One hundred eighty-five tennis players traveled from as far south as Vancouver and as far north as Bellingham, making their way to the Snohomish Valley to see who would come out on top at the 9th Annual Snohomish Summer Smash presented by Columbia Athletic Club- Silver Lake.When the smoke cleared, among those holding the coveted champion T-shirts was Edmonds-Woodway High School sophomore Nalu Akiona, who teamed with 2A Singles State Champion Cole Balen of Archbishop Murphy to grab the Boys Gold Doubles title. In addition, Balen grabbed the title in the Boys Gold Singles Division.
Shorewood High School was also well represented, with Carlota Garibay Romero taking the Girls Gold Singles title, before teaming up with classmate Xander Gordon to take the Mixed Doubles Gold championship.
Sponsored this year by Columbia Athletic Club-Silver Lake, the Summer Smash was started in 2015 as an alternative for high school players who wanted to take part in competitive tennis but not play in USTA tournaments. Participation in the four-day event has grown exponentially since the pandemic, with this year’s turnout nearly triple the total from 2019. Players interested in learning more about the tournament can go to snohomishsummersmash.com.
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