Tennis Report vs Knox

Knox Grammar School away is historically a tough fixture, last weekend being no exception. In terms of results Knox won the lions share of the matches contested, however, there were numerous individual and team highlights within the Trinity fraternity that should be commended.

The 1st and 2nd IV were once again under strength necessitating the call up of some quality replacements in the form of Alex Gavrilovic (11Yo) and Nathan Tsang (9Du). Both students gave their best and should be commended for their application and commitment on the day. Despite our best efforts both teams lost by a significant margin being outplayed in most aspect of the game. In the 1st IV, Finn Taylor (10La) was competitive in his singles with the match being a lot closer than the recorded 3-6 loss. Arguably, the match of the day was that played by Max Knauer (11Ho) who pushed his opponent to a tiebreaker in the number 4 singles match. After being 2-5 down Max clawed his way back into the tiebreaker earning a set point.

Unfortunately, his determined opponent did not yield with Knox eventually triumphing in the extremely close encounter. Our number one ranked player in the 2nd IV, James Kim (10Ar) showed his class and was the most consistent Trinity player on the day. Despite not winning a set he came very close in his Singles and Doubles where he combined well with partner Mitchell Reid Queeney (10Ar). Overall, it was a difficult match for both teams but provided an excellent learning opportunity and highlighted the areas that we need to improve upon, to be competitive against Cranbrook tomorrow.

Jeremy Dykgraaff | MIC Tennis

3rd and 4th IV Report

The 3rds were determined enough and fought gallantly, but in the end could not match the weaponry of their Knox opponents. Even the in-form pairing of Ben Kwan (11 He) and Julian Chin (11 He) were unable to stem the tide, although Ben did play enough of his signature elegant tennis in his singles to secure the best losing score of the fixture.

Because of forfeits the 4ths actually secured a tie. However, the three contested sets resulted in devastating wins for Knox.

There are two things to take away from this round. One, Knox still set the standard to be reached in CAS Tennis. Two, our boys are both the epitome of sportsmanship and dependability, and this second point is reason for celebration.

Ashley Lucas | Coach

5th and 6th IV Report

Despite their best efforts, our 5ths team was unable to defeat the Knox team on the weekend. Matthew De Dominicis (11F0) and Hari Pathma-Nathan (11He) played a strong doubles pairing but were unfortunately unable claim the victory from Knox. Benjamin Schutte (11Mu) and Marcus Lorenzato (11Fo) also put up a solid effort in their respective singles but were also unable to claim a game against the undefeatable Knox team. Overall a good effort from the boys but Knox was simply too strong on the day.

Our Trinity 6ths team showed potential, but we’re unfortunately defeated on the day. Archer Guest (12Mu) claimed the only victory on the team, winning his set, 6-4. Whilst Jack Martin (11Sc) and Leo Zantides (12La) showed that they had solid ground strokes, Knox simply proved too much for them to handle and they were unbeatable.

Sunny Tang | Coach

10A and B Report

Last Saturday was a difficult fixture for Trinity, coming up against the tennis powerhouse, Knox. The boys gave their best effort but were undone by superior skill and consistency, losing all 6 sets contested on the day. Aidan Kuoch (10La) should be commended in particular for the way he fought for every point despite being behind. It would have been easy to give up in that position, but he made sure it was difficult for his opponent. Jack O’Shea (10He) and Dylan Ritchley (10Ho) showed similar character in their doubles match, fighting to the very end.

Unfortunately, the Bs didn’t fare any better last Saturday and were thoroughly outplayed by Knox. Special mention goes to Alex Nero (10Ta) who played perhaps the point of the day. After a gruelling 20 shot rally from the baseline Alex was drawn forward by his opponent’s drop shot and had to run from the baseline to the net in very little time. From there he played an incredibly volley after his opponent had smashed the ball at him to win the point.

Credit to all the boys for trying their best this weekend and they no doubt are looking forward to getting a better result next week.

Ritvik Dinesh | 10A/B Coach

10C and 10D Tennis Report

Saturday at the Trinity Tennis Centre proved challenging for the 10C and 10D teams this week. The lack of training over the fortnight, the suffocating on-court humidity, and the emergence of a foreign and blazing sun all played a role in what can only be described as total defeat at the hands of a worthy Knox opposition. The 10C doubles pairings, Bryan Yu (10Ta) and Jatan Singh (10Mu), and Elliot Vilner (10Mu) and Ronald Ye (10La) were both able to engage their rivals in some good rallies and long games; however, were overcome by stronger duos. The 10D doubles partnerships of James Chan (10Ta) and Ethan Hudson (10Du), and Alson Zhou (10Hi) and Lucas Dinh (10We) were also outplayed by more experienced players with punishing serves. Nevertheless, both pairs continue to develop positive on-court rapport by maintaining open channels of communication and support for each other throughout the matches.
Unfortunately, our players were unable to win any of their singles matches; however, special mention must go to Lucas Dinh (10We) for his valiant effort. In only his second competitive match, with a vastly improved serve and some dazzling returns, Lucas was the only 10D player to take a game from the Knox players.

