Boardman’s doubles team advances to state semifinals

Robert Salcedo and Scott Warden will play a duo from Columbus Watterson.

COLUMBUS — The Boardman doubles team of Robert Salcedo and Scott Warden won two matches at the Division I boys state tennis tournament Friday, and are two wins from a championship.

Salcedo, a junior, and Warden, a senior, opened the tournament with an abbreviated victory over Nick Kowalczyk and Jonny Price of Worthington Kilbourne.

The Boardman duo won the first set, 6-2, and were leading 3-0 in the second before the Worthington Kilbourne team retired. Boardman coach Steve Warden said one of the Kilbourne players has lost 20 pounds since being diagnosed recently with a disease.

In their quarterfinal match, Salcedo and Warden fell to Elliot Conti and Tyler Johnston of Wilmington, 6-4, in the first set, before rebounding with 6-2 and 6-4 wins.

“It was a very tight match,” Steve Warden said.

The Spartans broke serve on the first game of the third set, but promptly lost the advantage. With the score tied 4-4, they broke serve again. Scott Warden served the final game for the win.

Salcedo and Warden will play Philip and Chris Diaz of Columbus Watterson today in the semifinals at the Stickney Tennis Center at Ohio State University.

Will Knoll and Sam Wilke of Cincinnati Turpin will play Marc Pretorius and Jonathon Gaffney of Cincinnati St. Xavier in the other semifinals.

“I think it’s wide open,” Steve Warden said of the final four. “There is no one who should really dominate. It’s just who plays the best. We have as good of a chance as anyone.”

Last spring, Salcedo was partnered with his older brother Bryant, who now plays for Vanderbilt University. The Salcedos finished third in the state.

In Div. II, Poland’s Ben Brocker won one match before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Brocker, a sophomore, opened with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win over senior Ben Roeser of Waynesville in the first round, then lost, 6-2, 6-1, to Will Petrie of Gahanna Columbus Academy.

In the first round, Petrie defeated Warren JFK’s Michael Fredericka, a freshman, 6-3, 6-0.

In doubles, Poland’s Ryan and Zubin Teckchandani, both seniors, were defeated by Columbus Academy’s Austin Griffin and Joe Frank, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round.