Boys tennis wins against Bonita High School

Varsity boys tennis defeated Bonita 10-8 on April 21 at home, marking the final game of their Palomares League season. 

The first round concluded with Walnut being down 2-4, with one loss on the singles side and three losses in doubles. Singles juniors Timmothy Chen and Brad Wong both secured a 6-0 win, keeping Walnut in contention for the win.  A combination of serve and volley, alongside precise down the line forehands contributed to the double bagel. However, on the doubles side, Walnut succumbed to the opponent through multiple forced errors and poor shot placements. Doubles three player senior Ingram Chen attributes his 0-6 loss to the opponent’s ability to put in smashes and inconsistencies in his own game.

“I feel like I didn’t swing hard enough so the guy was able to just volley all my shots,” Chen said. “During the set, we won the first game but then suddenly they went crazy, and the momentum shifted against us. It forced my [doubles partner] and I to give the opponent a lot of easy points.” 

The second round saw Walnut catching up to Bonita, with the Mustangs securing consecutive wins on the singles side. Singles one player sophomore Ethan Wang began with a 6-0 win against the opponent, utilizing his heavy topspin forehand and big serve. As a result, Wang capitalized on break point opportunities to take the set. One of the highlights of the match included a dropshot at 4-0, resulting in the opponent making an unforced error. However, the doubles teams continued to falter, losing all three of their matches that round. Compared to Walnut’s side, Bonita’s double players had overall higher consistency and a stronger volley game. The second round concluded 5-7. 

“My opponent wasn’t that consistent and I was training over the weekend hitting winners, so it worked out perfectly because I won a majority of the points by slapping the ball,” Wang said. “[Ultimately], my forehands and serves really carried me through.”

Although singles swept the draw in the third round and put Walnut ahead of Bonita, winning 6-3, 6-1 and 6-0, the scoreline was still 8-7, so the pressure remained on for the doubles players to win their matches to secure the victory. Ultimately, the doubles team made a comeback, with juniors Leon Lee and Andrew Tanchoco winning 7-5 and juniors Tony Yuen and David Liu winning 7-6, concluding the match. 

“Overall, it was a great comeback win versus Bonita,” head varsity tennis coach Joe Fasheh said. “Our singles did exceptionally well. We only lost one set, but we only won two sets in doubles so we definitely could improve on our doubles side and I’m hoping that next season we pick up some really good freshman players.”  

The game against Bonita was also Senior Night, where the team recognized its seniors for their efforts throughout the season. Senior Apollo Lee reflected on this season as one of ups and downs, but reminisced over the small moments of his final year in tennis. 

“Despite the season and the minimal amount of wins, I think it ended on a decently high note,” Lee said. “The boys are a good group of guys to hang out with, and I enjoyed seeing progress in a lot of the players that I’ve been playing with over the years.”