Tennis Round 3 vs Knox

As is often the case, last weekend’s fixture against Knox proved to be a difficult encounter due to their depth of ability and competitiveness. Despite this, all Trinity teams played to the best of their ability and did not yield voluntarily.

The 1st IV was competitive and could have won this fixture, but their Achilles heel once again remained their Doubles match play. For the second consecutive week they failed to win a doubles set despite serving for a set in one instance. Poor positional play and unforced errors at key moments allowed the opposition to win the more important points and crucial games. Staring down a 4 sets to love hole was once again the reality of the day and a near impossible position to recover from. Much to the credit of our students they continued to fight and after some excellent singles match play, were able to win 3 of the 4 remaining sets, to finish the day with a 3-5 loss. Impressive singles victories were recorded by Finn Taylor (10La), James Kim (11Ar) and Max Knauer (11Ho). Our students will need to amend their doubles strategy tomorrow if they want to be competitive against Cranbrook. If they can position themselves closer to the net in the middle of the angle to make the court appear smaller, close the net to finish points, volley and smash through the sidelines as opposed to through the court, hit a high percentage of first serves in and strategize and communicate effectively, I am sure they can perform at a much higher level than has previously been the case this season.

The 2nd IV had a sensational win against their fancied Knox opponents and finished morning ahead to the tune of five sets to three. All players combined and played beautifully together in both the singles and doubles components of the match. Angelo Shi (10Sc) and Jayden Higgins (11He) laid the foundation for victory in their doubles winning both sets 6-4 and 6-3. Jayden and Angelo then proceeded to pressurize the opposition team by prevailing in their singles matches, which incidentally were both decided by tiebreakers. The 2nd doubles pairing of Domenic Furfaro (10Ar) and Nathan Tang (9Du) played a very competitive first set losing narrowly in a tiebreaker. Nathan Tsang then played solidly to win a crucial 6-3 singles match to put a Knox victory out of contention. Well done to all in a good team victory!

Jeremy Dykgraaff | MIC Tennis

3rd and 4th IV Report

The 3rds could not have got off to a more satisfying start against Knox – George Nicholas (11WJ) and Nick Papadopoulos (12He) combined beautifully with a blend of aggression and excellent defence to win the No.1 doubles 6-0. Yes, 6-0, there’s no typing error here! However, Knox tennis players never give in, and both George and Nick had to fight tooth and nail in their respective singles matches. While Nick could not quite get going, George had his chances, but could not convert. In the second doubles, Andrew Yang (11Hi) and Beier Chen (11Yo) were unable to win a close contest, but Beier fought back well in his singles match with an interesting variety of spins and looping groundstrokes to claim victory. Winning the solitary singles set was never going to be enough against Knox, but the boys know they have the ability to make a contest of it next time.

Adrian Ong (11St) was the star of the 4ths, after the doubles sets were shared thanks to a forfeit from Knox. Caleb Kwan (11Ta) had fought hard in his singles but had gone down 4-6. That left Knox leading 3 sets to 2. Adrian himself was trailing 2-4 in his singles, but it was at that point that he began to give it his all and simply shut his Knox opponent out. Adrian chased every ball time and time again, and frustrated and exhausted his opponent. However, he wasn’t just a human backboard, he also struck a number of superb forehands, mostly crosscourt, but also down the line. This irresistible combination of attack and defence proved just too much for his adversary and provided the 4ths with a victory on games.

Ashley Lucas | Coach

Year 10A and 10B Report

It was a tough match-up for the 10As this weekend. They played some fantastic tennis but unfortunately lost this round to Knox 6 sets to 0. James Chen (10La) and Aidan Kuoch (10La) tried their best over the weekend. During the doubles, the boys had good communication and they played some fantastic shots. Both boys played some really good points, but Knox just came out a little stronger in the end. James was playing very well; he was hitting some strong and consistent groundstrokes and he was playing well from the baseline. His serves were also very strong and consistent during his singles match. Aidan was also hitting very well. His serves were consistent, but he needs to work on his recovery and ball placement. Lawrence Ho (10Yo) and Kavi Suri (10Yo) played a tough few match. Lawrence tried hard over the weekend, he had a tough match up against Knox but was still playing consistently and to the best of his ability. He just needs to try and improve upon his serves pace, consistency and practicing how he plays at the net. Kavi also had a tough matchup. He hit some good and consistent groundstrokes along with some strong serves, but he needs to work on his recovery and movement.

