Lexington (H) versus Avon Lake and St. Xavier (A) versus Sylvania Southview. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2025
Match Play Begins Today
Matches begin today under rainy skies. Hopefully conditions will permit matches to be played somewhere in Ohio. Temps will be fine.
 |
Ready for the Season! - Click to sign-up for OTZ |
This is the "ugly duckling" part of the season for OhioTennisZone as last year's results soon roll-off the system, and a small number of matches replace them. Some reports will include last year's results, but many (i.e. By-Court report) will have none. Note that last year's graduates have been removed from the line-ups.
The Top Players Report will soon include additional players. Currently, players are shown in the same order as they finished the season last year. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Upper Arlington; Newark (A) versus Lebanon; and
Wooster (H) versus Dover. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
Good luck!
MONDAY, MARCH
OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten Teams for Division I / II (beta release)
It is time for the OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten Teams rankings. These rankings are time-consuming to create and to modify so please do not beat a team that is ranked higher than your team.. Your cooperation is appreciated in advance..
There is little doubt that the State's top D1 teams had a graduation party when Sycamore's super team finally moved on after winning the last three State Team Tournaments. Graduations also hit defending D2 champ, Indian Hill, as well.
OhioTennisZone.com
|
|
| 1. Mason◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 2. New Albany◄TEAM | Bexley◄TEAM |
| 3. St. Xavier◄TEAM | Orange◄TEAM |
| 4. Olentangy Orange | Hawken◄TEAM |
| 5. Centerville◄TEAM | Indian Hill◄TEAM |
| 6. Solon◄TEAM | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| 7. Olentangy Liberty◄TEAM | Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy |
| 8. Sycamore◄TEAM | Lexington◄TEAM |
| 9. Springboro◄TEAM | Archbishop Alter |
| 10. University School◄TEAM | Ottawa Hills |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
|
In addition to the OTZ data, TennisRecruiting.net and Universal Tennis Ratings were used as a resource to create the rankings. As part of this effort, the top five players based on UTR are: Mason's Greg Bernadsky, Bexley's Henry Lessard, Olentangy Liberty's Shane Hand, Columbus Academy's Nason Lo, and Bexley's Sam Lessard (in UTR order). Bernadsky and Henry Lessard are Blue Chips in TennisRecruiting.net. All of these players are expected to be highly ranked in the OTZ Top Players List as the season progresses.
As for the favorites, Mason starts at #1 for D1. Columbus Academy begins at the top of Division II.
The lists are subject to tweaking if players decide not to play (or to play) Ohio high school tennis this spring. "Thank you" to the fans (especially Yoon Lee) who provided feedback on these rankings.
The teams likely to get to Team States are the ones who fill their schedules with great matches.
Division I
 |
Sycamore 2024 Championship Team - Click to enlarge |
#1 Mason has reloaded. Returning are Greg Bernadsky (Cornell recruit), Daniel Tonkal, and Aron Dornhecker. Lost to graduation is Connor Buckingham. Mason picks up Janek Teply, a 4-star.
#2 New Albany returns a strong team consisting of Abhi Dandu (State Singles Finalist), Jackson Clements (Hillsdale recruit), Tyler Thomas, and Jackson Goodman. They lost to Ben Bilenko graduation.
#3 St. Xavier returns Nihal Nrisetty, David Ivanov, Gus Demis, Conor Lynch, and Henry Brandt. They lost Beckett Enscoe and Chase Homan to graduation. Carson Dwyer will also not be returning. They pick up Jonah Johnson, a 2-star.
#4 Defending D1 Central champ, Olentangy Orange, returns Shailen Patel, Nkhil Bhimireddy, Devan Patel, and Luke Rutherford. They lost Zach Haar and Eric Tang to graduation.
#5 Centerville returns a strong squad. Returning are Elliot Galbraith, Luke Edwards, Vibhu Rola, and Griffin Rhoads.. They lost Vivek Akella and Nick Turner to graduation. They pick up Jake Critchfield, a 2-star freshman.
#7 Solon returns most of their Final Four team from last year including Zach Krantz, Ashwin Ramachandran, Justin Reimschisel, and Bo Bui. They lost Jerry He to graduation.
#6 Olentangy Liberty returns Shane Hand, Arya Badri, and Eli Englert. They graduated Liam Hand, Krish Badri, and Marcus Bode.
 |
Sycamore Performance By Court - Click to enlarge |
#8 Sycamore returns Abi Dinesh, Andrew Mao, and Jake Farquhar. They lost Nicholas Meyers (Denison), Nicholas Choo (Swarthmore), Arjun Rajagopala, and Andrew Wittenbaum to graduation. It may take a few years before another team dominates as thoroughly as they did on all five courts. The graph shows the Percentage of Games Won on each court last year. There were no weaknesses. Sycamore also lost State Doubles champion, Chase Klugo. He is now in California
#9 Springboro's lost Rishi Dore (now at Dayton) and Jack Siehl to graduation. Players returning include Drew Baumgartner, Peyton Nelson, and Brady Mullins.
