The match began under slightly sunny skies, then gray clouds hovered over the courts, and light rain fell by the end of the second round.
Knowing that rain could unload at any moment, the Dos Pueblos High School boys’ tennis team played their sets without much of a break and stayed in the zone against Cate, until the match was suspended at 10-2 because of rain.
In singles, Sasha Gryaznov and Austin Cano (aka the “Volcano”) took four sets, and Richard Cheng added a fifth.
In doubles, the pair slapped hands between points to keep their positive energy going. Again, the Chargers rearranged the doubles pairs, as they had two players head off to robotics and another to soccer practice to prepare for the final vs. Santa Barbara on Friday.
Christian Edstrom partnered well with Malcolm Sutton, and they were “all business” in their sets, resulting in scores of 6-1 for both sets. Afterward, they displayed some of their musical talents.
Meanwhile, Peter Shao and Kyle Davis won a tight first set that lasted well more than an hour before succumbing to the talented No. 1 Cate duo of Gregory Mak/Austin Lokre in the second set. On another court, Robert Laskin showed his versatility in adapting easily to two different partners — first with Andy Silverstein, then Sean Handley.
Under light to medium drizzle, Laskin and Handley finished their tiebreaker and won the fifth double set and 10th overall to secure the win.
Afterward, we all shook hands with our nice opponents. On Friday, the Chargers, now 1-1, travel to San Luis Obispo. Way to go, Chargers!
Dos Pueblos Singles
Richard Cheng 1-1
Sasha Gryaznov 2-0
Austin Cano 2-0
Dos Pueblos Doubles
Andy Silverstein/Robert Laskin 1-0
Robert Laskin/Sean Handley 1-0
Peter Shao/Kyle Davis 1-1
Malcolm Sutton/Christian Edstrom 2-0
Cate Singles
Rohit Goswany 1-1
Adam Turner 0-2
Jason Park 0-2
Cate Doubles
Gregory Mak/Austin Lokre 1-1
Mark Mullen/Bill Pomaans 0-2
Chris Lin/Blake Mackall 0-2
— Liz Frech coaches boys’ tennis at Dos Pueblos High.