Sunflower League No. 1 singles champ Guignon plays big, leads Lancers charge into regional

(Editor's note: The top photo was taken by Eden Schoofs; bottom photo taken by Samantha Bartow. Both photos are courtesy of Shawnee Mission East High School.)

Shawnee Mission East High School junior tennis player Ross Guignon has passed multiple critical milestones of late amidst what continues to be a decidedly upward spiral in his tennis life and singles game.

For one, Guignon avenged a heartbreaking 9-8, 8-6 loss at the hands of then-senior Kevin Moore of SM North by winning the Sunflower League’s No. 1 singles title on April 29 via his 6-2, 6-3 victory over SM West freshman Vinny Pham in play at Harmon Park in Prairie Village.

Mile marker No. 2 – or at least inch marker: “He’s outgrown me since last year,” noted longtime SM East coach Sue Chipman as Guignon’s title match wound down.

Indeed, Chipman’s decreasingly diminutive southpaw star now tips the charts at five feet, seven inches while continuing to walk tall in the Lancers lineup, spearheading his proud program’s drive to only its latest in a tradition of league championships.

SM East warded off runner-up Olathe East to claim this year’s league team honors, 50 points to 38.

Guignon’s achievements between the high school white lines of late loom even larger when one appreciates the whirlwind tennis tour he has endured recently, the sort that would get even the Beatles thinking layover.

On April 16, Guignon won a national Boys 16s doubles title – his first career Gold Ball – while partnering with Anthony Delcore of Omaha at the prestigious Easter Bowl in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The following day, Guignon gleaned third place in the Boys 16s singles draw for a Bronze Ball.

Admittedly, Guignon said those fresh achievements gave him plenty in the way of momentum heading into his three Sunflower League matches.

After turning back SM North’s Kris Bilyeu 8-0 and Leavenworth’s Patrick Smith 6-1, 6-0, respectively, Guignon fended off Pham, the second seed, for the crown.

While the two had never met in a match prior to the Sunflower League affair, Guignon and Pham did not suffer from a shortage of familiarity, as both are members of the Kansas City United Tennis Academy at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo.

“I had a lot of confidence coming in,” Guignon said. “In seven days, I overall won 11 out of 12 matches. And every kid you play is (among) the best 128 in the country, so there are no easy matches. And every match is two out of three (sets).

“It wears on your body. You have to be in good shape. I trained really hard leading up to that.”

Indeed, the Easter Bowl had marked a circled date on the net calendar of Guignon and his coach, Eric Rand. Guignon came away from the feat proud of the fact that his Gold Ball also marked the first ever for Rand as a coach as well.

Following what coach and pupil had classified as a sub-par performance by Guignon at the USTA Winter Nationals, one very focused Prairie Village junior hit the ground running at the 43rd annual Easter Bowl, contested at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort.

Or as Guignon termed it: “I kind of set the date out and counted out the days to the Easter Bowl, and I just set a goal for myself.”

Mission accomplished.

Now on to his high school goals, which without question would include getting over on the equivalent of the 800-pound gorilla in the room in the person of one Jack Sock.

Sock a Blue Valley North junior, is the owner of a pair of Class 6A state singles titles with eyes on, at latest report, earning four in as many high school seasons.

Making his presence more daunting is the fact Sock already is competing – and winning – at the professional level.

So long as Sock does not accept prize money from those pro appearances, he will retain his amateur status.

Sock downed Guignon both in their semifinal Class 6A regional and state meetings a year ago on the way to Guignon’s fourth-place finishes on each leg.

The two will not meet in regional action this season. That much is for certain, given the fact Guignon and the Lancers play in a separate regional Saturday at Harmon Park, while Sock and the Mustangs convene one day earlier for their regional at the Indian Creek Recreation Center in Overland Park.

The two could, of course, collide at the state tournament, which for the area’s 6A contingent is slated for Guignon’s home SM East on Friday and Saturday, May 14 and 15.

“I think it’s a little odd he’s playing,” Guignon offered candidly of Sock’s return to the high school game for 2010. “I don’t mind it because I love the challenge. But I was a little surprised when he came back, being top 600 in the world or whatever he is now.”

Heading into regionals, Guignon brings an 8-3 season mark. He suffered a pair of losses to senior state contender and Indiana University tennis recruit Travis Neilson of Blue Valley Northwest.

And then, fresh off his Sunflower League crown, Guignon squared off with Sock in his lone match sandwiched in between league and regionals. Sock emerged with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Still, Guignon said he savors their duels, in duals or otherwise.

