Mike Condon

Cedar Rapids Washington’s Kathryn Zylstra and Katelynn Kock were down from the start and could never get back into Saturday’s Class 2A state doubles final against the Cedar Falls duo of Maya Mallavarapu and Madison Sagers, falling 6-1, 7-6.

Cedar Rapids Washington’s Katelynn Kock and Kathryn Zylstra took the first two steps to defending their Class 2A girls’ state tennis doubles title on Friday in Iowa City.

Brackets have been released for the 2023 Iowa high school boys’ state team tennis tournaments with Waukee Northwest and Pella as the top seeds.

Although defending Class 2A state doubles champions Katelynn Kock and Kathryn Zylstra compiled an impressive record, the one blemish on their season came against Cedar Falls. So when the state seedings came out, the Cedar Falls pair got the top seed.

For the second straight year, Decorah standout Caden Branum had a foe from Cedar Rapids Xavier standing between him and the Class 1A boys’ state tennis singles title. This time around, the Viking junior didn't flinch.

A couple of young guns and a junior looking to take the next step all advanced to the semifinals in the singles division of the Iowa high school boys’ state tennis tournament on Tuesday.

Cedar Rapids Xavier freshman Charlie LeGrand not only joined a team that lost a wealth of talent, he had the task of stepping into the No. 1 singles spot Horstmann held for his entire prep career. He takes a 16-5 record into the state meet, where he was given the No. 3 seed.

Mya Messenger and Lily Belle Barker chose the state golf tournament over state doubles since both overlap this weekend.

Being pushed into doubles in a state tournament setting can lead to some tense times. For top-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington, having to come out for the doubles in Saturday’s Class 2A girls’ state tennis quarterfinal with Iowa City West was actually a good thing.

A 5-0 victory over Cedar Rapids Jefferson for the No. 7-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington boys’ tennis team sent the Warriors to the state tournament for a second straight year.

Cedar Rapids Washington is the state's top-ranked Class 2A girls’ tennis team entering regional tournament play, which begins Saturday with quarterfinal round play.

Under the old format, Linn-Mar would have come away as a boys’ tennis district team champion. Now the Lions, and all other teams in the state, have been placed in substate brackets.

Girls’ tennis regional results: Cedar Rapids Jefferson freshman Lily Holland lived up to her No. 1 seeding Wednesday.

Even with the departure of state singles and doubles champions, the Cedar Rapids Xavier girls’ tennis team hasn’t dropped off in 2023.

After upsetting higher seeds to advance to the final, two Linn-Mar doubles teams squared off in the district final with Malcolm Rice and Zach Mersch coming away with a 7-5, 7-5 win in the title match. Both teams advance to the state tournament.