By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It doesn't happen much these days, but Cooper Woestendick welcomes any opportunity he gets to return to his family roots in Topeka ... particularly if that visit involves tennis.
Cooper Woestendick returns a shot Saturday en route to his second Jayhawk Open singles championship at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 18-year-old tennis star is the grandson of the late Delvy Lewis, a former Washburn Rural and Kansas Jayhawk basketball star, and the son of Kristi (Lewis) Woestendick, who played basketball at Rural and Washburn University.
"I have deeper roots here than anywhere else in the world,'' said Woestendick, whose family lives in Olathe. "This is where I was born and it's nice to come and play here. It's nice to come home and play a tournament.''
Woestendick, who recently helped Texas Christian University post a runnerup team finish in the NCAA Division I tennis championships, put on a show in his return to Topeka for the 85th Jayhawk Open at the Kossover Tennis Center, claiming the men's open singles championship on Saturday after winning the doubles title on Friday.
Woestendick topped TCU teammate Duncan Chan 6-1, 6-3 in Saturday's singles final after teaming with Chan to take a 6-0, 6-2 win over Micah Ward and Declan Galligan in Friday night's doubles championship match.
Woestendick's singles win gave him his second Jayhawk Open singles title, following a championship in 2022 when he was just 15 years old.
"I didn't get to play the last couple of years in this tournament and I was happy I got to play this year,'' he said.
Duncan Chan finished second to TCU teammate Cooper Woestendick in Saturday's Jayhawk Open singles final after the duo teamed up to capture the doubles crown on Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Woestendick said he had some mixed feelings about facing Chan in the singles final, but said he just had to take a businesslike approach to the match.
"It's tricky,'' Woestendick said. "But the thing is, me and Duncan have been practicing together every day for the last three weeks so we know each other's games inside and out.
"Today I got the better of him, but it's always close and he's a great player. I was happy I got a win today, but we're still going to be competitors on the court and friends off.''
