04/18 Saturday: Andover L 3-4 Deerfield
4/21 Tuesday: Andover W 4-2 Concord Academy
This past Saturday, Boys Tennis (2–6) traveled to Deerfield for its first away game of the season, falling short in an incredibly close match. On Wednesday, the team bounced back, besting Concord 4–2. With the win against Concord, Boys Tennis broke its five-game losing streak.
Although the Deerfield match was a loss, the games themselves were filled with comebacks and consistent play. Tomas Tejapaibul ’27 recounted the matches, highlighting in particular George Richardson ’27’s comeback from being a set down.
“It was a Saturday game, and it was far away. We left around ten and had a slow start. We started with doubles. We unfortunately lost all three doubles [games], but it is only worth one point. So we needed to win three singles. I only saw [Co-Captain] Ben Shin [’26]’s and George Richardson’s courts. I lost 2–6, and George lost 2–6 in the first set. We held on, and George started a comeback and won his second set 6–2. In the ten-point tiebreak, he won 10–4. He came back and fought hard,” said Tejapaibul.
He continued, “In the second set [of my game], [my opponent and I] went toe to toe. I was serving 4–5. It was an important hold because if I were broken, I would have lost the set. Then I won three in a row and won the set 7–5. I was scared because [my opponent] was a very strong player, but at that point, I was able to outplay and overpower him,” said Tejapaibul.
The atmosphere was particularly electric as it was Deerfield’s family weekend. Co-Captain Jeff Shen ’26 noted how the atmosphere generated a particular energy.
“First away game of the season. It has a completely different atmosphere and is a bit more intimidating. It was Deerfield’s family weekend, so there were a lot of opponents on the other side, which is always good because we got some energy from that. We played really well and really hard, and despite the close loss, we learned to adapt after a long bus ride and to be ready for situations you might not have accounted for,” said Shen.
At the beginning of its match against Concord, Boys Tennis took a commanding start by winning all the doubles matches. Despite Shen, the second seed, coming down with an injury, Tejapaibul noted that the team continued its momentum into the singles matches.
“Jeff was injured during the Concord match. We fought in doubles and swept them. It gave us momentum to play singles. The first four got onto their courts. I was playing fourth. My match had a great start because I won my first set 6–1. I won the second 6–2. It was another point for Andover, and the other three were still fighting. George and Ben both fell in two sets. Nick Nawracaj [’28] is on the second set. We were winning 3–2. Sean Liu [’28] and William Chu [’26] were our remaining players. Sean won 6–2 and 6–0, so that was a really rewarding win this season,” said Tejapaibul.
Boys Tennis consists of two newcomers to Andover and four newcomers to the team. Shen noted the importance of building and sustaining the team’s chemistry and mentality.
“A lot of the issues we have to overcome aren’t necessarily technique or level of tennis. Everyone is a great player with a strong foundation. We are more concerned about chemistry. In our practices, this means playing in doubles and understanding each other’s rhythms. Even though Ben and I are Seniors, we want to leave a mark on this young team and leave a legacy. Tennis is more mental than physical, so emphasizing building others up rather than breaking them down is really important. Our training centers around the emotional and mental aspects of the game,” said Shen.
Boys Tennis will face Noble and Greenough (Nobles) on Monday and Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on Wednesday.
