Conditioning did not appear to be a problem for the Minot High School boys tennis team in the Minot Round Robin on Saturday at Magic City Campus.
Less than 24 hours after earning their first win of the season, the Magicians dominated the early matches in Nos. 1, 2 and 3 singles. The seven-team tournament featured players from Minot, Bismarck High, Bismarck Century, Williston, Dickinson, Mandan and Jamestown.
The players competed in one-set matches.
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Mike Kraft/MDN • Minot senior Taylor Chavez returns a shot from teammate Kyle Gerding during their match at the Minot round robin tournament Saturday. Chavez represented Dickinson High School in No. 3 singles for the tournament.
MHS senior Hunter Oothoudt dropped only one game in his first three matches, posting 6-0 victories against Dickinson's Kevin Schwab and Williston's Austin Semenko in No. 1 singles. Oothoudt said that the round robin was a good way of determining where Minot stands in the region.
"It's a way to see where your team is and where you are in the lineup," he said. "It's a good way to place yourself in the (West)."
The most intriguing match of the tournament was between Minot seniors Kyle Gerding and Taylor Chavez. Despite wearing a white Minot tennis T-shirt, Chavez was representing Dickinson as a No. 3. Prior to the start of the tournament, Dickinson asked if Chavez would play for them because they did not have a No. 3 representative.
"Coach asked me if I wanted to play for them and I'm always up for it," Chavez said.
Gerding jumped out to a 5-1 lead after winning four straight games, but Chavez fought off five match points and won the next three games to pull within 5-4. The gusting wind proved to be the difference maker in the match, as a Chavez lob landed just outside the end line on Gerding's sixth match point. Gerding won the match, 6-4.
"I didn't like the wind very much," Chavez said. "Normal shots that would have stayed in bounds would sail out. It made things a bit tougher."
Gerding described the match as "fun" and enjoyed the competitive nature.
"I don't get to play him a lot in practice," he said. "Taylor's a really good player."
Junior Isaac Massey continued Minot's success in No. 2 singles, defeating Bismarck's David Keys, 7-5, and Williston's Tyler Hevmanson, 6-1.
The Magicians play Williston at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday at Magic City Courts.