By DAVID CAMPBELL
Eight is enough.
Nick Bradham’s eighth win over Robinson’s Jacob Wingate in their eighth meeting brought a new level of pressure and intensity.
For Bradham, it brought a state championship.
The College Station sophomore claimed a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win in windy conditions to win the Class 3A boys state singles title Tuesday at Texas A&M’s Mitchell Tennis Center.
“I had to keep the ball deep with lots of spin,” Bradham said. “I can’t really go for a winner with how windy it was out there. The wind was swirling around, so you had to keep it deep and just rally with him.”
Amid service breaks, the match was a showcase for long rallies and some creative adjustments by both players.
“The third set was pretty even,” said Wingate, a senior. “We both had our heads on straight, and it was just a matter of who could stay out there longer.”
In the clinching game, Bradham made a superb lob to set up the service break, but Wingate battled back and led 40-30 after an ace. Bradham earned a match point when Wingate nearly made a save on a between-the-legs shot that hit the tape. Bradham then clinched the match after a long rally.
“He’s a tough player to play against, super fast and athletic, and gets everything back,” Bradham said. “I tried to have patience, move him and move him and just wait for him to miss.”
The players met in the Region III championship match the last two years.
“After regionals when we shook hands, he said, ‘This will probably the last time we play, so good luck at state,'” Bradham said. “Then we found ourselves playing each other one more time.”
Wingate admitted that he felt the eighth meeting was an unlikely one, but playing Bradham had provided him with motivation to get to this point.
“When I first realized that College Station was going to be a 3A school, and I had to play him for the first time, he was a lot better,” Wingate said. “He pretty much whipped my butt off the court, and it was embarrassing, so I started to work hard. He honestly made me a better player these last two years.”
Bradham served well to open the match and provided an immediate challenge to Wingate’s serve, breaking him in the fourth game for 3-1 edge. Wingate had a break point in the next game, but Bradham delivered a deep backhand to pull even in the game. He followed with an overhead that he bounced into the stands and took a 4-1 lead with a forehand down the right line.
“There were a couple of key games there, and I knew if I would win them, he would start feeling the pressure and I would be able to jump start,” Bradham said. “I had to just play solid at the beginning to get out to that big lead.”
As the match progressed, the gusty wind appeared to have more and more of an effect, particularly on serves.
When Wingate lost at love on his serve in the second set, he froze in place as if waiting for his luck to change. It did. Vulnerable at that point, he overcame the testing time to win the set 6-4, closing it out with a tremendous half volley for a winner followed by a pair of serves that Bradham could only glance off his racquet.
In the final set, Bradham rallied from a 40-15 deficit to break Wingate’s serve for a 3-1 edge.
But in Bradham’s worst service game of the day, he handed it right back, and the set eventually reached 3-3.
“Every time I threw the ball up, it looked like it was moving three different directions,” Bradham said. “I shanked the ball a couple of times because of it.”
Wingate said wind was not the only factor for either player.
“It was nerves as well,” Wingate said. “It was really difficult to keep up with both the wind messing with your toss and your nerves. You get really tight in your shoulders. It was really tough.”
As the crowd built for their match as other matches at the Mitchell Center ended, both players drew a warm reception in the chilling wind as they finished their three-setter.
“Honestly, since we both lost in the first round at state last year, I didn’t think we would be at the level of competition where we would both make it to the finals,” Wingate said. “We both improved a ton. I think we both deserved to be where we are.”
Story courtesy of brazossports.com