Peters sheds second-place jinx with first title

SPRINGFIELD, MO. Second place was simply not an option this year for John Burroughs junior Michael Peters.

Peters had finished second with the Bombers in the team tennis tournament, he finished second in individual doubles his first two seasons, and was also on a Bombers' football team, which racked up two second-place finishes.

"I didn't come here to get second again," Peters said.

Peters finally got the elusive first-place medal Saturday as he defeated Tyler Raclin of MICDS 7-5, 6-0 in the Class 1 state singles championship match at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.

"This just feels great," Peters said. "After I won my semifinal match (a decisive 6-0, 6-2 win over William Sistrunk of Greenwood), all I thought about was the fact that I was in another championship match and how much I wanted to win it this year. It is the hardest I have ever worked during the season and I played my best tennis in the finals.

It worked out perfectly."

The first set was extremely tight, but was delayed three different times, once by rain and twice by lightning. The second set was finally moved indoors and Peters would never lose a game.

"We played on the same indoor court in the team tournament (Thursday) and he won the first set," said Peters, who was up a break in the second set when the match was stopped after MICDS won its fifth and clinching set. "I normally like to play most of my matches indoors, but I wasn't sure against Tyler and his lefty serve.

"But I was so focused. I got that early break in the second set and I just felt I was in a zone."

It was a zone which finally resulted in a state championship for the talented 6-foot-5 Peters, who did not lose a set and dropped just 13 total games in his four state matches.

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Peters sheds second-place jinx with first title