Rockford top-16 seed stays alive in state boys tennis tournament by skin of his teeth

Rockford Lutheran senior Ben Temple earned a rare local top 16-seed in the state Class 1A boys tennis tournament He earned it, beating Sterling’s Brecken Peterson in straight sets in last week’s sectional semifinals.

He expected an easy first round at state. Like Peterson did. The Sterling star didn’t lose a game in the first round and won easily three times Thursday to reach the quarterfinals. But Temple lost 7-6, 7-5 to Hunter Madigan of Champaign St. Thomas More in his opening match.

“He was a lot better than I thought he would be,” Temple said. “Then he just stopped hitting the ball after the first set. He went a complete different route. He was a pusher and was moonballing everywhere all the time. And he got every shot I hit back.”

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Temple not only lost. He got worn out. Then he had to play his first consolation match 30 minutes later.

“After the first match, I figured, I am out (of the main draw) now. I will just try to enjoy myself and have fun,” Temple said. “That probably wasn’t the best idea.”

It certainly didn’t look that way. Temple, the only Rockford-area player still standing at state, lost his first set 0-6 in the consolation draw before taking the second set 7-5 and then a 10-point super-tiebreaker (in place of a third set) 10-4.

it was a far more tumultuous day than Temple expected after earning a seed, but a day he will remember for the rest of his life. He won that first consolation match after winning fewer than 10 points the entire first set. And that included going to deuce on the final game. He said he won only five or six points the entire first five games.

“I was just mentally exhausted,” Temple said of how he felt after losing to Madigan. “I guess physically too. I definitely thought it was over. Then my shots just started going in and he started missing more. It gave me the confidence I needed.

“It’s definitely in my best comebacks ever. I knew it was possible, but I didn’t have the energy to get it done. Then something clicked. I came back and won the second. Something in my head said keep your foot on the gas in the tie-breaker, and I kept saying it over and over again.”

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Temple finally got an easy match in the second consolation round, winning 6-1, 6-1, before then advancing in another super-tiebreaker, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 10-6 in his final match on the opening day of the three-day tournament.

“I was tired after that second match, but the second set of the fourth match was the most tired I have ever been,” Temple said. “I couldn’t hit any balls in. My serve saved me there.

“It was an honor to be seeded. But that definitely added some extra pressure. That meant there were expectations now to make it far. After that first match, I wasn’t feeling it. But in the second set of the second one, I thought I can win this. Then go from there. Now that I have made it to Day 2, I have made those expectations, so it’s all good.”

No other Rockford-area player won more than one match at state.

In Class 2A, Hononegah sophomore Braden Monson finished 1-2. Auburn sophomore Austin Altangerel, who lost to Monson in both the NIC-10 and sectional finals, also finished 1-2 and was the only local player to win a match in the main draw, winning 6-2, 6-0.

“It means a lot,” Altangerel said. “I was pretty impressed with myself. I didn’t expect to win my first match. I got a taste this year so I know what I should be doing next year. I think I can do better.”

Also in Class 2A, Guilford’s Santiago Herrera and Altan Griffeth finished 1-2 in doubles. Both their losses were by 12-10 scores in a super-tiebreaker for the third set. Herrera, a junior, broke his neck in November playing hockey yet made it back for tennis season.

Besides Temple in Class 1A, Belvidere North’s Jayden Curtis went 1-2 in singles and Freeport’s Owen Helm went 0-2. In doubles, Rockford Christian’s Gianni Racanelli and Arry Fu went 0-2, losing their final match by a 10-7 super-tiebreaker score.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford Lutheran's Ben Temple earns high see in state 1A boys tennis