Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Hayden Drury returns the ball against Brett Girard during the Men’s Class A championship match in the 72nd Michigan-Wisconsin Tennis Open Saturday in Escanaba. Drury won the match 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

ESCANABA — The 72nd annual Michigan-Wisconsin Tennis Open took place in a new location in Escanaba this weekend. The tournament was held across three different venues, centered in Royce Park instead of Ludington Park due to court conditions.

In a repeat match-up Saturday, eight-time Class A men’s singles winner Brett Girard of Marquette was upended by Hayden Drury of Marquette in a grueling three-set match, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Drury and Girard have met before in the contest, notably in the finals match in 2016.

“I think I’ve lost to Brett twice in the finals, so I think this is my fourth year here,” Drury said.

“Brett’s somebody that I’ve always looked up to here. He’s definitely a tennis idol of mine. Whenever we’ve played, it’s always been real fun.”

The two went 32 draining games in 80-degree weather over three sets. Drury took the first set by taking two points back-to-back after tying it at 5. Girard did the same in the second set after tying at 4, and Drury won the final set after netting on both sides and Girard hitting a ball out of play.

“I knew it was going to be real physical, so you’ve just got to love the grind and that’s kind of what I was looking forward to coming in,” Drury said. “Brett has a huge serve, so I knew things would be coming at me quick. I knew I’d have to serve well myself and hold, and I was going to have to return super well and break him. That’s what happened today.

“It was a lot of fun and we had a good atmosphere. Brett’s a hell of a competitor and a lot of fun to play against.”

In the Class B men’s doubles played Sunday, Jacob Stinski and Nels Naslund defeated Holden Ross and Richard Junak after a 10-point super tiebreaker. The first two sets went 6-7, 6-4.

After trading the lead off a few times Stinski-Naslund led 5-3, but Ross-Junak entered a streak and scored four points in a row. It started with a play at the net that allowed an overhand spike to bounce in and out of reach of Naslund.

Stinski-Naslund tied it at 7 after a double fault by Ross-Junak. Stinksi-Naslund pulled ahead after they forced a ball out, and a rapid exchange at the net gave them a 9-7 lead.

Naslund finished the match off after a short volley with a diagonal shot perfectly between Ross and Junak.

On their competition, 12-year-old Stinski said, “They had really good strokes. They could make a lot of them and get to a lot of them.”

Naslund, a veteran of the tournament from Appleton, Wis., enjoyed making the trip again.

“It’s just beautiful out here,” he said. “Of course, there’s great weather and great competition. Everyone’s friendly and playing hard but having fun. We love this tournament. We’ve been coming here for over 20 years. We’ve just been having a ball coming up here.”

Denny Lueneberg, a former player and current tournament organizer, felt it went well.

“It went smooth,” he said. “A lot of it is because of the players. You see the same faces and they’re used to how it’s run. They’re very accommodating and that makes it easier.

“There was a smaller draw this year, but we were able to use just the courts in town. It was a nice, more intimate tournament this year.”

Despite the venue change, Lueneberg thought Royce Park served admirably.

“The city just re-did the courts and there’s a playground nearby,” he said. “We’re trying (to get the Ludington Park courts fixed). I don’t know what it takes, but there’s people thinking on it and trying to make it work. Hopefully, we can use (Ludington in the future) because guys like this look forward to the park and enjoying that weekend.”

Singles

Men’s: Class A — Drury, MQT, def. Girard, MQT, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; Class B — Dave Guillard, Newberry, def. Steve Gutierrez, 6-2, 6-2.

Girls 16-18 — Jillian Skewis, def. Jasmine Clark, ESC, 6-3,6-3.

Boys 16-18 — Nick Olivier, MQT, def. Gunner Dlugas, ESC, 6-0, 6-3.

Doubles

Men’s: Class B — Stinski-Naslund, Appleton, def. Holden Ross-Richard Junak, Iron River, 6-7, 6-4, (10-8).

Mixed: Class B — Bailen Matom-Clair Mongrave, IM, def. Nick Olivier-Haddie Ketzenberger, MQT, 6-2, 6-3.