After three hours of arduous rallies at the baseline and fluid shots at the net with their opponents, the Vikings weathered several tight matches to a substantial victory over crosstown rival Gunn, 6-1, on Tuesday.

Instead of competitive glances and mocking gestures, it was the force of camaraderie between the Vikings and the Titans that prevailed in the Paly boys’ tennis team’s 6-1 victory over crosstown rivals Gunn this Tuesday.

Despite a few disappointing midseason losses from incomplete lineups, the Paly boys’ tennis team (14-6) remains neck-in-neck with the Titans (16-5) since having tied with one another for the Santa Clara Valley Athletics League title last year. The Vikings defeated the Titans, 4-3, in an early season match this year, but the Titans avenged their loss shortly after in the finals of a weekend Fresno tournament.

“It’s good to see both teams at the No. 2 and 3 spots in the league,” Gunn coach Jim Gorman said. “Both teams have moved up considerably from last year.”

Since the last meeting with Gunn in early March, the Vikings have worked hard on improving in third set play, according to Paly coach Andy Harader.

“Let’s say we were winning 30 percent of our three-setters in the early season, now we’re winning 70 percent,” Harader said. “So that’s a big turnaround. It gives us a lot more confidence going into the three-set matches.”

Given that the boys won three out of four three-set matches against Gunn, the hard work seems to have paid off.

On Tuesday, freshman Baramee Wongbanchai at No. 1 singles cruised to a comfortable win over Gunn sophomore Rajeev Herekar, 6-2, 6-1. Wongbanchai and Herekar both exchanged a mixture of rallies at the baseline and at the net. But in the end, the victory came down to the player who made fewer errors. Wongbanchai’s smooth strokes and stamina demonstrated his dominance throughout the match.

“He keeps the ball in over and over,” Herekar said. “And he’s really fast so he gets everything back.”

Battling out point by point, senior co-captain Kushal Tantry clinched a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Gunn senior Alex Liu at No. 2. In the first set, Liu continually struck the ball flat across the court, making it difficult for Tantry to control the pace of the return. With Liu begining to have difficulty closing out points at the net, Tantry was finally able to break Liu’s serve late in the first set. Tantry’s momentum led him to an early 5-2 lead. However, Tantry would be unable to break one more time and take the set and match.

“I got a little tired at 5-2 in the second [set],” Tantry said, “and my opponent started playing better. When it got to 5 all, the adrenaline went up.”

Serving 5-4 at deuce, Tantry received a match point. But, Liu was quick to break serve to 5-all. Liu and Tantry then each broke each other’s serve once, leading to a tiebreaker. Ultimately, Liu’s double faults and shots into the net allowed Tantry to gain a lead and finally take the match, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Junior Samuel Wong at No. 3 singles needed almost three hours to dispatch Gunn senior Daniel Ugarte, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Wong, who played in a weekend tournament in Sacramento, felt fatigue, as well as pain from a blister on his foot. Though Wong says he easily defeated Ugarte in previous meetings, Tuesday’s match against Ugarte was more difficult.

“He served well,” Wong said. “Today it was tougher because he played better and I played worse.”

Playing a relentless defense at No. 4 singles, junior Dan Schwartz rattled Gunn senior Alex Klein in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Schwartz quickly advanced in the first set through effective serve and volley, pushing Klein far behind the baseline. Moving into the second set, Klein and Schwartz both committed errors, but Klein missed several key points. Schwartz ended the match with a graceful drop shot.

At the No.1 doubles spot, senior co-captain David Plotkin and junior John Mitchell slowly but steadily secured their win over Gunn juniors Ishan Bhadkamkar and Shravan Narayen, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Plotkin and Mitchell began the match with a rugged start, often making errors at the net. Bhadkamkar and Narayen had the upper hand on communication and rotation, allowing them to take the first set quickly. However, Plotkin and Mitchell’s experience with three-set matches led them to emerge as controllers of play in the second and third sets.

“I think after we settled in and figured out how our opponents played, we got our momentum going and started to play well,” Mitchell said.

Playing the No. 2 doubles spot, junior Alan Chen and sophomore Chase Cooper gained a momentous first set win, but were unable to hold on. Chen and Cooper’s flat rallies to the corners near the baseline perplexed Gunn sophomore Bharat Reddy and junior Andrew Meyer, causing multiple shots into the net. In the second and third sets, Chen and Cooper lost focus and made many unforced errors, giving their opponents early breaks of serve. Chen and Cooper’s inexperience with playing with one another ultimately resulted in a lack of communication, giving the Vikings their sole loss of the day, 6-4, 3-6, 1-6.

“We [Chen and I] were getting a lot of opportunities to win the match,” Cooper said, “but we didn’t capitalize and take advantage of those.”

In the final match of the day, sophomores Drew Pearson and Peter Tseng downed Gunn senior Thomas Paddock and sophomore Simon Kaubisch at No. 3 doubles, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Paddock and Kaubisch’s early consistency pressured Pearson and Tseng to be make many unforced errors. However, Pearson and Tseng quickly turned the match around and directed play during the second and third sets.

“[We] started off a little rocky,” Tseng said. “But Drew and I pulled it together. We just let our chemistry play out and we stopped forcing things. We just relaxed and went back to the fundamentals.”

The Vikings performed exceptionally Monday against Saratoga, the undefeated No. 1 team in Northern California, despite coming to a close 3-4 loss.

“We did better than expected,” Cooper said. “It was an emotional victory even though we didn’t win. We’re going to carry that momentum over on Thursday.”

The Vikings will face Saratoga on Thursday at home, with high hopes of winning due to a healthier and more complete lineup.

“We didn’t have our No. 3 singles nor our No. 2 and 3 doubles and we still lost 4-3,” Tantry said. “I think we have a very good shot. I think we’re the heavy underdog.”