#10 University School returns Vishwum Kapadia, Rohit Talasila, Will Stephans, and Lucas Weidenbecher. They lost Dean Kirchick and Cole Kirchick to graduation.
HM: Hudson returns their top three players. They are Henrique Sa, Zelin Shen, and Frederick Li. They lost Jack Sigler and Jason Tong to graduation.
Many of the previous top teams lost key graduates. More Honorable Mentions should surface early in the season.
D2 is always tough to determine because many of the teams do not travel outside of their district. Columbus remains the perfect place to meet to hold dual matches among Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest District teams so hopefully more teams will take advantage of this. Many of the top players are accustomed to going out-of-state for matches once or twice a month so traveling is not an issue for them.
 |
Indian Hill 2024 Championship Team - Click to enlarge |
#1 Columbus Academy returns their starters from last year's successful, Final Four team. They include: Lucas Xue, Nason Lo, Jacob Khvalsky, Rowen Lo, and Ian Chang.
#2 Bexley and Columbus Academy should have a great battle to represent the Central District in the Final Four. Bexley returns Henry Lessard, the D2 State Singles Champion. Also returning are Sam Lessard, Max Almasanu, and Adrian Schiff. They lost Oscar Ramsden and Emmett Pliskin to graduation.
#3 Orange lost the core of their team from last year including: Chika Nwaozuzu (Denison), Gabi Kalir,and Ace Bloom. Those returning include Ishan Bhatt and Gabriel Guiler. They are going to reload quickly though. They will have three freshman who will be able to contribute. They include: Vivaan Moghekar (4-star), Zayd Adi (3-star), and Atreya Bhatt (2-star). [Update: Per Cleveland.com, Orange is also getting Illia Shcherbakov, a 4-star sophomore transfer.]
#4 Hawken returns their top players from last year including Axel Neely, Zach Forte, Anthony Piazza, and Billy Beseth. They lost Berend Diderich to graduation.
#5 Indian Hill also lost key seniors from their championship team. They retained Michael Ryu and Neelan Gandhi. They pick up 4-star Gareth Kurowski. The graduates included: RJ Poffenberger (2022 D2 Dubs Champion), Jack Pollock (Bowdoin recruit), Ethan Camp, and Senuka Abeysinghe.
#6 Seven Hills lost numerous strong players to graduation. They include Avi Mahajan (Wash U.), Ethan Blatt, John Corbett, and Gavin Isakov. They return Adi Nayak and Chinmay Machavaram, Brett Woffington, and William Huguenin.
#7 Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy returns all but one of their varsity players. Returning are Lincoln Gates, Andrew VanHala, Jonathan VanHala, and Alex Cook.
#8 Lexington lost several of their key contributors including Ethan Remy and Karl Etzel, Returning are: Dylan Catanese (State Dubs Champion), Owan Gongwer, Cooper Remy, and Phil Etzel.
#9 Archbishop Alter is getting the best freshman in the class with Michael Shope. Shope is a 5-star. Returning for Alter are Moses Mabarak and Justin Ross.
#10 Ottawa Hills returns Jack Kayse, Chris Thompson, and Micah Walker. They lost Savith Vijendra to graduation.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
Note that there are additional details for players with high-lighted links. Teams with the green "team" designation will include information (or they soon will have) about all of their players.
There is inadequate information for many of the D2 teams. Some teams may want to consider joining OTZ so that their results can be included. Only a Coach Membership is needed for this.
Those with additional insights on why a team should be ranked differently or included on one of these lists are welcome to submit a Feedback. Please include specific reasons and player names.
Matches start on Friday. The weather looks Ohio-like.
MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2025
OTZ Enhanced Boys State Team Draws
The OhioTennisZone.com Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws are now available. Click link above to view.
 |
State Team Tournament Draws - Click to go to draws |
The draws are available at the top of this page, and they will remain there throughout the season. As with everything else on OTZ, the goal is to enable high school tennis fans to quickly obtain the information they need rather than to maximize OTZ clicks and page views. As indicated in the four features that are circled: 1) the most recent update date is included; 2) the navigation links allow users to quickly jump throughout the draw; 3) the Team designation means that a Team Membership was purchased and that all of the individual player information is available via their OTZ Player Profiles; and 4) the team links are "click-able" to enable fans to do more research. For the best experience, sign-in to OTZ first. The goal is to keep the draws promptly updated throughout the season. Please click on Feedback if you are aware of a result that is not yet posted.
 |
State Team Tournament Participation- Click to enlarge |
The number of boys teams that enter the tournament varies from year to year. The trend is downward. This year, there are 108 teams participating. The number of boys teams participating by year is: 2015 - 148; 2016 - 128; 2017 - 126; 2018 - 125; 2019 - 119; 2020 - 128, 2021 - 110, 2022 - 122, 2023 - 112, 2024 - 113, and 2025 - 108. As shown in the graph, Southwest and Northeast have the most participants and Central has the least. Out of the 364 OHSAA boys tennis teams (378 last year), 29.6% of the teams are competing in this tournament. Please click on the graph to enlarge it for easier viewing.
 |
Columbus Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
This year, the Central District teams will play the Southwest teams in the first round of the State Team Tournament, while the Northwest will play the Northeast. If there are insufficient courts available for all teams to play (likely), Division I will go on court first.
