One of the longest matches of the 5A state boys tennis tournament Friday nearly put Advait Jadhav in the No. 2 singles finals.

But the Pine Creek freshman’s shot at a state crown will have to wait until next season. The Eagles freshman dropped his first match of the tournament in a 6-7, 6-4, 6-7 loss to Grandview’s Kaahan Wani in the semifinals at Denver City Park.

Jadhav recovered in the playback semifinals against Cherokee Trail’s Swagat Behera and won 6-3, 6-0 to advance to Saturday’s third-fourth place match. During his freshman year, Jadhav never dropped consecutive matches and swept at least one set following a loss.  

Jadhav will compete against Cherry Creek’s Jack Loehr at 9 a.m. Saturday. He’s the only 5A freshman singles player who will compete for fourth place or better. This will mark Jadhav’s first matchup with Loehr and the Eagles freshman’s first match after a three-set competition.