BOYS TENNIS: Gunn Rolls in CCS Opener

The Score: Gunn 6, St. Francis 1

The Star: The St. Francis High-Mountain View boys tennis team season ended in round one of the 2011 Central Coast Section Boys Team Tennis Championships at the hands of a very deep Gunn High squad in a round one match held Wednesday afternoon at Cuesta Park in Mountain View.

Despite not walking away with an overall win, St. Francis No. 1 singles player Neel Ramachandran could have a strong argument that he was the best player of the bunch. The smooth freshman defeated Gunn No. 1 singles player Clifton Wolak 6-4, 6-2 to capture the lone match victory for his team on the hot May afternoon.

Ramachandran kept his opponent on the move throughout the straight sets win, using an array of shots and speeds to dictate the pace to his liking.

The Turning Point: After dealing with the brutal gauntlet that is the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza division, Gunn showed off its depth all over the court during each of the seven matches. The superior depth especially showed through on the doubles courts. All three Gunn doubles teams won in straight sets, including speedy victories from No. 2 doubles team Kevin Macario and Thomas George and the No. 3 doubles team of Arjun Narayen and Ameya Rao.

The rest of the singles lineup was just as impressive for the Titans. Gunn No. 3 and No. 4 singles players Roy Pelig and Adam Zorin cruised to wins, while No. 2 singles player Jinyan Jing survived a tough first set against St. Francis opponent Andrew Pratt. Jing won the first set 7-5, then charged forward to take the second set, 6-2.

The Quotes: “My serve was working really well for me today,” St. Francis freshman Neel Ramachandran said about his straight sets win. “It was a good confidence booster beating the No. 1 player from a tough team like Gunn.”

Gunn No. 2 singles player Jinyan Jing was the final Titans player to finish play, just edging out the No. 1 doubles duo of Joe Atlas and Jack Kwan. Atlas and Kwan fended off a late St. Francis second set rally and won their match, 6-2, 6-4.

“It was pretty big to win the first set,” Jing said. “I started playing better as the match went along. The second set I started rolling and my forehand really got going.”

 A tough test against No. 2 seed Saratoga looms on Friday.

“They’re a tough team,” Jing said. “There really consistent and have a lot of strong players.”

 What's Next? Gunn will play No. 2 seed Saratoga Friday afternoon at Saratoga High. The Falcons defeated Gunn in both meetings this season.

Bottom Line: Battle tested from playing a lot of strong teams throughout the 2011 regular season, Gunn played poised tennis in the 6-1 win on Wednesday. The teamwork of Atlas and Kwan and the sheer hand speed of Jing stood out in the Titans win. Without a senior on the roster, this Gunn team will be good for years to come.

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