Sehome survives quarterfinal scares at 2A boys’ state tennis

Maybe things were a little too easy for the Sehome boys’ tennis team early on Friday, May 27, during the first day of Class 2A Boys’ Tennis State Tournament at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle.

Singles entry Max Shmotolokha lost only one game during his first-round win and won the first set of his quarterfinal match 6-0 against R.A. Long’s Erik Grimes.

On the doubles side, Reece Gilbert and Shane Lynette cruised through their first-round match and won the first set of their quarterfinal 6-2.

Before the day was done, the Mariners would have to win two super tie-breakers to send Shmotolokha and Gilbert and Lynette on to the state semifinals.

“Both had easy opening round wins,” Sehome coach Bonna Giller said in a phone interview. “Max had to play the Grimes kid, and it’s someone he’s seen before. The two of them have very similar styles. Max handled the first set with ease — maybe it was too easy. Grimes battled in that second set, and I don’t think he missed a shot.”

Shmotolokha, who is looking to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish, survived 6-0, 2-6, 10-7.

Gilbert and Lynette won their quarterfinal match 6-2, 5-7, 10-5.

“I don’t know if they overlooked their opponent after winning the first set handily, but it was the same thing,” Giller said. “In the second set, their opponent did a good job of forcing shots. But everybody survived and moved on, and that’s great to see.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 8:21 PM with the headline "Sehome survives quarterfinal scares at 2A boys’ state tennis."