KANAWHA CITY, W.Va. — Abdul Bali has heard of the expression weathering the storm.
On Saturday, the Charleston Catholic gave a new and literal meaning to it at the WVSSAC State Tennis Tournament.
Bali claimed the Division 2 boys singles championship with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) win against Winfield’s Andrew Sinclair in a match that began a at the Kanawha City Community Center outdoor courts and concluded at the Charleston Tennis Club indoor courts as a result of rain.
“This is the first time that’s happened to me. It was kind of different,” Bali said. “Outside, it was much slower. In here, it was much faster. It took me a minute to warm my eyes up to different light, and warm up my feet after I was in the car for 10 or 15 minutes coming here.”
Bali had to work throughout to defeat Sinclair, who began Saturday with a challenging 8-6 (9-8) victory against Bali’s Irish teammate, Winston Hunter.
That was on the same stage where Bali had defeated Williamstown’s Xavier Graeber 8-1, and throughout a tightly-contested second set in the final, Bali kept an attacking mindset.
The first set of the match was completed outside, but rain began to fall during the second, leading to a brief suspension before continuation nearby at an indoor setting. At that point, it was the only one of four singles title matches yet to finish.
“Tried to keep fighting, keep playing my game and stay aggressive, and recognize if he’s getting weaker and trying to keep balls in play, I need to make the best plays I can,” Bali said.
In the Division 2 girls singles final, Wood County Christian’s Ellie Piatt had her way in a 6-0, 6- 1 win against Trinity’s Catharine Street.
Piatt, who bowed out to eventual state champion Martina Taborda Urbaneja of Shady Spring in a competitive semifinal a year ago.
This time around, Piatt was dominant throughout the singles bracket, which included her 8-2 semifinal round win over Peyton Woodburn of Williamstown.
One day after helping Logan win its first state championship in girls tennis, the Wildcat duo of Jada Adkins and Shelby Mullins made it two titles in two days with a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Yellowjackets’ Peyton Woodburn and Addison Woodburn in the final.
Williamstown did pick up the doubles title on the boys side, with that achievement coming from Brady Woodard and Isaac Harris in a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Hunter and Alistair Gould of the Irish.
Both doubles title matches were played inside the CTC.