Senior Zihao Sui runs toward the net to hit a forehand volley as mixed doubles teammate freshman Ashwin Rohatgi shuffles deeper downcourt. The duo was winning, 9-4 at this point.
Opponent: Golden Sierra High School
Location: Golden Sierra
Date: April 3
Final scores: Senior Nico Burns lost (4-6, 1-6); junior Leo Eisner de Eisenhof won (6-2, 6-4); senior Lily Brown and junior Chardonnay Needler won (10-5); senior Zihao Sui and freshman Ashwin Rohatgi won (10-5).
Inside info per Eisner de Eisenhof: “The other player was actually really good, as evidenced by the score being close in the second set. I was able to win because I tried out a new style of serving: jumping. This gave me more power and was more accurate. I aced my opponent on serves (many) times.
“I need to work on placing the ball to the left and right of the court to make it more difficult for the opponent to return the ball. (However), I’m nervous to try to hit near the sides because it gives (a higher) chance of hitting the ball outside of the allotted court.”
Junior Leo Eisner de Eisenhof readies his return while up, 5-4, in the final match.
Inside info per Rohatgi: “If there was a ball that was between (Zihao and me), we communicated (well) on who should get the ball.
“Before my next match, I would like to practice my ground strokes (and) my volleys.”
Fun fact: Eisner de Eisenhof snapped a string on his tennis racquet at the end of his match. He will have to restring his racquet before the next match.
“After restringing it should be at around the same tightness as it was (before), but it still feels weird – as though it were a new racquet,” Eisner de Eisenhof explained.
According to Eisner de Eisenhof, if the string had snapped earlier in the match, other strings might have snapped due to the increased impact.
“One (broken) string is not too bad to play with, but two broken strings feels weird when hitting,” Eisner de Eisenhof said.
“A player who is really into tennis usually brings two racquets. I’ve thought about it, but racquets are expensive. I like tennis, but not enough to spend an extra $200.”
Next match: Thursday, April 5, against Forest Lake Christian at 3:30 p.m. at Forest Lake.
—By Sarina Rye
