After winning the doubles championship last season, Eno River Academy’s Nathan Bermeo won the single championship on Saturday at the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A boys tennis state championship at the Cary Tennis Center.

Bermeo, a junior at Eno River, defeated Nikhil Deshpande 6-2, 6-1 in the championship. Deshpande was a two-time defending state champion from Langtree Charter.

Bermeo defeated Luke Ansari of Bishop McGuinness 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals and knocked out Elkin’s Owen Jennings 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals on Friday.

The singles championship makes Bermeo the first singles champion in school history for Eno River Academy. Last season, Bermeo teamed up with Noah Marsico to win the doubles title, which was the first boys tennis title in school history.

Deshpande’s road to the finals included a 6-2, 6-0 win over Davin Hyche of N.C. Science & Math-Morganton in the semifinals and a 6-0, 6-0 win over Chatham Charter’s Miguel Kirkman in the quarterfinals.

The 1A doubles championship went to a pair of twins from Elkin —Aidan Ballard and Connor Ballard.

After wins over Soham Kela/Rayyan Neikar of Triangle Math & Science and Kannon Strickland/Connor Sechrist of Mount Airy, the Ballard brothers defeated Prahalad Srinivisan and Cooper Fielding from Triangle Math and Science 6-3, 6-2 in the championship.

This marks the ninth doubles title in school history for the Elkin boys tennis program. The last doubles championship came in 2013 when Tyler Macy and Ryan Schell won the championship. Elkin had not won a boys tennis individual title since 2018 when Ryan Macy won the singles championship.

Srinivisan and Fielding defeated Julian Monzavifar/Josh Banchik of N.C. Science & Math-Morganton 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals and Tanner Richards/Hunter Plaster of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

1A Boys Tennis Results: Singles

Quarterfinals

• Nathan Bermeo (Eno Rirver) def. Owen Jennings (Elkin) 6-1, 6-0
• Luke Ansari (Bishop McGuinness) def. Jacob Gillilan (Chatham Central) 6-4, 6-0
• Nikhil Deshpande (Langtree Charter) def. Miguel Kirkman (Chatham Charter) 6-0, 6-0
• Davin Hyche (NCSSM-Morganton) def. Tyler Hinshaw (Voyager Academy) 6-2, 6-1

Semifinals

• Bermeo (Eno River) def. Ansari (Bishop McGuinness) 6-2, 6-0
• Deshpande (Langtree Charter) def. Hyche (NCSSM-Morganton) 6-2, 6-0

Championship

• Bermeo (Eno River) def. Deshpande (Langtree Charter) 6-2, 6-1

1A Boys Tennis Results: Doubles

Quarterfinals

• Prahalad Srinivisan/Cooper Fielding (Triangle Math & Science) def. Tanner Richards/Hunter Plaster (Thomas Jefferson) 6-1, 6-2
• Julian Monzavifar/Josh Banchik (NCSSM-Morganton) def. Will Baker/Micah Smith (Voyager) 6-0, 7-5
• Aidan Ballard/Connord Ballard (Elkin) def. Soham Kela/Rayyan Neikar (Triangle Math & Science) 6-0, 6-0
• Kannon Strickland/Connor Sechrist (Mount Airy) def. Joseph Bailey/Aedan Peacock (Rosewood) 6-2, 6-0

Semifinals

• Srinivisan/Fielding (Triangle Math & Science) def. Monzavifar/Banchik (NCSSM-Morganton) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Ballard/Ballard (Elkin) def. Strickland/Sechrist (Mount Airy)

Championship

• Ballard/Ballard (Elkin) def. Srinivisan/Fielding (Triangle Math & Science) 6-3, 6-2

Source: highschoolot.com