Takeaways from boys tennis regional championships
Jun. 9—LEWISTON — The only thing different for the Yarmouth boys tennis team was the seeding.
The second-seeded Clippers won their sixth straight Class B South championship Monday, shutting out No. 1 Lincoln Academy 5-0 at Bates College. It is the third straight year they have defeated the Eagles to reach the state final, doing so as the top seed in 2023 and '24.
In Class A South, Falmouth returned to the final for the second straight year and fifth in seven seasons with a 4-1 win over Thornton Academy.
The Class C South boys final between Waynflete and Maine Central Institute was in progress at press time.
From Spain to a final
While the Clippers were in the B South final last year, their No. 1 player was not. Andre Violette played second singles as a sophomore, but spent his junior season abroad in Spain at the Emilio Sanchez American School, a school and tennis academy in Barcelona.
Violette, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Eli Melanson on Monday, said he was happy to contribute to a title this year.
"I missed it a lot. The team camaraderie here in Yarmouth is really nice, and I missed the environment," he said. "I'm really happy to be back, and I'm looking forward to playing again (Wednesday)."
While Violette worked on his own game last spring, he kept in touch as his team pursued another championship.
"I watched some of them on the live stream, and I was kind of talking to them and getting hyped for them," he said. "It was really fun to see them succeed."
He's been at the forefront this time with the Clippers, who are chasing a sixth straight title.
"It's something you kind of have to address before you go in every match," he said. "There's a little pressure there, but you learn to play with that. I think it sometimes helps me play better."
Championship veteran
As if talent and depth weren't enough, Yarmouth had another asset working for it. Four of the Clippers' five entries had played in previous championships, with James Hartnett (No. 2, 6-4, 6-3) and Chris Augur and John Nicholas (No. 2 doubles, 6-2, 6-2) returning from last year, as well as Violette at No. 1.
Xander Gordon (No. 3, 6-0, 6-0), however, has them all beat in the experience category, having returned after winning at third singles last year and second doubles the year before.
"It's really helpful from the mental aspect, having the previous experience," Gordon said. "It's really helpful when you're down in a match, you know that you're able to fight back from there."
And when you're never down, like Gordon on Monday? Turns out, experience can fuel a strong start as well as a strong finish.
"It's really helpful going into a match with a lot of confidence, being able to hit your shots," he said. "If you're trusting yourself to hit your shots, you're going to play well, you're going to do well."
Unfamiliar opponent
Camden Hills (14-1) swept its way to victory in A North over Bangor. Will Meyer took down Bangor's (12-3) Nate Grunkenmeyer, 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, and while the score showed Meyers domination, both fought to draw out a long game.
Meyer, who had never played Grunkenmeyer, emphasized the strong nature of his opponent's skills that created an intense matchup.
"He's a very good player. I heard he has a good serve because one of our teammates played him this season," Meyer said. "He had good ground strokes, so kept the ball nice and deep."
Meanwhile, the Windjammers' second doubles partners Graham Eggena and Blake Christie had faced Bangor's Frida Holeshu and Paul Friess before, but still experienced apprehension. Nevertheless, the pair won 6-3, 7-6.
"We were pretty nervous going into it," Christie admitted, glancing at Eggena. "But we took care of business and that's all that matters."
Friendship as the foundation
For Jose Vela and Faustino Arango, the No. 1 doubles team for Thornton Academy (13-2), friendship sets the baseline for their on-court chemistry.
"So we met this year in Thornton Academy, and since then we have been friends. … And it was exciting because, you know, (Arango) was going to become my partner. And, yeah, we have been good," Vela said.
Vela and Arango earned Thornton's only point, defeating Falmouth's Eli Sidhu and Luke Kusel, the state doubles champs.
"I think that having a teammate is very important. So we can remind each other of the basics and what is the purpose of playing," Arango said.
After dropping the first set (2-6), Arango and Vela pulled it together to secure the final two sets with a dominant showing, winning 6-4 in the second and 6-0 in the third.
"I think that the first and second sets were a little bit bad. We weren't moving our feet," Arango said.
Falmouth got wins from state singles champion Matt Morneault (No. 1), Sam Yoon (No. 2), Adrian Mazurenko (No. 3) and Dante Iannetta and Nick Roediger (No. 1 doubles, 6-2, 6-1).
Single reason for dominance
The surest path to victory might be the kind of singles firepower Falmouth has showcased all season. Neither Morneault, Yoon or Mazurenko, in the Navigators' No. 1, 2 and 3 spots, respectively, dropped a set all day. Morneault beat Terry Ma 6-3, 6-3, Yoon beat Andriy Vykhodtsev, 6-4, 6-1, and Mazurenko beat Takoya Masuda, 6-1, 6-2.
It's as potent a threesome as there is in the state, as all three reached the round of 16 of the state singles tournament. Mazurenko fell in that round, Yoon (a 2023 finalist) reached the quarters and Morneault prevailed to win the individual title.
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