Webb City spoiled Joplin’s 2022 boys tennis opener, as the Cardinals defeated the Eagles 7-2 on Tuesday at the JHS athletic complex,
Webb City swept the three doubles matches to start the dual.
“With this being our opening contest, it’s the first time any of our doubles teams have competed together in a match,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump told SoMo Sports. “They had a slow start, but they are learning to communicate and will get better with experience.”
Webb City’s Jacob McDonald and Christian Alberts edged Joplin’s Joseph Graham and Adam Badr 8-6 at No. 1 doubles.
At No. 2 doubles, Webb City’s Trevor Peterson and Brett Thompson earned an 8-5 win over Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley.
Felipe Perez and Tristan Lynch defeated Joplin’s Josiah Hazlewood and Aidan Kester 8-2 at No. 3 doubles.
The Cardinals won four of the six singles matches.
At No. 1 singles, Webb City’s McDonald defeated Joplin’s Graham 8-5.
“Joseph has shown that he will be a great player for our team this season,” Stump said. “He has experience in tennis, even though he is a freshman, and his experience is apparent in his play. He had a lot of strong shots, and I expect him to gain more consistency with those shots with more match play.”
Joplin’s Badr earned an 8-6 win over Alberts at No. 2 singles.
“Adam and Christian were closely matched,” Stump noted. “They reached deuce many times throughout the match. This was a great start for Adam’s high school tennis career. He reached the No. 2 rank in his first as a tennis player.”
In a back and forth clash, Mancipe edged Peterson 9-8 (9-7 tie-breaker) at No. 3 singles for Joplin’s other singles victory.
“Michael is our top returning player this year,” Stump said. “He ranked at No. 5 on the team last year and has continued to improve. He fought hard to win his first singles match of the season. He and Trevor had some of the longest rallies of the night and played a close match.”
Webb City’s Thompson won the No. 4 singles match 8-4 over Hazlewood.
“Josiah is also new to tennis this season,” Stump commented. “He played well enough during our pre-season challenge matches to reach No. 4 on the team.”
At No. 5 singles, Webb City’s Perez beat Merkley 8-4.
“Hunter was our No. 7 player last year,” Stump said. “He continues to improve and played a competitive match.”
Webb City’s Lynch defeated Kester 8-2 at No. 6 singles.
“Aidan played at No. 8 last year,” Stump said. “He put in time playing tennis in the offseason and will continue to develop into a stronger player as the season progresses.”
Joplin hosts Branson on Thursday, while Webb City hosts Ozark on Thursday.
