With spring break behind us, Acalanes kicked off April with a practice match against Bishop O’Dowd.  We knew going in this would be a tall order as the Dragons are division 2 league contenders and we were missing critical members of our team including both the Chen and Hoeberechts brothers and Gorham.  Without five of our top twelve players available, including the #1 and #4, everyone had to play in higher spots.  I’m not unhappy with the outcome as the boys were able to shake off some spring break dust, get in good quality matches, and they got another chance to see the level of competition we could meet in post season.  As a gauge, Bishop O’Dowd defeated Miramonte 7-2, defeated Lick-Wilmerding 5-2 and lost to Campolindo 4-5.

Let’s get into some of the highlights.  #1 Owens didn’t drop a single game today as his opponent never arrived.  It’s rare in high school matchups, but Nick picked up the win by default.  The other winning line was #2 Eagens – and what a win.  This was actually the last match to finish.  Peyton took the first set handily 6-2. He was clearly in control, and it looked like the match was going to be a route.  He lost a little of his intensity and shot depth in the second set and before he could right the ship, the set was lost 2-6.  In the deciding super tiebreaker, Peyton locked in his first serve, pinned Liao to the baseline, upped aggressiveness and ran off with the win 10-1.  He played a flawless tiebreaker. I believe he was 100% on first serves. 

#4 Shah easily had the closest match of the day.  It looked like he was going to pull this off too.  He jumped ahead winning the first set in a tiebreaker.  Hoffman came back to win the second set 6-3.  Saaj led most of the way in the deciding super tiebreaker, but towards the very end, Hoffman won the critical points and edged Saaj 12-10.  The contrast in playing styles made this a fun match to watch.  Henry hits a huge ball with power and topspin but can get a little inconsistent.  Saaj was frustrating him with depth and consistency and was absorbing the power very well.  I was proud of how Saaj engaged and played. 

The other close match was the undefeated doubles duo who were asked today to play in the top spot.  #1 Rocca/Marshall got off to a great start, winning the first set 6-3.  The serves looked good, and the doubles play was excellent.  I saw our boys hit a lot of winners.  Byrd/Tanaka appeared to turn up the heat from that point on.  Their serves seemed a little bigger and the pace of the balls were a bit faster, and the second set went to them 6-1.  The decider also went to Byrd/Tanaka 10-5, and #1 Rocca/Marshall experienced their first defeat this season.  This was a tough match, but they can hold their heads up high – they both put up a great fight.

On Wednesday we are away at Las Lomas making up our rained-out match.  It was a nice day at Merritt College and as always, I thank our family support members for making the drive out to Oakland.  Hope to see you on Wednesday too.  Go Dons!  Coach Rick

Results – Bishop O’Dowd defeated Acalanes 7-2

Singles

#1 Nick Owens (A) defeated Neo Chai (B) default

#2 Peyton Eagens (A) defeated Oliver Liao (B) 6-2, 2-6, 10-1

Marcello Sachelari (B) defeated #3 Sammy Foster (A) 6-3, 6-0

Henry Hoffman (B) defeated #4 Saaj Shah (A) 6-7 (8), 6-3, 12-10

Ollie Pakzad (B) defeated #5 Kyle Shin (A) 6-3, 6-2

Noah Amanuel (B) defeated #6 Chase Belhumeur (A) 6-0, 6-0

 

Doubles

Alex Byrd/Lucas Tanaka (B) defeated #1 Dylan Rocca/Blake Marshall (A) 3-6, 6-1, 10-5

James Hollins/Jack Gonzalez (B) defeated #2 Danny Goldwyn/Carsten Ristow (A) 6-4, 6-0

Dhilan Belur/Ishaan Balaji (B) defeated #3 Billy O’Brien/Andrew Zheng (A) 6-3, 6-2