INDIANAPOLIS — There are plenty of reasons for Bloomington North boys’ tennis coach Ken Hydinger to be proud of the effort Nick Shirley gave at the IHSAA boys’ state singles finals on Saturday.

Five in particular stand out.

A day after dealing with cramping late in a 6-0, 7-6(5) win, would Shirley, who missed two weeks of the season due to injury, have enough stamina to get through not just one but two extended matches at the highest level the state has to offer?

“I did not think he’d make it through five sets today,” Hydinger said. “No way. If anything, I thought maybe we’d have to play some high risk tennis and try to win points with two or three shots and not go eight or nine. I thought maybe his legs were gone.

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“But he dug down deep and pulled it out. He came out hitting the ball. I was surprised all day long.”

And not just five ordinary sets. The 10 a.m. semifinal, which took three hours, saw Shirley rebound for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over Tyler Li of Culver Academies after trailing 3-0 in the third set. That set up a championship match two hours later with Aaron Gu of West Lafayette Harrison. It was another nail-bitter, one that Gu pulled out 6-4, 6-4.

It was just Shirley’s second loss of the season, and first in a match he was able to complete, but it still left the senior as the Cougars’ first state medalist since Mac Rogers earned runner-up honors in 2017.

“It definitely took a lot of hard work,” Shirley said. “Even before high school, my goal was to win a state championship. it hurts to come so far and not get it, but I’m happy with how I worked and improved in my last year. I definitely turned it around a little bit.”

Semifinal marathon

Li, a California transplant, is considered one of the nation’s top college recruits and finding a way to outlast him was no easy feat. He found a unique angle in attacking his forehand side and valuing accuracy over velocity on a few shots as well.

“It took Nick some time to figure out his game,” Hydinger said. “He likes to play an inside-out forehand, so we wanted to work him wide and then his footwork and stroke work started to break down and we got some points there.

“Nick hit some slices and kept the trajectory of the ball lower so it was harder for him to get around and hit the ball cross court. He was working it out there and broke the guys down a little bit. And Nick also had some good attacks. His ability to think and change his game is something, a lot of guys can’t do that.”

Another rare quality for Shirley was being able to shake off a lost point and instantly reset. That’s what allowed him to overcome that 3-0 deficit, along with.

“The first set right there, there were a couple of over-rules the umpire called me out on and it messed with my head a little bit,” Shirley said. “So I’m happy I fought back and happy my legs held up.”

An even matchup

Something to drink, something to eat and Shirley was right back at it. Not much ever separated the two finalists, despite Gu not having to work near as hard to win 6-2, 6-3 in his semi.

The first set was tied at 2-2 after Shirley fought through three deuce points for a break, but Gu answered with his own break and took advantage of some misses by Shirley to jump up 5-2. But Gu’s first serve deserted him and two double faults helped give Shirley a game and then Shirley grabbed another after firing an ace to get back within 5-4.

Gu was serving for the set at 40-30, but Shirley pushed him to two deuce points. At ad in, and Shirley at the net, Gu fired a shot that ticked off the tape just enough that Shirley couldn’t get a clean return.

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“The guy came out big and making shots,” Hydinger said. “And Nick got back into it. A few shots here and there and it could have been different. The thing is, Nick recognized his opportunities to attack a lot more. There was a lot more shot making than the other match he played.”

Gu, whenever he felt like he really needed a point, went to big forehand or a serve and volley game to get to the net and was big-time trouble there, where he covered a lot of space.

“As the match went on, I was more and more ready for it when I saw him come in,” Shirley said.

The second set was tied 2-2 with nobody holding serve, then Shirley got the hold to go up 3-2. Gu responded in kind and then added a break to take a 4-3 lead.

Gu was back at the net on an ad points when Shirley smacked a winner past him down the right sideline to tie it at 4.

“Nick hit some great passing shots,” Hydinger said. “It’s one of the toughest shots to hit and the smallest area to hit. The guys was quick around the net and Nick his some great lobs.”

But Gu pulled out the next game, which was tied at 30-30 and finished it, appropriately enough with a winner at the net.

“I think was as ready as could be,” Shirley said. “I’m not going to make any excuses. I just had to give it all I had. I just fell short.”

Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com or 812-331-4381 and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.

“he had to do a litle bit of everything, evethign not been totalt comfortable doing, lot lot f heart

NICK