In a slugfest of a semifinal, Jared Madison of Dos Pueblos outlasted Santa Barbara’s Sammer Aziz to reach the final of the Channel League singles tournament on Tuesday at the Cathedral Oaks Athletic Club.
Madison defeated a cramping Aziz 7-5, 7-6 in an intense semifinal match. In the other semi, Chris “Booie” Grant beat his Santa Barbara teammate, Graham Maassen, 6-0, 6-4.
The final is on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at Cathedral Oaks.
Madison and Aziz both covered a lot of ground on the court. It took its toll on Aziz, as he started developing leg cramps in the middle of the second set. He fought through them and took Madison down to the wire before faltering in a tiebreaker.
“In both sets, Madison and Aziz showcased their speed in covering every square inch of the court, as well as their ability to mix up their shots — from low, deep groundies, wide angles, aggressive volleys, dropshots, lobs, and kick serves, just to name a few.,” DP coach Liz Frech said. “The momentum kept shifting. No one was holding back.”
