Submitted photo: Micah Flaherty of Fort Dodge poses with his district runner-up medal on Monday.

AMES — Fort Dodge’s Micah Flaherty will return to the boys state tennis tournament.

Flaherty, who earned eighth place in the Class 2A state doubles draw as a freshman, secured a spot in the upcoming singles field with a runner-up performance here at districts on Monday.

The 2023 state tournament is set for May 23-24 in Iowa City.

“I had tough opponents throughout my draw,” Flaherty said. “I think I handled the pressure well and I’m peaking at the right time for state.

“I felt good about my serve and was aggressive in my semifinal match.”

As the No. 3 seed in the district, Flaherty advanced to the semifinal round after easily handling Jack Kehoe of Des Moines Roosevelt, 6-0, 6-0. He followed that up with a 6-2, 6-0 victory vs. the second-seed, Mason Lyons from Ankeny.

In the finals, Flaherty ran into Caleb Peterson of Ankeny Centennial, the top-ranked player in the state. Unbeaten on the season, Peterson placed fifth at state last spring after winning four consecutive matches following a loss in the opening round.

“I felt I played well,” Flaherty said. “In the second set, I gained some rhythm, he is just a great player with a lot of weapons.”

Flaherty is now 11-2 on the season in singles and has lost just four sets all season long.

“I’m excited to represent the Dodgers and the Fort Dodge community in the state tournament,” Flaherty said.

Aidan Recker lost his opening round match in the singles draw to Dylan Victor of Ankeny, 6-0, 6-0.

Flaherty and his teammates will compete in team substate this Friday in Cedar Falls vs. Ames. The winner advances to face Cedar Falls in the semifinals.