The Palo Alto boys’ tennis team (2-0) is in a good position to advance to Central Coast Section playoffs after defeating cross-town rival Gunn high school (0-2), 6-1, on Tuesday at Paly.
Playing in cold wind, the Vikings battled and ultimately vanquished Gunn by playing more consistently and with greater focus. However, none of the points came easily for either school.
Coming off of a victory against Homestead High School, Paly’s first match in league play, as well as an 11th place finish in a state tournament in Fresno, the squad was confident going into the match.
“I think we have just as good a chance as Gunn,” said junior doubles player Chirag Krishna. “In this weather, it’s a matter of who stays consistent and we’re solid all the way down our lineup.”
The Gunn team, coming off a loss to Saratoga in its first league match, also placed well in this year’s state tournament in Fresno with a sixth place finish.
“Fresno got our guys going going,” Gunn head coach Jim Goreman said.
Paly’s no. 1 singles player sophomore Nicky Hu battled Gunn’s Rajeev Herekar. The two were engaged in the fastest paced match of the day, exchanging ferocious forehands, blistering serves. Eventually, Hu emerged on top with a decisive 6-2, 6-4, victory.
“Nicky’s victory was really important,” Paly head coach Andy Harader said. “This is one of only a few times we’ve beaten Rajeev in the past three years.”
Because of the weather neither player was playing at his best.
“It was really windy,” Hu said. “We both play poorly in these conditions.”
In the no. 2 singles slot, Paly senior Drew Pearson battled Gunn’s Bharat Reddy. The match tested both players’ endurance, as it was the second longest of the day. The weather forced Pearson and Reddy to make several uncharacteristic unforced errors. After three long sets Pearson clinched the victory 7-6 (7-1 tiebreaker), 3-6, 10-3.
Paly senior Chase Cooper played no. 3 singles against freshman Jinyan Jiang. Jiang was filling in for Gunn’s usual no. 3 singles player who was unable to attend the match. Cooper’s experience paid off in the end as he secured another victory for Paly 6-1, 6-2.
Because of his skill and young age, Jiang is a player to watch for in the future.
“He [Jiang] was a good player,” Said Cooper. “But I played the short ball and put it away.”
Paly senior Alex Freeman played no. 4 singles against senior Andres Crahve. Crahve fought hard, but the cold weather couldn’t cool down Freeman, known as “Hot Chocolate” to his teammates, who won the game, 6-1, 6-1. Freeman’s victory earned Paly a singles sweep against Gunn.
Playing at No. 1 doubles, Paly seniors Peter Tseng and Grant Audet battled senior Simon Kanbiesch and sophomore Roy Peleg. After the longest match of the day Tseng and Audet triumphed over Kanbiesch and Peleg 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-2 tiebreaker).
“Peter and I felt like we were up to the challenge at big moments and we turned it up when we needed to,” Audet said.
Seniors Jujhaar Singh and Michael Li represented Paly in the no. 2 singles slot against Gunn seniors Scott McKenzie and Chris Lu. After winning in the first set, Singh and Li lost the first several matches in the second set, but came back from a 4-1 deficit to win the game 6-2, 6-4.
“It was a strong win,” Singh said. “We were down in the second set 4-1, but we ended up taking it.”
Juniors Scott Monosmith and Andy Hammer represented the Vikings in no. 3 doubles against senior Paul Wang and sophomore Kevin Macario. Monosmith and Hammer gave up Paly’s only game of the day, 6-3, 6-4. After losing the first set, Monosmith and Hammer led 4-2 halfway through the second set, but did not play with the same consistency as the rest of the squad and eventually lost, 6-3, 6-4.
Hammer summed up their loss and the disappointment that accompanied it, succinctly saying, “We didn’t have anything going for us.”
Despite the loss at no. 3 doubles, Paly still had a fantastic day winning 6-1 against the Titans.
Viking head coach Andy Harader was pleased with the victory.
“It’s always nice to beat Gunn,” Harader said. “Nicky Hu is our number one player; he beat Rajeev [Herekar] who has been really solid the past three years.”
Harader attributed the success to the Vikings’ skill and their top finish in Fresno.
“Fresno was not our best performance, but we finished strong and we brought that here,” Harader said. “We stepped it up and it paid off.”
Overall, the Vikings’ lineup for the year is strong. With Hu leading the team for the foreseeable future, it’s safe to expect that the Paly boys will repeat their success.
The Vikings are scheduled to play a non-league match against Woodside tomorrow, March 10, at Paly.