While gloomy weather has limited playing time this month, South has already earned three wins, one against North, and is expected to continue rolling. North has the early blemish on its record from its match with South, but otherwise has been performing well.
North Tennis. Last year North finished with a record of 21-1 and topped the year off with a Central Jersey Group III title.
Returning for North this year are senior Evan Samet at first singles; senior Zach Kurfirst at second singles; and junior Kevin Shi at the third singles spot. Senior Sho Yoshitake pairs with freshman Lev Gedrich to make up the first doubles teams, while two freshmen — Dan Wang and Vasishta Kalinabhotla — are the second doubles team.
While the team has had to make up for the loss of Tim Wu, Brandon Frank, Abishy Pandita, and Kevin Shock to graduation last year, coach Albert Paulsson sees his team as a contender for the Mercer County and state regional titles.
South Tennis. Coming off a 19-2 season last year, South’s tennis team took a hit when it lost its top two players — Dmetri Vrahnos and Julian Richardson — to graduation. However, Coach Jim Giovacchini remains optimistic about the team’s potential.
And rightfully so. The team began the season with a 3-0 record, including its win over North.
Among the key returning players are Daniel Ling, Peter Ku, Thomas Weng, Abhinay Tumati, Daniel Vaysburg, and Nikhil Gavai.
It was a season full of injuries last year for South, although the team fared well. “This year’s team appears to be the youngest I’ve ever had and the least experienced varsity-wise,” said Giovacchini.
He is excited about freshman Michael Song, who is the first freshman in school history to win the first singles spot.
Freshmen Nicholas Chen and John Hu are also looking to make an impact for South this year.
“When you lose your top two players, it’s basically a death sentence,” he said. “But I think with the new freshmen coming in and some of the returning players who have improved, we have the potential to do really well this year.”
