Olentangy boys tennis players lead central Ohio to state in Division I
Five Columbus-area high schools will be represented in the OHSAA Division I state boys tennis tournament May 28 and 29.
A few of Gavin Cheung’s most powerful serves during the Division I district boys tennis tournament May 20 ended up not counting, but they were a display of the energy that led him to his first state appearance as a singles player. In the last of eight state-qualifying matches to conclude, the Olentangy senior used an array of short- and long-range shots to edge Olentangy Orange junior Luke Rutherford 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 at Olympic Indoor Tennis. “I kind of feel like it was more [about] how much stamina I had,” said Cheung, who qualified for state in doubles in 2024.
“I just did not feel tired at all. I was really hyped and I knew it would end up working if I maintained my stamina. “I just maintained my composure.
There were a lot of changes in momentum and I had to try not to be affected by that. ” The top four finishers in singles and doubles qualified for state May 28 and 29 at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason. District semifinals and finals will be May 23 at Upper Arlington.
Central Ohio’s other qualifying singles players were Olentangy Liberty senior Shane Hand, UA junior Owen Hawley and Olentangy freshman Aarush Andey – who defeated Cheung 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the Gahanna sectional final May 18. Hand, a Butler signee, reached state for the third year in a row and is the only one of the four to have previously played singles on the season’s final weekend. He qualified with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Dublin Coffman junior Tomoya Akiyama.