OVERALL TENNIS STATE TOURNAMENT Crawford outlasts Olaya

Austin Crawford knows he needs to work on controlling his temper while on the tennis court.

The Little Rock Central junior muttered to himself throughout Thursday’s overall boys singles championship game at Burns Park, let out an occasional scream on close points and, once during the first set, banged his racket on the ground after a return didn’t quite make it over the net.

As soon as he finished off Pulaski Academy’s Julio Olaya 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in just over two hours to capture the title, he threw his hat to the ground and took a few steps with his head bowed.

But a few minutes later, the player who also won the Class 7A singles title last week was all smiles.

“I’m not normally the best person out here with my anger,” Crawford said. “I wasn’t too unreasonable [Thursday]. I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I’ve got to kind of work on that.”

Crawford said his frustrations were at their highest at the completion of the second set. He won the first set 6-4, then took a 3-2 lead in the second.

But Olaya, who was playing with a large blister on his right palm, won four consecutive games to take a 6-3 victory and force a tiebreaker.

Olaya, who beat Fayetteville’s Rob Hodous 6-1, 6-1 in a semifinal earlier Thursday, took a 1-0 lead before Crawford won five of the final six games.

“I had the chance to win,” Olaya said. “I was fitter, I could wear him down. Even though I wasn’t playing too well, I knew I could do that.”

Olaya did that in the second set, but Crawford found enough in reserve to get him through the third. Olaya’s speed, Crawford said, is what got him back into the match after falling into an early hole.

“He’s lightning fast,” Crawford said. “You just neverknow where he’s going to hit the ball.”

Tiffany Tang, the 7A girls singles champion from Rogers, beat Hot Springs Lakeside’s Mary Wright 7-5, 6-2 to win the overall singles title.

White Hall’s Josh and Cole Guy won the boys doubles title. They rallied from a 6-1 first-set loss to win the final two sets 6-2, 6-2 over Bishop Bass and Forrest Hickey of Greenwood.

Morgan Saxton and Allie Wilson of Greenwood beat Lindsy Pearce and Lauren Ghahremani of Fort Smith Southside 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 to capture the girls doubles title.

Results BOYS SINGLES Thursday’s championship Austin Crawford, LR Central, def. Julio Olaya, Pulaski Academy, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 Thursday’s semifinals Crawford def. Will Campbell, Central Arkansas Christian, 6-2, 7-5 Olaya def. Rob Hodous, Fayetteville, 6-1, 6-1 BOYS DOUBLES Thursday’s championship Guy-Guy, White Hall, def. Bass-Hickey, Greenwood, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 Thursday’s semifinals Guy-Guy def. Shah-Tabler, Bentonville, 6-2, 6-2 Bass-Hickey def. Ellis-Morris, Bentonville, 7-6, 6-3 GIRLS SINGLES Thursday’s championship Tiffany Tang, Rogers, def. Mary Wright, Hot Springs Lakeside, 7-5, 6-2 Thursday’s semifinals Tang def. Ali Rowden, Greenbier, 7-5, 6-2 Wright def. Lindsey Liles, LR Central, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 GIRLS DOUBLES Thursday’s championship Saxton-Wilson, Greenwood def. Pearce-Ghahremani, FS Southside, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 Thursday’s semifinals Saxton-Wilson def. Randolph-Brandon, LR Central, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 Pearce-Ghahremani def. Lefler-Kaufman, HS Lakeside, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6

Sports, Pages 22 on 10/29/2010

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