For the third consecutive spring, Jesuit Dallas has produced a district singles champion.
On Tuesday, it was sophomore Van Davidson who picked up where former Ranger Connor Cole left off a year ago, cruising to the District 7-6A title after winning four consecutive matches in straight sets.
By claiming first, Davidson advances to the 6A Region I Championships April 16-17 in McKinney.
Also qualifying for regionals from Jesuit was the doubles tandem of William Wayne and Augustus Chu. The pair finished second and alongside Davidson, helped Jesuit finish as runner-up in the team standings.
“The kids played great and we’re excited for regionals,” said Mallory Wainwright, Jesuit head coach. “Our region is typically very strong, but we have high hopes going in.”
Davidson makes his way to Allen after dropping just 10 games over his four matches at district, including a win over Richardson’s Graham Pearce in the finals (6-0, 6-3).
It was Davidson’s first postseason foray in singles after competing in doubles as a freshman.
“Van has just made so much progress, it’s been really fun to see,” Wainwright said. “After playing doubles last year, we decided to let his singles shine this season and he’s really stepped up.”
Wainwright credited Davidson for his speed, strategy and anticipation on the court, and noted that even she has learned about her coaching philosophy while working with Davidson.
“It’s really been a joy,” she said. “He’s just gotten better and better and puts a lot of work in here and outside of school.”
Wayne and Chu, meanwhile, came up just shy in the doubles final against Knox Stinson and Raj Gaitonde of Lake Highlands after picking up wins over teams from Richardson and Irving Nimitz.
“We had a pretty good idea it would come down to our guys and the Lake Highlands team,” Wainwright said. “They’re both very strong teams and were kind of on a collision course. It was just a matter of who was going to get what seed. Our team hadn’t really seen that type of power in a while, so it took a little time for our guys to adjust. We would love to get the chance to see them again.”
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