May 24, 2009|By Todd Karpovich | Todd Karpovich,Special to The Baltimore Sun
COLLEGE PARK -- Pikesville's Paul Burgin was the only player from the Baltimore metropolitan area to advance to a championship final at the state tennis tournament Saturday at the University of Maryland.
Burgin, the second seed, faced top seed Timothy Klanke of Walt Whitman. Burgin won the first set 6-1, then lost 5-7 and 1-6 in the second and third sets, respectively. He was hampered by leg cramps, and at one point in the third set, he fell to the court and had to be helped by a trainer.
It didn't help that Burgin also played the longest semifinal match of the day, a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Aaron Gomez of La Plata, lasting almost 2 hours, 30 minutes.
"It was a tough one because I had two long matches," said Burgin, who will play at Kenyon College next year. "You really can't push off your leg once it squeezes up. But I did my best, and I was lucky to get a game at the end."
Burgin finished the year 13-1.
