The boys’ tennis team continued their impressive season with a close 4-3 win over the previously undefeated Walt Whitman Vikings, followed by two 7-0 shutouts against Montgomery Blair and BCC, giving the Patriots a record of 9-0 going into the last few weeks of the regular season.
The Patriots knew that the match against Whitman would be the toughest team they would face off against in the regular season. Both teams were confident going into the matchup. However, the Patriots seemed to have a little bit of an edge over the Vikings because although both the Patriots and Vikings beat the D1 Churchill Bulldogs, the Vikings beat them 5-2 while the Patriots beat the Bulldogs 7-0.
Most of the matches were close. At one singles, freshman Jakob Esterowitz lost to senior Evin McDonald 2-6, 1-6. At two singles, Wootton senior captain Nick Huynh won with a clutch 6-4, 6-1 victory against Whitman junior Zach Rosen. Sophomore Alex Yeh lost in a close 6-7, 6-1, 6-7 match at singles three, along with sophomore Simon Huynh losing 3-6, 0-6. “It was a tough match for some of us. In the end, all that matters is that we won. We need to keep the teams momentum going into the postseason,” junior Alex Yeh said.
The true depth of this young team was displayed through their doubles teams. Each doubles team defeated their opponents with ease in straight sets. At one doubles, junior Daniel Zhang and sophomore Owen Matus set the winning tone for the team, taking the first match 6-0, 6-2. At two doubles, sophomores Mikey Fellman and Ryan Meyer took down their opponents 6-2, 6-2. Finally, freshman Jason Wang and sophomore Alec Jung finished off the day by winning their match 6-2, 6-1. “I’m feeling pretty confident after our last match against Whitman. It seemed like they were the team to beat and that’s what we did. We need to keep our team’s intensity and spirit up as we head into the postseason,” junior Daniel Zhang said.
Only having two seniors on the team makes them young and inexperienced, but their record and previous success shows how talented these young Patriots are. With only having two regular season matches left against Watkins Mill and Quince Orchard, the boys are getting ready for counties and the rest of the postseason. “I’m actually having a lot of fun on the team this season. I’m a freshman and was shocked to find out how everyone is really nice and how close all of us have become,” freshman Jakob Esterowitz said.
The boys planned to complete their undefeated season on Apr. 27 as they face off against Watkins Mill, too late to be included in this issue. The postseason starts on May 6 at numerous locations. The team has high expectations heading into the postseason.
They are returning champs from last season and are currently undefeated. They are expecting to win it all. Although losing their best player from last year, they believe that shouldn’t make a difference in the outcome.
