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Practice makes perfect for Mason’s Mason Hatfield to attain third state tennis title

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5 months ago

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Practice makes perfect for Mason’s Mason Hatfield to attain third state tennis title

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Mason Hatfield reached the mountain top of Texas high school tennis — for the third time.

Hatfield won the 2024 Class 2A boys singles state championship by beating Albany’s Luke Marshall 6-4, 6-0 in the final, marking his third UIL tennis championship. With that accomplishment, Hatfield graduates from Mason High School as one of the most decorated athletes in its history.

Despite the overwhelming success over the last three years, Hatfield admitted he did not think he would attain this level of achievement early in his career.

“When I was a freshman, I tried singles and I lost at the regional level,” Hatfield said. “I didn’t even make it to state, so I was kind of discouraged.”

Even though he did not have much confidence in himself early on, Mason tennis coach Mike Smith saw early signs Hatfield would improve as he gained more experience.

“(Hatfield’s) a special kid and a great competitor,” Smith said. “He does everything the right way. We always call him the ultimate practice player because he comes out and practices like he plays, and plays like he practices every single day. It’s just really gratifying to see that work pay off for Mason.”

Hatfield’s first state success came as a sophomore, playing in the mixed doubles category with his partner Kyleigh Ake. By the time the pair reached the state final, they had to get through the other team from Mason, Sterling Smith and Tate Spencer. Hatfield and Ake lost the first set 2-6 but battled for back-to-back 7-5 wins to claim the match and take home the title — a moment Hatfield said propelled him to even greater heights.

“My motivation came from the upperclassmen who came before me,” Hatfield said. “Just seeing their focus and how prepared they were. I kind of wanted to fill those shoes and see my name on all those banners under state champions. I wanted to be like them because they were great role models.”

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For the next two years, Hatfield returned to singles competition, dominating the field from district to state. In his first state title run, he did not drop a match and was pushed past six sets once in his championship contest against Albany’s Marshall — whom he beat 7-5, 6-0. The next year, he knew he would need to sharpen his focus if he was to claim the title again.

“I tried to go to as many tournaments as I could and focus on trying to keep my cool,” Hatfield said. “I focused on taking it one match at a time, trying to not look too far into the future because that’s how you can get caught up and block your mental focus.”

Smith said he could see Hatfield’s sharpened focus and the residual effect it had on the rest of the tennis program.

“We had a really great group of seniors,” Smith said. “… We had a really balanced team this year and it’s really good for (the underclassmen) to see the success the seniors had when they put the work in… For Mason, it’s really rewarding to see somebody that does what he does on a daily basis in practice to be rewarded at state by earning that championship.”

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Hatfield capped off his high school career with a state title and was one of three Mason tennis individuals and teams to take home the championship in their respective categories.

Despite the success he had in high school tennis, Hatfield said that he does not plan on playing at the collegiate level and is set to attend Texas Christian University in the fall. He appreciates the time and work he put into tennis and all of the memories he had competing at the highest level.

“At the end when my entire family was congratulating me, I went up to my mom and gave her a huge hug,” Hatfield said. “She was the first person that I wanted to see after a big win because she’s ultimately the person that believed in me and got me started in this sport. … Some advice I have for others is to work as hard as you can and not take any practice for granted. Just go out and practice every day with a positive attitude.”

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