BILOXI &8212; Steven Weaver never planned that his summer visit to his grandparents in Natchez would turn into a mini-tennis tour, but that&8217;s what happened.

This past weekend the 12-year-old South Carolina native won first place in the Mississippi Junior Hard Court Open State Championships in Biloxi by defeating the state&8217;s top-ranked 12-year-old Will Hickman 6-3, 6-3.

Weaver is the grandson of Natchez natives Robert and Lydia Dunn.

&8220;I hadn&8217;t planned on playing any tournaments during this trip to my grandparents, it was an idea my mom suggested,&8221; said Weaver. &8220;I went online and found this one in Biloxi and me and the rest of my family went down for the weekend.&8221;

Weaver made light work of the competition through three rounds of play en-route to winning the state title defeating Carter Black 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals and Robert Mounger 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.

&8220;I have been playing a lot lately,&8221; Weaver said. &8220;I don&8217;t know how many tournaments I&8217;ve played this summer, but it has been one nearly every week.&8221;

Weaver said his toughest match came in the finals, but even that one was fairly easy for him.

&8220;I had everything working for me,&8221; Weaver said. &8220;I mixed up my shots, my serves were consistent and my forehand and backhand strokes were also pretty consistent.

&8220;I was able to pull him in to the net with drop shots, and then lob over him,&8221; Weaver said. &8220;Everything I tried seemed to work to perfection.&8221;

Weaver said that Tennis is now his favorite sport although it was not always.

&8220;I started playing when I was eight, but I didn&8217;t like it much back then, my sister was better than me.&8221;

Tennis is a sport popular in Weaver&8217;s family, as they all play.

&8220;We&8217;re all very proud of his achievement,&8221; Robert Dunn said. &8220;Steven is a good kid, and a pretty good tennis player too.&8221;