Girls’ tennis prepares to dominate in CCS

The varsity girls’ tennis team wrapped up its De Anza League season 12-0. With a lineup of reliable singles players and powerhouse doubles pairs, the team has a strong chance of winning CCS, which began on Nov. 11.

The team finished its league season with a 5-2 win against Los Altos on Oct. 30. Facing a tricky line-up, the team rearranged its players to ensure a victory over the Eagles. Freshman Stephanie Ren, who played No. 4 singles in this match, won 6-0, 6-0. The other positions followed suit, and only one singles player and doubles pair lost in a close tie breaker.

The team gave seniors Arathi Sabada and Smita Sabada a proper send-off on the day of their last home match against Homestead on Oct. 28, which has traditionally been the team’s annual Senior Day. 

“Because of their experience, they have given us a lot of good advice,” junior Meera Rachamallu said. “I will miss the optimism and excitement they bring to practice every day.”

Full of excitement and energy from the Senior Day festivities, the team destroyed the Mustangs 7-0 in less than two hours. No. 1 singles Smita Sabada defeated her opponent in an intense match, winning 6-4, 6-3. Arathi Sabada and sophomore Caitlin Ju also claimed the No. 1 doubles victory, 6-3, 6-1. Ren and sophomore Neeka Nikfar won the No. 2 doubles position 6-2, 6-0. Sophomore Kelly Hsu and junior Allison Lin claimed a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles.

The girls also won 7-0 against Los Gatos on Oct. 23. Though the matches were not as intense, every player brought energy to the court and performed exceptionally well against the Wildcats.

“I think our biggest strength this year is consistency of play,” Arathi said. “No matter what position anyone plays, they truly give it their all and are able to perform at a much higher level than the other team. We can switch up doubles teams and the singles lineup and still perform extremely well because everyone is such a strong player.”

On Nov. 4 and 5, a few of the girls represented the team at the SCVAL league finals. Freshmen Dasee Carter, Ren and Ju played singles. Ren demonstrated skill and finished in the quarter finals against Ju. Ju went on to play Carina Berdych from Los Altos in the semi finals, but lost in straight sets. Carter also played exceptionally, but fell short to Jannabelle Wu from Lynbrook in the semi-finals.

The team is vying for the championship title in CCS. Because the team is seeded No. 1 in the draw, the girls had a bye on the first day and played the winner of Burlingame High and Alisal High on Nov. 12 in the second round.  The results of CCS can be found in the Nov. 21 issue.

Since stacking the lineups is allowed in CCS, the coaches are prepared to counter the opposing teams’ strategies. 

“If we get put up against other teams from our league, we should be able to take care of business,” assistant coach Jonathan Chui said. “If we advance and get put up against tougher teams like Menlo or St. Ignatius, we will need to plan our lineup more carefully.”  

“I hope that we can maintain the same amount of consistency and intensity of play that we have been bringing to our matches,” Arathi said. “I think we have a good shot of going deep in the draw at CCS.”