The weather continues to be great for try-outs.
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025
First Day of the Boys Season | Passing of St. Xavier's Russ King
This is the 105th year for the Boys tennis season, and there could not be a better day to start the season. Even though there will still be a few more snow days this spring, today's weather is a welcome start.
 |
Russ King (left) and his St. Xavier Team - Click to enlarge |
Recall that the boys tennis calendar will reside in the right-side navigation bar for the remainder of the season. The OHSAA Boys Tournament will once again be held at Wooster this spring, but expect to hear about a change in location for the girls season.
There are always documentation and rules changes. Click for the OHSAA Boys Tennis Manual for 2025, OHSAA Tennis Regulations for 2024-25, and OHSAA Tournament Regulations for 2024. For a listing of all of the OHSAA tennis documents, click OHSAA Tennis.
 |
Columbus-Area Weather - Click to enlarge |
There is some unfortunate news to pass along. St. Xavier's long time coach, Russ King, passed away this winter. He was the Bombers' coach for 50 years - from 1969 to 2019. He is included in this 2019 team photo on the far left where he is standing beside his State Doubles Champions, Charlie Temming (now at Xavier) and Preston Stearns (at Ohio State). Coach King died on December 28. He was 79. For more information, click for the nice Cincinnati Enquirer article written by Aaron Valdez.
FRIDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team
It is a belated list, but before things get too far along with 2025, it is worthwhile to recognize the players who made the OTZ All-Ohio Team for 2024. Unfortunately, the second after the season ended last year all my focus shifted to the family farm in Findlay. Nine of the players listed will return in hopes of a state championship this season.
OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
|||
Division I - Singles |
|||
Division II - Singles |
|||
Division I - Doubles |
|||
Division II - Doubles |
|||
The OTZ list is a bit different than the OHSAA All-Ohio team. While a player's performance at States is the best way to get on the team, OTZ also looks at a player's entire season and includes players who may not have even qualified for States because of unfortunate District draws.
The number of players included on this list will vary from year to year.
The OTZ Top Players Lists for 2024 were also updated. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. To see all of the players on one page, click on All Districts.
SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2024
OHSAA/OTZ Boys Season Calendar
The warm weather is already revving up OTZ usage. Match play is less than one month away so it is worthwhile to include a few key dates on your calendar now. The OTZ calendar includes a few additional dates that are important to tennis players, such as ACT / SAT test dates. While these dates are believed to be correct, always check with other sources before planning the rest of your life. The tennis dates should mimic the OHSAA Tennis Sports Calendar.
OhioTennisZone.com |
| March (Sa) 1-2: OTCA Coach Clinic (Chagrin Valley) |
| Mar. 8 (Sa): SAT Test Date |
| Mar. 10 (M): 1st Day of Coaching |
| Mar. 17 (M): Coach to Enter Match Schedule on OTZ |
| Mar. 22 (Sa) - Mar. 30: Easter Bowl |
| Mar. 23 (Su): Coach to Enter Roster on OTZ |
| Mar. 28 (F): HS Season Begins |
| Apr. 1 (Tu): Coach to Provide Team Picture to OTZ |
| Apr. 1 (Tu): Pay OTZ for Coach, Team, or Individual Membership |
| Apr. 5 (Sa): ACT Test Date |
| Apr. 14 (M): Non-Interscholastic Date |
| Apr. 20 (Su): Easter |
| May 3 (Sa): SAT Test Date |
| May 4 (Su): Sectional Tournament Draw |
| May 6 (?) (Tu): Waiver Extension Ends |
| May 11 (Su): Mother's Day |
| May 12 (M) -17: Sectional Tournament |
| May 19 (M) -24: District Tournament |
| May 29 (Th) -30: State Tournament |
| May 31 (Sa): State Team Tournament |
| Jun 7 (Sa): Season Ends |
| Jun 7 (Sa): SAT Test Date |
The boys season calendar is normally chaotic because of the weather and due to the timing of spring breaks. That will likely be the case again this year. The boys get far more time to prepare for the season than the girls, but the inclement weather always reduces the number of days that can be spent outdoors.
The boys can use waivers to play non-HS tennis during the season. The waivers should enable most boys to start the season on time (rather than waiting to play in a key tournament). Click for the OHSAA Waiver Request. Always (always, always) work with your coach, athletic director, and the OHSAA to insure that this waiver is completed well in advance and is done absolutely positively correctly.
Coaches, please do not remove players who have graduated from your roster. Fans like to see those who are no longer on the team as they compare this year's team versus last year's. Graduates will be removed by OTZ closer to the beginning of match play.
This calendar will remain in the right sidebar throughout the season.
THURSDAY,
Top Freshman Boys - Class of 2028
Below is a list of the top freshman players anticipated to compete in high school tennis this spring. This list primarily sources data from TennisRecruiting.net, with district and school details supplemented by existing knowledge and contributions from tennis enthusiasts. Once the players' high schools are confirmed, this information will be integrated into OTZ's Pre-Season Top Ten Team rankings.
