The high school boys’ tennis season is in full swing, and both WW-P teams have started strong out of the gate.
The Pirates are 5-0 and have only lost one matchup — a loss by Michael Song to Robbinbsville’s Ramy Bekhiet at first singles.
Meanwhile, the Knights boast a 4-1 record, with the team’s sole loss coming at the hands of High School South.
For both high schools, the doubles teams will be a key to their success. When North and South matched up at South on Thursday, April 5, the home team tandem of senior Peter Ku and sophomore John Hu battled North’s strong doubles team of senior Vikram Kesavabhotla and sophomore Lev Gedrich.
North’s doubles played at the net, creating long volleys that were difficult for South’s team to chase down, especially early in the match when a gusty wind impacted play.
North coach Albert Paulsson said that his players are used to those conditions because North’s home court is frequently windy. Meanwhile Hu and Ku took some time to find their strengths during the match.
Kesavabhotla and Gedrich were at the top of their game early on but some missed opprtunities to return serves, and some balls hit out of bounds ultimately cost them the match.
After a slow start Hu and Ku rebounded for a win in three sets, 3-6. 6-1, 6-2. Hu and Ku attracted a small following of students from South as both players return to defend the second doubles title they won in 2011 at the Mercer County Tournament.
Despite losing to the more experienced tandem, Paulsson says he expects the senior-sophomore combo to fare well against other Mercer County teams.
In doubles play, North might pose double trouble to opponents. Sophmore Dan Wang, who teamed with Vasishta Kalinabhottla last year, is paired with a tall, athletic newcomer — Sanandh Ravu.
Paulsson says that Ravu hits the ball very hard (sometimes too hard) and balancing power with technique will be key for the duo to succeed in match play.
Ravu’s coach from Community Middle School, Carla Crawbuck (who is also the girls’ head tennis coach at South) came out to see him and several of her former players on North’s team. She says Ravu has always been a good student of the game and a tough matchup for opponents in singles play, especially with his strong serves.
At South, the reigning Mercer County champions will again be bolstered by strong singles players. Thomas Weng and Dan Vaysburd return, as does sophomore Michael Song, who was the first freshman in school history to earn a singles spot.
South coach Richard Arnold says the upperclassmen have great speed and agility, as well as experience playing at a very high level.
With the sudden end to coach Jim Giovacchini’s reign as boys’ tennis coach in March there may be an adjustment period ahead for Arnold. The new coach spent much of the match pressed up to the fences to observe player movements, footwork, and form, and he interacted with players and parents as well.
Arnold, 56, was undefeated in 82 matches of regular play as a tennis player at Bridgewater East High School, but he lost in the state tournament four times. He went on to play tennis at Jacksonville University in Florida and coach a national 12-and-under champion, Ty Tucker, and a high school girls state championship team in Ohio. Tucker is now the head coach of the Ohio State University men’s tennis team, which is ranked second in the nation.
Arnold has worked as an assistant pro in Zanesville, Ohio, and at the New York Athletic Club. He’s also worked as a substitute teacher in WW-P and served as an assistant under Giovacchini for four years. It helps that many of the boys on the varsity team know him from junior varsity, he says.
Thus far, Arnold has led South to a strong start with wins against Hightstown on April 2, Robbinsville on April 4, High School North on April 5, Nottingham on April 10, and Steinert on April 11.
