On a hot day at Sullivan South High School, Elizabethton junior tennis player Blaye Davis faced off with Cumberland Gap’s Ethan Estes for two hours and forty-three minutes.
After a hard fought and slow contest, Estes had won the region semifinal contest 2-1 (8-6 tiebreaker, 1-6, 6-4).
For Davis, who won the District 1-A/AA boys’ singles title last week, it was his first time playing in the region tournament.
“From the get-go, I wasn’t playing very good,” said Davis. “I came into this nervous because it was my first regionals. I didn’t want to lose. I think it choked me.”
After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, 8-6, Davis had no trouble in the second set as he won 6-1.
“I had some confidence back in that one after winning the first couple of games,” said Davis.
However, in the final set, Estes picked up two straight games before Davis broke Estes’ server to make the set 2-1. Davis would rip a winner down the line to make the score 2-2 before Estes won next two games. Davis got within 5-4 of Estes before dropping the match.