OhioTennisZone.com
|
||
| Player - TRN Stars | City (District) | School |
| Zayd Adi - 2 | Cleveland (NE) | Orange |
| Atreya Bhatt - 2 | Cleveland (NE) | Orange |
| John Tyler Bottleson - 2 | Montgomery (SW) | |
| Austin Bruey - 2 | Reynoldsburg (C) | Pickerington Central |
| Jake Critchfield - 2 | Dayton (SW) | Centerville |
| Ethan Deck - 2 | Loveland (SW) | Loveland |
| Jianhe Fu - 2 | Mason (SW) | Mason |
| Jonah Johnson - 2 | Monroe (SW) | St. Xavier |
| Anirudh Katta - 2 | Wadsworth (NE) | Highland |
| Gareth Kurowski - 4 | Cincinnati (SW) | Indian Hill |
| Timothy Lee - 3 | Dayton (SW) | Miamisburg |
| Logan McGurk - 1 | Perrysburg (NW) | St. John's Jesuit |
| Vivaan Moghekar - 4 | Chagrin Falls (NE) | Orange |
| Kahan Patel - 2 | Canton (NE) | Massillon Jackson |
| Parker Poole - 2 | Bellbrook (SW) | Bellbrook |
| Leo Qin - 2 | Mason (SW) | Mason |
| Michael Shope - 5 | Kettering (SW) | Archbishop Alter |
| Janek Teply - 4 | Mason (SW) | Mason |
| Brody Trubee - 2 | Xenia (SW) | 8th grader |
| Zoard Vasarhelyi - 1 | Westlake (NE) | St. Edward |
| Sathvik Velumani - 2 | Strongsville (NE) | |
| Evan Wong - 2 | Cleveland (NE) | Shaker Heights |
| Austin Xiao - 2 | Dublin (C) | Dublin Jerome |
| Ryusei Yamada - 2 | New Albany (C) | Now in Illinois |
Some of these freshmen will make immediate contributions to their teams, but high school tennis presents unique challenges for newcomers. They'll encounter seasoned upperclassmen, contend with unpredictable spring weather, and adjust to coaching styles that differ from those of their private tennis instructors. Moreover, as these young athletes continue to grow, growth spurts can temporarily disrupt the finesse of their strokes and footwork, adding an element of clumsiness to their game.
As is often the case, the strongest Ohio teams also get a nice influx of high quality players. That will be the case with Janek Teply (Mason) and Gareth Kurowski (Indian Hill).
This alphabetized list should be solid, but please let OTZ know if it is missing players who are currently listed as eighth graders or who are coming in from other states. This list may also include a player or two who are currently sophomores.
The Tennis Recruiting.net star ratings are included beside each of the players. The player links go to Tennis Recruiting.net.
Of the 24 players on the list, the Central District has three (five in 2024 and seven in 2023), Northeast - eight (seven in 2024 and six in 2023), Northwest - one (one in 2024 and zero in 2023), and Southwest - 12 (ten in 2024 and 2023.
Know of any changes? Please submit a Feedback. Special thanks to Rishi Mankala, Rich Boles, Brian Schubert, Marc Thomas, and Yoon Lee for their help.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2025
College Tennis Matches Underway
The college indoor season is underway, and there are numerous ex-Ohio high school players competing. For the complete list of those competing, click on OTZ's College Tennis Report. This page includes the profile photos of OhioTennisZone.com members when they played high school tennis. It also includes links to each college tennis homepage. Please scroll down the page to see the college players who were not OTZ members. Just to be forward thinking, several high school players who are recruits are also listed.
 |
OTZ's College Report - Click to enlarge |
While the #3 ranked Ohio State Men's and #15 ranked women's team are fun to watch, there are plenty of opportunities to watch college tennis throughout the state. There are also a zillion Division 3 matches. Currently, the Case Western Men's team is #4 in the nation, Denison's men's team is #6, and Kenyon's men's team is #20. These matches make great team bonding trips, plus they provide high school players with insight on what skills are needed to play at a collegiate level. Ohio State does not charge for admission and it is doubtful that there are admission fees for other schools. As always, if your team goes to a college tennis match and I am there, please let me know and I will take your team's photo. (Note that OTZ's Kyle Gerber played for Case.)
 |
 |
CSU's Franz - Click to enlarge |
OSU's Schoenly - Click to enlarge |
 |
 |
OSU's Carpico - Click to enlarge |
Xavier's Temming - Click to enlarge |
The OhioTennisZone camera shutter has been clicking away at OSU matches and several of the better photos are listed to the right. There are also photos posted on the Ohio HS College Tennis Players photo page. Even more are posted on SmugMug for the OSU Men and OSU Women against Xavier and Cleveland State, respectively. Contact OTZ if interested in a photo.
