Boys tennis started the season strong with a 12-6 victory against the Sundevils, Feb. 26. With an increase in freshmen on this season’s varsity team, new players like Ishan Gowda (9) had mixed feelings going into this game.
Gowda played two sets, winning 6-4 and losing 6-3, with over half of his points going to deuce against older opponents. However, he said he plans to focus on his offensive approach in order to strengthen his play in games against similar opponents in the future.
“Moving forward, I’m definitely going to focus on hitting the ball deeper and getting more in control of the match,” Gowda said. “I was definitely getting moved around pretty easily.”
Gowda said he had to remain agile and quick throughout the course of the game. He started shaky in his sets but soon began to get into the groove, remaining focused going into his second set. However, the consistent points to deuce inevitably took its toll on him, resulting in the 6-3 loss.
“Since it was my first varsity high school match, I was really nervous but I think it’s gonna get better moving forward,” he said.
In his two singles matches, Ian Bai (9) swept the Sundevils 6-4 and 6-0. He said that he felt excited going into his first high school game and he tried to remain calm beforehand, keeping his self confidence a priority.
“I always like to be confident; if you’re thinking too much about the game then you might not play your best,” Bai said, “I just like to keep it loose and focus on my warm up.”
Bai said that he didn’t think he played well in the first set of the rallies, but he felt he had some good points in the second set because he gained more confidence and stepped up his technique.
This momentum led to a fun start to the season, according to Bai, and he said he had no regrets from the experience. Bai said the rest of the tennis team was very motivating and that the unity he felt with his teammates was a key component to his two-match success. This shared determined mindset, he said, will set the team up for success in coming games.
“I think our team has a lot of potential,” Bai said. “We’re very united and we’re all determined to do good this season, so we’re all gonna try to work hard and get good results.”
Captain Adith Nagarahalli (11) also said he is pleased with the team’s start to the season. After Mt. Carmel, the team went on to beat Sage Creek on March 3 and Bishops on March 4.
Nagarahalli said that although facing tougher schools like Torrey Pines and Rancho Bernardo will be more challenging, these early wins have kept the team’s enthusiasm high.
“The team’s energy has been really good,” Nagarahalli said. “We’re definitely cheering for our teammates when they’re playing important matches.”
He said that the team’s success so far has motivated him to continue working hard and has given him high hopes for the end of the CIF season.
“This year, the team is looking pretty good, so hopefully we can make it to the final of CIF and bring the win home,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal that we’re playing for here.”
