[EKY Sportster]

Martin rules again in 15th

For Lawrence County junior Nathan Martin, winning the 15th Region boys singles tennis championship has become a rite of spring.

Martin made it four in a row by defeating Paintsville’s Zach Hughes 6-4, 6-1 this week in a match that began in Prestonsburg and finished up in Ashland.

“It’s a pretty good feeling to win for the fourth time in a row,’’ said the soft-spoken Martin, a 16-year-old with a big forehand.

Martin led 6-4, 4-0 at Archer Park in Prestonsburg on Wednesday when rain stopped play. Because of a wet forecast for the rest of the week, tournament officials contacted the Ashland Tennis Center and received permission to complete the tournament on the indoor courts there Wednesday afternoon.

Hughes won the first game after the match was resumed, but Martin took the next two games to close it out.

“He’s a good player,’’ Martin said of Hughes, the only player to take a game off Martin in the tournament. “The first set, I didn’t play too good. I hit a bunch of forehands into the net. I started playing better in the second set.’’

http://www.dailyindependent.com/localspo...22625.html

What more can you say about the kid! He is really the best player east of Lexington! But it gets pretty tough once you get into the golden triangle of Lex/Lou/Cov. Good luck to Nathan in the State this year!