Women’s Tennis makes a comeback against San Ramon Valley

Teju Anand, Assistant Photography Editor|October 6, 2018

Junior Jasmine Lam prepares to strike the tennis ball.

Recovering from their tough setback against San Ramon Valley High School in their first away game, Women’s Tennis triumphed in their home game against the Wolves on Oct. 3, winning by a score of 6-3.

“Right after the game, I was pretty confident that we’d win as a team this time, because I observed everyone playing a lot better and being more confident in their shots. Last time was our first match, and we had a lot of new players so they needed to get used to our style of play,” senior Katherine Gan said.

The extensive daily practice of the varsity girls was reflected in the quality of their game. Gan and senior Katie Eng won against players they had previously lost to. Sophomore Sadhika Akula faced some challenges during her match but was able to beat her opponent, senior Chloe Ziegler.

“This time she played better so I had to step up my game. She is also 6 feet 1 inch tall, so I had to work on hitting low balls and really making her run,” Akula said.

Akula beat Ziegler by a score of 6-2, 6-0. Given her position as a baseliner, Akula had good ball control when returning from the backcourt. According to Akula, staying in the point, winning her service games and receiving quick shots in the forecourt was the key to her success.

“I tried to break her service game and focused on me playing my best shots. I also lost one of my service games so I had to make sure I didn’t lose anymore. We had a lot of close points but overall I was really on top of it,” Akula reflected.

Eng’s swift backhand and forehand made it possible for her to play at the level of her opponent, senior Anna Carter, who is known for her fierce shots. Eng was able to receive net shots as well as side shots because of her rapid movements, winning by a score of 6-2, 6-0.

“Tennis is a game of errors. So whoever makes less mistakes is going to win. So this time I made less mistakes. I was a lot more consistent on my strokes and a lot more confident, so I ended up winning really easy. I’m really happy about how I played,” Eng said.

Captain Gan won by a score of 6-0, 6-0 against junior Maddie Moran.

“Last time, I wasn’t able to adjust to her style of play, as she switched it in the middle of the match. This time I was used to the way she played so I was able to develop strategies based on that,” Gan said.

Gan outsmarted her opponent by making her run across the court back and forth, eventually tiring out her opponent. Gan also served a cannonball a couple of times which made it hard for her opponent to receive.

“We should probably take practice more seriously. But since we have been practising for two hours every day, our games have all improved,” Eng said.