The boys tennis season continues into another round of DVC play with Neuqua Valley visiting Waubonsie Valley. A key matchup in the conference standings two weeks before the DVC tournament. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Hector Diaz gets the Warriors rolling in one singles
Hector Diaz from Waubonsie Valley lines up at one singles for the Warriors against Neuqua sophomore Keshav Menon.
Menon plays in the far court, battling gusting winds and a top-tier opponent. He volleys the ball back and forth, eventually outlasting Diaz for the point when a return finds the net.
Diaz looks to rebound later in the first set as he serves in the near court. Menon makes a return and slides to his right, but Diaz whips the ball right back to the corner before the Wildcat can recover.
Menon serves in the second set and tries to move his opponent around the court in search of an opening. Diaz is able to track each shot down and catches Menon leaning the wrong way as he fires a forehand past him for the point. Diaz wins one singles 6-0, 6-1.
Waubonsie one doubles shows its strength
In one doubles, the Warriors look for more of the same with Revanth Kothapalli and Ishan Suresh Kumar squaring off against Jayden Chiou and Boris Sirotkin.
Kothapalli serves with some wicked spin on the ball. Suresh Kumar then tries to split the court with a return at the net, but Sirotkin sends the ball back. Kothapalli rockets a low line drive just over the net for the point as Waubonsie takes set one 6-1.
The Wildcats find their footing in the second set with Chiou earning a nice point as he approaches the net with back-to-back returns. Later in the set, Sirotkin rips back-to-back aces to get Neuqua back into the match.
The Warriors look to pull away. Kothapalli with a serve that Sirotkin pops up. The ball hangs in the air for an eternity, finally falling across the net where Kothapalli patiently waits before smashing the point down the middle. It’s a two-set win in one doubles for the green and gold.
Matham and Tunar get Neuqua on the board
Two doubles features a strong matchup between Krish Dave and Aarav Jhaveri from Waubonsie Valley against Alp Tunar and Akhil Matham from Neuqua Valley.
Matham serves in the near court, moves towards the net, and unloads a strong forehand quickly through the defense for the point.
The Warriors show good teamwork in the second set with a nice serve and a return at the net to split the court as Dave and Jhaveri keep things close.
After winning the first set, Neuqua goes on a roll down the stretch of the second set. Tunar returns the favor as he lunges to make a return at the net and gets the ball through. Neuqua is on the board with a 6-3, 6-2 win. The Cats take three doubles as well.
Back to singles, where Shaurya Kandhari from Neuqua takes on senior Gautam Mani from Waubonsie.
Kandhari serves in the opening set in the far court, and Mani sends back his return. Khandari with a lob return that gets caught in the wind, letting Mani track the ball and fire a forehand across the net. But the Wildcat manages to get to the ball and send it back and down for the point. A well-played point for Kandhari.
In the second set, Mani waits back on serve and uses a strong forehand to keep his opponent near the back. A well-placed shot hits just in front of the back line as the Warrior takes the two-set win 6-1, 6-2.
Three singles brings excitement to wrap up the day
Wrapping things up at three singles, the longest match of the day. Neuqua’s Ibrahim Faruqi faces Waubonsie sophomore Arjun Yalamati.
The Wildcat gains the early edge, narrowly winning the first set 7-5 and taking a 3-0 lead in the second set.
But Yalamati catches fire. With the wind at his back, the Warrior goes on a big run to win the second set 6-3, forcing a ten-point tiebreaker.
The exciting showdown draws a big crowd with all the other matches completed, including Waubonsie principal Jason Stipp.
Yalamati plays against the wind early in the tiebreaker as he has the serve. The players use slicing returns back and forth, until Yalamati slashes the ball perfectly into the back corner as it lands in play. The Warrior is on the verge of victory.
But Faruqi is able to keep his composure, firing backhands into the heavy wind. The second return falls right on the back line for a clutch point as the Wildcat hangs on to win the tiebreaker 12-10. A great day of tennis with Waubonsie Valley edging out Neuqua by a 4-3 team score.
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