Boys' Tennis Starts Season Strong vs. BTA

 

At Number One Singles, Sam Hoenig displayed a dizzying array of groundstrokes, volleys, and a solid first serve percentage throughout the match. Hoenig truly excelled at ball placement, having his adversary at various disadvantageous angles throughout the afternoon. Hoenig nearly breezed through the match, notching a commendable 8-2 victory over BTA. Sam won the match on a wonderfully placed crosscourt backhand slice which his opponent could not have even hoped to touch with his racquet. 

 

At Number Two Singles, freshman Leaf Fagerberg '18, hailing from Manhattan, displayed the confidence of an upperclassman, thrashing his opponent, 8-0. Mr. Fagerberg was cool, calm, collected, and exhibited knife-like precision and power in his serving. Leaf was rather humble in his statements following his shockingly quick victory, stating that he had high expectations for the match, and prepared himself very well mentally; this was apparent to any observer of the match. Leaf deftly dropped drop shots that left most in the audience with lower jaws. This first performance of the 'Freshman Fagerberg' certainly is auspicious, and CSW adversaries will soon be put on notice that Leaf will be a formidable presence for the next four years. 

 

At Number Three Singles, sophomore Sam Reuter '17 used a deadly effective second serve, and intensely precise forehands in his 8-0 dismantling of BTA. While Reuter wowed the audience with a second serve slice worthy of comparisons to the wonderful Czech phenom Miloslav Mecir, Sam also lunged and displayed uncommon foot speed in tracking down any shot his rival attempted to place past him. Reuter's performance was nearly flawless, finishing in less than twenty minutes. 

 

At Number One Doubles, junior Nolan DeMott '16 and sophomore Josh Reuter seemed to be enjoying doubles play more than should be humanly allowed. With punishing serves, and heady plays at the net, DeMott and Reuter soundly defeated their opponents from BTA in a lightning quick fashion, ending the match with another 8-0 tally. DeMott and Reuter exemplified smart, quick doubles play throughout the rapidly moving match. Upon finishing the match, DeMott was asked about he and Reuter's admirable performance. The never bashful, and inimitable DeMott proclaimed, "I feel as if there was great chemistry with Josh and I out there. We played with confidence and never felt as though we were taking the wrong shots. It was also a considerable amount of fun playing today. I don't think I have had this much fun since teacher Zach Taylor's 'Transition to Spanish 3' class in Mod 3, 2013." Mr. DeMott, aside from being a solid tennis player, is a rather formidable comedian. 

 

At Number Two Doubles, the point of the entire match was played by junior Garrett Stokes '16 and freshman Harrison Klein '18. In the second game of the match, Stokes received a lob that was well placed in the back alley, well to his backhand. Rapidly shuffling backwards, Stokes hit not just a fine return, but a solid backhand lob to the BTA squad. A BTA player then left a wonderfully placed drop shot, a solid fifteen feet away from Stokes. Stokes, displaying admirable physical agility and mental fortitude, did not back down, rushing to track down the drop shot, returning it with a solid slice, which BTA returned with another lob, which Garrett, apparently defying science, tracked down again. Alas, the point was not quite finished, as BTA hit another lob which landed behind Garrett. Garrett again, not ready to concede the ecstatic point, barreled his way to a forehand, hitting a winner, and ending the point of the match for CSW. Klein and Stokes, playing their first match together, displayed good decision making skills, dominance of the net, and continued improvement in their serve and volley games. 

 

In an exhibition match, sophomore Eric Qian '17 and sophomore Chad Valpey '17 exhibited why they are two players we should all be watching this season, handling themselves with composure and confidence in a convincing 6-1 victory. Both players improved throughout the match, especially with their net play. 

 

CSW continues its' young season on Wednesday afternoon, with the perennially pesky Newman School tennis squad.