For more information about college teams, Cracked Racquets does a nice job and so does the Intercollegiate Tennis Associate's WeAreCollegeTennis.com.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025
Updated Rankings for Professional Players with Ohio Ties
With the Australian Open now underway, it is time for OTZ to begin preparing for the Ohio Boys Tennis Season. First though, OTZ updated the current player rankings of professional players with ties to Ohio. These players include those who were primarily raised in Ohio and those who competed at Ohio State.
 |
Navarro / Stearns Playing W&S Dubs - Click to enlarge |
At the top of the professional player list is Peyton Stearns. Stearns has a world ranking of 46, and in her most recent match, she was narrowly defeated by #8 Emma Navarro. The photo shows Navarro and Stearns teaming up for a doubles match at the Western & Southern in 2023.
The new addition to the list is OSU grad, James Trotter. Trotter just played in the Australian Open Qualifier.
Most of the other players on the list have had their rankings decline over the last few months.
 |
Ohio Pros - Click to enlarge |
This list is updated periodically on the OTZ College Report. It is located in the right-side navigation bar. There are links for every player on the list which take users to the ATP and WTA information. There are two players (Lauren Davis and JJ Wolf) who competed in Ohio high school tennis, and they are noted in the report by an "HS".
OhioTennisZone will likely look weird over the next few days as system maintenance takes place. OTZ needs to switch from PHP 8.0 to PHP 8.1, and this will generate system warnings and errors. These will hopefully be resolved in the coming days. If any information is missing, please send an OTZ Feedback message.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2024
OhioTennisZone Photos for Girls Season
This has been a busy fall for photos. OTZ traveled to 19 different matches and tournaments to talk with tennis players and fans and to take group and action photos. Almost 3,300 photos have been uploaded, and they are now available for viewing and (hopefully) for purchasing.
 |
#1: OTZ Photos for Purchasing - Click to SmugMug |
 |
#2: Tournament / Match - Click to view |
 |
#3: Location of File Name on Photo - Click to view |
These digital photos can be printed, added to Tennis-Recruiting.net and UTR, shared on social media, placed in digital picture frames, etc. They also make great Christmas and holiday presents.
OhioTennisZone uses SmugMug to house the photos and to make them easier to view.
The screenshots on the right take users directly to the screens shown. The first screenshot is the OTZ SmugMug site. From there, pick the tournament or match. After selecting the event, users may view a larger size of the images or return to the SmugMug Home Page for other matches or tournament photos.
Need help to determine in which event your daughter played? Enter a Feedback.
After finding a photo to purchase, the file name is provided on the photo in the third screen shot. It is DSC_2514.JPG. The file name is needed to place the order.
The great majority of these images have *not* been "enhanced" by OTZ. The final purchased photos will be color-corrected, cropped, and straightened. All will be in 5x7 dimensions unless asked to do otherwise.
The order will be fulfilled via email. Payment can be made via PayPal or check.
Some of the images will also be shown on OTZ under the player's OTZ profile.
Again, by clicking on each image above, it will take you to that specific page on SmugMug.
Please enter a Feedback with any questions.
There are substantial quantity discounts. Click for pricing at Buy an OTZ Tennis Photo. The pricing is in the right-side navigation bar.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024
Final OTZ Rankings: Mason and Indian Hill at #1
Congratulations to Mason and Indian Hill. They finish the season at the top of the OTZ rankings. Also congrats to the other teams on the lists.
OhioTennisZone.com
|
|
| 1. Mason◄TEAM Spots: 5 Final 4 | Indian Hill◄TEAM Spots: 2 Final 4 |
| 2. U. Arlington◄TEAM 2 Final 4 | Gilmour Academy◄TEAM 2 Final 4 |
| 3. Anth. Wayne◄TEAM 2 Final 4 | Orange◄TEAM 2 |
| 4. Centerville◄TEAM 0 | Hathaway Brown 1 |
| 5. Sycamore◄TEAM 1 | Hawken◄TEAM 2 |
| 6. Highland◄TEAM 1 Final 4 | Columbus Academy◄TEAM 1 Final 4 |
| 7. New Albany◄TEAM 1 | Chaminade-Julienne◄TEAM 1 |
| 8. Magnificat◄TEAM 2 | Cuyahoga Val. Christian Acad. 0 |
| 9. St. Ursula Academy 1 | Maumee Val. Country Day 2 Final 4 |
| 10. Hudson◄TEAM 1 | Columbus School for Girls◄TEAM 2 |
| HM: Massillon Jackson 1 | Miami Valley School 1 |
◄TEAM - Denotes Team Membership so extensive OTZ information is available | |
Yes, these ranking lists are a bit cluttered, but they quickly show which teams participated in the Final Four (in red) and the number of "State Spots" (in gray) that teams earned. Hopefully this additional information will jog a few memories in the coming years. (The most memorable piece of information on this list for me is Mason's five spots for States, and that they won two State Championships.)
These ranking lists will also appear in the Home page sidebar for at least a couple of years
Upper Arlington edged out Anthony Wayne for second place by just a little. This was based on how they both did against Highland in the State Team Tournament.
In addition to the Matrix report, the OhioTennisZone.com Top Ten Girls Teams Report was helpful in identifying the top teams.
There are fewer Northwest teams using OTZ so not as much information is available for them. However, expect Maumee Valley Country Day to remain in the rankings next year since they are returning their three State qualifiers.
