Naperville Central completes sweep

The Naperville Central boys tennis team did something no other team has done this season - sweep Wheaton Warrenville South.

Big performances from freshman Bill Zhang in No. 1 singles and a third-set victory in No. 3 doubles from Henry Lin and Sanjay Subramanian earned the 7-0 win for the Redhawks, keeping them undefeated in the DuPage Valley Conference.

"As the match was progressing it looked like we were hanging so tough…," said Tigers coach Patti Clousing. "Charlie (McDonough) had a tough day today in first singles, but hopefully he'll get a chance against that same player again at the DVC conference (tournament) cause we are in the same sectional."

Zhang - a highly touted freshman for Naperville Central - got off to a slow start going down 3-0 to the McDonough but fought back to earn a 6-4 first-set victory.

Zhang's momentum was too much for McDonough in the second set, which the freshman won 6-1.

"Just didn't settle in that much (in the first set)," Zhang said. "(I had) too many unforced errors. I started playing my game after that stretch so that was good. I thought that I played pretty well."

The Redhawks (10-3, 5-0) cruised through the remaining singles matches, winning No. 2 through No. 4 but had a little trouble in Nos. 2 and 3 doubles.

A quick 6-0, 6-3 victory in No. 1 doubles from Wesley Lo and Daniel Delgrosso set the tone for the Redhawks, but a tough second set in No. 2 doubles almost forced a third and a third set in No. 3 prevented the sweep.

At No. 2 doubles Uzair Khan and Kevin Wang won the first set 6-2 over Nick Smith and Keegan Gilligan, but the Tigers' pair gave Khan and Wang a run for their money in the second set barely losing 6-4.

"It's tough out there … with the wind," Gilligan said. "It was a good match. Looking forward to DVC (tournament) cause I think that we can take them. It's going to be competitive I think."

In No. 3 doubles a 7-5 win from Lin and Subramanian in the first set got cancelled out by a 6-1 win from WW South's Jack Reynolds and Jack Smith to force a third set.

Lin and Subramanian got out to 5-2 lead and needed two deuces for the sixth point and the victory to clinch the Redhawks' sweep.

"That was one of the best third-doubles matches I'd seen in the terms of quality of play," said Naperville Central coach Dan Brown. "Wheaton South played a great second set and for us that's as good as I've seen our guys play in the third set."

WW South is 5-5, 2-2.