BOYS TENNIS

Warren High's Bogatov shooting for top spot at state meet

GURNEE -- A year ago, then-sophomore Denis Bogatov finished third in the IHSA boys tennis state tournament, and joined the list of Warren Blue Devil netters who have earned all-state honors.

This year, Bogatov hopes to take the next step and join Warren High star Dennis Nevolo as only the second singles players in school history to win the IHSA state tourney title.

Bogatov has been playing tennis since he was a 5-year-old, and he's emerged as one of the top junior players in the midwest.

He's already been honored as the Chicago Tennis Player of the Year and as the Midwest Player of the Year, but an IHSA state title is something he has set his sights on since finishing third last season.

Competition is especially tough in this area, with the likes of M ichael Moore (Glenbrook South High), Eric Spector (Glenbrook North) , Blake Bazarnik (Stevenson) and Augie Bloom (Hinsdale Central) in our general area.

Unlike a lot of gifted junior players who opt out of competing on the high-school level, Bogatov has a different outlook.

"The more matches you can play, the better you get," said Bogatov. "There are a lot of good singles players in this area who play in national tournaments as well, so the competition is pretty strong.

"Match play on the high-school level lets me play a lot more matches than I would if I didn't play."

The high-school experience is also something that Bogatov enjoys.

"The team atmosphere has been great," said Bogatov. "I really like being part of a team, and that isn't part of tennis at the (national) tournament level."

Warren tennis coach Greg Cohen has seen many outstanding tennis players come through his program in recent years.

The Who's Who list includes 2006 state champion Nevolo, Dennis Polyakov (2003-2004), the Moran brothers -- Sean (1999), Josh (2002-2003) and Keith (2006) -- Todd Lazarski (2001), and the 2002 trio of Mark Nelson, Kyle Offerdahl and Josh Moran.

Cohen believes Bogatov has the potential to be one of the best.

"Denis certainly has a great shot at winning the state championship," said Cohen. "He's a good kid, very bright, and knows what he's doing out on the court. There is a lot of good competition in this area, but when he plays well, he's pretty tough and definitely has the skills to win it all."

Warren's schedule during the regular season is very tough as Cohen does everything he can to make sure his players are ready for the IHSA playdowns.

"Denis plays tough competition match-in and match-out. There are no freebies out there," said Cohen, "which I think can only help him at the state meet."

One thing that might keep Bogatov from reaching his goal is a nagging lower-back injury he suffered in late December at a national tourney in Phoenix. It's still giving him a bit of trouble.

"I'm really hoping I can get my serve back up to speed before the state meet," said Bogatov. "The serve is one of the most important things to have, and since the injury to my lower back, I haven't really been able to get as much power behind it as I would like."

Still, Bogatov has already beaten some of the best players in the area and looks to be ready for the conference meet this weekend before the state series gets underway with sectional competition..

"I'm going to try to rest the back as much as I can and get focused for the state meet," he said.