WPH Press, Schaumburg, IL, 1/22/23
Schaumburg Tennis Plus played host to the 2023 IHA State Singles Championships in Schaumburg, IL, attracting more than 70 players in eight divisions for the biggest prize in Illinois handball.
The Men’s Open singles featured the Munson brothers, R48 top 15 pro and Minnesota State Mankato star Mark Doyle, Minnesota State Mankato collegiate stars Ray Ure and Shane Dunne, SR48 and R48 star Bill Mehilos, and a number of other contenders.
The three Minnesota State stars advanced to the semifinals, with Doyle overcoming Mike Munson in two close games in the bottom bracket quarterfinal and Dunne overcoming Mehilos in two close games in the upper bracket quarterfinal. Dunne advanced to the final in the upper bracket with a two-game sweep against sharpshooter and top seed Dave Munson, while Ray Ure escaped match point against Mark Doyle to advance to the final in the bottom bracket.
Dunne took a one game lead in the final against Ure and stood three points from the title in the second before Ure forced a tiebreaker. Ure rode the momentum from the end of the second game to dominate the tiebreaker.
“Shane played very well in the first with lob serves, soft fly kills and was finishing any setups from ray off the back,” stated Ure and Dunne Minnesota teammate Mark Doyle watching Minnesota State Mankato teammates courtside. “Ray got a good power serve in the second, hitting good passing shots and jumped to an early lead and was able to hold out from there to force a tiebreaker. Ray continued to serve well in the tie breaker. There were a lot of long rallies throughout the game too.”
Semifinals
Dunne def D. Munson 21-12, 21-20
Ure def M. Doyle 21-16, 9-21, 11-10
Final: Ure def S. Dunne 16-21, 21-18, 11-3
Follow all of the brackets from the 2023 IHA State Singles Championships HERE
David Fink
WPH senior Writer