The Becker boys tennis team played winning tennis last week, as both the team and individuals scored well in the 8AA South Sub-section tournaments.  

Team

The Bulldogs opened team play last Wednesday with a convincing victory over the Apollo-Sauk Rapids Rice Storming Eagles, 7-0.

“We played well and enjoyed the amazing weather for this match,” Coach Hokan Bengtson said.   

Becker was extremely dominant in the singles matches, where they lost just one game total.

Number one player Zach Bengtson, #2 Luke Bordson and #3 Landon Peterson each claimed 6-0, 6-0 victories, while #4 Troy Nuest won 6-0, 6-1.

In the doubles matches, it was again all Bulldogs starting with the top team of Ryan Bengtson and Eli Scheideman who scored a 6-2, 6-2 win.  The #2 team of Wyatt Hiltner and Sawyer Brown blanked their opponents 6-0, 6-0, while the third team of Bruce Kraemer and Nick Gruber earned a forfeit win.

The win puts Becker in the Section 8AA semifinals which was played at St. Cloud Tech on Wednesday at Noon versus Bemidji.  St. Cloud Tech and Alexandria were scheduled to meet in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting at 4 pm Wednesday in Sartell for the right to advance to the State Tournament.

Individuals

Becker hosted the individual south sub-section tournament last Saturday, with several players making the lineup.  For Tennis individuals tournaments, the top two individuals and doubles teams are seeded into a bracketed tournament.

Ryan Bengtson and Eli Scheideman earned the #1 seed in the doubles draw, while teammates Luke Bordson and Wyatt Hiltner earned the #5 doubles seed.

Zach Bengtson was seeded #2 in individual play, while 7th grader Troy Nuest earned the #5 seed.

“Saturday was big day,” Bengtson said.   “Troy played really well, earning 4th place in the sub-section as our #4 singles player on our team and Zach played some of his best tennis of the year so far upsetting the #1 seeded player from Monticello 6-2, 6-1.”

Nuest defeated a Senior from Apollo, a Junior from Monticello and a Senior from St. Cloud Tech, Emilio Estevez,  to earn a spot in the Section tournament.

Bengtson scored a 6-0, 6-0 win over his opponent from WIllmar in the opening round, followed by a 6-2, 7-5 win over Estevez before taking out the top seed from Monticello, Tyler Roussang, in convincing fashion, 6-2, 6-1.

Both players have earned the chance to play on Thursday, June 3 in the Section tournament.

In doubles play, Bordson and Hiltner played a great match but came up just short losing to the team that took 3rd place.  

“Ryan and Eli played very well, winning the Doubles tournament and setting themselves up well for a chance at a trip to state next Thursday,” Bengtson said.

Becker’s top doubles duo won a match 6-2, 6-1 over Monticello before defeating both of St. Cloud Tech’s top teams en route to finishing in first place.

Thursday’s individual Section tournament will kick off at 10 am in Sartell.

Look for complete details on the Bulldogs’ pursuit of a state tournament berth in next week’s Patriot.