By Charles Whisnand
Nevada Appeal Sports Editor
It was a strange way to end a stellar career for Reno High School's Jeff Mullin at the NIAA 4A State Tennis Championships.
Mullin was in a nip-and-tuck battle with Palo Verde's Brandon Parker in the boys singles finals on Saturday at Carson High School when it appeared he had just uncorked a second serve for an ace to go up ad in with the second set tied 5-5.
But Mullin went on to double fault. Mullin went to serve, thinking it was deuce while Parker went to sit down, thinking the game was over. After the two talked it over, Robertson had his break for a 6-5 lead to propel him on to the state championship as he won 6-3, 7-5.
"He said it was ad out and it wasn't," Mullin said after the match. "I guess that's it, though. I've never been in a situation like that."
It was thought that Parker called Mullin's second serve that may or may have not caught the back of the line out for a double fault. That would have made it ad out. But Mullin said he didn't believe that was the case.
"He didn't do anything," Mullin said.
But Mullin also admitted he made a mistake by not calling out the score before his next serve. If he had done so, there likely wouldn't have been the confusion.
"I should have done that," Mullin said. "That way we would have avoided the confusion to begin with."
And it's actually understandable when that kind of confusion happens, considering Mullin and Parker were hitting serves up to 120 miles an hour that were within an eyelash of being in or out. And in the end the players worked it out.
"It wouldn't have changed the winner of the match necessarily, but it would have prolonged it," Mullin said. "Parker, he was playing well. He was serving well."
And Mullin walked away knowing he had a successful run. "Still, second place in the state isn't bad," he said. "I still enjoyed playing and everything and it was fun."
After the confusion that gave Parker a 6-5 lead, he uncorked an ace on his second serve on match point for the state title. The difference of the match was Parker was able to break Mullin's serve twice " once in the first set and once in the second set. Those were the only two breaks of the match.
Mullin had one break point to go up 3-1 in the second set, but Parker eventually held to tie the set 2-2. At 5-5, Mullin saved a break point with a backhand volley before the confusion happened. Parker's break in the first set helped give him a 5-2 lead on the way to winning the set.
Mullin advanced to the finals with an admittedly sweet win over Palo Verde's Stan Breland, who beat Mullin at state when Mullin was a sophomore. Mullin beat Breland 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Mullin broke Breland at love to take a 4-3 lead and was serving at 30-0 to take a 5-3 lead in the first set. But Breland fought back for the break to tie the set 4-4. Mullin came back to break Breland at love again, returning a serve down the line on game point for a 5-4 lead and he went on to win 6-4.
Down 3-4 in the second set, Mullin saved a break point at 30-40 and went on to hold serve with an overhead backhand volley, tying the set 4-4. After he broke Breland's serve for a 5-4 lead, Mullin held serve at love, hitting a winning backhand volley on match point.
"I was pretty excited," said Mullin after beating Breland.
In girls singles, Canyon Springs' Rebecca Breland had a little more difficulty than expected on her way to the title. Breland lost her first game in zone or state in her 6-1, 6-0 win over Green Valley's Jessica Hsu. She then was challenged by Bishop Gorman's Sarah Toti in the finals before winning 6-2, 6-4.
In girls doubles, Gorman's Anita Lee and Sarah Beesen beat Silverado's Kristen Santero and Nicole Santero 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) for the title. In an all-Bonanza boys doubles final, Laurent Gontier and Sean Lettero beat Aashish Daulat and Andrew Whiting 6-4, 6-3.