The 10Bs also had a great round and played well over the weekend, but unfortunately lost 6 sets to 0 against Knox. Beau Moller (10Yo) and Dylan Ritchley (10Ho) played well during their matches over the weekend. Beau was hitting consistent groundstrokes and at times hit some good really strong serves. However, he needs to try to improve upon his volleys and his footwork. He needs to focus on placing his shots better while at the net to keep the point going and he needs work on spotting good opportunities to finish the point. Dylan tried his best this round against Knox. He was also hitting consistently but similarly to Beau, he needs to work on his footwork and consistency. He hits really good groundstrokes but sometimes they end up a little long, but his volleys this weekend were really strong and consistent! Matthew Zeederberg (10Ho) and Matthew Vickery (10WJ) played well in their doubles match; they had good communication and covered the court well as a team. Matthew Z. was hitting some good groundstrokes, but he needs to improve on starting the point stronger by improving upon his serves. What he needs to work on when it comes to singles is his recovery and court coverage, it was good when he was playing doubles but he missed a few shots and opportunities during his singles match. Matthew V. also did a good job over the weekend. He was hitting consistently but he needs to try to work on his form and consistency with his serves and groundstrokes. On the other hand, his volleys were very strong and played well during his singles match.

Coach Tristan Kontonis

Year 10C and 10D Report

The 10Cs had a good round against Knox; they played really well and came very close to victory but unfortunately lost by only one game. Charlie Scott-Shires (10Mu) and Lachlan Dai (10Du) played very well as a pairing against Knox. They had good communication and they were hitting some great shots. They were very close to winning their doubles but unfortunately lost during a tie break by three points. However, they do need to work on their court coverage and positioning during their doubles matches. It seemed that both boys were not covering the court as well as they could have been, leaving large gaps open which made it easy for their opponents to get the ball past them. Charlie tried his best during his singles match. He was hitting some great groundstrokes and his serves were very consistent. It was a close match consistently coming to deuce but unfortunately, he did not walk away with the win. Lachlan also did well during his singles match; he played very consistently and his volleys were strong and very well placed which were vital in him winning his singles match this past weekend. Leo Gao (10Ar) and Bo Hai Xie (10Yo) played well over the weekend. They communicated well during their doubles and seemed to have a great match filled with joy and excitement. The boys also played well during their singles matches. Leo played had a great match against his Knox opponent, hitting some very strong groundstrokes and serves which assisted him in coming away with a win for the weekend. Bo Hai also did a great job over the weekend. He had a tough match-up against Knox but managed to win his singles 6 games to 4. His well-placed groundstrokes and volleys played a key role in his victory this weekend.

The 10Ds had a short round this weekend due to some forfeits from Knox. With the matches that were played this weekend all boys did very well. They won this round against Knox 5 sets to 1. William Mansfield (10Ke) and Finn Hodgkinson (10Fo) played very well this round. They were able to win their doubles match together due to their good communication and shot placement. William played very well and held his ground whilst subbing in for the Ds this weekend. He managed to win his singles match against Knox 6 games to 0. His serves and groundstrokes were very strong and consistent, making it a tough match for his opponent. He had good movement on the court and did especially well from the baseline. Finn played well this weekend and had some great rallies against his opponent. Although there were a lot of close points Finn unfortunately was unable to come away with a win from his singles match.

Coach Tristan Kontonis

9 A and B Report

Round 3 proved to be a tough round of tennis for the 9A and 9B teams against Knox Grammar. Suffering clear losses across all matches, it could be easy to think not a great deal was gained during the two hours on court. However, this was not the case. Both Bs doubles pairings were able to notch a few games against their opponents which was a cause for great celebration. Shaan Mohan (9Ke) and Travis Ng (9WJ) enjoyed winning two games against their opponents, showcasing developing skill and prowess to engage in some entertaining rallies. Mitchell Bowden (9La) and Ravin Chowdhury (9Fo), in their second week playing together, also won some hard-earned points to notch a game. They are developing their team skills and court awareness and should continue to improve as the weeks progress. The As doubles pairings struggled against more powerful and polished challengers and they are encouraged to work on strengthening their on-court confidence and communication skills to work as more cohesive pairings. Christopher Lowe (9Ho) and Maxi Tsai (9Fo) did their best to try match the relentless Knox duo, while James Davies (9St) and George Stavrakis (9WH) struggled against the experience of their doubles opponents. Spending time during training on strengthening team skills will be beneficial in building positive partnerships. A special mention this week goes to Travis Ng (9WJ) who made some great progress in winning three games in his singles match. Congratulations on a good effort and looking forward to seeing more of that in the future!

