Weather stalls tourney play

Wind, rain and darkness all wreacked havoc at the Kalispell Tennis Invitational Saturday, with several championship matches canceled as a result.

The boys’ No. 2 and 3 singles and No. 2 doubles finals were canceled, along with the girls’ No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles finals.

“We saw every season today,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said. “I guess the only thing we didn’t see was snow. The kids from all six schools really persevered, really played hard and they put up with a lot of crazy weather.”

Glacier’s Katya Kulikova won all three of her round-robin matches at girls’ No. 1 singles, beating teammate Hailey Blalack, 1-6, 6-3, 1-0 (8), in her final match of the day.

Glacier’s Veronica Walton and Kailea Vaudt cruised past Missoula Hellgate’s Anna Ballew and Mackenzie Keiper, 6-0, 6-1 in the girls’ No. 1 doubles final and Flathead’s Katie Goodnough and Kenzie Williams won the No. 3 doubles final, 6-3, 6-3, over Columbia Falls’ Gabby Keller and Kirsten Wendt.

Glacier’s Mitch Byrnes and Kyler Harkins won a third-set tiebreaker to claim the boys’ No. 3 doubles title, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 1-0 (8).

Glacier’s Kellen Bates and Missoula Hellgate’s Alex Braun were locked in a tightly-contested No. 1 singles final when play was stopped shortly before 8 p.m. Bates won the first set in a 7-4 tiebreak and the second set was tied at 3-3.

“I guess the rationale was even if we kept playing, it was just going to keep getting darker and darker, and we weren’t going to be able to finish,” Bates said. “If Alex was able to come back and win that second set, I don’t think either one of us wanted to have to face a situation where we can’t see a ball in a winner-takes-all 10-point tiebreak.”

Bates and Braun are familiar adversaries, having faced off in last year’s Class AA state title match and in the championship of last year’s Kalispell Invitational. Bates won both of those matches, but wasn’t quite on his game Saturday. He had to break at 6-5 in the first set to force a tiebreaker and had his serve broken twice in the suspended second set.

“I feel like I struggled with just about every part of my game, but that’s tennis,” Bates said. “The best thing I did was deal with all the changing conditions, whether it was super bright, raining sideways.”

The first set featured a 10-minute rain delay with Bates down a break at 3-2, but the three-time defending state singles champion rallied to force a tiebreaker after winning four of the next seven games.

Bates took a 5-3 lead in the tiebreak after Braun hit an overhead into the net and sent a backhand wide. Bates double faulted to keep it close, but he restored his mini-break when Braun hit a forehand into the net to make it 6-4. Braun double faulted on the ensuing point to give Bates the set.

“He put a lot of pressure on me,” Braun said. “He was very consistent. The match came down to battled out points, particularly in the tiebreak, and he just kept fighting. He came up big with those points.”

Both players had their serves broken twice in the second set. Braun won several points and the net, while Bates neutralized Braun’s serve from the baseline.

“The guy who was returning just played smarter than the guy who was serving,” Bates said. “Whoever was serving got impatient and wanted to finish the points quicker.”

Bates broke at love in the opening game, but Braun won game two with an overhead smash on break point. Both players held on their ensuing service games before Bates went up a break on a crosscourt forehand that wildly ricocheted off the frame of Braun’s bracket. Braun broke back before the match was called off.

Boys

Singles

No. 1

Final

Kellen Bates, G, led Alex Braun, MH 7-6 (4), 3-3, play stopped

Semifinals

Braun def. Hunter Blalack, G, 6-2, 6-4

Bates def. Dylan Harvala, 6-2, 6-3

No. 2

Final

Canceled

Semifinals

Jordan Bridwell, G, def. Caleb Baumann, CF, 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10)

Triston Firth, MH, def. Jacob Himber, MB, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6)

No. 3

Final

Canceled

Semifinals

Jackson Langland, MB, def. Chris Whitkamp, CF, 6-2, 6-3

Will Watson, MB, def. Ben Grieser, G, 6-3, 6-4

Doubles

No. 1

Final

Colin Bahin/Aaron Koemer, MB, def. Ethan Howard/Reid Birgenheier, MH, 6-3, 6-4

Semifinals

Bahin/Koemer def. Spencer Johnson/Britt Walton, G, 6-3, 7-6 (1)

Howard/Birgenheier def. Danny Roe/Izaak Castren, G, 7-5, 7-5

No. 2

Final

Canceled

Semifinals

Sampo Hall/Max Williams, MH, def. Mason Gedlaman/Andrew West, CF, 6-3, 6-4

Chauncey Liston/Paul Hutto, MH, def. Koahl Deshazer/Justin Smith, MS, 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (5)

No. 3

Final

Mitch Byrnes/Kyler Harkins, G, def. Beau Larson/Zacchius Darko, MS, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 1-0 (8)

Semifinals

Byrnes/Harkins def. Ethan Daniels/Zach Harper, MS, 6-4, 6-2

Larson/Darko def. Riley McVey/Ryan Peters, MB, 6-3, 6-4

Girls

Singles

No. 1

Round Robin

Katya Kulikova, G, def. Sophia Panarella, MH, 6-3, 6-2

Hailey Blalack, G, def. Maddie Murdock, MS, 6-2, 6-2

Kulikova def. Murdock 6-2, 6-2

Blalack def. Panarella 6-3, 6-2

Kulikova def. Blalack 1-6, 6-3, 1-0 (8)

Panarella def. Murdock 6-4, 6-4

No. 2

Final

Canceled

Semifinals

Brianna Speltz, MB, def. Katie Veteto, MS, 7-6 (5), 6-4

Kelsey Donnelly, MB, def. Lindsey Bachman, MH, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (5)

No. 3

Final

Anna Kalm, MH, def. Amber Hamblin, G, 7-5, 7-6 (3)

Semifinals

Kalm def. Natalie Newberry, G, 6-3, 7-5

Hamblin def. Emma Covill, CF, 6-4, 6-3

Doubles

No. 1

Final

Veronica Walton/Kailea Vaudt, G, def. Anna Ballew/Mackenzie Keiper, MH, 6-0, 6-1

Semifinals

Walton/Vaudt def. Emily Finnegan/Wren Matelich, MH, 6-4, 6-3

Ballew/Keiper def. Sara Rambaucher/Morgan Harrington, MS, 6-2, 6-3

No. 2

Final

Canceled

Semifinals

Molly Wright/Ingrid Ericksen, G, def. Nicole Halverson/Katie Priest, MH, 7-5, 6-3

Keckeley Habel/Kayla Harwood, G, def. Meredith Rappold/Kate Gray, MH, 7-6 (5), 6-3

No. 3

Final

Katie Goodnough/Kenzie Williams, F, def. Gabby Keller/Kirsten Wendt, CF, 6-3, 6-3

Semifinals

Goodnough/Williams def. Jenna McGuire/Camas Carlson, F, 6-4, 7-6 (6)

Keller/Wendt def. Molly Langland/Rachel Schmidt, MB, 6-3, 6-4