Fairmont girls tennis beats East Duplin in dual-team 2nd round

In an impressive display, the Fairmont girls tennis team secured a resounding 6-2 victory over East Duplin in the third round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 2A dual-team state playoffs held on home turf on Wednesday.

Fairmont (13-0), the No. 3 seed in the 2A East Region, dominated their opponents by triumphing in four out of the six singles matches against No. 6 East Duplin (12-2). Additionally, the Golden Tornadoes emerged victorious in both completed doubles matches, ultimately sealing the triumph.

Next Monday, Fairmont will embark on a journey to face the formidable No. 2 Research Triangle (15-0) in the fourth round. The winner of this match will progress to the 2A East Regional championship scheduled for Wednesday. It is worth mentioning that Research Triangle recently defeated No. 10 North Johnston in the third round that occurred this Wednesday.

The afternoon commenced with Madalynn Godwin securing the Golden Tornadoes’ initial victory courtesy of a commanding 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Maggie Ray Bradshaw of the Panthers. Skyler McNeill promptly followed suit by overpowering Katelyn Jones with a score of 6-0, 6-1. These early triumphs allowed Fairmont to establish a 2-0 lead in the overall match.

Continuing their dominance, Fairmont’s Addison Waldo and Helen Boeshore valiantly battled to secure hard-fought victories and extend Fairmont’s lead to 4-0. Waldo triumphed in a closely contested match against Jamesan Blizzard, winning the first set 7-6 with a tense 7-5 tiebreak victory before clinching the second set 6-1. Boeshore also tirelessly fought against Kinsley Bond, winning the first set 6-3 and eventually emerging victorious in the second set with a score of 7-6. It is important to note that Boeshore initially trailed 4-1 in the tiebreak but impressively mounted a comeback to secure a 7-5 victory.

Showing great resilience, East Duplin managed to stay alive in the match by triumphing in the final two singles matches. Audrey Sutton defeated Shylylia Barksdale in a hard-fought encounter with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 10-5. Similarly, Kate Miller secured a convincing 6-1, 6-1 win over Jaelynn Hayes.

In the doubles matches, Boeshore and Waldo continued their dominance by overpowering Bond and Jones with a score of 8-1. Meanwhile, Godwin and McNeill showcased their unbeatable form in dual-team doubles matches by defeating Blizzard and Bradshaw with a score of 8-2.