A high school tennis match brings a great deal of excitement and performance. On the surface, it may seem simple, getting the ball over the net to defeat an opponent. Yet, with the combination of singles, doubles and a team’s ability to have different players take on different roles during a match, every contest is bound to play out differently.
Such was the case on May 7 when the Hawks took on New Prague on a cool, sunny afternoon. Chaska entered the match with a 4-7 record, while New Prague was at 4-8. Since April 28, the Hawks had won three of their last five matches, defeating Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Waconia and Farmington.
Chaska swept the singles matches, highlighted by an exciting and lengthy conclusion at No. 4 singles. Junior Connor Fouks won at No. 1 singles 6-0, 6-0. Fouks leads the Hawks in wins at 10-2. At No. 2 singles, senior Mitchell Tan earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory. Senior Evan Atkinson defeated his opponent 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 singles and improved to 9-2 on the season. While primarily singles players, Fouks and Tan have also gained experience competing in doubles this season.
The most compelling singles match of the afternoon came at No. 4 singles, where eighth grader Vinnie Benoit battled for two hours and 45 minutes. With most of the other players cheering him on from an adjoining court, Benoit pushed the match to a 6-6 tie. The players then moved to a tiebreaker, where the first player to seven points wins, with service alternating every two points. After several intense rallies and strong encouragement from his teammates, Benoit won the tiebreak 7-4, the set 7-6, and ultimately the match in three sets.
“Definitely the longest game of my career,” Benoit said. “I just hung in there and followed the coaches’ advice: focus and pick a target. I tried to take each point one at a time. Glad for the win. This gives me a lot of confidence, and I’m glad we could get the win for the team. It was great to have everyone stay late and cheer me on.”
The doubles teams, while executing well and playing intensely, did not fare as well and were swept 0-3. The No. 1 doubles team of senior Will Podhradsky and sophomore David Calderone competed hard against a strong New Prague duo before falling 6-4, 7-6. Sophomore Harvey Perkins and junior Taylor Meserth lost 6-0, 6-2. Sophomore Brody Gerszewski and sophomore Bentley Carlson were also defeated 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.
With Benoit’s late victory, the Hawks defeated New Prague 4-3. After the match, Coach Williams was pleased with the team’s performance.
“This was a good match. The singles players’ games are looking good. Connor and Evan are in great form. Connor has a hard shot, and Evan’s height gives him opportunities for some great shots, like Pete Sampras. The doubles game is so unique. We had new combinations today, yet each pair played well and we figured a few things out. New Prague had some power and played well at the net, so it was challenging to go against. Some great matchups and good tennis.”
In team sectionals, the 5-7 Hawks hosted Hutchinson (10-8) on May 12. Wind was a major factor, impacting the direction of the ball throughout the match. Fouks won 6-2, 6-0, while Atkinson earned a 7-6, 6-1 victory in singles play. Podhradsky and Calderone teamed again at No. 1 doubles and rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win. Hutchinson, however, won the overall match 4-3, bringing the Hawks’ team season to an end.
Coach Williams summarized the match: “Conditions were challenging today. We had strong play; Hutchinson has a deep squad. Proud of our season and our players. They all developed some great skills and grew their game(s).”
Individual sectional play begins May 23, with players seeded based on their season results.
