With the state competition just a week away, Waubonsie Valley hosts the 2A boys tennis sectional featuring athletes from Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie. Six Neuqua Valley players and three Waubonsie Valley players have already qualified for state by advancing to the Saturday sectional semifinals. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Wildcats send a pair of doubles teams to state
We’ll begin with the doubles third-place match featuring Boris Sirotkin and Jayden Chiou from Neuqua Valley, taking on Jimmy Guo and Reyhan Tanovic from Oswego.
Early on, Tanovic is playing close to the net, and he sends a shot up the middle that the Wildcats are unable to return. Oswego takes the point, and the Panthers go on to win the first set 6-3.
In set two, Sirotkin has the serve. Chiou is playing up close to the net with some volleys, and then he hits a big smash that has no chance of a return. The Wildcats take the second set 6-2 to force a tiebreaker.
Here is another Sirotkin serve, but this time Guo hits a backhand that lands just near the baseline. The Panthers take another point and go on to win the third set, winning the third-place match with Sirotkin and Chiou taking fourth.
Next up, we have the doubles championship match between Waubonsie Valley’s Revanth Kothapalli and Ishaan Suresh Kumar and Neuqua Valley’s Akhil Matham and Alp Tunar. Matham and Tunar upset Guo and Tanovic in the semis to make the championship.
Kothapalli serves in the opening set. Matham returns it, but Suresh Kumar reacts for a quick volley, and that gets down for a point for the Warriors. The DVC doubles champions cruise to a first-set victory.
Waubonsie one doubles continues to shine
On to the second set. Matham returns the Kothapalli serve, and then his teammate Tunar hits a good ball right down the middle for the point. The Wildcats show some fight in the second set.
Once again, Kothapalli shows off his strong serve, and it is too much to handle. The return goes into the net, and that is the match. Kothapalli and Suresh Kumar win the doubles championship for the second straight year and head into state riding high
On to the singles third-place match featuring Waubonsie Valley’s Guantam Mani and Neuqua Valley’s Shaurya Kandhari. As the sixth seed in the sectional, Kandhari went on an impressive run to punch his ticket to state, knocking off Jack Cooper from Oswego in the quarterfinals in three sets.
Kandhari gets things started with a serve in the first set. He attempts to answer the return by Mani, but it sails into the net. Mani takes the point.
Later, Kandhari shows off a strong forehand, and Mani can’t get it back over the net. A point for Kandhari, but Mani wins the first set 6-3.
In the second set, after a long rally. Kandhari’s shot near the sideline hits the net, and Mani wins the point. He goes on to win the set and the match for Waubonsie Valley. An impressive late-season push for the Warrior after moving into the top singles spot for the team.
Keshav Menon makes the singles finals for Neuqua
After his semifinal win over Guatam Mani, Keshav Menon is in the singles championship match for Neuqua Valley against Yorkville’s Grady Phillips
In the first set, Phillips hits a high ball that allows Menon to measure up and deliver a hard shot down the sideline for the point. Menon dominates the first set with strong play and takes it by the score of 6-1.
Phillips responds to win the second set 6-2. On to the third set, Menon hits a ball that forces Phillips to rush in, and he answers with a well-placed return out of his reach. The third set goes into a tiebreaker.
Neuqua Valley takes home the sectional title
Phillips has the serve on the verge of victory. Menon hits a high ball, and it’s over the baseline and out of bounds. Phillips wins the set and the singles championship match. However, Neuqua Valley wins the sectional championship as a team with 28 points, followed by Waubonsie Valley with 21 points.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
