Oct. 12—GRAND FORKS — There was a sense of unpredictability this North Dakota boys tennis season.
Third sets were replaced by 10-point super tiebreakers. For underdogs, it was an enticing proposition: You can win a match without having to win two full sets.
For the state’s biggest favorite, it didn’t matter.
Still, nobody could knock him off.
Grand Forks Central’s Cole Wilber ran through the season without dropping a set en route to a second-straight state singles title.
Wilber finished it off with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Grand Forks Red River freshman Aodh Murphy in the championship Saturday at Choice Health and Fitness.
“It was kind of a slow start, then I kind of got the forehand going,” Wilber said. “The serve was a little off, so that was tricky for me, but he was playing great. I just had to win some of the bigger points to get the victory.”
Wilber is the fourth Central player to win multiple state boys singles titles since 1970s. The others are Joe Rubin (1985, 1986, 1987), Charlie Paukert (2003, 2004) and Logan Sandberg (2020, 2021).
“He controls the court,” Central coach Max Weisser said. “He makes his opponent stay at the baseline and pushes him back farther and farther, and he’s able to open up the court with angles. That’s what he was able to do here.”
Wilber cruised at state.
He never dropped more than four games in any match.
“One of his biggest attributes is how mentally strong he is,” Weisser said. “He never allows himself to get down. He might play a poor point, but he’s able to forget about that and move forward.”
Wilber beat Red River’s Julian Mallory 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals Saturday before finishing off Murphy in the final.
“I just wanted to hit it cleaner,” Wilber said. “I didn’t think I’ve been hitting it that clean the last time I played him. I wanted to touch up a couple things.”
Wilber dictated the final.
After a tight start, he broke Murphy’s serve to go up 5-3. He served out the first set. In the second set, Wilber dictated the points, moving Murphy on the baseline and finishing points at the net.
“It feels great,” Wilber said. “It’s fun playing here. It’s a great atmosphere. It’s a great way to end.”
For Murphy, reaching the state final was an impressive feat.
Last season, Murphy didn’t even make Red River’s postseason roster. This season, he beat West Region singles champion Karter Hatzenbuhler 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the semifinals to reach the championship.
“He made a big jump from his eighth grade to his freshman year,” Red River coach Josh Lunak said. “He really put in the time in his offseason and really developed his game. He’s a very talented young player and he had a really good year.”
Red River’s Mallory took fourth and Central’s Jason Ling finished fifth to earn all-state honors.
On Thursday, Brandt Aslakson clinched West Fargo Sheyenne’s first boys tennis team title by winning the decisive match at No. 3 singles against Mandan.
On Friday and Saturday, he showed he’s pretty good at doubles, too.
Aslakson teamed with Andrew Rexin to win the North Dakota state boys doubles title.
The road wasn’t easy.
Aslakson and Rexin topped West Region champions Aidan Diehl and Grayson Schaeffer of Minot 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinals before topping Bismarck Legacy’s Caleb Johnson and Cooper Miller 7-6 (3), 7-5 in the championship.
It marked the first individual state title for Aslakson and Rexin, who finished runner-up at the East Region tournament.
In Grand Forks, Friday
Singles
Semifinals
Cole Wilber, GFC, over Julian Mallory, RR, 6-0, 6-1; Aodh Murphy, RR, over Karter Hatzenbuhler, Man, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Championship
Wilber over Murphy 6-3, 6-1
Third place
Hatzenbuhler over Mallory 3-6, 6-2, 10-5
Consolation semifinals
Jason Ling, GFC, over Momin Durrani, WFS, 6-2, 6-3; Jared Christen, Man, over Connor Svihovec, BL, 6-2, 4-6, 10-6
Fifth place
Ling over Christen 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
Semifinals
Brandt Aslakson-Andrew Rexin, WFS, over Aidan Diehl-Grayson Schaeffer, Min, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2; Caleb Johnson-Cooper Miller, BL, over Drew Burris-Nicholas Webb, FN, 7-6 (5), 6-4
Championship
Aslakson-Rexin over Johnson-Miller 7-6 (3), 7-5
Third place
Diehl-Schaeffer over Burris-Webb 6-1, 6-3
Consolation semifinals
Amav Panwalkar-Thomas Webb, FN, over Jaden Kleinjan-Ryan Mullally, BC, 6-2, 6-4; Luke LeFevre-Braxton Burkett, J, over Alex Comings-Garnett Anderson, Wahpeton, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 10-4
Fifth place
Panwalkar-Webb over LeFevre-Burkett 1-6, 7-6 (4), 10-7
