Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia to win their Men’s Singles final match on Day 14 of the 2021 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sunday, September 12, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images/TNS)

By Kayla Mitchell

tryouts officially over, the Los Gatos Boys’ Tennis Team has begun to compete in its first matches of the year. The season started off slow, with tough weather delaying tryouts and canceling multiple team practices, but over the past few weeks, the schedule has amped up. The boys’ team has competed in three matches so far this spring, quickly earning themselves a winning record of 2-1. Excited about their new teammates and talent joining the team this year, LGHS boys’ tennis is ready for a successful season.

Due to rain canceling the boys’ first match of the season against Leigh High School, the varsity and JV teams started off their season with a home match against Santa Clara. Hoping to cultivate the excitement of the players, coach Justin Stenger decided to make the match special by allowing almost all of the seniors on the team to compete in the lineup. Coach Stenger explained, “I thought it would be an awesome experience for the team to bond at the beginning of the season and to show the fresh talent we got, how the tennis team is such a strong community.” The match went to the Los Gatos boys with an easy 6-1 victory over the Santa Clara team. 

Rough weather canceled the boys’ match on Mar. 5 against Fremont High School, so the team played their second match against Cupertino High School. The strong Cupertino team moved down from a higher division this season, and Coach Stenger warned that Cupertino would be one of LGHS’s biggest tennis rivals this season. The LGHS boys’ suffered a narrow loss 3-4 to the other team but did not let the tough result damage their determination. Coach Stenger reflected on the match saying, “The loss definitely hurt because it was so close, but we get to play every team twice so we will be ready for them the next time we compete.” While such a close loss to a rival team early in the season seems disheartening, the LGHS team is using the match to learn and improve for the next face-off.

Even though the boys’ season is just beginning, Coach Stenger is already impressed with the energy and hard work the players are putting into the team. With an astounding number of valuable players at tryouts and returning players ready to compete again, the new group is motivated to do better than previous years. Stenger, the LGHS staff, and other coaches applaud the boys for the energy they bring to their matches and practices, especially in the loud cheer they chant out together at the beginning of every match. While senior night is ways away, giving all of the seniors a chance to play and compete lifted the teams spirits and ensured a well-bonded team right from the beginning of the season. The boys’ tennis team usually hosts a match at home once a week directly after school, so come out and support the hard working team.