MADISON — Monroe’s boys tennis team had two entries in the state tournament June 1-3 at Nielson Stadium, but both entrants were eliminated in the first round.
Matthew Setterstrom, who qualified for the tournament via special request, drew Rohan Singh of Brookfield Academy. Last year as a freshman, Singh took fourth in the tournament; thus, defeating Setterstrom in straight sets this year, 6-3, 6-0.
“Matthew had a rough first game with some nerves, but really settled into his match,” Monroe head coach Matthew Bordner said. “He was at 3-4 in the first set and in a position to flip the match in his favor, but Rohan did a nice job of closing out a competitive first set and cruising the rest of the way.”
Ryan Mathiason and Max Petitjean had a more favorable match up against Chase Stoner and Max Maternowski of East Troy. Although the Cheesemaker duo fell in straight sets, they went 12 games in the first set (7-5) and fell in the second 6-2.
“We knew this one would be close, and it certainly was,” Bordner said. “Max and Ryan jumped out to a hot start, getting a 5-3 lead at one point in the first set. They had multiple set point opportunities to close the door on the first set, but give credit to East Troy, as they stayed persistent and were able to rally off the next 4 games to take a tight 7-5 first set. East Troy stayed confident the rest of the match and had their way with strong groundstrokes and volleys.”
Petitjean concluded his two-year tennis career on the biggest stage for high school tennis athletes.
“Max finishes a great career for us,” Bordner said. “Two years ago, he started playing tennis as a part-time JV player, and to grow into a legitimate state qualifier tennis player was quite the accomplishment.”
Mathiason and Setterstrom will return next year and bring their state experience back to the team.
“Ryan made the jump to doubles this year and transitioned well. He will stay at doubles next year and it’ll be nice bringing back his experience as a state qualifier. His ceiling is high, so we are looking forward to seeing how much we can improve his game into next season,” Bordner said. “To get Matthew into the state tournament as a sophomore was huge for his confidence, as it gives him a glimpse of what he will need to do to take his game to the next level heading into his junior year.”
