Mia Thurrell
On May 7, Aragon boys tennis (13-1 overall) defeated Archbishop Mitty (11-6 overall) 6-1, winning the Central Coast Section playoff match and advancing to the next round.
The CCS matches prove to be a lot different from league matches.
“It’s the top 24 teams from the whole section, from San Francisco to Monterey to Salinas to Gilroy,” said head coach Dave Owdom. “The competition is what makes it a lot tougher.”
Senior Akbar Beg, Aragon’s No. 1 singles player, won his first set in a tiebreak, 7-6. He was able to carry the momentum from winning the first set to dominate the second set, winning 6-3.
“I felt pretty confident and I believe I did well preparing,” Beg said. “I prepared a lot for CCS individually, as well as in practices.”
Beg had a noteworthy season, proving to be a very reliable and valuable player for the Aragon team.
“My number one has only lost one match,” Owdom said. “He won the singles title for the second year in a row this year.”
No. 2 singles and junior Veraaz Khan fought hard during his match, but ultimately lost in straight sets with a score of 3-6, 4-6.
However, despite the loss, Khan also displayed many dominant performances throughout the season.
“My number two guy has lost to nobody so far,” Owdom said before the match. “He hasn’t even lost a set.”
In addition to Beg, many other players, both singles and doubles, clinched the wins necessary to allow Aragon to win and advance.
Junior Darrin O’Brien and senior Keiya Wada both won decisively in singles No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. O’Brien shut out his opponent completely, winning both sets 6-0. Wada followed suit, winning 6-1, 6-0.
Seniors Thomas Nie and Jack He secured another win for Aragon in doubles No. 1, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 and claiming the match for Aragon, bringing the team’s score to four.
“I wanted to end my senior year with a bang,” Nie said. “So I played really hard in my matches.”
Doubles No. 2, which consists of junior Max Gan and senior Ziv Rapoport, fought hard and won in a super tiebreaker. They started the first set out strong, winning 6-1, but fell short in the second set, losing 2-6. After an intense match, they won the tiebreak 10-5.
“On Wednesday, [my goal] was pretty much just to win,” Rapoport said. “You just need to play really good doubles.”
Aragon’s No. 3 doubles senior Justin Wong and freshman Adam Beg closed out the match strong, winning in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-0.
The Aragon team had a lot of experience on their side, as many of the previous players returned for another year of play.
“We only had one senior from the starting lineup leave last year, so we retained all our good players,” Nie said. “We got the championship last year, and almost no one left, so we only got better.”
Each player on the team contributed to Aragon’s dominant victory.
“Everyone’s win is just as important as everyone else’s,” Akbar Beg said. “We all need to come through for [the team] to win.”
Beyond the strong lineup, the team had to ensure they were prepared to play such a high stakes match.
“There’s a lot going on, and it’s hard for them to focus sometimes,” Owdom said. “They’ve been pretty tough mentally.”
Even with the dominant performance and the many successes, players still felt they had areas to improve their game.
“My serves have been really solid, and my net game is pretty good,” Rapoport said. “But what I need to work on is ground strokes and longer consistent rallies.”
Players also reflected on what went well for them during the match.
“My forehands and serves have been on point,” Akbar Beg said. “I’ve been more able to stay focused and patient when playing.“
Despite the immense pressure to win, the team is able to support each other.
“The chemistry and connections we have with each other definitely helps us,” Akbar Beg said.
This helps to bring out the best in players and is reflected not only in their performances but also in their mindsets as teammates when they go on the court.
“We hold expectations for each other,” Nie said. “That makes us want to play better for the team and personally.”
With this win, the boys tennis team advanced to the second round of the CCS playoffs, where they lost to Lynbrook and their season ended.
