From hitting balls with Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, Vail Christian junior wins state tennis title

Ever since he joined the Vail Christian tennis team in 2021, Daniel Blanch has had one goal.

“Winning states has always been my dream,” the junior said.

Even though he wasn’t totally surprised to find himself standing atop the Colorado 4A No. 2 singles podium last Saturday at Pueblo City Park, the journey wasn’t easy.

“I did think it was going to happen this year, but I did have to work for it,” the state champion continued.

Blanch refined his game and gained confidence through a tennis-filled off-season. He won a U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) U16 tournament in Parker, Colorado, this summer and took a trip last winter to Spain to visit his cousin — who happens to be Carlos Alcaraz’s hitting partner. Blanch spoke with and hit a few practice balls with the 2022 U.S. Open and 2023 Wimbledon champion. He said he was blown away by the former world No. 1-ranked player’s level — and his humble personality.

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“I was just impressed with not only his style and speed — he was barely (using) any effort and the ball was going really, really fast — but also just with how nice he was, to hit with someone like me and take the time out of his day.”

Although he’d hit a few tennis balls before high school, Blanch said he really started learning the game when he joined the Vail Christian tennis team as a freshman. Last season, he made it to state, but was ousted in the first round.

“He just stayed the course. He’s been working really hard and has been playing a lot of tournaments behind the scenes,” said head coach J.D. Webster, who struggled to pinpoint just one elevated element in the junior’s game.

“Just everything,” the coach laughed.

“He has dominant ground strokes, but then he was able to add more weapons — the drop shot, first serve, better net performance — to his overall game. So, he was just prepared for all these different shots this year. These are shots he’s been really working on.”

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Blanch himself said improved patience and consistency have transformed him as a player, too.

“Not trying to kill the ball,” he said. “But (instead), like working the point and when I have the opportunity, hit a hard ball and finish it out.”

He put everything together at the 4A Region 8 tournament on Oct. 5-6 in Grand Junction, sweeping — literally — through the No. 2 singles bracket. Blanch didn’t drop a single set, defeating his first, second and third-round opponents by the same score: 6-0, 6-0.

Seeded first at the state tournament, held Oct. 12-14 in Pueblo, Blanch was on a similarly dominant course through the first three rounds. He dispatched Evergreen’s Jacob Gumucio (6-0, 6-2), Coronado’s Thomas Stewart (6-4, 6-2) and Kent Denver’s Max Gart (6-3, 6-4) to advance to the championship match against Colorado Academy’s Jackson Wells. Wells took a surprise 7-6 first-set win.

“I was thinking, it’s just a set, the match isn’t over. You know, I’m probably just nervous, I need to get into it,” Blanch said regarding his state of mind, admitting that he wasn’t playing his best tennis early in the match. “I feel like the focus went up and the determination to win, because it was just all or nothing the last two sets.”

“He had a little bit of a storm in the first set,” Webster added. “He adjusted his game and once he did that, it was off to the races.”

“He locked in and that was it,” added assistant coach Kirsten Webster. “He never looked back.”

Blanch won the next two sets 6-3, 6-0 to claim his first state title. He’d known it was a realistic goal all along, but the significance still took awhile to sink in.

“I think I was almost in a state of shock because it’s not something I’ve been working towards for just a week, but for months and months if not years,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do; it was just a very happy moment for me.”

Blanch became the fifth person in the Vail Christian tennis program — which pulls from all four area high schools — to be a state champion this calendar year. The Lady Saints No. 4 (Heidi Iverson and Sofia Elalayli) and No. 2 doubles (Aria Webster and Kamryn Mitchell) teams claimed 3A state titles in May.

“That’s just a credit to all the coaches and this whole community — it’s not any one person,” J.D. Webster stated. “It’s just been everyone pouring in, parents buying in, coaches buying in, players buying in and just watching tennis really become an elite part of our culture in the Vail valley, which is really exciting.”

Junior Cole Maxson also qualified for the No. 3 singles state tournament. Maxson lost to George Washington senior Bryce Dilworth (6-1, 6-1) in the first round.

“I think it’s a big deal for him being able to join the team, step up, be able to make it through regionals and then go compete at state. You have to celebrate that moment,” Webster said.

“Just to be here is a big deal, and I think it also drives a lot of these players because they’re very competitive; they have to really work on their game in the off-season.”

Blanch, who hopes to play tennis in college, vowed to do exactly that this winter. He intends on defending his crown.

“We’re going to be having this talk next year because it’s going to happen,” he stated. “I’m going to win it again.”