LEWISTON — Waynflete School junior Brandon Thompson defeated freshman teammate Patrick Ordway 6-3, 6-2 to win the state high school boys’ singles tennis championship this afternoon at Bates College.
Brunswick High junior exchange student Elena Mandzhukova won the girls’ singles title, defeating Falmouth sophomore Analise Kump 6-4, 7-6 (7-4 in the tiebreaker).
For Thompson, the title came after he had advanced to the semifinals as a freshman and the finals last year as a sophomore.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
He was in command throughout, taking a 4-1 lead in the second set.
For Mandzhukova, the championship capped a comeback. She hadn’t played in three years. Mandzhukova was born in Bulgaria and moved to Lisbon, Portugal, when she was 9. She stopped playing tennis when she was 15.
Her match against Kump, the No.1 seed, was very tight. Mandzhukova trailed 6-5 in the second set before forcing the tiebreaker. Then she trailed 4-1 before rattling off the final six points.
“I think this is a great comeback,” said Mandzhukova, who will return to Portugal on June 13. “I felt some pressure and was nervous all my games. I was hoping I could get over it.”
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