Little Rock Central freshman Anil Chakka went home sick Wednesday after his first-round victory in the Overall boys tennis tournament at Burns Park Tennis Center in North Little Rock.
"I had a fever," he said. "I did nothing but go home and get in my bed.''
He still had some lingering affects going into the semifinals Thursday morning, but Chakka felt much better by the end of the day after he had established himself as the top high school tennis player in the state this season.
Chakka, the Class 7A champion, defeated Matt Talbert of Hot Springs Lakeside 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to capture the Overall championship in a heated title match during which tournament monitor Danny Needham was called onto the court.
Chakka's day didn't start well as he lost his first set in the semifinals to Mulberry's Luke Anderson, 6-7. Chakka said he came out tired.
"I did not know what to expect," Chakka said. "I was feeling pretty much normal, but I just had that in the back of my mind -- 'I have a fever, how am I going to play today?' -- and Luke is a great player. I watched him play my first day and he was playing very well.
"Luke played well and I wasn't completely on my A game, and he got the first set. That is a credit to him."
Chakka rebounded, however, winning the final two sets 6-1, 6-4 to advance into the final.
Chakka started slowly again in the championship match, losing 4-6 to Talbert in the opening set of a match that included plenty of tension. Emotions ran high throughout the match as disputed line calls in the first and third sets brought Needham to the court to monitor the situation.
"There was some drama and whatnot, but that can happen," Chakka said. "Off the court he [Talbert] is a great guy."
Chakka eventually closed out Talbert, who earlier had defeated Pulaski Academy's Hunter Harrison 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
"I think I played pretty well, especially the second and third set," Chakka said. "I really moved the ball well, and I did not let him dictate as much as I did in the first set."
Chakka said he felt like he had a chance to win the Overall title as a freshman going into the tournament.
"It's really nice to win the first year," he said. "I thought it was so-so if I would win. It all depends on how you play and the people that you play. There are a lot of factors. You can't guarantee anything."
The Hot Springs Lakeside team of Spencer Kauffman and Jack Henry defeated Jonesboro's Davis McKee and Sam Edwards 6-2, 6-1 for the doubles title.
Kauffman and Hill defeated Episcopal Collegiate's Kihwan Yoo and Scotty Nichols 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals, while McKee and Edwards advanced with a 7-6, 7-5 victory over Pulaski Academy's Robert Cain and Jack Megreblain.
Sports on 10/31/2014