5/15/2026 4:11:16 PM
By: KSHSAA COVERED STAFF
WICHITA — If there were any doubts about Blue Valley West’s pursuit of a fourth straight Class 6A boys tennis championship, the Jaguars spent Friday erasing them one match at a time.
By the end of the opening day at Riverside Tennis Complex, Blue Valley West had positioned itself exactly where it wanted to be — with all four entries still alive and guaranteed finalists in both singles and doubles.
The Jaguars couldn’t have scripted a much better start to the state tournament.
Blue Valley West placed both of its singles players in Saturday’s semifinals, highlighted by a dominant performance from senior Jonah Stolte. The No. 2 seed rolled past Olathe South’s No. 7 Nolan Fosha, 6-0, 6-1, to advance.
Stolte, a two-time state runner-up, moved one step closer to the elusive singles championship that has narrowly escaped him during his decorated career.
On the other side of the bracket, teammate and No. 3 seed Aarya Anjankar survived one of the day’s tougher tests, rallying for a three-set victory over Blue Valley Northwest’s Luca Ospino, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
That result set up an all-Blue Valley West semifinal Saturday morning, guaranteeing the Jaguars a singles finalist.
The dominance didn’t stop there.
In doubles, the Jaguars flexed their depth as both teams marched into the semifinals. No. 1 seed Ishaan Musti and Ganesh Skrikanth, both juniors, controlled their quarterfinal from start to finish, defeating Maize’s No. 8-seeded duo of Alex Benage and Devin Francis, 6-1, 6-3.
Blue Valley West’s other tandem of Hayden Gansen and Marcus Sha, the No. 4 seed, looked equally sharp in a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Washburn Rural’s No. 5-seeded pair of Dylan Willingham and Cale Duetscher.
Like singles, the Jaguars will square off against one another in Saturday’s semifinals, assuring Blue Valley West another berth in a state championship match and adding valuable team points toward its title defense.
On the opposite side of the singles bracket, Free State asserted itself as a major contender behind the state’s top-ranked player.
No. 1 seed Micah Ward, the lone undefeated singles player in Kansas, continued his dominant postseason run with a commanding 6-0, 6-1 victory over Shawnee Mission East’s Christopher Long.
Ward will face a familiar opponent in Saturday’s semifinals — teammate Ishaan Rao.
The No. 4 seed battled through a tough quarterfinal against Manhattan’s No. 5 Jay Hoke, bouncing back after dropping the second set to earn a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory and give Free State two semifinalists.
Blue Valley Northwest also stayed alive in doubles as No. 3 seed Srinivasa Vel and Anay Oberoi rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat Shawnee Mission South’s Ryder Heaven and Carson Mower, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0.
They will meet Shawnee Mission East’s Aidan Lashley and Teddy Long in Saturday’s semifinals after the No. 2-seeded Lancers duo survived a marathon quarterfinal battle, outlasting Olathe Northwest’s Aidan Messerly and Bryan Branstrom, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
Class 6A state tennis action resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday at Riverside Tennis Complex.
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Free State’s Ward chasing state title after undefeated start | East/SE Kansas Boys Tennis Standouts
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