Jun. 1—Willmar got a first-round Section 8AA win from Dave Thaden in the tournament Saturday at Becker.
Thaden beat Big Lake’s Kobe Goodwin 6-3, 7-5. He was eliminated from the competition in the second round by St. Cloud Tech’s Emilio Estevez, 6-0, 6-1.
Mateo Engan also won his first-round singles match in 8AA for the Cardinals. He beat Big Lake’s Ty Slack, 7-5, 6-2. He then lost to Becker’s Zach Bengtson 6-0, 6-0.
In doubles play, Willmar’s Isaac Zelaya-Velasquez and Jonathan Kelpe earned a first-round victory over Big Lake’s Wyatt Martin and Erick Carlson, 6-4, 7-5. The duo then lost to Tech’s Andrew Plombom and Michael Plombom 6-0, 6-0.
The top two singles players and top two doubles teams from Section 8AA advance to the state Class 2A meet June 8-11 at Prior Lake High School.
How Willmar fared
Singles
David Thaden
First Round: Thaden def Kobe Goodwin, Big Lake 6-3 7-5; Second Round: Emilio Estevez, St. Cloud Tech, def Thaden 6-0 6-1
Mateo Engan
First Round: Engan def Ty Slack, Big Lake 7-5 6-2; Second Round: Zach Bengtson, Becker, def Engan 6-0 6-0
Doubles
Jorge Zelaya-Velasquez/Andrew Ziebarth
First Round: Johnny May/Ryan Schyma, Monticello, def Zelaya-Velasquez/Ziebarth 6-0 6-1
Isaac Zelaya-Velasquez/Jonathan Kelpe
First Round: Zelaya-Velasquez/Kelpe def Wyatt Martin/Erick Carlson, Big Lake, 6-4 7-5; Second Round: Andrew Plombom/Michael Plombom, St. Cloud Tech, def Zelaya-Velasquez/Kelpe 6-0 6-0