There will be at least a couple more OTZ updates before I shift to other things.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team
Congratulations to the players selected for the OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team for 2024.
OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
|||
Division I - Singles |
|||
 Maddie Peisley Sylvania Northview |
|||
Division II - Singles |
|||
Division I - Doubles |
|||
Division II - Doubles |
|||
 Ginevra Muratori Miami Valley School |
 Kennedi Washington Miami Valley School |
||
The OTZ list is a bit different than the OHSAA All-Ohio team. While a player's performance at States is the best way to get on the team, OTZ also looks at a player's entire season and has on rare occasions even included players who have not qualified for States because of unfortunate District draws.
The number of players on the OTZ All-Ohio Team can vary from year to year based on the skill levels of the players. The normal barometer in measuring the strength of the All-Ohio team is to count the number of Division I college or high-end Division III players on the list. This year, there is only one. Last year, there were seven.
The number of Ohio D1 players on the OTZ All-Ohio team this year is six for D1 and five for D2. In previous years, it was the following for D1: 2023 - 7; 2022- 7; 2021 - 8; 2020 - 7, 2019 - 8, 2018 - 7, 2017 - 7, and 2016 - 6. The D2 teams have totaled: 2023 - 5; 2022 - 6; 2021 - 7, 2020 - 7, 2019 - 7, 2018 - 8, 2017 - 6, and 2016 - 6.
Note that players with the yellow PP tennis balls next to their names have Player Profiles and that more information is available for them by clicking on their names. Click to sign-up to obtain an OTZ Player Profile.
The OTZ Top Players Lists have also been updated. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. To see all of the players on one page, click on All Districts. Note that there may be more tweaking to come.
As for photos.. I will be starting on those today.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2024
OhioTennisZone Usage Report: Who, What, Where from?
What is accessed on OhioTennisZone and who accesses it? It is time for the seasonal usage edition. Read on to learn what areas of the nation access OTZ the most. Which players get the most views on their OTZ Player Profiles; and what team pages generate the most views. The usage covered is for the time period of August 1 to October 20, 2024.
 |
 |
Upper Arlington - Click to enlarge |
Col. Academy - Click to enlarge |
 |
 |
Mason - Click to enlarge |
New Albany - Click |
From the team page perspective, the Upper Arlington team page drew the most interest during the season. The other teams in the top ten (in rank order) were: Columbus Academy, Mason, New Albany, Massillon Jackson, Pepper Pike Orange, North Canton Hoover, Worthington Christian, Magnificat, and Dublin Jerome.
The eight players who had the most views of their OTZ Player Profiles are (in alphabetical order): Bexley's Amiya Bowles, Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett, New Albany's Airi Clements, Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell, Hawken's Dani Forte, Orange's Genevieve Hayden, Magnificat's Anna Mancino, and Indian Hill's Martha Thompson. Click on the player names above to view their OTZ Player Profiles. The parent associated with the Player Profile may view the total number of views since the Player Profile was created. The photos of the players may be clicked to enlarge them.
 |
 |
Coffman's Burkett - Click to enlarge |
Orange's Hayden - Click |
 |
 |
Bexley's Bowles - Click |
Mag's Mancino - Click to enlarge |
While it is unknown who specifically accesses each OTZ page, note that middle school players and parents are certainly big users. Teams need to think of these OTZ Team pages as advertisements for future customers (tennis parents and players). Of course, having an OTZ Team page for a private school is a complete no-brainer. Tennis parents value the education / tennis combination and if a school can attract a parent/player by using an OTZ $99 team membership who will then spend $65,000 over four years, that is a return on investment that would make a CPA hug him or herself with happiness..
The top pages accessed on OhioTennisZone (outside of this main page) are listed below and they are sorted in pageview order. The OTZ Personalized Report is what users see when they first login. The biggest usage day of the season was on the second day of States.
- Central Ohio Team Lookup
- OTZ Personalized Report (page presented at sign-in)
- Sign In Page to OhioTennisZone
- Girls State Draws-2024
- Northeast Ohio Team Lookup
- Girls State Team Tournament Draws
- Southwest Ohio Team Lookup
The number of users peaked on the day after the Sectional draws on September 23. Other days that brought the largest number of users were on September 10 and October 18 (second day of States).
Per Google Analytics, there were 32,000 users who accessed OTZ during the above time period. Note that the number of users, counts the number of devices that people use to access OTZ. For that reason, the actual number of users is probably about half of the above. Google made massive changes to their analytics software, so a year to year comparison is not possible this year since tracking did not begin until July 2024. There were 393,000 pageviews generated during the girls season.
 |
Ohio Usage - Click to enlarge |
The Central District had the most usage at 43%. They were followed by the Northeast - 28%, Southwest - 18%, Northwest - 8%, and Southeast 3%. Since more people are using VPN's to mask their location, these numbers may be less reliable.
OhioTennisZone is actively used in numerous states. After Ohio, the states are Virginia, Florida, New York, Georgia, and Michigan.
