Rochester Mayo’s Tej Bhagra, ranked No. 1, aims for singles state title after team victory eluded him

Rochester Mayo sophomore Tej Bhagra is out to make amends.

Ranked No. 1 by the coaches association in the final regular-season rankings, he advanced to the Class 2A singles semifinals with two straight-sets victories in the boys tennis individual state tournament Thursday at the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus. The semifinals and championship will be played Friday.

His success Thursday came after his team lost to Wayzata 5-2 on Wednesday for the Class 2A team championship.

Brackets: Class 1A team | Class 2A team | Class 1A individual | Class 2A individual

Tickets: Cost ranges from $8 to $13. Tickets must be purchased online at mshsl.org/tickets.

Streaming: The Neighborhood Sports Network streams state tournament games. A subscription is required. Link to the streams here.

Mahtomedi’s Sam Rathmanner, ranked second, and Brandon Pham, ranked third, also advanced to the semifinals. Rathmanner survived two three-set scares from Anthony Scheglowski of Lakeville North and Bode Campbell of Bloomington Jefferson. Wayzata’s Aaron Beduhn, ranked eighth, is the fourth semifinalist after two easy victories. Bhagra will take on Pham in the semifinals, and Rathmanner will face Beduhn.

The top doubles team, Orono’s Quinn Martini and Anthony Perrill, swept two matches to reach the semifinals.

In Class 1A at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center, St. Paul Academy teammates Winston Arvidson and Zahir Hassan could be headed for a championship showdown in singles play. Arvidson is ranked No. 1, Hassan No. 2, and each defeated his first two opponents.

St. Paul Academy’s Leo Benson and Maik Nguyen, the top-ranked doubles team, coasted to the semifinals with a pair of straight-set victories.