Though it rained in the morning, the sun and wind in the afternoon helped dry the courts so Acalanes could host Miramonte. Twice this week, the Dons took it on the chin with a 4-5 loss, this time to the Matadors. This loss was hard to swallow because two key athletes ended up ineligible to play, so we had to scramble the lineup right before the match kicked off. It felt like we were behind the eight ball right out of the gate. I applaud the boys who competed today, because they gave it their all.
The singles matches took to the courts first. #2 Owens was moving well and striking the ball cleanly. He easily beat Elias 6-0, 6-3. #5 freshman Gorham put up a good fight in the first set losing 6-4 to Uriarte. Gunther then ran off with the second set evening the overall match 1-1. This was Chris’s first varsity singles match and he played well. #3 Sze You Chen played up from his normal 4 seed and was paired against Agarwal who was on his game. The match was closer than the 6-1, 6-1 loss indicates. Yoyo was trading shots and it was a good battle, but Raunav was winning the critical points. Next off was #6 Shin who was one of the highlights for Acalanes. Kyle was in a real shootout with Park and the tennis was high level. Both were swinging out and running each other all over the court. Shin pulled out the first set in a tiebreaker. The second set was also tight but Kyle closed it out 6-4, and again the overall match was tied – this time at 2-2. #4 Shah was also asked to play up from his normal 6 seed. I give Saaj a lot of credit as he went toe-to-toe with Watters and the points were long and contentious. Both players had their moments, but it was Shane who edged out Saaj towards the end of each set, winning the match 7-5, 7-5. #1 Sze Ting Chen was up 6-4, 5-2 and it looked like a routine straight set victory, and then all of the sudden it got a little complicated. Miramonte’s Gavin Dille turned into a backboard and suddenly Chen was down 5-6 in the second set. Sze Ting got his rhythm and focus back, tied it up at 6-6 and then blanked Dille in the tiebreaker 7-0. The level of tennis on that court was extremely high level. And again, the match was tied – now at 3-3.
All three doubles matches were in progress and the winner of at least two of them would claim the overall win. It is no surprise that #2 Rocca/Marshall won 6-1, 6-3 extending their win streak to ten. I’m no longer going to mention this streak as I don’t want to jinx it with special attention. Dylan and Blake have been a dependable win and they looked sharp today. Second off was the Hoeberechts brothers. #1 Kaya/Bora struggled a bit and their opponents kept steady pressure on them from start to finish. It was a close match, but the 6-3, 7-6 (1) win went to Giovinazzo/Richtenburg. Tied at 4-4, all eyes were now on the last and deciding doubles match. #3 Goldwyn/Ristow had a slow start but picked it up towards the end of the first set. It was a close second set, but Whitaker/Silveira made few mistakes and were the better team on the important points. They won 6-3, 6-4.
No one on the team would have guessed we would start league play 0-2 and be tied at the bottom, but it is why you never look further than the match you’re playing. We may be down, but we are definitely not out. The boys are going to have to step it up for the rest of the season. Can we make a run? Of course, we can. The results of the other league match was Campolindo 7, Northgate 2. Therefore, Campo is leading the league 2-0, Miramonte is 1-1, and Acalanes and Northgate are 0-2. We have our wake-up call. Let’s get to work boys!
The boys have a school holiday on Monday and we head to Northgate on Tuesday for an away match. Thanks again to our family supporters who braved the cold weather and cheered us on. We also thank the school supporters who came out to root on the seniors. See you Tuesday. Go Dons! Coach Rick
Results – Miramonte defeated Acalanes 5-4
Singles
#1 Sze Ting Chen (A) defeated Gavin Dille (M) 6-4, 7-6 (0)
#2 Nick Owens (A) defeated Jonah Elias (M) 6-0, 6-3
Raunav Agarwal (M) defeated #3 Sze You Chen (A) 6-1, 6-1
Shane Watters (M) defeated #4 Saaj Shah (A) 7-5, 7-5
Gunther Uriarte (M) defeated #5 Chris Gorham (A) 6-4, 6-0
#6 Kyle Shin (A) defeated Blake Park (M) 7-6 (3), 6-4
Doubles
Thomas Giovinazzo/Charles Richtenburg (M) defeated #1 Kaya and Bora Hoeberechts (A) 6-3, 7-6 (1)
#2 Dylan Rocca/Blake Marshall (A) defeated William Anderson/Jasper Sun (M) 6-1, 6-3
Jack Whitaker/Henry Silveira (M) defeated #3 Danny Goldwyn/Carsten Ristow (A) 6-3, 6-4