“I’ve known Jack since I was about 10 years old,” Guignon said. “A lot of people are really kind of intimidated when they get on the court with him, but I know it’s just another match for me. He’s obviously a very, very talented player.”

Guignon believes the key to anyone’s getting over on Sun Country’s tennis Goliath in Sock is to remain on pace early.

“We were at 3-3 last year at state, and then he ran nine straight games off me,” said Guignon, who himself ranks No. 10 nationally on the United States Tennis Association’s national standing list through May 5 in the Boys 16s.

“The thing with Jack is, when Jack gets comfortable, he’s almost impossible to beat,” Guignon added, “so you have to play him tight early. That’s the No. 1 thing with Jack.

“Because he’s a shot-maker. He comes up with shots you don’t expect, that most people wouldn’t hit or wouldn’t get to, so you have to expect everything to come from him, and you have to play him close early.”

For certain, no matter how high his own national rating soars, Guignon offers an assurance that he will continue to play high school tennis.

His reasoning? Simple. He’s wired as a team guy.

“One of the main things, I love being on a team in general,” he said. “Just winning the team title is something I love. That’s what keeps me coming back, really.”

A wealth of friends in the Lancers camp doesn’t hurt, either. Those bonds begin at home, as Guignon’s older sibling, senior P.J. Guignon, is the reigning 6A state doubles champion along with the now-graduated Chris Fotopoulos, who now plays for the University of Oklahoma men’s squad.

While younger brother was busy handling business on the singles side at league for the Lancers, older brother, paired with David Henderson, captured the No. 1 doubles title. The tandem buzzed Olathe East’s Rob Breeden and Gordon Harton 6-0, 6-1 in the championship match.

While so many players are out there pounding, know that Ross Guignon is out there pounding, too. Which is precisely what sets him apart from so many of his net contemporaries, his ability to paint as well. And so well.

In between cannons, Guignon is not afraid to bring out his palette.

Case in point: In his victory over Pham, a cerebral Guignon went with an effective underspin forehand out of what is his vast shot arsenal. He also killed the pace with a number of dropshots that fizzed into the earth before Pham, on the move, could catch up. The ploy brought with it heightened brutality when Guignon hit the very same dropshot into the day’s brisk wind.

Guignon smiled when the subject came up. “I like to mix in the slice a lot,” the left-hander said.

Still, the junior felt his biggest victory in claiming the Sunflower crown came in the realm of his upgraded service game.

“No doubt, it was my serve,” Guignon said. “Because since last year this time, the biggest difference for me is I’ve gotten a lot stronger and bigger. He (Pham) didn’t break my serve once. I was able to, off my serve, either come in and attack or serve and volley. I won all of my service games.”

Chipman, meanwhile, marvels at Guignon’s ability to juggle so much on court and off as the season winds into its two final and most critical turns – regionals and state, due to his extended absence from school due to the Easter Bowl commitment.

Now, “He’s been under double pressure,” the coach said, “because he’s trying to catch up with school work as well. I think he’s handled it really well, trying to do everything the right way and get all the ducks in line.”

Sun Country tennis regionals, state on tap

Area high school boys tennis programs will take part in the following regional competitions, which lead into the next, final and most critical turn in the road – state.

The top six singles finishers and top six doubles teams from each regional will advance to state tournament play.

Olathe North will play host to the Class 6A regional Friday at the Indian Creek Recreation Center, 10308 Marty St. in Overland Park. That regional involves the four Blue Valley high schools and four Olathe high schools. Most eyes will be squarely upon junior and two-time reigning 6A state singles champion Jack Sock, who already has competed at the professional level beyond his play for Blue Valley North.

Also in 6A, Shawnee Mission East’s Ross Guignon and his Lancers teammates travel just up the hill from their school for a regional actually hosted by SM North on Saturday at Harmon Park in Prairie Village, 7700 Mission Road. That regional includes the five Shawnee Mission district programs in addition to Lawrence, Lawrence Free State and Leavenworth.

In 5A, Bishop Miege and St. Thomas Aquinas compete in a regional Saturday at the Indian Creek Recreation Center.

Sun Country’s lone 4A tennis school, St. James Academy, travels on Friday and Saturday to Topeka-Hayden.

The 3-2-1A regional competition that includes Kansas City Christian and Maranatha Academy convenes Saturday on the courts at Johnson County Community College.

Looking ahead toward the state tournaments, which are set for Friday and Saturday, May 14 and 15, play in 6A is slated for Harmon Park. The action in 5A convenes at Emporia High School. The 4A event takes place at the Walter Blake Tennis Complex in Pratt. The 3-2-1A portion transpires at the Wamego Sports Complex.

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