A couple hours before the start of the match on May 7, the JV tennis team found out that due to a player being sick, the opposing tennis team would only be able to provide four athletes.

“I guess we don’t realize how many people we actually have on our tennis teams. We should be thankful to have such a big and well run tennis program,” said Rohan Dsouza, 10.

The lineup was quickly rearranged, with Jun Nishikawa, 9, and Jack Loon, 9, at first doubles, and Yuto Nakahata, 9, and Sabari Subramanian, 10, at second.

Both pairings split sets and went into a super-tiebreaker for the third, resulting in two-hour matches in the 88 degree weather.

“It was ridiculously hot, and the match was probably the most intense that I’ve played all season. It was tough and I got a little bit frustrated but we were able to stick in there,” said Loon.

Meanwhile, other members of the team played doubles and singles matches against each other. Dsouza and Varun Kalaiarasan, 9, continue to battle over the first-singles position.

The JV tennis team’s record now stands at 7-0; however, they are scheduled to play strong teams, such as Seven Hills, in the coming week.

“We’re having an awesome season. We need to keep working hard and I know we’ll do really well in the final tournament,” said Aravind Murali, 10.

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