Green Bay Notre Dame's Alex Thomas wins WIAA D1 state tennis title
· Yahoo Sports
Green Bay Notre Dame senior Alex Thomas knows what it’s like to come close to winning a WIAA state tennis title only to fall painfully short.
He was two points away from the D2 singles championship as a sophomore. He was two points away from reaching the D1 title match as a junior.
Visit newsbetting.cv for more information.
Finally, after three years, he also knows what it’s like to win one.
Thomas showed why he was the top seed entering the D1 tournament, dominating the bracket and beating Middleton senior Alexander Bo 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match June 6 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.
He is just the second local boys player to win a D1 singles championship since the tournament was split into two divisions in 1995 and the first since Green Bay Southwest’s Johnny Zakowski in 2019.
Thomas is the second Notre Dame boy to win a state title after former standout Michael Koval won a D2 championship in 2007.
“I mean, it was everything to me,” Thomas said. “I put all my effort into this, and this was kind of the culmination at the end of the line for me. I’ve been working four years to get this moment, and I worked hard and got to where I am. It’s awesome.”
Sure, he felt some pressure. He had a big target on his back as the top seed. That burden felt heavier in his early matches, but by the time he reached the title round, he simply let his ability take over.
It didn’t look like Thomas had any nerves, at least while watching him play throughout the three days of the tournament.
He didn’t drop a set in five matches, which included beating No. 16 seed Reid Hirn of Badger 6-2, 6-1 in the second round, No. 8 Ethan Hoffmann of Hartford 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and No. 5 seed Colin Meixl of Kimberly 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals before his straight-set win over Bo, who was the No. 2 seed.
It wasn’t always easy – Meixl put up a good fight in the second set – but Thomas was on another level throughout the run.
It was fitting Thomas met Bo in the title match. The two faced each other in the second round at state when both were freshmen in 2023. Bo sent Thomas packing that day by beating him 6-2, 6-0.
They have grown up together on the high school stage and have played quite often during the regular season during their careers, including a great match earlier this year when Thomas beat Bo 2-6, 7-6, (10-3) in a super-tiebreaker thriller.
It was just like playing an old friend in the biggest match of their prep careers.
“Alex just jumped out to a great start, he was solid right from the beginning,” Notre Dame coach Paul Miller said. “I think Bo had a little bit of pressure on him or felt the pressure a little bit in the beginning, and you just can’t at that level with a player of Alex’s caliber. The people who were watching were really treated in the second set to outstanding athleticism.
“Pulling off the 6-4 second set was amazing. It was fantastic.”
Alex Thomas goes from early exit to state champion
Miller has watched his pupil grow during his career.
If it was difficult for anyone to believe three years ago that Thomas would win a state title by the time he was done, Miller wasn’t one of them.
He saw up close the drive Thomas had to be the best. Win or lose, he wouldn’t be outworked.
“He made a commitment after his freshman year that he was going to be a state champion,” Miller said. “I remember after he lost to Alexander Bo, ‘I am going to work and I’m going to be a state champion before I’m done.’
“His dedication, his work ethic, his discipline, it’s all absolutely second to none at the high school level. The results speak for themselves. I think he could be rest assured, no matter the outcome, that he had put in everything he possibly could in order to be a state champion.”
While his two previous state tournaments ended in agony, it also led Thomas to this moment.
“That heartbreak that I felt in those matches, I used it to propel me in my practice,” Thomas said. “I used it as motivation to keep pushing forward. That was really helpful.
“I don’t know, without those experiences, I might not have been as motivated to win today. That’s why today felt so good.”
Thomas has at least one more match left in his prep career, and it again will be against his good friend Bo.
Notre Dame and Middleton face each other in a D1 team state quarterfinal June 12 at Nielsen Stadium.
Middleton is the No. 2 seed and Notre Dame the No. 7, but the Tritons always have a chance with the best high school player in the state on their side.
Thomas will join his new team at Marquette University in August after signing a letter of intent with the NCAA Division I school last fall.
“I’m really excited, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to go play DI,” Thomas said. “It was kind of my dream since I was a freshman. I wanted to win state, and I wanted to go play DI tennis.
“It’s awesome. I got to do both. I’m very fortunate.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Notre Dame's Alex Thomas wins WIAA D1 state tennis title