Politixia
Williamstown’s Austin Bosgraf, left, and Tyler Fenton celebrate after clinching the Class A doubles state championship Saturday in Charleston.
(Photo by Josh Hughes)
CHARLESTON — Austin Bosgraf’s journey to the top of the Class AA/A mountaintop culminated in an instant classic in Saturday inside the YMCA of Kanawha Valley.
In a rematch of last year’s singles championship, No. 2 Bosgraf outlasted top-seeded Nick Giatris of Charleston Catholic, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8. If that match wasn’t already long enough, just getting to the title match against Giatris was a battle. Downing Winfield’s William Sinclair with a 10-4 victory in the semifinal tiebreaker, Bosgraf had to quickly shift his attention.
He did just that.
An emotionally charged first set saw Bosgraf get the upperhand, as Giatris was frustrated by a series of miscues at the net. With momentum on Bosgraf’s side, Giatris had to respond. He gave that response, but Bosgraf didn’t make things easy.
For a time, Giatris’s 3-0 lead seemed entirely safe, but Bosgraf stormed back to trail 4-3 in the second set. Then, both competitors held serve to set the score at 5-4, Giatris.
Bosgraf had a pair of chances to break serve and tie the set at 5, but the CCHS netter rallied during a lengthy back-and-forth to prevent any damage. During the exchange, Bosgraf hit a tweener (shot with his back to the net and in between his legs), but Giatris wouldn’t budge, as well. It finally ended when Bosgraf hit a return into the net, and from there, Giatris scored the next point to force a dramatic tiebreaker.
“Honestly, it was just a fun point,” Bosgraf said. “Great balls from him. Great balls from me. It was just great tennis. On set point, that’s what you’re looking for. After that point was done, I was smiling. I lost the point, but all-around, I was just happy to be having fun. Sometimes, you work hard all year, and it’s hard to keep going. Those are the moments those are the moments that keep you going.”
In the final showdown, Bosgraf was down at multiple times. Most crucially, Giatris held an 8-7 edge. However, Bosgraf had a final rally left in him.
Scoring the next two points to reach match point at 9-8, Bosgraf awaited Giatris’s serve. Going into this point, Giatris only had one double fault. Fortunately for Bosgraf, Giatris’s second double fault happened at the most opportune time.
Bosgraf watched a pair of serves stopped by the net, as he claimed the ultimate victory. Throwing his hat in the air and pumping his fist, Bosgraf was overcome with emotion.
Assistant coach Dave Leo was alongside Bosgraf.
“We went through it with every point and every game. I had specific notes,” he recalled. “He kept placing balls where they needed to be. He kept staying positive, and he never really got down. Even in the second set when he was down, he pushed through. When he was down in the tiebreaker, he pushed through.”
This moment of capturing singles gold took a lot for Bosgraf, but he also had a doubles tournament to win with Tyler Fenton.
“I just needed to focus. Throughout the match, my backhand return was a little shaky. He was targeting it,” Bosgraf said. “Last year, I had the one-hander. I switched to the two-hander, and I’ve only had it for nine months. I made backhanded returns on (points) seven and eight. It really gave me the confidence. Up 9-8, I knew I had it.”
Any thought of the doubles championship being shorter than the singles wasn’t around for long. Bosgraf teamed with Tyler Fenton, as his goal was to repeat as a doubles champ. The two handled their semifinal opponents in straight sets before running into the team of Giatris and Conner Waybright. That Charleston Catholic duo fell to the duo of Austin and Gavin Bosgraf a year ago in straight sets, but this year was a fight.
Bosgraf and Fenton won 6-3, 3-6, 11-9, as the ‘Jackets took control early. Fresh off that first set, they built a 3-0 second-set lead before surrendering the next six games. Then, the usual first to ten tiebreaker lasted longer. The winning team had to win by 2, so with the score knotted at 9, Bosgraf and Fenton dug down deep to score the last two points. Giatris’s final shot went wide, as the two champions celebrated.
“Up 3-0 in both sets, we fumbled it a little in the second with six straight given up, but hey, we’ve played seven (tiebreakers) together,” Bosgraf said. “We love tiebreakers! We worked all year. We played a lot in the mornings before school, and it’s just great.”
The journey for Fenton was one with big shoes to fill, and he lived up to those expectations.
“I love playing with him. I played with him in middle school. His brother was a great doubles partner, and I had a lot to live up to,” Fenton said. “I just feel great being able to keep his streak going. Three straight (doubles championships) for him. It just feels awesome. We were obviously disappointed yesterday with the team scores. We have to keep momentum and build off of what we did today. It feels great, and we get to go into next year with it.”
On the girls’ side, the tandem of Claire Strobl and Ashtyn McIntyre represented Williamstown in a semifinal matchup against eventual champions, Jillian Blevens and Courtney Curnutte. The Chapmanville pair took care of business in a 6-3, 6-2 win, as a year where the girls team lost its top four from a year ago. The efforts of Strobl, McIntyre and everyone else gives head coach Diana Leo confidence for the future.
“They got into the semifinals, and they’re new as a doubles team,” she said of the girls. “They work so hard, and they had a great match yesterday. We lost all four of our singles girls from last year, and to be able to bring them all here. We brought both teams. Every one of them again this year, and it’s an honor. They’re such a polite team, and they’re such well-rounded kids.”
Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com
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