State tennis: Hanford’s Will Thompson makes the right call in loss

Will Thompson isn’t moving on to play in the Class 3A state tennis tournament Saturday, but what he did Friday was much more important than winning a match.

Playing in his third match of the day at Tri-City Court Club, the Hanford High School junior faced match point in a third-set tiebreaker against Mountlake Terrace’s Jeremy Ansdell. Ansdell’s first serve was close to the line, and he and the official said the ball landed out.

But before Ansdell could take the fault and make his second serve, the fairly quiet Thompson piped up and declared the ball had hit the line and was in, conceding the point and the match, and effectively ending his run in the state tournament.

“That’s the kind of kid he is; that’s who you want out here,” Hanford boys coach Craig Klatt said of Thompson, who lost 6-2, 2-6, 7-6. “It’s a gentleman’s game, and that was a great display of sportsmanship.”

Thompson still won a match in the state tourney, topping Tyler Feldbush of Central Kitsap 7-5, 6-4 in the loser’s bracket, which Klatt believes will be hugely valuable as Thompson heads into his senior season.

“This experience helps so much to see what the level is like,” Klatt said. “It’s a different atmosphere. Now he knows what to expect.”

Thompson dropped his opening-round match to Mercer Island’s Nils Harder 7-5, 6-7, 6-2.

4A girls

Richland started the state tournament with three of its doubles teams in contention, a first for longtime coach Felix Quinn, but junior Chelsea Li and freshman Quinci Fisher were the only Bombers duo to make it through to the second day.

Li and Fisher will take on Anna Davenport and Kaylynn Noyd from Wenatchee at 8:30 a.m. in the fifth/eighth-place game at Richland High School.

The Richland pair started the day with a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Alyssa Silvernail and Maddie Egan from Rogers of Puyallup, but stormed back with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Olympia’s Audrey Berghoff and Cynde Wooten in a loser-out match.

Li and Fisher then battled to a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win over Rachel Kadoshima and Megan Manke of Bellarmine Prep.

Pasco’s Eden Snider lost both of her matches.

3A girls

Hanford seniors Christina Xantheas and Emily Tan will play in the fourth/seventh-place match Saturday after going 2-1 in their opening matches.

They will face Mary Pat Lee and Maria Philip of Seattle Prep at 8:30 a.m. at Kamiakin High School.

“I think they match up pretty similar,” Hanford girls coach Evan Woodward said. “It should be a pretty good back-and-forth match, and should bring out the best tennis in both teams.”

Xantheas and Tan got into the fourth-place match after falling behind 2-0 in the first set of a loser-out match against Anna Sneesby and Marissa Johnson of Glacier Peak. Xantheas and Tan went on to win six consecutive games to take the first set, and they won the second, 7-5.

In singles play, Kennewick’s Maggie Fiocchi won her opening-round match against Lauren Skelly from Columbia River, but dropped her next two.

Around the tourneys

Prosser’s Joslyn Felicijan won a match in the 2A loser’s bracket but got knocked out in the next round.

Othello’s Diego Villarreal (2A) and Connell singles players Chess and Jolee Booker (1A/2B/1B) each went 0-2.

In doubles, the Richland teams of Callum Pe-Andrew Um and Nathan Lipton-Colton Sowers each lost both of their 4A matches. Gianni Landby and Jacob Aoyama of Southridge (3A) and Othello’s Kylee Hawley and Zoee Roylance (2A) also went 0-2.

Othello’s Collin Freeman and Kyler Villarreal went 1-1 in their first two 2A boys doubles matches.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "State tennis: Hanford’s Will Thompson makes the right call in loss."