The tournament was cancelled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a good win,” Kronour said. “The team is doing well. I came in today thinking I would probably be able to run the show and I was able to (win).”
Northwestern won the team championship with 26 points, edging second-place Springfield by just two points. The Warriors’ Noah Jordan won the second singles title, beating Springfield’s Reese Hiller Freund 8-3. The Warriors duo of Harleigh Schuerman and Joseph Tedeschi won the second doubles title, beating Northeastern’s Jaiden James and Lucas Trombley 8-1.
Springfield’s David Leeth and Rob Barnett won the first doubles championship, beating Northwestern’s Ryan Harrington and Ayden Weaver 8-6. The Wildcats’ William Deever took home the third singles title, beating Northeastern’s Gavin Tolle 8-2.
Kronour was able to come out on top despite not playing his best tennis, he said.
After receiving a first-round bye, the senior and Thomas More commit beat Springfield’s Grant Comer in the semifinals 8-2.
“He gave me a bunch of problems with my serve,” Kronour said. “The pace on his return off of my serve was very good. It felt good to get the win.”
Kronour beat Huber in the finals after beating him 6-1, 6-0 during a regular season match earlier in the week. He improved to 5-0 on the season.
“I was getting a little frustrated out there,” he said. “I was able to hit my spots. On Brady’s serve, I was able to drop it to where he had to come to the net and I was able to pass him a little easier. I felt really confident with my passing shots. I think that’s what got me the win today.”
The senior hopes to go undefeated this spring and has several tough matches ahead, including a showdown with Jonathan Alder’s Riley James later this week
He’s also hoping to make some noise in the postseason after missing out last season.
“The sectional is wide open for me this year,” Kronour said. “I’m hoping to win some matches, go to district and see what happens.”
One of the most exciting matches of the day belonged to Springfield’s Leeth and Barnett. They took a 4-1 lead against Northwestern’s Harrington and Weaver, but the Warriors duo cut the lead to 7-6. The Wildcats won the last game to claim the title and avoid a tiebreaker.
“I was nervous because they were coming back, but we were able to get the win,” Barnett said.
Both Leeth and Barnett are first-year tennis players. The duo is now 4-1 on the season.
“So far, so good,” Leeth said. “We’re doing pretty well. This is a good gauge for how we’re going to do the rest of the season.”
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