One year after Will Semler ended his Lincoln tennis career with a third consecutive 6A boys singles title, the Cardinals appear to have found a worthy successor.
Freshman Cayden Laughton punctuated his arrival on the scene last weekend by winning the No. 1 singles title in the Jesuit Tournament, the state's top event in the regular season, at Tualatin Hills Tennis Center.
“It means a lot,” Laughton said. “I haven't been on a stage like that before. It was definitely a really cool atmosphere. It's different getting used to.”
Laughton, rated as a five-star college prospect and the No. 15 freshman in the nation by Tennis Recruiting Network, won the Jesuit Tournament by defeating Mountainside junior Arnav Arora 6-3. 6-3 in the final. Considering Arora nearly took down Semler in the state semifinals last year – losing 7-5 in the third set – Laughton's win was particularly impressive.
“He's got a level of maturity that I've never seen,” Lincoln coach Stuart Allen said. “Regardless of his talent, I think the kid really gets it.”
Laughton defeated Arora 6-3, 6-2 at a junior tournament in Vancouver in November, but because of Arora's state tournament resume, Arora and Laughton were seeded first and second, respectively, at the Jesuit Tournament.
Laughton beat Lakeridge senior Cooper Wyngarden 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and third-seeded West Linn senior Zach Steinberg 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals. Arora turned back Barlow senior Sam Lowery 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Jesuit junior Tristan Hernandez 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 in the semifinals.
That set up a Saturday final between Laughton and Arora, who train together under Jonathan Stark at Oregon Elite Tennis.
“When Arnav's semifinal match went to three sets, I think it kind of gave Cayden a leg up on him,” Allen said. “I think it took a toll. It was a very physical tournament.”
Laughton's conditioning is a key factor in his success, according to Allen.
“Cayden is in very good physical shape. I think that matters a lot,” Allen said.
Laughton reveled in the supercharged atmosphere of the final, feeding off the cheers of Lincoln teammates and supporters. It is a break from the individual-based junior tournaments.
“It definitely helped me throughout the match,” Laughton said. “You have to enjoy the crowd in moments like that. It's fun having an individual sport that turns into a team sport with high school tennis.”
When Laughton won, the Cardinals celebrated with him.
“He must've had 15 or 20 players go on the court, high-fiving him,” Allen said. “He's never experienced that before. He's been on courts in faraway lands with only his parents watching. To have 15 of his teammates, who just met him, rush the court and say, 'Nice job,” I think that's huge.”
Laughton grew up in San Francisco. His family moved to Portland three years ago, but he trained at tennis academies in Spain and California in the first year before settling down in Portland.
Last spring, Laughton won the 16s singles title at the prestigious Ojai Tennis Tournament in California. He has racked up several junior tournament titles in the past year, most recently capturing an event in Vancouver April 4-7.
High school tennis has been on his radar.
“I've always had it in my mind as something I was looking forward to,” Laughton said. “I've played a lot of tournaments, and it's something I've wanted to do, to be a part of a team, have that experience. I think it's unique to kind of step out of just individual tournaments every weekend. I've really enjoyed it so far.
“It's great to have a team that supports you. It feels like you're competing for more than just yourself.”
Laughton said he would like to add a high school state title to his resume, aiming to “keep the streak going” for Lincoln after Semler's prolific run.
“Definitely, that'll be my goal,” he said. “This is a good step toward that.”
The Jesuit Tournament title raises his standing in 6A tennis.
“I think now he's probably the favorite,” Allen said. “I think it's fair that he was seeded second in the Jesuit Tournament, but I also think he probably should be the first seed at state.”
West Linn's top-seeded team of senior Rhyson Chiang and junior Perin Huberty won the doubles title at the Jesuit Tournament. They defeated the No. 3 seed, Sheldon senior Cash Daughters and junior Andy Brown, 6-0, 6-2 in the final.
Last year, Chiang won the 6A doubles title with Keyan Fernando, who graduated.
Jesuit finished first in the eight-team event by scoring 52 points, holding off West Linn (49) and Grant (40). The host Crusaders got titles from sophomore Logan Aman at No. 2 singles, sophomore Teddy Wang and senior Simon Ames at No. 2 doubles and seniors Patrick Doherty and Joseph Penna at No. 3 doubles.
jerryu@osaa.org
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