Truman's No. 1 off to strong start at district

Josh Smith could hardly wait for his first taste of district singles action.
The Truman sophomore, who participated in district action in 2007 as part of a Patriots doubles team, had no idea he would have to wait more than 2 1/2 hours Wednesday to take the court at Oak Park High School in the Class 2 District 8 tennis tournament.
But the wait was worthwhile as he made quick work of North Kansas City’s Ryan Logan, claiming a quick 6-1, 6-3 victory.
The district tournament was delayed due to an afternoon rain shower and was postponed because of rain one time after play had started.
Smith didn’t get to play his second No. 1 singles match as play was suspended because of lightning and darkness at 8:35 p.m. Many players were on the Oak Park courts when action was stopped by school officials. Play was scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. this morning, starting with the suspended matches.
“That’s all right,” Smith said as he accepted congratulations from his teammates. “I’ll just go home, get to bed early and get ready for tomorrow. I’ll probably have to wake up about 5:30 a.m. to get to school on time, but I’ll be so excited about playing that that won’t be a problem.”
Smith was the lone area singles winner as Fort Osage’s Steven Shrout lost to an opponent from Liberty, 6-2, 6-0, and William Chrisman’s Ben Bertram lost 6-3, 6-1 in the final two sets after winning the first 6-4 to a Park Hill player.
“Ben played really well,” Chrisman coach Nathan Mooney said of Bertram. “It was a tough loss. He’s the only player on our team with any district experience, and we were all hoping he could open with a victory.”
Fort Osage’s No. 2 doubles team of Dustin Nyberg and Shane Sanders claimed a 10-7 victory over Chrisman’s Tucker Hickey and Curtis Whitby.
Both teams were playing their second matches when play was called off.
“I was very happy with the play of Dustin and Shane,” Fort Osage coach Jordan Groves said. “I was happy with the way all the kids played. This is a tough, tough district. There are a lot of good teams here.
“Our guys are facing some of the toughest teams and players in the metro area.”
Smith proved he belongs among the elite district singles players.
“I was really eager to see how he did, and I was just thrilled with his victory,” Truman coach Tara Corwin said. “His play was really solid. He’s not a big hitter, but he was very consistent. It’s a great way for him to start.”
Smith said all aspects of his game were working.
“I was happy with my serving – which is something I usually don’t say because it hasn’t been that good this year,” Smith said. “I was in a good frame of mind when I played. I knew I’d have a long wait, so I made sure I drank plenty of fluids and I didn’t eat any junk food.
“My forehand was really strong and consistent today, too. It was just a good day all the way around, except for the weather.”
 No. 2 singles players McKay Paialii of Chrisman, Chase Ruddell of Truman and Travis Arnold of Fort Osage all fell in first-round matches.