The Pigeon Forge tennis team used two matches this week to improve their record to 6-0 with wins over Claiborne and Union Co. The busy week started with a match in the middle, meeting Claiborne at the Walters State courts, halfway between the two schools.
The Tigers dropped just two games against the Bulldogs. Claiborne’s Tyler DeBusk took a close 6-4 match over John Cave in the battle of one seeds and Brandon Payne teamed up with Randy Lambert to get a doubles point for CHS over Paul Harper and Wesley Trentham 6-3. The rest of the match was all orange.
Rory Bristol won 6-2 over Dustin Poore. Jacob Cave played well at the three slot downing Lambert 6-1. Dustin Melbardis had a perfect 6-0 wash over Brain O’Dell to match Harper’s 6-0 victory over Joseph Noah. The five seeds was the battle of the afternoon as Charles Brackins took a 7-6(7-3) win in a hotly contested match with Payne.
John Cave and Bristol took the first doubles point, quickly dispatching Steven Rowe and Poore by a 6-0 count. Jacob Cave then teamed up with Melbardis for a 6-3 win over DeBusk and O’Dell.
Union Co. was another half way point meeting as the Tigers met UCHS at Halls. Pigeon Forge left the Patriots seeing stars after a 9-0 drubbing. Bristol played in the one slot in the meeting and took a 6-3 win over Zack McKinnis. Brothers John (2 seed) and Jacob Cave (3 seed) took identical 6-2 wins with John downing Brian Flatford and Jacob defeating Chuck Barnett. Melbardis went 6-0 over Chris Smith and Brackins followed with a similar 6-0 count over Stephen Nelson. Harper finished off the singles matches winning 6-1 over Daniel Cabage.
John Cave and Bristol sent McKinnis and Barnett packing 6-3 in doubles. The Patriots didn’t win a game in the last two doubles matches. Jacob Cave and Melbardis went 6-0 over Flatford and Nelson, while Wesley Trentham and Brackins were doing the same to Jerry Toppin and Josh Wynn.
The Lady Tigers improved their record to an even 3-3 with their win over the Lady Patriots. Linda Villarreal started things off right at the top with a 6-0 win over Union’s top player Alison Cox. Bethany Boyenton, Sweta Patel, and Breanna Trombley all went to 6-3 wins in the singles. The Lady Patriots got two singles points in the center of the line up with Megan Walker winning 6-4 over Brittany Williams and Angela Conner getting by Kristin Senatore 6-3.
Pigeon Forge needed just one doubles point to claim the match and nearly got three before settling for two. Villareal and Williams took the first seed doubles 6-1 to secure the match win. Boyenton and Senatore were on key, harmonizing 6-1 over Walker and Conner. Caity Baker and Patel nearly made it a doubles sweep, before falling in a tie breaker 6-7 (4-7) to Stephanie Walker and Holly Wilmouth.
The Lady Tigers won the second match of the season with a 7-2 win over Claiborne. Villareal, Williams, Senatore and Amy Feltes all took wins in the singles. Sweta Patel won by a forfeit at six seed. Pigeon Forge took sat out their second seed doubles team to allow Patel and Trombley to play in the two spot. Pigeon Forge got the three spot point from forfeit and took Villareal joined Williams for the top point in doubles.

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