Hank Lin had little trouble advancing to Saturday’s Boys Tennis State Singles semifinals.
The Columbus North senior controlled his quarterfinal match to top Terre Haute North’s James Belmar 6-1, 6-1 on Friday at Park Tudor.
Lin faces Fairfield’s Garrett Stoltzfus at 10 a.m. Saturday at Park Tudor. In the other semifinal contest, it will be Center Grove’s Tyler Lane and Homestead’s Benjamin Garrean. The final is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Lin and Belmar met before in the regular season, with Lin winning 6-0, 6-0.
“(Lin) stayed patient. He didn’t try to force things too much,” North coach Kendal Hammel said. “I could tell that right off the bat that (Belmar) was not going to try to outhit with him. He just kept a lot of balls in play, so he stayed patient. He still dictated the point because he was the one putting the pressure on the groundstrokes initially and moving the ball around. That was a good mental aspect for him in that part.”
It will be a battle of unbeatens Saturday morning when Lin (25-0) and Stoltzfus (30-0) meet.
“I can tell you from the scouting from coaches, (Stoltzfus is) a tall, lengthy kid,” Hammel said. “He has a big arm stretch, a very consistent player. He doesn’t put balls away, but really moves the ball around consistently. He keeps a lot of balls in play. He’s got a big first serve.”