Claudia Tessadri

8A and B Report

Contrary to last week’s frosty temperatures, Knox hosted our 8As and Bs in ideal tennis conditions. Typically, Knox has far outweighed our standard of tennis, though today was a day marked in history – a convincing Trinity win with a 5-1 set, 36 to 26 game victory. It’s tough to pick a man of the match when everyone plays out of their skin but for me, Ishaan Sharma (8Ar) takes the award for his finesse and class on the court.

The Bs had an excellent fixture too. With a lot of the boys playing up a division due to illness, they were able to hold their own. In the end, it was a narrow loss with our boys going down three sets all but 21-28 games, in favour of Knox. However, Alex Kountouris (8Mu) should be commended for his efforts in a thrilling 6-3 victory. I wish the As and Bs the best of luck for next week’s matches!

Kevin Batliwala | Acting 8A and B coach

8C and D report

Due to illness within Trinity tennis, many of the Cs and Ds had step up to the task of competing against higher ranking opponents. The boys took on this challenge and fought to the death. Although we lost 1-5 on sets, it’s clear that the matches were a lot closer than anticipated, with Trinity only being 11 games behind in a 24-35 game defeat. Credit must go to Ethan Zhang (8La) and Dominic Chen (8Ar) who got the 6-4 victory in their doubles match.

The Ds were also in the hotseat at Knox’s courts but were able to narrowly scrape a well-deserved victory – another history-making moment for Trinity tennis. The final tally saw Trinity and Knox at three sets all but Trinity edge their opponents with 26-19 games, respectively. Man of the match must go to Giacomo Duarte (8Sc), who demolished his opponent in a 6-0 victory. I wish the Cs and Ds the best of luck for their next fixture!

Kevin Batliwala | Acting 8C and D coach

7A and B Report

After convincing wins last week against St Aloysius’, the 7As and Bs were primed for their round against Knox. After it was revealed that the top Knox player was absent on Saturday, the Trinity boys looked to seize the opportunity to beat their, typically strong, opponents. However, proceedings started bleakly for the Trinity boys as Knox won all three contested doubles matches in dominant fashion. Some hope came from Nathan Della Torre (7Yo) and Lucas Preston (7WH) who, after falling behind 5-1, fought back to 5-3. Unfortunately for the Trinity pair, their Knox opponents regained composure to win the set 6-3.

The singles match followed a similar trend. In the As, Knox won the four singles sets in a comprehensive manner. In saying this, the Trinity boys never became disheartened and fought to the end in all matches. While the Bs also lost all three contested singles matches, there were some points of note. Thomas Joannou’s (7Du) determination to win was evident in his match where he fought valiantly for every point. Ollie Jessop (7We) exhibited good power and the ability contest in rallies with his opponent. However, he was undone by his opposition’s superior consistency.

The boys should not be disheartened by their loss. They should see it as a valuable opportunity to improve and give the Knox boys a surprise in the return match later this season.

Thomas Thorpe | Coach

7Cs and Ds

The 7Cs and Ds both went down against strong Knox sides last weekend. Despite some good individual efforts from the boys, they were outmatched by a more experienced opposition. In the Cs, the Trinity boys were never able to get a foothold in the doubles matches and ended up losing both sets 6-1. In the singles, Jonathon Nung (7La) broke his opponent’s first service game and got out to an early 2-0 lead. However, the opponent fought back to win the set 6-4. Anish Sukumaran (7La), for the second consecutive week, played out a closely contested match. He stayed in the match right until the end but ended up losing 7-5. He should be commended for his efforts.

In the Ds, Knox’s superior experience shone through. The Trinity boys struggled to make any inroads into the score line. They will have to work on their consistency and general stroke-play for the rematch.
The upside to a loss is that it gives you an opportunity to grow and measure your improvement the next time you play an opponent. This is what the Trinity boys will look to do throughout the rest of the season, particularly looking towards the rematch against Knox.

Thomas Thorpe | Coach