Some would say that there is little pressure on the boys’ varsity tennis team this year. After all, they will not be competing for the CCS title as a result of the team’s suspension for failing to appear at NorCals last year. However, doubts are now surfacing as a result of the boys’ second place finish at the Fresno Tournament.
The team lost a tough match 4-3 to Monte Vista, but defeated Palo Alto. Palo Alto in turn beat Monte Vista, leading to a three-way tie, broken by counting the number of individual matches each team lost.
“In Fresno, we tied for first place with two other teams, but they gave us second because they narrowed it down to who won the most games,” said sophomore No.1 singles player Nikhil Jayanshankar.
As a result of this finish, the Falcons are looking to prove themselves in any way they can—which means winning the De Anza League championship.
The regular season hasn’t really picked up yet, but the team is settling into their new line-up. The most significant difference is that junior Michael McGinnis, who played No. 3 singles last year, is playing No. 1 doubles this year due to a recurring back injury. At this point, in order to manage his pain, he is only able to practice a few times a week. Doubles is proving a good solution as he can still get out on the courts without overstressing his back.
In the first league match of the season on March 17, the boys defeated Monta Vista 5-2. In the second match against Lynbrook on March 19, the Falcons dominated, taking home a 7-0 win. Jayashankar pulled out a tough three-setter against Lynbrook’s Eugene Muchynski, who is going to Santa Clara University on scholarship next year. Sophomore No. 2 singles player Deepak Sabada almost faltered in his undefeated streak in a close match, but he came out on top 10-7 in the third-set tiebreak.
“The season has gone really well for me so far,” said Sabada. “I’m excited to play No. 2 singles this year, especially since I haven’t lost a match yet.”
Next up on the schedule is Palo Alto on March 31. Although the boys beat Palo Alto in Fresno, Palo Alto took the title so the boys are hoping to avenge their disappointment in Fresno by defeating the Vikings.