Butvilas E. edged Ilagan A. 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 in a tense Lexington singles clash, coming through after a deciding set full of breaks. Butvilas leaned on his serve in the key moments, finishing with 12 aces and winning 73% of first-serve points.
Butvilas controlled the opener, breaking in the first game and again at 1-2 and 1-4 before sealing it at 2-5. Ilagan flipped the second set, breaking at 2-0, 4-0 and 5-1 to level. The third set saw the server broken in every game — Ilagan led at 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 5-4 and 6-5, only for Butvilas to answer each time and take the tiebreak.
The numbers show how tight it was: Ilagan won 85 points to Butvilas' 82 and saved 6 of 8 break points overall, including 5 of 5 in the decider. Butvilas' 12 aces and 73% first-serve points were the difference, and he held his nerve in the tiebreak to take the match.