Boys tennis: Palatine tourney features unique format

Football talk filled the air at Saturday’s Palatine 16 boys tennis invite.

Palatine’s first-year head tennis coach, Brody Muck (Palatine HS, ’17), coaches the varsity football team’s running backs in the fall.

“I played outside linebacker in high school,” said Muck, who served as former Palatine boys tennis coach Jim Lange’s assistant for three years. “Never played tennis back then, but I’ve grown to love the sport these past three years.”

Lake Zurich football coach Ron Planz has been a Bears assistant boys tennis coach for six years, working with head coach Mike Byrd.

Planz and Muck must have talked some pigskin while admiring lobs and aces.

Helmetless tennis players, meanwhile, rushed and crushed under an unusual five singles/three doubles dual-meet setup on the courts at four sites and in a pair of two eight-team divisions (Scarlet, Grey) Saturday.

Many got to play both singles and doubles in each dual in sunny and breezy conditions, with doubles matches lasting only one set and singles tests featuring the Fast-4 format (first to 4 games wins the set).

Plus teammates of players still playing were allowed to stand courtside, as close as a few feet from the net post, and cheer their lungs out after watching winners.

“There’s a college feel to what’s going on today,” said Conant coach Matt Marks, alluding to NCAA teams fielding a lineup of six singles and three doubles entrants. “Coaches get to coach, on court, between points; you’re not permitted to do that at typical high school matches.

“The different format,” he continued, “adds a lot of energy.”

Marks’ Cougars — coming off a tough week, having lost 5-2 decisions to Barrington and Fremd in successive Mid-Suburban League West duals — produced an imposing brand of tennis en route to the Grey title, topping New Trier (not the Trevians’ A team), Whitney Young and Lane Tech without dropping a set.

Six of the Cougars’ varsity members Saturday are sophomores, including the No. 1 doubles team of Maximus Rysz and Austin Wu. The pair edged Lane Tech’s best duo 7-6 (12-10) after skipping to a 5-2 lead in games and saving a handful of match points in the tie-breaker.

Rysz blasted crisp service returns, many of which came on no-ad points, and Wu struck firm volleys to clinch key points.

“The exciting atmosphere helped,” said Rysz, who raced to a 4-0, 4-0 triumph at No. 2 singles after the championship-round doubles segment. “Tennis is always better when your teammates are there to back you.”

Tennis doesn’t get much better than the kind that Conant sophomore Kabir Motwani displayed on the No. 1 singles court against Lane Tech’s highly regarded Marko McRae.

Motwani also notched a decisive 4-0, 4-0 decision.

“I worked on improving my serve in the off season, kicking it higher,” Motwani said. “And I developed a more aggressive game.”

Conant’s other winners vs. Lane Tech: Wu (No. 3 singles); freshman Carter Strilich (No. 4 singles); sophomore Nathan Desai (No. 5 singles); Desai/sophomore Haruki Watanabe (No. 2 doubles); and Motwani/sophomore Avi Singhal (No. 3 doubles).

Lane Tech’s fourth-year coach, Josh Park, is a 2017 Conant graduate,

“He looked at my (Conant Tennis) shirt today and said, ‘I have one of those,’” Marks said.

Warren won the Scarlet division, downing Palatine in the invite’s other championship behind the efforts of Blue Devils Archit Prakash, Ian Trukov and Logan Mueller.

The Pirates were paced by No. 1 netter Ishhaan Mishra, who also played No. 2 doubles Saturday.

“Serves well, has very good groundstrokes, and he’s athletic,” said Muck of the well-rounded Mishra.

Rolling Meadows defeated Buffalo Grove for third place in the Scarlet group. A second Conant contingent, filling in for Wauconda, took fifth and LZ finished seventh.

In the Grey, Vernon Hills placed fifth, followed by Maine South and Glenbard West.

Byrd watching: LZ coach Mike Byrd has been named a chair umpire for the Class 1A and 2A boys tennis state tournaments at Palatine May 29-31. Former Palatine boys tennis coach Jim Lange will serve as tournament director.