Crystal Boys Tennis welcomed Kings Academy to campus for a beautiful day of competitive tennis. Playing their third match in three days, the Gryphons looked sharp against the Knights.
Brian B continued to test his limits of aggression, ripping balls off both wings and attacking the net ruthlessly.
Josh C returned to the singles line-up where he had played his entire career until this season. Josh looked very comfortable and extremely solid in dominating his opponent with consistent, solid, aggressive groundstrokes. Though focused on doubles this season, Josh showed that his singles game has only improved since last season.
It is a rare pleasure for a coach to witness a player clearly improving his game in the middle of a match that counts. Andres M had one of those matches today. Having received feedback that he needs to be more dynamic and aggressive, Andres committed himself to trying a different playing style throughout today’s match. While he struggled with both execution and decision-making during points, Andres remained committed to the plan and learned as he went along. Yes, he won his match in dramatic fashion – 11-9 in the 3rd set tie-breaker, much more importantly, Andres will take a few important lessons from today’s experience.
Due to some roster changes, Henry D paired with Owen D for the first time in a long while. Accessing a combined eight years of varsity doubles experience, the pair of seniors looked like veterans who have been playing together for years. Demonstrating solid percentage doubles Henry and Owen made first serves, hit solid returns and dominated the middle of the court.
Ethan L and Kunal V also paired up for the first time. Kunal was solid, placing the balls strategically and closing out the net. Ethan was on fire, hitting 12 returns for down-the-line winners. Just when his opponents reacted by shifting over, Ethan ripped a big crosscourt forehand winner. These two played with great energy and chemistry.