One year ago, Mahtomedi senior Sam Rathmanner was just looking to show he belonged.
He was unseeded going into the 2023 Class 2A tennis state tournament but pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament when he defeated top-seeded Collin Beduhn of Wayzata 7-5, 6-1 in the singles quarterfinals. It was unexpected, considering Rathmanner had lost to the 6-foot-6 Beduhn twice during the regular season.
"It was for sure the biggest and best win I ever had in high school tennis," Rathmanner said Monday. "And to do it at Baseline, where you had good viewing and everyone was there to watch Collin. It got really loud. It was so much fun."
He lost in the semifinals but went on to take third place.
No way Rathmanner flies under the radar this year. He goes into the tournament ranked No. 2 in Class 2A and sports a 28-1 record. He's seeded No. 2, behind Rochester Mayo sophomore Tej Bhagra. Bhagra won a head-to-head match between the two 7-5, 6-1.
The state championships begin Tuesday with team quarterfinals leading to a championship match Wednesday. The individual competition runs Thursday and Friday.
If Rathmanner gets through to the semifinals Friday, he could see a familiar name across the net from him. Wayzata junior Aaron Beduhn, Collin's younger brother, is the No. 3 seed and in the same bracket. Rathmanner said he's ready.
"I'm much more confident this year," he said. "Last year, I was concerned about both Collin and [eventual champion] Matthew Fullerton. Last year showed me anything can happen. This year, I know I can beat anyone."
Before Rathmanner, who's headed to Richmond in Virginia for college, gets the opportunity for more individual tournament success, he has co-captain responsibilities to tend to. He holds down the No. 1 singles position for the Zephyrs, the No. 4 seed in the Class 2A team tournament. They will face No. 5 seed Eagan in the quarterfinals at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The other 2A quarterfinals pit No. 1 seed Wayzata vs. unseeded Elk River at 8 a.m., No. 2 seed Rochester Mayo vs. unseeded Eden Prairie at noon and No. 3 seed Blake vs. Becker at 2 p.m.
The entire Class 2A tournament will take place at Baseline Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Class 1A follows an identical schedule, with team competition Tuesday and Wednesday and individual singles and doubles Thursday and Friday at Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis.
St. Paul Academy is seeded No. 1 and Breck No. 2 among teams. SPA also has the top two seeds in the singles field, with eighth-grader Winston Arvidson No. 1 and freshman teammate Zahir Hassan No. 2.
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 will stream state tournament games. A subscription is required. Link to the streams here.
