With a 5-2 victory over league rival Saratoga High School Falcons, Tuesday, the Palo Alto boys’ varsity tennis team (16-3) is virtually assured its first Santa Clara Valley Athletic League title in 13 years.
The Vikings were out for revenge after two painfully close losses to Saratoga this year, and came up with a huge win in the match that mattered most. Battling through the sweltering 90-degree heat, Paly went out for every point and showed why the 2009 squad is the most successful in recent memory. With depth across the roster from singles to doubles, Palo Alto relied on a true team effort to strengthen its bid for the league crown and secure a high seed in the Central Coast Section tournament.
Playing No. 1 singles was sophomore Baramee Wongbanchai, who was victorious over Nikhil Jayshankar, 5-7, 6-4, retired. Hampered by an injured racket hand, Wongbanchai struggled in the first set as he waited for painkillers to numb the discomfort. As a result, Jayshankar’s big serve pushed Wongbanchai off the court and set up easy returns early in the match. Both players traded powerful groundstroke rallies, sprinting from corner to corner to reach balls. Wongbanchai demonstrated tremendous speed as he returned shots that would have been clean winners into play with his slice backhand.
Adapting to the limitations of his hand, Wongbanchai rebounded from a 5-7 first set to take the second, 6-4. Wongbanchai used a nasty topspin shot that looped around the charging Jayshankar to great effect. After the second set Jayshankar defaulted the match due to food poisoning, giving Wongbanchai the win.
“In the beginning of the first set, my hand was still hurting me,” Wongbanchai said. “After, the painkillers kicked in and my hand felt better. I played better as a result and in the second set I was able to break his serve. Nikhil [Jayshankar] hit consistently, so I tried to hit to his backhand. I grinded and waited for him to miss.”
Senior captain Sam Wong, returning from a two-week absence due to injury, dominated Eric Gast at No. 2, 6-3, 6-2. The pair was locked in groundstroke battles as they exchanged deep topspin shots. Wong’s superior mobility and patience prevailed as Gast made numerous errors that cost him the match. The match went late into the afternoon and eventually became the clinching match that would possibly give Palo Alto the win. Both teams gathered around the court to watch as Wong dominated Gast in the final games. With accurate overheads and consistent serving, Wong never gave Gast a chance.
After Gast dumped the match point into the net, Wong screamed the name of Paly alumnus Kushal Tantry in exaltation. Wong celebrated the win in Tantry’s honor, as it had been his dream to defeat Saratoga, something that was never realized in his time at Paly.
“I came into the match a little shaky,” Wong said. “We had a really long game at 2-2 in the first set and I was able to pull it out. I gained a lot of confidence, won the first set and pulled it out from there. I’m really happy to be able to win leagues my senior year.”
At No. 3, freshman Nicky Hu easily dispatched Deepak Sabada, 6-3, 6-0. Hu went down 0-3 in the first set but stormed back to win 12 consecutive games. With a huge serve and blistering forehands, Hu dictated the pace of the game. This win was redemption for Hu, as he had previously lost to Sabada in a third set tiebreak during the California Team Tennis Classic in March.
“I started off slow because I didn’t warm up well,” Hu said. “Then I started getting in the groove and I got better and better while he tanked.”
Playing No. 4 was senior John Mitchell who lost, 0-6, 3-6, to Roshan Srihan. Srihan controlled the game with solid groundstrokes, moving Mitchell around the court with a big forehand. Mitchell rallied back in the second set, but couldn’t gain any advantage as his shots sailed slightly wide or long.
Seniors Dan Schwartz and Cory McCroskey teamed together at No. 1 doubles but lost to Aditya Joshi and Michael McGinnis, 2-6, 2-6. Despite strong serving and a solid net game, the Paly duo was no match for the synergy of Joshi and McGinnis. With impressive volleys and very vocal opinions, the Saratoga pair showed why it is a top doubles tandem in CCS.
“They are a really good team,” Schwartz said. “We played hard and the score doesn’t reflect the closeness of the match. They deserved the win.”
At No. 2 doubles, senior Alan Chen and junior Drew Pearson defeated Deepak Sabada and Vikram Babu, 6-4, 6-3. Both Palo Alto players used their powerful serves to set up easy net points. Chen and Pearson dominated the net with clean poaches and finished any lobs with solid smashes.
“Drew played really well,” Chen said. “When we went to the net, we won. We were serving and volleying really well.”
The junior pairing of Grant Audet and Peter Tseng won a tight 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 6-4 decision over Andrew Hsieh and Michael Chang. Tseng and Audet were able to pull out the victory in the end with consistent serving, solid volleying with some very impressive reaction shots, and great patience on long rallies.
“The match went really well,” Tseng said. “We got a break in the second set and held on to win it. I hadn’t played with Grant before so we had some communication issues in the first set which was part of the reason we lost.”
Head coach Andy Harader was impressed by the fortitude of the team and pleased with the result of the match.
“This is the first time that we will win leagues in at least 13 years,” Harader said. “The guys picked it up today. I was very impressed with the fight in the players. They’re just a great group. Right now we are the number two seed in CCS but that depends on the result of the Menlo-Bellarmine match tomorrow. If we defend the number two seed in the tournament, we will go to NorCal championships, our goal, but it is not an easy road.”
Barring an upset loss to rival Gunn High School during Senior Night on Thursday, the Palo Alto boys’ tennis team will have won its first league title in 13 years. But achieving this historic feat is not enough for the Vikings, as they are already preparing for the intense competition of the CCS tournament in May.
Paly plays Gunn High School at 3:30 p.m. on April 23 at home.