LEWISTON — Fatigue and frustration were clearly visible on Leif Boddie’s haggard face.
The top-ranked Greely senior, dripping with sweat, just finished a two-plus-hour match against No. 8 Gabe Naftoly of Berwick Acacemy in a quarterfinal of the 2021 MPA tennis singles championships on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon at Lewiston High School.
The furious pace of this marathon match wore out both tennis players, but Boddie’s stamina held in his 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Naftoly.
“I usually get cramps when I do this much,” Boddie said. “I drink the amount of electrolytes needed to so I don’t feel that bad — although it was a very tiresome match. (Naftoly) was a grinder. I applaud him for putting up a fight like that. He played a very long three-setter before that.”
Boddie’s motivation was also another factor in his quest to dispatch Naftoly.
“I mean, I want to win this thing,” he said. “That’s what kept me in it.”
Boddie’s long day of grueling matches began in the morning against Yarmouth’s Will Best in the round of 16. The back-and-forth showdown was another must-see match, with Boddie slipping away with 6-3, 6-4 win over Best.
“I forgot to applaud Will. He played a very good match,” Boddie said. “I just want to say that. It wasn’t my best performance, but I got through it. For the past couple of days, I haven’t really felt the greatest or played my best. During the regular season, like in school, I felt I played pretty well, but I don’t know.”
The girls’ No. 1 seed, Sofia Mavor — a Yarmouth freshman — overpowered No. 9 Anna Barnes of Brunswick, 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
“My forehand was going a lot better than my backhand,” Mavor said. “My movement felt a lot better than I had been. I have been getting a lot more matches and I kind of felt a lot more relaxed as the tournament has been going. It is exciting. Hopefully, I can go as far as I can.”
Waynflete’s No. 3 Ben Adey dispatched Calvin Doherty 6-2, 6-0 of Brunswick in the Round of 16.
“I just had to relax and play my game,” Adey said. “Today, once I got loose, I felt much better. (Doherty) is a good player. He is athletic and quick and had a good forehand. It was a good match.”
Waynflete boys coach Jeff Madore said Adey was nervous at first and then settled down.
“He got over the nerves and played his game,” Madore said. “Mentally, he is pretty strong.”
Adey went on to beat sixth-ranked senior Charlie Haberstock of Waterville 7-6(5), 6-4 in the quarterfinals. In the Round of 16, Haberstock took down Caribou’s 11th-ranked Sawyer Deprey, 6-0, 6-2.
“I think over the past couple of years I have turned into a defensive player,” Haberstock said. “I was just really trying to get the ball back. … I was mostly, I think, mainly being patient is the main thing that worked today.”
Waterville boys tennis coach Jason Tardif liked Haberstock’s style of play.
“His first serve is looking really good right now,” Tardif said. “He has a really good sliced backhand.”
Skowhegan’s fifth-ranked Dawson Turcotte beat John Bapst’s 12th-ranked Sean Flynn 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the Round of 16.
“Staying calm kept me in the match. That’s what separated me from my opponent,” Turcotte said. “(Flynn) is a great kid. He is fun to play. We played a couple of times before so it was nice to meet him here.”
Turcotte later fell to No. 4 Caleb Fockens of Foxcroft Academy, 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
GIRLS ROUND OF 16
• No. 1 Sofia Mavor (Yarmouth) def. Caroline Gentile (Cape Elizabeth), 6-0, 6-0
• No. 9 Anna Barnes (Brunswick) def. No. 8 Abby Svor (Lewiston), 6-2, 6-1
• No. 4 Caitlin Cass (Lincoln Academy) def. Abby Emerson (Gorham), 6-0, 6-1
• No. 5 Amber Woods (Scarborough) def. No. 12 Madi Hedrich (Presque Isle), 6-1, 6-2
• No. 11 Julia Svor (Lewiston) def. No. 6 Inga Zimba (Waterville), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
• No. 3 Morgan Warner (Waynflete) def. Mya Vincent (Edward Little), 6-0, 6-0
• No. 10 Naomi Lynch (Hall-Dale) def. No. 7 Coco Meserve (Brunswick), 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
• No. 2 Blair Hollyday (Cape Elizabeth) def. Sarah Moulton (Washington Academy), 6-1, 6-0
QUARTERFINALS
• No. 4 Cass def. No. 5 Woods, 6-0, 6-0
• No. 3 Warner def. No. 11 J.Svor, 6-1, 6-1
• No. 2 Hollyday def. No. 10 Lynch, 6-0, 6-1
SEMIFINALS
MONDAY, MAY 24, LEWISTON HIGH SCHOOL – 9:30 AM
• No. 1 Sofia Mavor, Yarmouth v Caitlin Cass, Lincoln Academy
• No. 2 Blair Hollyday, Cape Elizabeth v #3-Morgan Warner, Waynflete
CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinal winners – Monday, 1 p.m.
BOYS ROUND OF 16
• No. 8 Gabe Naftoly (Berwick Academy) def. No. 9 Ezra LeMole (Camden Hills), 6-1, 5-7(4), 6-2
• No. 4 Caleb Fockens (Foxcroft Academy) def. Lukas Hradecky (Windham), 6-0, 6-0
• No. 6 Charlie Haberstock (Waterville) def. No. 11 Sawyer Deprey (Caribou), 6-0, 6-2
• No. 3 Ben Adey (Waynflete) def. Calvin Doherty (Brunswick), 6–2, 6-0
• No. 7 Brendan Mailloux (Portland) def. No. 10 Zander Chown (Mt. Ararat), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
• No. 2 George Cutone (Kennebunk) def. Owen Flannery (Hampden Academy), 6-0, 6-0
QUARTERFINALS
• No. 4 Fockens def. No. 5 Turcotte, 6-1, 6-0
• No. 2 Cutone def. No. 4 Mailloux, 6-0, 6-0
SEMIFINALS
MONDAY, MAY 24, LEWISTON HIGH SCHOOL – 9:30 A.M.
• No. 1 Leif Boddie, Greely v No. 4 Caleb Fockens, Foxcroft Academy
• No. 2 George Cutone, Kennebunk v No. 3 Ben Adey, Waynflete
CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinal winners – Monday, 1 p.m.
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