The Warsaw boys tennis team, fresh off of playing its first conference match of the season Tuesday night against Goshen, was back in action following a rather quick turnaround Wednesday evening. Back home at the Tiger Tennis Complex, Warsaw battled hard but was unable to come away with a victory against the visiting Culver Academies, falling 5-0.
The Tigers are a rather young bunch this season, at least in the realm of singles play. Warsaw’s top three singles players on Wednesday night were sophomores Charlie Norton and Ted Grandon as well as freshman Henry Norton.
The first match to conclude was the battle between the No. 1 singles players. The points between Charlie Norton and his opponent were competitive to start, but as the match wore on and fatigue began to set in, it became a much bigger challenge. Norton battled hard, but was unable to get much going in a 0-6, 0-6 loss.

    Sophomore Charlie Norton of Warsaw makes a backhand return during his No. 1 singles match against Culver Military Academy Wednesday evening. Photo by Gary Nieter
 

Not long afterwards, the No. 1 doubles match concluded. The senior pairing of Patrick Stump and Caleb Smith started strong and made the Culver duo work for every point, but were also unable to get much going. The final game of the final set was a very entertaining one, with both sides going back and forth between deuce and advantage. When the dust settled, Culver was up 2-0 after a 1-6, 0-6 Tiger loss.
The third pairing to finish up was that of the No. 3 singles. Henry Norton impressed mightily in this game. Using quickness and power, Norton made life difficult for his opponent all match long, exploiting funky angles and sticking around for a long time. In the end though, it would not be enough, as Culver would clinch the match with their third win, a 3-6, 2-6 loss for Warsaw.
With the final result wrapped up, two matches still remained. The next to conclude was the No. 2 doubles match. Khareus Miller and Drew Ryser got off to a fast start, going up 4-1 in the first game. The duo could not stay in control however, eventually falling 4-6 in the first set before dropping the second 2-6.
All that remained was No. 2 singles. Ted Grandon looked very impressive in the first set of this one, cruising to a 6-1 victory using the lethal combination of power and finesse. The second set wasn’t as easy, as Grandon and his opponent traded games like prize fighters in the ring. The sophomore would fall 3-6 in his second set, forcing a winner-take-all set three. The final set was even more of a battle than the one prior, with both competitors shining throughout. In the end, it was Culver finishing off a sweep with a 7-5 win.
The Tigers play their third game in three days Thursday evening against Plymouth.