Boys varsity traveled to Kingswood Oxford for the annual KITT Tennis Tournament this past weekend. It was the most successful weekend the team has ever had in the 52 years the event has been running. Not only did the Doors clinch the team event as a whole; individually, DA won the “A” singles bracket, the “B” singles bracket, and both the “A” and “B” doubles brackets. In addition, we had finalists in both the “C” and “D” singles brackets. It is the first time since 2011 that the Doors won the team event.
Competing against seven other teams – including some NEPSAC rivals – Deerfield swept all 10 of their matches on Saturday. Gunter Weldon, Ethan Li, Anthony Sparacio, and Tai Feng all won two singles matches that day, followed by wins from Weldon/Li and Feng/Walker Naughton in doubles. In his semi-final matchup, Weldon defeated Trip Wight from Groton who had just beaten him the Monday prior.
Right back to work on Sunday morning, both doubles teams won their semi-final contests. After some rest, all four Doors took the court for their singles finals. Gunter Weldon, competing in the “A” bracket, took down the previous year’s champ Nick Hermes from Hall High School with a gutsy 6-2, 5-7, 10-5 win. Weldon had a chance to win the match at 5-3 in the second set but didn’t let that phase him as he closed out the match in the deciding third set superbreaker. It is the first “A” bracket title for Deerfield in thirty years!
Representing the “B” bracket, senior Ethan Li never lost a set en route to his victory- his first title at KITT. His perfect combination of defense and offense proved too tough for his opponents from Groton, Choate, and Lawrenceville, respectively.
Though Sparacio and Feng fell short in the finals of their “C” and “D” brackets respectively, they both played really good tennis throughout the weekend. Sparacio almost eked out a win against Choate in his final, losing just 10-8 in his deciding third set tiebreaker- never mind ripping a forehand winner to save a match point earlier in the breaker. While Feng was also by a Choate player in his final, he had convincing wins over Westminster and Hotchkiss in the rounds prior, showcasing his consistency and movement.
In doubles, both teams showcased great teamwork in their paths to victory. With nothing but positive energy and total trust in one another, the pairs battled tough opponents but proved too solid to defeat. Li and Weldon, in the “A” bracket won all three of their matches in straight sets, and it’s the first time ever that Deerfield players took home both singles and doubles titles in the “A” brackets! In the “B” bracket, Feng and Naughton had to work a little harder, playing multiple tiebreakers to win their matches. In their final against Choate, Feng/Naughton were unphased after losing 5 match points in the second set and rallied back to win the deciding third set superbreaker 10-7.
It was a wonderful weekend of exciting competition, but it’s back to work for the Doors on Wednesday when they host KO at home at 3pm.
Singles Results
“A” Bracket: Gunter Weldon def. Andrew Watharanan (Choate) 6-1, 6-2; Weldon def. Trip Wight (Groton) 6-3, 6-3; Weldon def. Nick Hermes (Hall) 6-2, 5-7, 10-5
“B” Bracket: Ethan Li def. Samuell Lu (Groton) 6-2, 6-2; Li def. Johhny Guo (Choate) 6-4, 6-2; Li def. Matthew Fu (Lawrenceville) 6-2, 6-4
“C” Bracket: Anthony Sparacio def. Will Maclean (KO) 7-5, 7-5; Sparacio def. Jeremy Eisen (Hall) 6-4, 4-6, 12-10; Reid Bock (Choate) def. Sparacio 2-6, 6-2, 10-8
“D” Bracket: Tai Feng def. Will Hocking (Westminster) 6-1, 6-4; Feng def. Nate Reif (Hotchkiss) 6-2, 6-4; Will Henderson (Choate) def. Deng 6-2, 6-3
Doubles Results
“A” Bracket: Li/Weldon def. Wight/Lu (Groton) 6-2, 7-6(5); Li/Weldon def. Hermes/Eisen (Hall) 6-1, 6-4; Li/Weldon def. Concepcion/Blair (KO) 7-5, 6-3
“B” Bracket: Naughton/Feng def. Rizvi/Grace (Hotchkiss) 7-5, 7-6(5); Naughton/Feng def. Maclean/Gaddipathi (KO) 6-3, 6-3; Naughton/Feng def. Henderson/Guo (Choate) 6-4, 6-7(11), 10-7