Boys tennis: Avon's A. J. Sidoti downs teammate Luke LeMaster for sectional singles title; Avon sends entire lineup to district tournament

LORAIN — For the third year in a row, Avon's A.J. Sidoti and Luke LeMaster shared the court in a sectional final. Only this time there was a twist: They were on opposite sides of the net. Sidoti and LeMaster won the Division I Magnificat sectional doubles title the past two seasons, but this time they went head-to-head as the top two seeds in singles with Sidoti, the top seed, winning 6-2, 6-3. Play was moved from Magnificat to the FoxCreek Family Tennis Center because of inclement weather. "It was really hard because we're really good friends off the court," said Sidoti, who is seeking his third trip to the state tournament in as many seasons and his first in singles. "I had to stay focused the entire time. The path to state is going to be a lot easier as a one seed, so it's going to make my life a lot easier." When the dust settled, eight of the 12 district qualifiers out of the Magnificat sectional hail from Lorain County and there will be 12 overall from the area competing at a district tournament this week — 10 in Division I and two in Division II. In both sets, LeMaster had to battle back from a break down. He tied the first set at 2 before Sidoti won the next four games. He put the second set back on serve at 3-2, but Sidoti immediately broke back and held the rest of the way. "It was weird because you want to have fun because you're playing your friend, but then it also actually counts," said LeMaster, now a four-time district qualifier seeking his third state bid, first in singles. "So you've got to get serious and that's the hardest part because you have to focus. I think it's special that we're all here." Avon will send its entire lineup to the Springside district, which begins play Thursday. The other area qualifier from Magnificat was St. Edward's Sean Curran, an Avon Lake resident who lost to Sidoti 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals. LeMaster had to face two of his teammates Saturday, taking on his close friend Jay Kneiss in the semifinals, which he won 6-2, 7-6 (4). Kneiss defeated Curran 6-1, 6-2 to take third place. "It feels good," Kneiss said. "I was the three seed coming into the tournament, and the three seed coming out of the tournament, so I did my job." Doubles felt like a rematch of Friday's Avon-Westlake state team tournament Sweet 16 match, which Avon won 3-2. However, the Demons doubles teams were a little more supercharged than the ones they fielded Friday with their top two players Rohit Jain and Xander Jhaveri — returning state qualifiers who lost to Sidoti and LeMaster in last year's sectional final, only to beat them in the district final — showing why they're not only the sectional's No. 1 seed, but a contender to make a deep state tournament run. Jain and Jhaveri dropped just five games in their five tournament matches, defeating Avon's top team of Sivan Manickam and Jarrett Bungo 6-0, 6-4 in the semifinals and their teammates Rishabh Ranjan and Colson Milovich — who typically play first doubles for Westlake — 6-0, 6-1 in the final. Manickam and Bungo also had to face their teammates in the third-place match, defeating Aneesh Yerramsetti and Nicholas Stamatis 6-4, 6-3. "The second match here was tough for everybody," Avon coach Eric Korey said. "Nobody wants to play each other. It's one thing in practice, but ultimately someone had to win. Luke had it the hardest, playing against both his teammates. It's a hard thing. When you're playing against someone you don't know you just attack and don't think about it. But when you're playing friends, it adds extra pressure on every little thing. I thought the guys handled it well today." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X. SINGLES: Championship — A.J. Sidoti (Avon) def. Luke LeMaster (Avon), 6-2, 6-3. Third place — Jay Kneiss (Avon) def. Sean Curran (St. Edward/Avon Lake resident), 6-1, 6-2. Semifinals — Sidoti def. Curran, 6-1, 6-0; LeMaster def. Kneiss, 6-2, 7-6 (4). DOUBLES: Championship — Rohit Jain-Xander Jhaveri (Westlake A) def. Rishabh Ranjan-Colson Milovich (Westlake B), 6-0, 6-1. Third place — Sivan Manickam-Jarrett Bungo (Avon A) def. Aneesh Yerramsetti-Nicholas Stamatis (Avon B), 6-4, 6-3. Semifinals — Westlake A def. Avon A, 6-0, 6-4; Westlake B def. Avon B, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.