Yes, I once viewed Twitter (now "X") as largely a waste of time, but not now. It has become the best source of real news on the planet (but all news sources require reader skepticism). It is also a great way to draw people from X onto the OhioTennisZone web site by extending the OhioTennisZone brand. The top six OTZ tweets for the season are as follows. To see the actual "Tweet", click on the "[Tweet]" hyperlink. To return on OTZ, click on your browser's back button.
1. UA wins at 1st dubs. NA wins at 2nd dubs. 1-1 (My stomach won at the concession stand.) . [Tweet]
2. Bexley’s Amiya Bowles wins her third D2 State Singles Championship. She beat Orange’s Genevieve Hayden. [Tweet]
3. Mason will face Upper Arlington in the D1 Finals. [Tweet]
4. The first round of D2 is finished for the State Team Tournament. Gilmour Academy beat Columbus Academy and Indian Hill defeated Maumee Valley Country Day. GA will face IH in the finals. [Tweet]
5. This will be one of the biggest matches today in the entire state of Ohio. No pressure though. . [Tweet]
6. Hopefully just a slight rain delay… Sabalenka is leading Swiatek.[Tweet]
OTZ appreciates its sponsors and advertisers and absolutely more are needed. Please contact OTZ for more information. For more information about advertising, please submit a Feedback.
The orders are coming in for photos. Please get your order in soon.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2024
OHSAA Tournament Championship Points
Three out of four of the championship points were captured this year. The Mason doubles match ended at the same time as the Gilmour Academy versus Miami Valley School match, and I was already setup for the ending of the D1 match. If anyone has video of the D2 doubles championship point, I would be happy to include it online.
Player photos are included at the end of the videos. There was also an extra point added when possible.
For best results, use full screen mode and increase the resolution to HD (for high definition).
Crank up the volume so that co-workers (or neighbors) stop by your office cube to see what is going on.
|
Division I Singles: Mason's Addison Cassidy defeated Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell. |
|
|
Division I Doubles: Mason's Emma Wagner - Pratyusha Chaudhuri beat Notre Dame - Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming - Ella Workinger. |
|
|
Division II Singles: Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Pepper Pike Orange's Genevieve Hayden. |
|
|
Division II Doubles: Gilmour Academy's Grier Peckham - Caroline Koch beat Miami Valley School's Ginevra Muratori - Kennedi Washington. |
There are always some scoring snafus found by coaches as they begin to print off their end-of-season reports. If results are incorrect, please provide:
- the *incorrect* match information. The error first needs to be located in the database and there are a zillion scores. Please include the date, the name(s) of all of the player(s) and their schools, and the score.
- then provide the correct match information which includes all of the above, but with the correct information
If the commentary is incorrect, please provide *when* the commentary was in error, the erroneous comments, and what it should be. Screen shots are always helpful.
Please keep in mind there are quite a few moving parts. The players could have reported the wrong score, the coach could have recorded it incorrectly, the newspaper may have posted it incorrectly, or maybe, just possibly, OTZ could have made an error.
OTZ is on the road today. It is past time that I get some work done up at the Findlay farm.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024
Mason and Indian Hill are the State Team Championships
Congratulations to Mason, the Division I team champion, and to the Division II champion, Indian Hill. Mason defeated Anthony Wayne and Upper Arlington to get the championship. Indian Hill beat Maumee Valley Country Day and Gilmour Academy. This was Mason’s eighth consecutive championship and Indian Hill's second. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
|
Mason - D1 Champions - Click to enlarge |
 |
Indian Hill - D2 Champions - Click to enlarge |
On the excitement meter, this State Team Tournament was rated "good". It was great that the two best teams in each division met in the finals, and the weather was so awesome that fans were seeking shade under the trees. In the minus column, all of the team scores were 3-0's except for three 3-1's. Both of the Mason and Indian Hill championships were repeats, or in Mason's case re-re-re-re-re-re-re-repeats. Having Gilmour Academy, Highland, and Maumee Valley Country Day at the tournament were nice new additions.
Most of the singles matches involving the top players went unfinished. The exceptions were: Indian Hill's Martha Thompson defeated Gilmour Academy's Abigail Lynch; Mason's Pratyusha Chaudhuri beat Upper Arlington's Alice Hawley; Gilmour Academy's Abigail Lynch defeated Columbus Academy's Ella Tsao; Gilmour Academy's Grier Peckham beat Columbus Academy's Gabrielle Stewart and Indian Hill's Ayla Daoud; and Gilmour Academy's Caroline Koch defeated Columbus Academy's Tamanna Arya. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Mason won the "Holding the Banner the Levelist" award, but they have gotten quite a bit of practice doing this.
While there are no guarantees, Mason will be favored to get into the OTZ Top Ten again next year. They might even do ok in the State Team Tournament since they lose exactly zero starters from this year's team. Indian Hill will lose several key players next year including: Caroline Brown, Cassie Larsen, and Nayla Azarbeygui.
The championship points video edition will be tomorrow.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2024
Congratulations to the State Champions
Congratulations to all of the players who competed yesterday and especially to the State Champions. The weather conditions were perfect for tennis and evidently for bees as well.
It was a long day. Play wrapped up at 4pm which was the same time as last year's indoor tournament. In 2022, the tournament finished at 2:25pm.
