Boys’ Tennis: Chargers Stay Energized in Tie Match

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/042909_boys_tennis_chargers_stay_energized_in_tie_match/

By Liz Frech

Austin Cano helps Dos Pueblos finish strong against Cate

Fatigue from Monday’s trip to Calabasas and preparation for AP exams occupied many players’ minds Tuesday as the Dos Pueblos boys’ tennis team traveled to Cate for a nonleague match.

The Chargers almost had a full squad, but were forced to play without singles starter Christian Edstrom and doubles player Peter Shao.

Although the Rams’ coach produced a strong lineup in doubles, including stacking his No. 1 doubles team with Max Sabel, the Chargers eked out a win by a slim margin. Everyone played with heart and dug deep. No one knew until the last set how the match would turn out.

The Chargers’ strength Tuesday was in singles, as Sasha Gryaznov pulled off three efficient sets, as did Austin Cano. In addition, Richard Cheng snagged two of his three sets, one of which went the distance in a tiebreaker. In that long set, Geoffrey Mak and Cheng had many 20-ball rallies. For every round, Dos Pueblos stayed tied with the Rams.

In doubles, the Chargers struggled against the deep and powerful Rams’ teams. Some of the sets were close to wins at 4-6, particularly Robert Laskin and Sean Simpson’s set against Sabel and Gregory Mak, and Andy Silverstein and Eric Katz’s set against Wyatt Geiger and Connor Lemos. In the last round, Silverstein and Katz took a set from Blake Mackall 6-2, which counterbalanced Cheng’s loss to Rohit Goswamy 2-6.

At that count, the Rams led 69-71. All eyes were focused on Cano, playing the last set of the day.

Cano won 6-1, giving the Chargers the win in games 75-72. It was our third “tie” this season. The alternates helped immensely in relieving tired players and cheering on their teammates.

Way to go Chargers!

Dos Pueblos improves to 13-3. Cate falls to 9-3. Dos Pueblos heads to Santa Barbara High School on Thursday for the last Channel League match.

Dos Pueblos 9, Cate 9

Dos Pueblos Singles:

Sasha Gryaznov 3-0
Richard Cheng 2-1
Austin Cano 3-0

Dos Pueblos Doubles:

Andy Silverstein/Eric Katz 1-2
John Kim/Malcolm Sutton 0-2
Robert Laskin/Sean Simpson 0-3
Gabe Li/Eric Zmolek 0-1

Cate Singles:

Rohit Goswamy 1-2
Geoffrey Mak 0-3
Cam Seo 0-2
Austin Lokre 0-1

Cate Doubles:

Max Sabel/Gregory Mak 3-0
Wyatt Geiger/Connor Lemos 3-0
Blake Mackall/Mark Mullan 2-1

— Liz Frech coaches boys’ tennis at Dos Pueblos High.

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/042909_boys_tennis_chargers_stay_energized_in_tie_match/