On May 29, only two players remained with a chance to claim the 2026 Region 4B singles championship. On June 1, four players remained in contention for the doubles title.
In the singles final, King George's Judah Wang earned the right to call himself a region champion after an entertaining back-and-forth match with Powhatan's John DiNardi. Days later, with the help of Connor Golden, DiNardi got immediate revenge, claiming the doubles region title over Wang and Nathaniel Fox with set wins of 6-2 and 6-4.
DiNardi entered the regional tournament with a 10-4 singles record and had established himself as one of the top players in the region.
Wang, a freshman from King George High School, entered the tournament with only one regular-season loss. Opponents rarely won games against him, often leaving with a pair of zeros on the scoresheet.
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His record sent a clear message: opponents needed to be at their best to have a chance.
But there was still a championship match to be played.
DiNardi served first and immediately showed he was ready, winning the opening game at 40-15 to take a 1-0 lead.
In the next game, DiNardi ripped a forehand deep into Wang's deuce-court corner, causing Wang to fall and briefly injure himself. Wang got up unassisted, limped off and continued playing.
Despite serving three double faults in the second game, Wang held serve to tie the set at 1-1.
With every game, the championship match became more competitive. Short balls were punished with winners from both sides, while extended rallies kept fans engaged throughout the afternoon.
DiNardi later held serve for a 2-1 lead, then broke Wang for a 3-1 advantage. Wang responded by breaking DiNardi's serve to cut the deficit to 3-2 before leveling the set at 3-3.
After several earlier falls, Wang appeared settled and in rhythm.
With DiNardi serving in the seventh game, the match reached a critical point. DiNardi put 24 points into play but was ultimately broken.
The game featured eight deuces, three advantage-ins, six advantage-outs and one double fault. It was the longest game of the match, and Wang emerged with a 4-3 lead. He carried that momentum through the next two games to claim the opening set 6-3.
Serving first in the second set, Wang was immediately challenged as DiNardi adjusted his strategy and began attacking the net. DiNardi broke serve at love for a 1-0 lead and then held at love for a 2-0 advantage, winning the first eight points of the set.
Wang responded by holding serve to make it 2-1 and then breaking DiNardi to spark three consecutive game victories and take a 3-2 lead.
Serving at 5-4, Wang held a 40-15 advantage with two championship points. DiNardi saved both to reach deuce, but after a double fault, Wang captured the advantage-out point and the regional championship, falling to the court in celebration.
The rematch came in the doubles final.
The Powhatan duo opened with a 3-1 lead, taking advantage of two separate 40-15 game scores. King George answered by winning the fifth game, which featured four deuces, but Powhatan responded with another strong service game and eventually closed out the set, 6-2.
Powhatan also built a 3-1 lead in the second set, though Wang and Fox rallied to tie it at 3-3. In the seventh game, Golden and DiNardi broke Fox's serve to take a 4-3 lead. Trailing 30-15 in the following game, the Powhatan pair won three consecutive points to move ahead, 5-3.
King George stayed alive with a win in the next game, but Powhatan finished the match by jumping out to a 40-0 lead and closing out the second set, 6-4.
DiNardi and Golden will continue their season next week at Huntington Park in Newport News, where they are scheduled to compete in the state tournament beginning on Friday, June 12. The singles and doubles championships are scheduled for the following day.
Robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@powhatantoday.com.