As expected, play was more competitive yesterday, but in the D2 Singles semi-final match, it was epic. The match between Bexley's Amiya Bowles and Indian Hill's Martha Thompson was an amazing battle. The 9am match finally finished at 1pm with Bowles winning 6-7, 6-4, 6-4.
Click for the final OTZ Enhanced State Tournament Draws.
 |
 |
Mason's Cassidy - Click |
Mason's Chaudhuri-Wagner |
 |
 |
Bexley's Bowles |
GA's Peckham-Koch |
The State champions and the finalists are:
Division I Singles: Mason's Addison Cassidy defeated Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell.
Division I Doubles: Mason's Emma Wagner - Pratyusha Chaudhuri beat Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming - Ella Workinger.
Division II Singles:Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Orange's Genevieve Hayden.
Division II Doubles:Gilmour Academy's Grier Peckham - Caroline Koch beat Miami Valley School's Kennedi Washington - Ginevra Muratori.
In the District versus District competition, Southwest won with two champions. The Central and Northeast Districts both had one.
 |
This year's Wooster-area Weather |
 |
Last year's Wooster-area Weather |
The State Team Tournament takes place today at the College of Wooster. Just as you do with an eye exam, do you like the image above or the image below? Play was forced indoors last year to the Aspen Racquet Club. This year, we should be in great shape.
Other than mangling some of the names, the OTZ Top Picks for States video came out pretty solid. Watch for this paragraph to be missing after future state tournaments when the picks are mangled as badly as the names.
Tomorrow's update will be videos of the championship points. Videos were obtained for all but the D2 dubs match. If anyone was able to capture that point, please contact me via Feedback.
See you at the State Team Tournament.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2024
Ready for Day 2 of States
Weather conditions could not have been more perfect yesterday for the first day of the State Tournament. Yes, it was chilly and the frosty conditions prevented fans from parking on the golf course, but that changed as the temps warmed. The competition ended at approximately 4:45.
As they were yesterday, click on the graphic below or use this link to follow the action throughout the day - OhioTennisZone.com/draws.
|
Magnificat's Anna Mancino - Click to enlarge |
In the District versus District competition, the Southwest won with six semi-finalists, Northeast had four, Central had three, and the Northwest had three. We will see how the championship count turns out...
In the D1 matches, Sylvania Northview's Maddie Peisley defeated Dublin Scioto's Amelia Kunard and Kenston's Brooke McNeal; Mason's Addison Cassidy beat Perry's Fearon and Dublin Coffman's Lauren Burkett; Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell defeated Hudson's Emma Liu and St. Ursula Academy's Maria Poon; and Magnificat's Anna Mancino beat Mason's Ana Gotike and Chillicothe's Bella Flores.
In Division II, Bexley's Amiya Bowles defeated Bryan's Caitlyn DeWitt and Hawken's Dani Forte; Indian Hill's Martha Thompson beat Laurel's Rida Tahir and Maumee Valley Country Day's Mari-Yona Shannon; Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock defeated Shawnee's Ava Patel and Gilmour Academy's Abigail Lynch; Orange's Genevieve Hayden beat Norwalk's Ana Osborn and Badin's Caroline Boyle. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
 |
State Draws - Click to draws |
Players in the Semi-Finals are:
Division I
Singles: Sylvania Northview's Maddie Peisley, Mason's Addison Cassidy, Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell, and Magnificat's Anna Mancino.
Doubles: Mason's Emma Wagner - Pratyusha Chaudhuri, Anthony Wayne's Mara Boyd - Cora Langenderfer, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Elena Fleming - Ella Workinger, and Upper Arlington's Alice Hawley - Alexa Roth.
Division II
Singles: Bexley's Amiya Bowles, Indian Hill's Martha Thompson, Eaton's Mallory Hitchcock, and Orange's Genevieve Hayden.
Doubles: Gilmour Academy's Grier Peckham - Caroline Koch, Miami Valley School's Kennedi Washington - Ginevra Muratori, Indian Hill's Caroline Brown - Cassie Larsen, and Ottawa Hills' Taylor Kayse - Bryn Tangeman.
See you at States.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024
It's Time.
It's time for States, and more importantly, it's time to play this video. The weather should be perfect for competition. After a couple of days of rain, hopefully the grass parking lot is dry enough for parking. (This is why it is important that you arrive *after me*.)
Click on the image to the right or click on the ink below to go to the draws:
ohiotenniszone.com/draws |
State Tennis Draws - Click to enlarge |
The OTZ Enhanced draws will be updated throughout the day. The normal cycle is that I take a few photos, talk with a few people, update the draws, rinse, repeat.
While the weather will be perfect, the morning will be chilly. If warm-up balls were left in the vehicle overnight, that could be a problem. Tennis balls are less bouncy when temperatures drop below 40. In the FYI department, the 40 degree mark is no problem for a platform tennis ball. We play (outside) until the wind chill hits 10 degrees.
 |
Wooster-area weather |
Older information has been removed from the OTZ home page to help make it load faster.
See you in Wooster.
