Edinburg North’s Maya Chen is only a freshman and has already established herself as one of the best in the region and soon, the state.
Chen punched her ticket to state as a runner-up at the Region IV-6A tournament on Wednesday at the NEISD Tennis Center in San Antonio.
The Edinburg North freshman picked up a semifinal win over Lake Travis’ Juliana Creel to advance to the final, where Chen lost to last year’s Class 6A state runner-up, Austin Westlake’s Chloe Zeng.
Chen avoided a true-second match, in which the third-place winner could play the loser of the final if they did not lose to that player in their semifinal.
Chen was the only tennis player from the Rio Grande Valley remaining after Day 1. Next, the freshman will be in action at the Class 6A state tournament April 25 at the NEISD Tennis Center in San Antonio.
Sharyland High’s Alan Gonzalez, the Class 5A state runner-up in 2022, picked up the three wins needed to advance to the Region IV-5A final. Gonzalez is set to face Smithson Valley’s Rowan Olsen today at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Corpus Christi.
The Region IV-5A boys singles title is on the line.
Sharyland High’s Koen Aggarao is still in the running in boys singles but would only be able to play for a chance at state with a Gonzalez loss. The teammates would meet for a true-second match if needed.
Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Patricio Castaneda picked up a win but ran into Gonzalez. Harlingen South’s Alfonso Maldonado also won a match but lost to Aggarao.
The boys doubles Region IV championship is going to feature two teams from the Valley. Sharyland High’s Hugo and Guillermo Garcia takes on Harlingen South’s Ethan Carter and Diego Garcia. The two recently faced off at a tournament in Harlingen, and the Sharyland High boys came out on top.
Both can avoid a true-second match depending on the results from the third-place match.
McAllen Memorial’s Diego Salvo and Dania Casas also picked up three wins to advance to the mixed doubles championship.
The Mustangs’ pair beat Harlingen South’s Caitlyn Morales and McLean Wittenbach in their quarterfinal. The two take on a team from Leander Rouse and can avoid a true-second match if the team from Kerrville Tivy that they beat in the semifinal round wins the third-place match.
Sharyland High’s Grace Shahin and Ximena Uresti are in the third-place match in the girls doubles. The Sharyland High pair needs a team from Corpus Christi Flour Bluff to win and themselves to win to have a shot at state.