Tennis

WIAA state boys tennis: Edgewood’s Alex Sviatoslavsky rules Division 2 singles field

WIAA state boys tennis: Edgewood's Alex Sviatoslavsky rules Division 2 singles field

The big day finally came on Saturday, and Madison Edgewood tennis player Alex Sviatoslavsky made the most of it.

The senior defeated Brookfield Academy’s Adrian Yin 6-1, 6-0 to capture the WIAA Division 2 singles championship at Sports Core in Kohler.

By capping off a 26-0 season, Sviatoslavsky became the school’s first state singles champion since Dan Glinert in 2005.

“It was exhilarating,” said Sviatoslavsky, who was singles runner-up in the 2019 state meet. “I’ve been looking forward to this for so long. To finally fulfill that dream is unlike anything else I’ve ever felt.”

Sviatoslavsky didn’t just win matches, he dominated them. Out of his four state tournament matches, he never lost a set and lost only three games total.

“You can’t lose focus and give away free games, free points,” Sviatoslavsky said. “They tumble down into whole sets and matches, so you’ve got to stay focused every point and every game. That’s my philosophy.

According to Edgewood coach Alex Mory, the senior’s mettle is a product of his continued determination to grow and improve over his high school years, even through his entire junior season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s also become more of a self-aware player, making Mory’s job that much easier.

According to Edgewood coach Alex Mory, the senior’s mettle is a product of his continued determination to grow and improve over his high school years, even through his entire junior season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s also become more of a self-aware player, making Mory’s job that much easier.

When he makes a mistake he instantly fixes it, and that’s a really hard trait to find,” Mory said. “He’s really aware of what’s going on all the time on the court, and he’s a breeze to coach. I go out and just tell him something, and he does it immediately, so he’s very coachable.”

Of course, Sviatoslavsky has great sources of inspiration, both from his immediate family and his tennis one.

“Over my whole career, my biggest inspiration probably would be my dad,” Sviatoslavsky said. “He’s really pushed me to work hard, have success and try my best.

“This year it’s been my teammates. I’ve worked hard to try to succeed for them and to help our team.”

Mory added that the sentiment goes both ways, emphasizing the impact Sviatoslavsky has had on the other players.

“He really gets the other guys on the team ready for the matches,” Mory said. “He’s always pumping everyone up and always telling everyone, ‘Hey, come watch the other guys on our team play.’ He’s a great team player and leader.

“Being around him is just fun; he’s a good guy to be around,” Mory said. “It’s going to be hard to see him go.”

Sviatoslavsky plans to attend the University of Wisconsin in the fall, where he will play club tennis.

Brookfield Academy’s top-seeded Drew Buckholdt and Pranav Gogineni (13-5) won the Division 2 doubles title, beating Andrew Bechthold and Shaan Sharma (8-4) of University School of Milwaukee 6-2, 6-4.

In Division 1 singles at Menard Tennis Center in Eau Claire, top-seeded Martin Blagoev (24-0) of Kenosha Indian Trail defeated Wauwatosa East’s Noah Viste (24-1) by a score of 6-4, 6-3 to win the title.

The Brookfield East pairing of Henry Irwin and Reed Scullen (23-1) captured the Division 1 doubles title, beating Hartland Arrowhead’s top-seeded Sam Kredell and Nick Tiahnybik (28-1) by a 6-2, 6-1 score.

Locally, Sun Prairie’s Jacob Baldwin and Nikko Vilwock fell to Hartland Arrowhead’s Ben Brandel and Alex Deubel in a Division 1 doubles consolation semifinal 6-3, 6-3.

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