Local Tennis Athletes Shine at WIAA State Semifinals

MADISON - The WIAA Division 1 and Division 2 individual tennis tournaments are set to culminate on June 6, with northeast Wisconsin athletes poised for potential glory. In the Division 1 singles category, Alex Thomas from Notre Dame Academy is gearing up to face Colin Meixl of Kimberly in one semifinal, while Andrey Semin from Brookfield Central will compete against Alexander Bo from Middleton in the other semifinal.

In the Division 1 doubles event, the semifinals will feature Menomonee Falls duo Mile Seder and Chase Larson battling Madison West's Sverre Ezra Roang and Hunter Shadman. Additionally, Eddie Schoyer and Cole Wurtzbacher from Brookfield Academy will take on Jake Zheng and Ryker Koch from Brookfield East.

For the Division 2 singles, Xavier's Kojo Norman is set to meet Oliver Milleman of Catholic Memorial, with Teddy Busateri from East Troy facing Maddox Bradfield from Madison Country Day Co-op in the other semifinal match. In Division 2 doubles, Catholic Memorial's Finn Milleman and Brady Latus will challenge Shorewood's Andrew Joeckel and Max Herman, while Edgewood's Mac Yackeet and Johnathan Buye will compete against Plymouth’s Gianni Frausto and Cavin Baltus.

Thomas reached the Division 1 singles semifinals after defeating Reid Hirn of Badger with a score of 6-0, 6-2, and Ethan Hoffmann from Hartford, 6-3, 6-1. Meixl advanced by overcoming Clark Meyers of Brookfield East with a decisive 6-1, 6-0 victory and triumphed over Grant Schaefer from Whitefish Bay in a close match, winning 0-6, 6-3, 10-4. Meanwhile, West De Pere's Liam Hankel lost to Hoffmann in the third round, while Truman Vogel from Appleton West secured a win in his third-round match but fell to Semin in the quarterfinals.

In Division 1 doubles, West De Pere's Giovanni Zifferblatt and Brayden Hayden faced a tough loss against Hartford's Alex Hoffmann and Jake Otto after a tightly contested match. Neenah's Brady Lawatsch and Luke Grassl also exited the tournament following a defeat to Franklin's Ethan Cannon and Christian Lethlean.

In the Division 2 singles bracket, Xavier’s Norman advanced after a narrow win over Wyatt Andrew of University Lake School and another tough match against Tegan Schott of Aquinas. St. Mary Catholic’s Sean Osland and Aiden Tines were eliminated in the Division 2 doubles third round by Aria Ziogas and JJ Borchardt from New Berlin West.

This year's state tournament highlights the talent and determination of high school athletes across Wisconsin.