Members of the MHS Varsity Boys’ Tennis team placed 2nd in their division at the California Tennis Classics tournament in Fresno, California from Mar. 7 to Mar. 8 according to Co-Captain Jason Lu. They only took their top nine players to compete in three singles and three doubles, Lu said.
“The score overall was 2-2,” Co-Captain Harrison Tran said. “The team did very well even though we had to play four matches in two days with little time to recuperate between matches.”
There were 30 schools competing in a division, and each subdivision consisted of five schools, according to Lu. To enter the tournament, the team needed to pay an entrance fee and were placed into subdivisions, according to the level of the team, Lu stated.
The team had many close matches. Tran said, “We had a narrow win that was determined by the number of overall games won to advance to the finals for division champion, and three of our starting matches led to a 3-3 tie.”
Lu pointed out Sophomore Dillon Lam for doing an exceptional job with four wins and zero losses. Tran also played well with with three wins and one loss. Playing in the tournament was beneficial and helped show the team’s strengths, Lu said. The members of the team prepared for the tournament by practicing hard and working on their weaknesses, according to Lu.
Overall, the team was pleased with its performance. “I’m really proud of the team because this was our first tournament together, so we didn’t know what we were getting into,”Lu said. “I’m also proud of how the team played and kept fighting for the win even though we were tired.”
The tournament was a lot of fun, according to Lam. His favorite part was watching his teammates play and realizing how much they have improved from last year and how much more of a team they have become, Lam said.
Members of the team were also happy with their individual performances. “I think it’s been some of the best tennis I’ve ever played,” Lu said. “Even though I had my mess ups, I can say I’m not upset about how I played, and I learned a lot from the tournament and am starting to play a lot better.”
For Tran, he thought it went very well, Tran said. He was able to hit shots that he wanted and move exactly how he had practiced, according to Tran. His favorite parts of the tournament were the team bonding that occurred through several means, including eating at a restaurant called Dog House near Fresno State University, Tran said.
“I think my favorite part was all of the team bonding we had because we were together for two straight days, and we were able to become a stronger team,” Lu said. “I think it was a great experience getting to meet and talk to people from other schools, and I got closer to a lot of players.
For Lam, he felt like he was playing well, and was able to stay focused and not play loose points, according to Lam. He hopes to go back next year, Lam said.