Eureka senior Rocco Regnier had two words to describe his opponent in the Class 3 singles championship match of the Missouri boys tennis state championships.
“Too good,” Regnier said Saturday after falling 6-0, 6-1 to John Burroughs junior Shaan Patel at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.
Patel has shown the country his abilities, as he reached the No. 1 position nationally in the boys 16 division of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
It appeared for much of the season that the southpaw would not be able to show off his skills in his own state as he was originally declared ineligible by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).
“I got a call on a Tuesday afternoon about two or three weeks before districts that I was eligible,” said Patel, who recently committed to play at Columbia University in New York City. “I was super surprised and super happy.”
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Patel lost just six games in his four matches this weekend in winning his second state singles title. He won as a freshman in 2023 before playing golf last fall.
“I thought this match was my best one for sure here,” said Patel of his win against Regnier, who had given him his biggest challenge two years ago. “I struggled with the wind a little earlier. Today I felt I was able to dictate the points more, and I didn’t have too many unforced errors.”
Regnier played well overall and had some highlight-level points, but he was only able to capture the second game of the second set. The match ended on a service winner by Patel which Regnier barely got his racket on.
“It was good to come back and win again,” Patel said. “But one of the big reasons I wanted to come back was to win as a team. The hardest part of tennis is that it is just you against your opponent. Being on a team is another aspect of tennis that I like. We have a very good team which has a chance to do well next weekend.”
The state team tournament will be played next Friday and Saturday in Springfield.
John Burroughs had a pair of doubles teams which medaled at state. Evan Tang and Jerry Chang finished second while Jasper Schmidt and Avi Patel were fourth.
Both teams lost to eventual champions Bobby King and Henry Stevens of Rockhurst. The win by King, who won state singles last year, and Stevens prevented a St. Louis sweep at individual state this year.
Clayton won both the singles and doubles titles Friday in Class 1. MICDS did the same in Class 2.
Marquette had medalists in both singles and doubles. Arnab Chakraborty was sixth in singles while Sreeyash Peyyeti and Ryan Prys were fifth in doubles.
Two doubles teams from the Gateway Athletic Conference found themselves on the podium Saturday.
Fort Zumwalt West’s Tanner Reese and Tristan Vaughan were seventh, and Francis Howell’s Wesley Troyer and Aaron Burzynski were eighth.
Francis Howell North’s Kai Gustafson and Jace Jameson was the only team to win a set against doubles champions King and Stevens.
Area state medalists
1. Shaan Patel, John Burroughs
6. Arnab Chakraborty, Marquette
2. Evan Tang-Jerry Chang, John Burroughs
4. Jasper Schmidt-Avi Patel, John Burroughs
5. Sreeyash Peyyeti-Ryan Prys, Marquette
7. Tanner Reese-Tristan Vaughan, Fort Zumwalt West
8. Wesley Troyer-Aaron Burzynski, Francis Howell
