Mens Tennis 2006

Coach – Joseph Awadall
Assistant – Paul Cannon

Men's Tennis News

"Thomas Thennis" Nearly Perfect at 15-1

The men's tennis team had a great season under the leadership of senior co-captains Danny Chao, Matt Christian, and Andy Yang, and new coaches Joseph Awadalla and Paul Cannon.

The team was co-champion of the Liberty District, tied with Madison. Both teams finished 15-1, having lost only to each other. Although TJ had the better head-to-head record (7-2 vs. 4-5), there was a playoff match to determine regional tournament seeding. (This was deemed an improvement over last year's tiebreaker coin flip... which TJ won over Chantilly.) In the playoff, hard-fought matches and some bad luck combined to thwart a TJ win.

In post-season district play, #1 Will Pelak ('07) won the Liberty District Singles Title and with his doubles partner, #2 Matt Christian ('06), took second place District honors. Placing third was the doubles team of Brian Cheng ('07) and Matt Shepard ('08). Pelak, Shepard and Rohan Siddhanti were named All-District singles, while Pelak/Christian and Cheng/Steven Rogus were named All-District doubles. Congratulations!

TJ defeated Yorktown 6-3 in the first round of the regional tournament. A very successful season came to a decisive end in the second round of the regionals against an incredibly powerful Robinson team, that went on to beat Madison (who upset Chantilly) and win the AAA Northern Regional Tournament. Two points of consolation: Robinson won the state title (defeating Mills Godwin), and their best players are moving on to USTA competition and college. Two points of hope: five of this year's top six players will be back next year, and the rest of the team shows great promise.

The team says goodbye and good luck to its seniors: Chao, Christian, Yang, and James Zhang. Other members of the team are juniors Cheng, Pelak, Rogus, Arjun Sanghvi, Karthik Seetharam, and Jonathan Wang; sophomores Shepard, Siddhanti, Austin Chang, Stephen Cronk, and Jeff Zhang; and freshmen Eric Bomgardner, Spencer Frei, and Glen Hookey.

Regionals – 2nd Round

TJ's very successful men's tennis season came to a decisive end in the second round of the Regionals against an incredibly powerful Robinson team. Two points of consolation: Robinson will probably win the State title; their best players are moving on to USTA competition and college. Two points of hope: TJ's #1 ranked player will be back next year; the rest of the team shows great promise.

Regionals – 1st Round

TJ defeated Yorktown HS (Arlington) 6-3 on Monday afternoon (5/15/06) in the first round of the Regional Playoffs.

TJ will play at Robinson Secondary School on Wednesday May 17 at 3:00. This will be a tough match for TJ, so any and all fan support is appreciated. (Take Braddock Rd. west from Beltway for 5 miles to a left on Sideburn Rd.)

Liberty District Singles Championship

TJ's #1 Will Pelak ('07) is the 2006 Liberty District Singles Champion! Congratulatons!

Regional "team competition" begins Monday May 15. Good Luck TJ!

District Post-Season

TJ's #1 (Jr. Will Pelak) and #2 (Sr. Matt Christian) will compete individually and as a doubles team in District-wide competition, which is by "individual" not "school." TJ's other doubles team in district competition will be sophomores Brian Cheng and Matt Shepard.

District Title Playoff

Hard-fought matches and some bad luck combined to thwart TJ's Liberty District title hopes. TJ won three of the six singles matches – two of them 11-9 – leaving the Title to a best-of-three doubles matches. Our exhausted #1 doubles lost to a powerful, not quite as exhausted, Madison combination. Half of TJ's second doubles team suffered from both hand (AP History exam, 11-9 singles, the same afternoon) and leg cramps. His partner did his best at pseudo-Canadian doubles, but Madison prevailed and therefore claims the 2005 Liberty District Title.

District Title Playoff
Friday May 5, 2006
Marshall HS
3:30 pm

The TJ men's tennis team is tied with Madison HS for the best Liberty District record. Both teams are 15-1, having only lost to each other. Although TJ has the better head-to-head record (7-2 vs. 5-4), there will be a deciding match to determine the District title. This was deemed an improvement over last year's tie-breaker coin flip (which TJ won over Chantilly).

The match will be played on the "neutral" courts of Marshall HS at 3:30 on Friday May 5, 2006. Marshall HS is on Rt. 7 (Leesburg Pike) just "inside" the Beltway. The courts are behind the school. Go around to the left of the school, as you look at the school from the street. There are no stands, so bring a chair. (The venue is a change from the earlier-in-the-week Langley.)