The Courtside boys 18s beat Chula Vista 5-4 to win the state championship. Team members included Slavy Elenkov, Bastian Bartels, Steven Golod, Nick Previte and Garrett Wyatt, and assistant coach Jeff Phalen, Vikram Kumar, Chad Cochran, Doug Richardson, Ashvin Soin and coach Tim Sunderland.
Soin, Bartels net wins, pace Courtside to title
Boys 12s also claim state crown
By Dick Sparrer
Ashvin Soin had to be one tired tennis player.
After all, he had gone three sets at No. 5 singles for the Courtside Tennis Club's boys 18 squad at the state finals, and later in the day he found himself in another three-setter at No. 2 doubles.
So Soin had to be pretty tired... but he also had to be pretty happy.
Because Soin won both matches to help the Courtside boys 18s to a tight 5-4 win over Chula Vista in the state finals.
The boys 18s figured as one of four Courtside teams among the four squads representing Northern California in the Gar Glenney Cup Championships against Southern California in Los Angeles.
North and South split the six matches, but NorCal clinched a third straight Gar Glenney Cup title by taking the tiebreaker with a 30-24 advantage in total matches.
Courtside teams won state championships in boys 18s and boys 12s action, lost tough decisions in girls 18s (5-4) and girls 15s (6-3). Still, even in the losing effort, the girls' seven match wins helped Northern California defeat Southern California in the tiebreaker.
Soin and Bastian Bartels starred for Courtside in the 5-4 victory in the boys 18s class.
Soin, a single star for Saratoga during the high school season, pulled out a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) thriller at No. 5 singles, and he teamed with Garrett Wyatt for a 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles. Wyatt, another Saratoga star, had lost a 7-6, 7-6 heartbreaker at No. 2 singles.
Bartels (Monta Vista) was also a double winner for Courtside. He pulled out a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 three-set decision at No. 1 singles, then teamed with Chad Cochran (Valley Christian) for a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles. Cochran had lost 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6 singles.
Nick Previte (Mitty) joined the list of Courtside winners with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 3 singles, but he and Vikram Kumar (Harker) lost 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 at No. 3 doubles. Kumar had fallen 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4 singles.
Bartels was named the team's most valuable player at the season's end. Soin was picked the most inspirational player and Cochran was selected most improved.
Courtside dominated Cabrillo 7-2 in the boys 12s final. P.J. Boskovich, Mathew Solomon, Patrick Brogan and Simon Wu were each double winners for Los Gatos.
Boskovich (of San Jose) rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles, and he teamed with Solomon (of Los Gatos) for a 6-7, 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles. Solomon was a 6-4, 6-3 winner at No. 6 singles.
Brogan (of Los Gatos) and Wu (of Sunnyvale) teamed for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles. Brogan nailed a 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles and Wu won 6-3, 6-4 at No. 5 singles.
Kurt Chong (of San Jose) posted a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles, but he and Ron Huang (of Sunnyvale) lost a tough 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 nod at No. 1 doubles. Huang dropped a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 heartbreaker at No. 2 singles.
"[Boskovich] played his best match of the summer to beat a strong No. 1 player," said Courtside coach Tim Sunderland. "And [Chong] broke down a tremendous No. 3 player with smart, solid play."
Solomon was selected the team's most valuable player with Boskovich the most inspirational and Chong the most improved.
Courtside took Heritage Park to the wire before losing a tough 5-4 girls 18s decision.
Audrey Wingo (San Lorenzo Valley) won twice, nailing a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 5 singles and teaming with Kathy Fawcett (Harbor) for a 7-6, 6-1 triumph at No. 3 doubles. Fawcett had dropped a tough 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 nod at No. 4 singles.
Amanda Wise (Saratoga) pulled out a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 at No. 3 singles and Cindy Manit (Woodside) won 7-5, 7-5 at No. 6 singles. But Wise and Laura Boskovich (St. Francis) lost a tough 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 nod at No. 1 doubles and Manit and Belinda Rungsea (Lynbrook) lost 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles. Rungsea had dropped a hard-fought 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 decision at No. 1 singles and Boskovich lost 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2.
Wingo was tabbed both the most valuable and most improved player for the girls 18s and Manit was the most inspirational player.
Caroline Stege (Los Gatos) won in both singles and doubles play, but the Courtside girls 15s lost 6-3 to Heritage Park in the state finals.
Stege nailed a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles and she teamed with Alicia Hull (Los Gatos) for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles. Hull had lost a tough 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision at No. 1 singles.
Diane Tseng (Leland) rolled to a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 5 single for Courtside's only other victory of the day. She and Augustine Allende (Pinewood) lost 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 doubles. Allende had fallen 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 singles.
Emily Chen (Monta Vista) fell 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles and Katrina Lebedeva (Los Gatos) lost a tough 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 nod at No. 3 singles. The two lost 7-5, 6-4 at No. 2 doubles.
Hull, the team captain, was the most valuable player with Steve the most inspirational and Sarah Klapper most improved.
In other Gar Glenney matches, Mission Hills of Northern California won in boys 15s and NorCal's Alpine Hills lost in girls 12s.
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