Singles power Niwot to 3rd place finish at state

Behind a title-winning performance from LiChen Liao at No. 2 singles, the Niwot boys tennis team finished third overall at the 2021 Class 4A state tennis championships, held at Pueblo's City Park on Oct. 14-16. Liao efficiently dispatched his three early round opponents in straight sets, before facing Owen Duffy of George Washington in the Saturday morning final. There, the sophomore said, he let Duffy do most of the work.

"The way my opponent played today fit my game more, because he was really offensive, and that means he would make a little bit more errors... Just waiting for him to miss worked really well. Knowing that all I needed to do was get a ball back in, I really didn't need to do too much. Also, when I saw an opportunity, I wasn't nervous."

Liao barely broke a sweat as he went on to defeat Duffy 6-1, 6-3, claiming his first individual state championship, and adding 16 points to Niwot's total in the team standings. The result wasn't that surprising to head coach Aimee Keronen. After an appearance in the semi-finals at No. 1 doubles in the 2020 championships, the sophomore went 7-3 during his first season at No. 2 singles, his losses coming against Class 5A opponents in the Cherry Creek and Kent Denver Invitationals. He then cruised to the regional title at the new position, and then did what he does best at state, according to Keronen.

"LiChen has ice in his veins," she said of the second year varsity right-hander. "He just doesn't get nervous. He is super calm, never gets upset, and when you don't let your emotions control you, it bothers your opponent, and it helps you."

With things under control on the No. 2 court, that gave Keronen time to focus on Niwot's other finals matches on Saturday morning--senior Alan Wilcox in the No. 3 singles championships against Steven Zhou of Cheyenne Mountain, and junior Luke Weber facing Raphael Wieland of Denver South in the consolation finals at No. 1 singles.

Like Liao, Wilcox had an easy road to the finals, with three straight-set wins in the early rounds. He seemed well on his way to a fourth, after a dominating 6-1 win over Zhou in the first set of finals, but could not maintain the advantage. With unforced errors and other miscues mounting, Wilcox dropped the second and third sets, and finished as runner-up to Zhou.

Weber's chance for the No. 1 singles title was derailed after a loss in the semifinals to eventual runner-up Aswaanth Karuppasamy of D'Evelyn, but the junior was still in position to claim third overall, after a comeback win in the consolation semifinals over Roee Sala of Prospect Ridge for the second time in a week. Weber's luck ran out there, however, as he fell in straight sets to Wieland in the consolation finals, giving him fourth place in the bracket. Afterwards, Weber gave a straightforward assessment of his performance at state and chances to contend for the No. 1 singles title in his senior season.

"I wouldn't say I played super horribly, but I wouldn't say I played super out of my mind," he said. "Next year, I'm looking for better results... I'll be working on the things that broke down a little bit this year, my serve and some consistency, and other things I can work on like flexibility and mobility."

Elsewhere for Niwot, the Cougars' No. 2 doubles pair of Sebastian Moy and Kyle Davidson won their first round match before falling to eventual champions from Kent Denver in the quarterfinals. The two then fell in the consolation semifinals. In the No. 4 doubles bracket, freshmen Rex Wallington and Ollie Jones lost in the first round to the team from Mullen.

Though it fell short of a second state championship, Keronen was happy with the team's finish at state, especially after so much turnover following the 2020 season. With most of the varsity squad returning in 2022, she is already excited about the prospects for next year.

"At the beginning of the season, I thought the goal would be top three at state," she said. "We've just got to work on our doubles, because almost all of our points at state came from singles. So if we get a little help from dubs next year, then we'll be in a better position to contend for the title."

To see full results from the 2021 Class 4A state championships, visit the boys tennis section at CHSAAnow.com.