The Arcadia High School (AHS) JV Boys Tennis team started their season strong as they won their first match against Walnut High School (WHS) on Monday, Feb. 12. Their skills and teamwork on the court were presented as they crushed WHS with an impressive final score of 17-1.
On the court, both teams demonstrated exceptional skill by delivering consistent and powerful shots. However, it was obvious that AHS had the upper hand—keeping the ball in play, finding any opportunities to hit a winning shot on their opponent. The players were quick on their feet after months of strenuous conditioning, gliding across the court and setting themselves up for success.
One outstanding performer was sophomore Allen Wang, who played as Singles 1.
When asked how tennis is challenging, he explained, “in high-level tennis, the physical stress is the same as the mental stress,” referring to the fact that players had to be physically fit to perform well, while also having to think on the spot to formulate strategies or solutions to beat their opponents.
As each set proved to be long and requiring endurance, each player developed a strategy to keep them motivated and push through. Wang’s motivation strategy revolves around imagining his opponents are more advanced than he is, which proved to be an effective mindset that propelled him to victory against all three opponents he played that day.
Wang also expressed his goals for the season, aiming to “stay [as] the top performer in JV and make it to varsity next season.”
JV Boys Tennis team Co-Captain, sophomore Ilya Matsko shared his satisfaction with the day’s play, stating, “We played good today.”
Matsko also mentioned that his “goal for this season is for everyone to have fun,” in addition to reaching his personal goal of securing a spot at the Varsity level for the upcoming year.
When faced with pressure, Matsko adopts an experience-based approach, allowing him to acclimate to the feeling and ultimately enhance his on-court performance.
Playing in the doubles category, sophomore William Zhang, who partnered with sophomore Brian Chen, reflected that his “favorite part of tennis is winning the matches and getting to play with [his] friends because [he] made a lot of friends in the tennis team.”
Zhang’s season objective is to remain undefeated and play with unwavering confidence. To cope with pressure on the court, he tries to spin the ball every time to keep it in, occasionally unleashing powerful shots, and effectively communicating with his teammate.
Zhang added, “I feel like I was playing great today. The scores ended up being 6-0 and 6-2, [so] we did pretty good.” It was the pair’s motivation and communication that allowed them to win 6-0 in the first round.
The players’ skill development was notably improved by the introduction of a new challenge ladder, a ranking system that motivates each participant to consistently elevate their game. The ladder system, designed to encourage healthy competition between the players, proved effective in pushing players to refine their skills and strive for continuous improvement. As playing tennis requires a large amount of technique and form, constant practice is the key to improvement, and ultimately success.
In this system, players are given the option to “challenge” the players ranked above them and play a 4-game set against them. If they win, the player is allowed to switch with the person they challenged and move up a rank. If they lose, they will stay at their current position, but be vulnerable to being challenged by someone ranked below them.
As the sun set, the final scores were announced. It was revealed that out of 134 individual games, AHS had won 103 of them, 49 singles games, and 54 doubles games, which was an example of their endurance on the court. The match marked a promising start to the JV Boys Tennis team’s 2024 season. Great job Apaches!
Photo by Isaac Leung
