Last Saturday, May 2, boys varsity tennis let neither their 2-5 season record nor Suffield’s early lead dampen their spirits as the team played hard for a crushing 5-2 turnaround victory.

The sun was out and it was a wonderful day for tennis, but Kent didn’t start off too well in the doubles matches. Jeremy Krisberg ’18 and Xavier Martinez ’15 came up short in the No.1 doubles match, ending 3-8. Alec Cardenas ’17 and Christian Jackson ’15 were overwhelmed 3-8 at the No. 3 doubles match. The senior duo, Captain Edwin Gordon ’15 and Brendan Copp ’15 played an exciting close game in the No. 2 doubles, but lost 6-8. Suffield took a one-point lead.

The doubles losses did not discourage Kent as the team turned the tables on Suffield in the singles matches. Copp was on top of his game, playing consistently and capitalizing on his opponent’s mistakes to dominate 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 4 singles match. Freshman Krisberg proved himself a valuable asset to the team by overwhelming his opponent 6 -4, 6-1 in the No. 2 singles match. The two victories greatly boosted team morale.

George Bian ’16 claimed a 6-3, 6-3 victory with ease in the No. 6 singles match, with his strong forehand strokes closing out game after game. Ture Linden ’16 lost the first set 3-6, but the resilient junior fought hard to win the second set 6-4, and won the No. 5 singles match 10-3 in a long, drawn out tiebreaker. Martinez played aggressive tennis, exploiting his opponent’s weak backhand and slamming volley shots with precision, winning the No. 3 singles match 6-3, 6-4.

The energy from five straight victories built up in the final match, the No. 1 singles. Captain Gordon struggled early, dropping the first set 4-6, but remained focused as he pulled back the second set 6-2. The crowd was cheering as Gordon took a 8-4 lead in the tiebreaker. Tensions ran high, but both players were unfazed and played strong games, much to the appreciation of the crowd. In the end, Gordon’s opponent swept up the game 8-10.

Although Gordon was disappointed with his close loss, he said, “We have a lot of new players and they all have potential. The team is coming together and I’m optimistic.” It was a bright day for both Head Coach Hunt and the team.