CAMBRIDGE — The Lynnfield boys tennis team, once again, saw its season come to an end at the hands of the Weston Wildcats, losing in the state Division 4 final, 5-0.
The match was a true test of endurance and physical fitness for both teams as the first and second singles and both doubles matches were played inside a sweltering MIT tennis bubble due to rain-soaked courts at the duPont Tennis Courts at MIT. The third singles match, an eight-game pro set, was the only one to be played outside as scheduled.
Coach Joe Dunn said he was proud of the way his team battled.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” he said. “Not just the singles but the doubles too, did everything I asked them to do. Hats off to Weston, their team was just playing a little bit higher than we were able to do.”
Weston swept through the doubles matches in less than an hour to jump out to a 2-0 lead. The Pioneers’ Raffik Khodr and Russ Kasdon lost to Winston Staratt and Peter Chen at first doubles, 2-6, 3-6, while the second doubles team of Raffi Arkhum and Brendan Sokop lost the second doubles match to Peter Strojanovic and Claus Hinck, 2-6, 2-6.
“Russ and Raffik have played together for so many years. They know each other’s game and they played a team that never missed any overheads or volleys at the net. They were really cutting them off.
“And I was so proud of Raffi and Brendan giving 100 percent,” Dunn said. “They were hitting the hard shots they usually hit at practice. They were relaxed and went for their shots. When they missed it, it didn’t bother them at all because they left everything out on the court.”
Down 2-0, the Pioneers needed to sweep the singles matches to keep their state title hopes alive.
While all three matches were competitive, it was not to be.
Dan Levin gave a solid effort against Weston’s Max Ding only to come up short, 2-6, 2-6. The point clinched the Wildcats’ sixth consecutive state championship.
Dunn said the score did not indicate how close the match really was.
“If I had watched that match without the scorecard, you would think they were both evenly matched,” Dunn said. “Every game was back and forth and to me they both looked like professional tennis players. It was a great match.”
Both players played well, according to Levin.
“It was definitely much closer than the final score. We had a bunch of deuces but he just played a little better. He earned it.”
Levin thought the indoor conditions didn’t favor either player.
“Indoor is faster and we both were hitting the ball hard, so I thought while it may be an advantage for him, it was for me as well,” he said. “It helped the offense play better and you need to play offense or you have zero chance. You can’t just do what you want, you have to play your best to win when you get this far.”
At second singles, Shea McCarthy gave it all he had against a vocal Zach Regelman only to lose, 4-6, 3-6.
“There was a lot of theater in that match and I thought that Shea handled it all pretty well considering what was going on,” Dunn said. “He played his game and did a good job of just shutting that down and staying composed. But the crowd was getting into it, too, which was good for both players. Both of them got to a lot of shots, so credit to them both.”
Weston’s Alex Ko wrapped up the sweep with a 3-8 win over Shlok Kudrimoti.
“Shlok played one of his best matches with plenty of nicely-placed points with power,” Dunn said. “He’s a good baseline player and is our Most Improved Player this year so I would expect nothing less.”
Truth be told, the Wildcats have had Lynnfield’s number for a while. Since 2018, every Pioneers’ season has come to an end at the hands of Weston. That year, the Pioneers lost a 3-2 nailbiter in the Division 3 North final. Lynnfield actually had a couple of match points in the second singles match, but Weston staged a miraculous comeback to force a tiebreaker, then went on to win the third set to clinch the winning point.
In 2019, the Wildcats defeated the Pioneers, 3-2, in the semifinals of the Division 3 North semifinals. After a one-year hiatus due to COVID, Weston picked up where it left off, defeating the Pioneers 5-0 in the North final. Last year, under the new state-wide tournament format, it was more of the same with Weston defeating Lynnfield in the state final, 5-0.
But don’t hope for a rematch any time soon; Weston is moving up a notch to Division 3 starting in 2024.
“We’re a young team and have one more year to try to get it done,” Levin said. “It’s not a walk, of course, but the door is wide open for anyone. It does improve our chances a lot, though. With them gone, I think we can beat anyone in D4 and our performances the last three years show that. That’s what we’re hoping for.”
