Boys tennis: Palatine invite’s unusual format brings fresh energy, fierce tennis
Different.
That was the word bouncing around courts Saturday at the Palatine boys tennis invite, where players swapped roles, coaches shuffled lineups and dual meets unfolded more like a college event than a traditional high school tourney.
And by the end of a sunny, breezy day spread across Palatine, Conant, Buffalo Grove and Rolling Meadows, Lake Forest and Buffalo Grove had emerged as division champions in a format many participants hope to see again.
“It’s unusual,” Conant coach Matt Marks said. “It’s something new, something different. Singles players get to play doubles; doubles players get to play singles.
“There’s a lot of mixing and matching going on.”
The 16-team invite featured Grey and Scarlet divisions, with dual meets using an unconventional scoring system. Doubles matches were contested first, with the team winning 2 of the 3 doubles flights earning 1 team point. Each doubles match lasted one set.
Singles matches followed using a Fast4 format. Players competed in best-of-3-set matches, but each set was won by the first player to reach 4 games. At 3-3, a tiebreaker decided the set. If players split sets, a super tiebreaker determined the match winner.
Marks put another twist on things by allowing Conant tri-captains Peyton Kittivat, Avi Singhal and Nathan Desai to determine the Cougars’ lineups.
“I do that for two reasons — to reinforce that it’s about them, not me, and to give them a sneak peek into the tough decisions I have to make,” Marks said.
The strategy nearly produced another title.
Defending champion Conant defeated Whitney Young and Glenbard West before falling 4-2 to Lake Forest in the Grey division final. The Scouts recovered after losing 2 of the 3 doubles matches, winning 4 singles flights behind No. 1 singles player Drew Harris.
Conant’s doubles victories came from Max Rysz/Nathan Desai at No. 2 and Puneeth Chandrasekaran/Austin Wu at No. 3.
“It was fun and interesting,” Singhal said of helping create the lineups. “We looked forward to seeing how it would play out each time.”
Glenbard West finished third in the Grey division by defeating Lane Tech, with freshman Jack Creswell drawing attention throughout the day.
“He’s super athletic,” Hilltoppers coach Tad Keely, a former Illinois long snapper, said. “Jack is cerebral on the court, with a strong backhand. I also like that he’s willing to rush the net at times.”
Creswell later lost a super tiebreaker to talented Lane Tech senior Feriyadi Hasnovi in the dual for third place.
“Long day,” Creswell said after playing 3 singles matches and 3 doubles matches. “This season, I’m trying to develop my skills, trying to make sure I finish points when I get the opportunities.”
Keely appreciated the event’s structure as much as the competition.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s fun. Different lineups, good competition, and the stakes are a little different compared to other invites.”
The Scarlet division title went to BG, which edged Palatine 3-2 in the championship dual after clinching before the final singles match concluded.
Senior Maksim Hristov, a Louisville commit and the reigning Pitchford 32 No. 1 singles champion, led a balanced Bison lineup that also included Aneesh Rahareddy, Ayden Kurgan, Sam Greenspan, Michal Zymon, Easton Smith, Jake Boehm, Aariv Shah, Adwaith Nair and Rehaan Khan.
Palatine received victories from Krish Handa at No. 2 singles and Caleb Grandlienard at No. 5 singles.
“Palatine coach Brody Muck ran a great tournament,” BG coach Michael Naughton said. “All the matches we played were tightly contested. Just an overall great day of tennis.”
Even players accustomed to one role enjoyed the change.
Lake Zurich sophomore Ben Orantes, primarily a doubles player this spring, competed in both singles and doubles (with classmate Mihir Shrivathsa) Saturday.
“Singles is tiring,” Orantes said with a weary smile while recovering from a leg cramp. “More running involved. I like doubles a little more, but I didn’t mind being out there by myself today.”