AFTER A restful spring break, the boys varsity tennis team returned to their season with eagerness. On April 14, the boys defeated Forest Hills High School, winning 4-0. Despite the absence of certain key senior players, the underclassmen succeeded in bringing home the win.
The singles players, sophomores Mitchell Mu, Max Prohorov, and junior Daniel Corona each beat their opponents 10-0. Second double players, junior Jeremy Hirsh and freshman Derrick Mu, also beat their opponents, 10-1.
Even with this success, the boys tennis coach, Stuart Raphael, believed the doubles players lacked aggressiveness. Max and Daniel offered them advice during the after-game group huddle. Max explained, “We gave one of our doubles teams advice on how to improve, and that’s by going to the net and taking control of the point, because keeping the other team on the defensive will give you a huge advantage.”
Derrick confessed that he was not used to playing doubles. “I…do not really like volleying, and that is why I stay at the base line a lot,” he remarked. He elaborated by saying that he struggled with his serves and hit easy shots out of bounds.
The singles players also felt they could improve on certain aspects of the game. Daniel committed a couple of double faults that cost him a few points. Max noticed some errors in his own play as well.
He explained, “I plan on improving [my] fitness because [it] is a large part of tennis aside [from] knowing how to hit a ball, because you have to have the speed to get to the ball as well as keep it up for a long time.”
This victory comes on top of a record breaking season for the team. For the first time in 15 years, the boys beat Benjamin Cardozo High School with a score of 4-1 last month. Last year, THHS ranked second in Queens and tenth in the city; this season, they have the potential to grab first in Queens if they can defeat Bayside High School and Cardozo again. Currently, THHS holds first in Queens with a record of 7-2.
A number of factors have contributed to their rise in performance, such as the addition of new players this year and senior Ethan Nitollo’s increased investment with the team. Ethan, who trains with a private coach, has taken time off to play the first singles position.