Decked out in maroon and and gray plaid uniforms with rackets in their hands, the boys’ tennis team was ready to take on Saint Ignatius, a high school in San Francisco, at CCS semifinals on May 12. Stakes were high and pressure rose as the Falcons, who have made CCS semifinals for four straight years, were determined to come out on top.

However, hopes of advancing to CCS finals were crushed when the boys were defeated 6-1. After all three doubles pairs lost, the team was forced to rely on its strong singles to win the match, but only No. 2 singles junior Kailas Shekar managed to win his match 7-6 and 6-2. Both No. 3 singles sophomore Dean Stratakos and No. 4 singles senior Jihau Yu lost their respective matches. No. 1 singles senior Karthik Padmanabhan won his first set 7-5, but stopped playing after straining his back.

“It felt really bad to be pulled out,” Padmanabhan said. “It’s always hard to lose, but we fought hard in the match so it was not too upsetting.”

Prior to CCS semifinals, the Falcons won 4-3 on May 10 against Menlo-Atherton and 6-1 on May 9 against Archbishop Mitty. Against Menlo-Atherton, Shekar, Stratakos and Yu all won, while Padmanabhan was once again pulled out because of his back injury.

“Coming into the match, we knew we had to get through Menlo-Atherton if we wanted to reach our goal of winning CCS,” Stratakos said. “I think we handled the match well in terms of taking care of business efficiently.”

Despite the injury to their strongest player and the disappointing end to the season, the boys said they will remember this season as a year of success. With a record of 11-1, the team was not only seeded No. 3 for CCS, but also won the De Anza League championship for the third consecutive year. Their stellar performance throughout the season also contributed to the tight friendships the boys formed.

“I’m definitely going to miss the team,” said Padmanabhan, who is slated to play at the Naval Academy next year. “The group of guys we had were so different, but in the end, we managed to all become really close.”

As Naved Krishnamurthy, Abhay Aanabathula, Padmanabhan and Yu graduate this spring, Padmanabhan sees the team growing next season with a core group of players such as Stratakos, sophomore Varun Meduri and freshman David Berkowitz and Derek Pinai.

“I feel our team chemistry is extremely positive and we all work hard on the court,” Stratakos said. “I’m excited for another great season. Hopefully we can continue the high energy that we created [this season].”