After a leisurely Wednesday afternoon drive (running the season total to 24 hours of van driving for Coach Speer), we arrived on Hotchkiss’ beautiful and cell service-free campus for a battle with a perennial powerhouse. Coming off a five-match winning streak, our confidence was high, but memories of last year’s 4-0 playoff loss to the Bearcats were still raw. We put our best foot forward in doubles – Alfi and Deepak did their thing at #3, while Carl and Scott were worn down by the aggressive play of Hotchkiss’ talented #1 pair. All eyes then shifted to Matthew and Gideon, who, despite going down an early break, managed to level the score at 7-7, and then play two solid and mistake-free games to hold and break for the win. We carried the momentum forward into singles, earning decisive wins at the 4, 5, and 6 spots (Deepak providing the clinch), and things finished relatively quickly after that – Matthew closed out his match, Carl dropped a tight super, and Scott outlasted von Emme on court 2.
The win makes it six in a row, with three matches remaining in the season. Fingers crossed that Saturday’s weather shifts and allows us to play Exeter, before our season finishes with Suffield and Cheshire next week. Thanks to the Grants, to Mrs. Danforth, and to Mrs. Auersperg for their support and food/drinks today. Stay tuned @deerfieldtennis for updates.
Deerfield 6, Hotchkiss 1
Alex Kennedy/Andrey von Emme (H) d. Carl Grant/Scott Danforth (D) 8-5
Matthew Wuyan/Gideon Yektai (D) d. Fin Ong/Jiawen Zhao (H) 9-7
Alfi Auersperg/Deepak Pathapati (D) d. Blake Cilmi/Christian Kohlmeyer (H) 8-4
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Kennedy (H) d. Grant (D) 6-2, 4-6, 10-6
Danforth (D) d. von Emme (H) 7-5, 6-2
Wuyan (D) d. Ong (H) 6-2, 6-4
Auersperg (D) d. Zhao (H) 6-3, 6-0
Pathapati (D) d. Cilmi (H) 6-1, 6-1
Yektai (D) d. Ian Gill (H) 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles 3,1,2; Singles 4,6,5,3,1,2