STATE TENNIS: Stewart wins another singles title, TJ has best-ever finish

Mitch Stewart capped a busy weekend by standing on top of the podium once again.

Mitch Stewart capped a busy weekend by standing on top of the podium once again.

The Federal Way High School senior won his second consecutive Class 4A singles championship Saturday at the Columbia Basin Racquet Club in Richland.

Stewart dominated the competition during the State Boys Tennis Tournament. He didn’t lose a set in his four matches and beat Gonzaga Prep’s Alex Marchinkowski in the championship match, 6-2, 6-1. The win also completed Stewart’s second unbeaten season in a row. His only loss came in the state title match during his freshman season.

The doubles team of Zach and Cameron Martin led the way for the Jefferson Raiders. The Martin brothers finished up in fourth place. Singles player Alex Chan ended up in fifth place.

The performances led Jefferson to the school’ highest-ever team placing of third place. Despite the rich tennis history at TJ, the Raider boys have never placed at a state tournament, until Saturday. Newport won the team title with 19 points and Skyline was second with 14. Jefferson finished with 13 team points.

Federal Way, on the strength of Stewart’s state title, took fourth place as a team with 10 points.

After losing to a Lewis and Clark team in the quarterfinals, the Martin brothers won two-straight matches to finish in fourth place. They beat Jackson’s Everet Wang and James Okubu, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, in the fourth/seventh match Saturday.

After losing his opening-round match Friday, Chan won three in a row in the consolation bracket to finish in fifth. The freshman beat Cascade’s Patrick Chung, 6-3, 6-2, in the fifth/eighth match.

In other singles’ action, TJ’s Alex Lee and Federal Way’s Alex Lewis both lost two-straight matches Friday.

On the girls’ side, TJ’s Cindy Park and Crystal Lee, along with Beamer’s Jenny Hoefel and Kiele Bowman both failed to place. Both teams finished 1-2 during the tournament.