Kentucky tennis target Eli Stephenson wins 2nd straight state title

Eli Stephenson, a junior from Louisville St. Xavier, won the KHSAA boy’s state singles championship with a close 7-6 (7), 7-5 win over Henry Clay junior Evan Duggal. The title round was held on Thursday afternoon at the Top Seed Tennis Club. Stephenson also won the singles championship last year, not dropping a set in either state tournament.

Stephenson is being recruited by Kentucky Men’s Tennis, which made an incredible run to the NCAA finals last month. A commitment could be coming soon, perhaps?

KHSAA Tennis State Championships: St. Xavier’s Eli Stephenson successfully defends his state title. Henry Clay’s Evan Duggal the runner-up. pic.twitter.com/sjBKYmoaDu

— Joshua Moore (@JoshMooreHL) June 2, 2022

The St. Xavier Tigers captured the overall boys’ team championship, which was their 2nd straight and 29th overall. Senior Tyler Bush and junior Tommy Scanlan won the doubles title, giving St. X a clean sweep of team, singles and doubles titles. They defeated fellow teammates Conner Brewer & Chris Kaufmann 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-1) in the final. It was Bush’s second straight doubles title.

On the girls’ side, Louisville Sacred Heart won their fourth straight team title. They hold the record with 13 overall, two more than Lone Oak, which consolidated to become McCracken County.

Sacred Heart’s Ellie Hammond defeated teammate Lilah Shallcross 6-0, 7-5 in an all-sophomore singles final.

Henry Clay’s Kennedy Herring and Katherine Nova cruised past Sacred Heart’s Caroline Elliot and Avery Voss 6-2, 6-2 in the girl’s doubles final. Kennedy’s father, John Herring, is the Henry Clay coach.