A third-set tiebreaker isn’t unfamiliar territory for
Christopher High singles player Veasna Khay. So it seemed only
fitting that in the final regular season dual meet of the season,
facing crosstown foe Gilroy High, the No. 1 singles athlete would
encounter another sudden death set Tuesday at CHS.
A third-set tiebreaker isn’t unfamiliar territory for Christopher High singles player Veasna Khay. So it seemed only fitting that in the final regular season dual meet of the season, facing crosstown foe Gilroy High, the No. 1 singles athlete would encounter another sudden death set Tuesday at CHS.
Khay and Gilroy’s Andrew Costa took center stage in the final match of the day. And as teammates gathered around the fenced-in court, Khay completed a comeback victory, taking the third set for a 4-6, 6-4,10-4 triumph.
“It’s more of an endurance thing,” Khay said of his extra-set success. “There is a consistency that you need in tennis.”
The team point, though, still left the Cougars one shy of the match win as the Mustangs escaped with a 4-3 decision.
“We were four points away (from a win,)” CHS head coach Patrick McBrearty said. “This was a good match for us. We are much better off now than we were at the beginning of the season.”
Khay felt the same way after notching his win, noting that the difficulties he encountered during the first half of the season have subsided as he has become more comfortable with the competition.
“Tennis is a sport you can’t just pick up overnight,” he said. “It’s been about more practice and more experience.”
Khay’s conditioning was much needed Tuesday, chasing down a litany of sharp forehands from Costa, which he deposited in a multitude of locations. Costa’s precision in the first set led to the 1-0 match lead.
“I think that made me a bit complacent in the second set,” Costa said.
A steady breeze moved into a constant wind and the change affected Costa’s play,” he said.
“The wind happened,” he said. “You push one shot too far out and you become a little more timid. It’s a slippery slope effect kind of thing.”
Khay, meanwhile, broke Costa’s serve twice in the second and forced the final set.
Despite the defeat at the top, the Mustangs captured the remainder of the singles matches. In the No. 2 matchup, Victor Vong dispatched Kyle Kwong, 6-1, 6-1. The No. 3 singles, pitting Gilroy’s Joseph Leong and CHS’s Matt Lombardo, produced a similar result with Leong winning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. At No. 4 singles, Justin Chu defeated Jesus Nunez, 6-4, 6-2.
Without enough players to fill out three doubles tandems, GHS was forced to forfeit the No. 3 doubles match, but gained a valuable point at No. 1 doubles as Andrew Hathaway and Josh Sontag outlasted Jeffery Kong and Ryan Cockcroft 5-7, 6-2, 10-8. Jerry Kuang and Austin Sepulveda swept through their doubles match, topping Gilroy’s Bobby Kwong and Ryan Jansky, 6-2, 6-3.
