Williamstown’s Austin Bosgraf, left, and Tyler Fenton have a good time after clinching the Class A doubles state championship Saturday in Charleston.
(Photo by Josh Hughes)

CHARLESTON — Austin Bosgraf’s journey to the highest of the Class AA/A mountaintop culminated instantly basic in Saturday contained in the YMCA of Kanawha Valley.

In a rematch of final yr’s singles championship, No. 2 Bosgraf outlasted top-seeded Nick Giatris of Charleston Catholic, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8. If that match wasn’t already lengthy sufficient, simply attending to the title match towards Giatris was a battle. Downing Winfield’s William Sinclair with a 10-4 victory within the semifinal tiebreaker, Bosgraf needed to shortly shift his consideration.

He did simply that.

An emotionally charged first set noticed Bosgraf get the upperhand, as Giatris was annoyed by a collection of miscues on the internet. With momentum on Bosgraf’s facet, Giatris needed to reply. He gave that response, however Bosgraf didn’t make issues simple.

For a time, Giatris’s 3-0 lead appeared solely protected, however Bosgraf stormed again to path 4-3 within the second set. Then, each rivals held serve to set the rating at 5-4, Giatris.

Bosgraf had a pair of possibilities to interrupt serve and tie the set at 5, however the CCHS netter rallied throughout a prolonged back-and-forth to forestall any injury. During the trade, Bosgraf hit a tweener (shot together with his again to the web and in between his legs), however Giatris wouldn’t budge, as nicely. It lastly ended when Bosgraf hit a return into the web, and from there, Giatris scored the subsequent level to drive a dramatic tiebreaker.

“Honestly, it was just a fun point,” Bosgraf mentioned. “Great balls from him. Great balls from me. It was just great tennis. On set point, that’s what you’re looking for. After that point was done, I was smiling. I lost the point, but all-around, I was just happy to be having fun. Sometimes, you work hard all year, and it’s hard to keep going. Those are the moments those are the moments that keep you going.”

In the ultimate showdown, Bosgraf was down at a number of instances. Most crucially, Giatris held an 8-7 edge. However, Bosgraf had a ultimate rally left in him.

Scoring the subsequent two factors to succeed in match level at 9-8, Bosgraf awaited Giatris’s serve. Going into this level, Giatris solely had one double fault. Fortunately for Bosgraf, Giatris’s second double fault occurred on the most opportune time.

Bosgraf watched a pair of serves stopped by the web, as he claimed the last word victory. Throwing his hat within the air and pumping his fist, Bosgraf was overcome with emotion.

Assistant coach Dave Leo was alongside Bosgraf.

“We went through it with every point and every game. I had specific notes,” he recalled. “He kept placing balls where they needed to be. He kept staying positive, and he never really got down. Even in the second set when he was down, he pushed through. When he was down in the tiebreaker, he pushed through.”

This second of capturing singles gold took quite a bit for Bosgraf, however he additionally had a doubles match to win with Tyler Fenton.

“I just needed to focus. Throughout the match, my backhand return was a little shaky. He was targeting it,” Bosgraf mentioned. “Last year, I had the one-hander. I switched to the two-hander, and I’ve only had it for nine months. I made backhanded returns on (points) seven and eight. It really gave me the confidence. Up 9-8, I knew I had it.”

Any considered the doubles championship being shorter than the singles wasn’t round for lengthy. Bosgraf teamed with Tyler Fenton, as his purpose was to repeat as a doubles champ. The two dealt with their semifinal opponents in straight units earlier than operating into the staff of Giatris and Conner Waybright. That Charleston Catholic duo fell to the duo of Austin and Gavin Bosgraf a yr in the past in straight units, however this yr was a struggle.

Bosgraf and Fenton received 6-3, 3-6, 11-9, because the ‘Jackets took control early. Fresh off that first set, they built a 3-0 second-set lead before surrendering the next six games. Then, the usual first to ten tiebreaker lasted longer. The winning team had to win by 2, so with the score knotted at 9, Bosgraf and Fenton dug down deep to score the last two points. Giatris’s ultimate shot went broad, as the 2 champions celebrated.

“Up 3-0 in both sets, we fumbled it a little in the second with six straight given up, but hey, we’ve played seven (tiebreakers) together,” Bosgraf mentioned. “We love tiebreakers! We worked all year. We played a lot in the mornings before school, and it’s just great.”

The journey for Fenton was one with massive sneakers to fill, and he lived as much as these expectations.

“I love playing with him. I played with him in middle school. His brother was a great doubles partner, and I had a lot to live up to,” Fenton mentioned. “I just feel great being able to keep his streak going. Three straight (doubles championships) for him. It just feels awesome. We were obviously disappointed yesterday with the team scores. We have to keep momentum and build off of what we did today. It feels great, and we get to go into next year with it.”

On the ladies’ facet, the tandem of Claire Strobl and Ashtyn McIntyre represented Williamstown in a semifinal matchup towards eventual champions, Jillian Blevens and Courtney Curnutte. The Chapmanville pair took care of enterprise in a 6-3, 6-2 win, as a yr the place the ladies staff misplaced its prime 4 from a yr in the past. The efforts of Strobl, McIntyre and everybody else offers head coach Diana Leo confidence for the longer term.

“They got into the semifinals, and they’re new as a doubles team,” she mentioned of the ladies. “They work so hard, and they had a great match yesterday. We lost all four of our singles girls from last year, and to be able to bring them all here. We brought both teams. Every one of them again this year, and it’s an honor. They’re such a polite team, and they’re such well-rounded kids.”

Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com