Iowa boys’ state tennis: Cedar Rapids Xavier duo starts just fine inside

Brady Horstmann called it “interesting.”

Horstmann, who teams with Matthew Schmit, on Xavier's top-seeded doubles team, wasn't sure what it would be like having to play indoors during the first two rounds of the Class 1A state tournament in Waterloo.

Cold, rainy conditions forced play to be moved from Byrnes Park to the Black Hawk Tennis Club.

It didn't take Horstmann and Schmit long to adjust.

They were one of the first matches to hit the court Friday morning. The duo coasted to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ballard's Alex Upah and Kyler Watson. Then, after about a three-hour break, they were back on for a quarterfinal match with Jalen Saengchanpheng and Kevin Lopez of Storm Lake. Horstmann and Schmit quickly earned a spot in Saturday's semifinals with a 6-1, 6-1 win.

"It helped that we were the first match out," Horstmann said. "We started fast and cruised through that one and then after waiting, were able to have another strong match."

Schmit was part of a second-place state finisher in 2019, teaming with Wes Johnson. He said that he and Horstmann have built a good relationship through the season.

"Brady and I have built a really good chemistry together," he said. "We were determined to get off to a good start today and we were able to do that."

Next up for the Saints tandem will be a matchup with the No. 4 seeded team, Gabe Anderson and Kaden Branum from Decorah. They advanced to the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Luke Hicks and Carter Sopper of Carroll Kuemper. Anderson and Branum won their opening-round match over Calvin Jaworski and AJ Wilkins of Grinnell, 6-4, 6-4.

"We know we are going to have to play two good matches no matter who we end up playing," Schmit said. "I think the key for us will be getting off to a good start and getting the momentum going the right way."

Horstmann is looking forward to a return to outdoor tennis.

"It looks like the weather is going to be much better (on Saturday)," he said. "To me, it is a much better atmosphere being able to play outside."

Xavier's other doubles team of Hugh Courter and Declan Coe had a tough draw, having to play No. 3-seed Charlie Fair and Jack Freiburger of Dubuque Wahlert. They played a strong match, but were beaten 7-6, 6-4, in the opening round. Courter and Coe came back in the consolation round with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Shenandoah's Josh Schuster and Reed Finnegan and 6-1, 6-2 over Jalen Saengchanpheng and Kevin Lopez.

Marion's doubles team of Tanner Shindelar and Seth Blackford is also alive in the consolation round. They lost a 7-6, 7-6 decision to Saengchanpheng and Lopez of Storm Lake, then came back to down Upah and Watson of Ballard, 6-4, 6-1 before bowing out, 6-4, 6-0 to Harrison Dahm and Colin Reis of Denison-Schleswig.

Xavier's Trenton Link was in the singles portion of the tournament. He fell in straight sets to Kaden Wingert of Le Mars in his first-round match. He then won twice in the consolation round, defeating North Polk's Eathan Moon, 6-3, 6-2 and Shenandoah's Andrew Lawrence, 6-0, 6-0.