Starting Monday, athletes from Citrus County could be competing in the FHSAA State Tennis Finals for four days in a row at various locations in Central Florida.

The Class 3A meet begins Monday, with a pair of Lecanto boys in action at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs.

The action gets underway at 8 a.m. and Panther freshman Malik Tahiri will be competing in singles and also in doubles with sophomore partner Jackson King. If any Panther gets through the opening day, the tournament concludes Tuesday.

Several local netters will be in action starting Wednesday at two different Orlando-area locations.

In the Class 2A girls meet, Citrus senior Natalie Dodd will compete in singles and doubles with fellow Hurricane senior Chase Davis. They will be on the courts at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford. The action there gets started at 8 a.m.

Later in the morning — 11:30 a.m. to be exact — the Crystal River boys tennis team will take on Bolles (Jacksonville) in the quarterfinal round of Class 2A State Team tennis competition at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry. The Pirates — Ryan Grant, Andrew Allen, Spencer Parker, Trent Stukes and Josh Reynolds — claimed the Regional title last week to earn one of the eight spots for Class 2A state.

If any of the Citrus players or the Crystal River boys survive the first day of competition, they will get back at it Thursday to conclude the tennis season.

http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/citrus-county-netters-set-invade-state-tennis