Earlier this week at morning Quad, the Headmaster spoke of experiencing the thrills of victory and the crushing blows of defeat: We will take this as our week of experiencing of the latter and look forward to returning next week to chase the joys of a win. While the players may not have experienced triumph on court, they continue to be winners in the all-important category of good character – gracious in defeat, good spirited towards their opposition and supportive of each other.

Claudia Tesadri | Coach

Year 9A and B Report

This week we were up against a tough opponent, namely Knox. Despite their best efforts, the 9As were not able to claim victory. Chris Lowe (9Ho) and Allen Zheng (9Yo) had a strong doubles match, but narrowly missed their win 6-4. Special mention goes to Joshua Lee (9La), who was the only one that emerged victorious, winning his set 6-4. While Andy Zheng (9Yo) had a solid showing, he was unable to defeat his opponent.

The 9Bs were unfortunately defeated on the day by a dominating Knox. At the end of the day, Michael Hatzistergos (9Mu) was the only Trinity boy that came out with a win, but Fouad Deiri (9Ho) and Ethan La (9La) put up a strong fight in their doubles matches, narrowly missing their win 5-7. Unfortunately, due to a few missed serves from Daniel Lok (9Ke), he was unable to win his singles match.

Sunny Tang | Coach

Year 9C and D Report

The 9Cs had a rough day on the courts against Knox. While we were unable to claim a set against them, the boys still put out a good showing that must be commended. Matthew Sefein (9Ho) and Edward Layson (9Ke) showed signs of good teamwork in their doubles matches but were overwhelmed by the formidable Knox team. Similarly, Luc Brown (9La) and Alex McGrath (9St) also showed potential for greatness in their singles matches but ultimately were unable to win.

Sunny Tang | Coach

8A and B Report

The 8As faced a strong Knox side this week, losing 4 sets to 2. Noah Figliuzzi (8Fo) and Khang Nguyen (8WH) had a rough start losing 4 games in a row. However, Noah and Khang were able to regain momentum and comeback to 6 all in games. With good communication and strong groundstrokes, they were able to win the tiebreak 7 – 3 to grab the close win. Noah started slow, in his singles where a plethora of double faults gave his opponent the early lead. Noah was able to fight back with his strong forehand, however, the lack of confidence and consistency in his backhand allowed his opponent to grab the win. Similarly, Khang played with strong groundstrokes and serving, however, unforced errors and double faults allowed his opponent to gain the lead early and ultimately grab the win. Alejandro Molina (8Ke) and Ishaan Sharma (8Ar) played very well in their doubles winning 6 – 2 easily with their great communication and teamwork. Ishaan played with great vigour and intensity, however, due to unforced errors and his opponents strong groundstroke attacks, he was unable to grab the win. Similarly, Alejandro played with good energy, however, the lack of consistency and poor mentality allowed his opponent to take advantage of each point to come away with the win.

Due to many absences the 8B’s were unable to find the win against a strong Knox side, going down 4 sets to 2. In singles, Sasha Ratnavadivel (8Du) played with great energy and confidence, however, the lack of consistency allowed his opponent to take the win. Similarly, Ashvin Nagaratnam (8Yo) played with strong groundstrokes, however, due to the wet surface, Ashvin was unable to adapt to the changes in ball spin which allowed his opponent to take the win. Due to a string of absences from both Knox and Trinity, no official doubles matches were played.

Edward Lai | Coach

8C and D Report

The 8Cs faced a consistent Knox side this week and were able to win by 6 games at 3 sets all. Axel Lee (8Yo) and Leo Wong (8WJ) once again, demonstrated their brilliant doubles partnership, dismantling their opponents 6 – 1 easily. In the singles, Axel displayed great groundstroke and serve consistency, outplaying his opponent throughout the match to secure a 6 – 4 win. Leo played a very intense set of singles trading points with his opponent and playing out multiple deuces. He played with great intensity and vigour, however, lost 7 – 5 in the final tiebreaker. Julian Grehan (8St) and Joshua Lubke (8Ta) played well with good energy, however, the new pairing of doubles resulted in a close 3 – 6 loss. Julian, similarly, played a rough set of singles, constantly trading points and playing long rallies. His effort was not in vain as he was able to grab a 6 – 3 win over his opponent. Josh played with great energy; however, his opponent was too strong on the day and was able to take the win.
The 8Ds performed brilliantly and were able to take a clear 4 – 2 win against a strong Knox side. Alexander Hales (8Ar) and Bailin Ashcroft (8Fo) played well against strong opponents, however, their lack of experience as a pair and in doubles resulted in a loss. Alexander was unable to regain momentum in his singles despite his great effort and was unable to overcome his opponent. Bailin played brilliantly in his singles winning 6 – 4 as he was able to counter his opponents’ strong groundstrokes with slices and blocks. Gavin Qian (8Du) performed very well as his consistency and effort on court allowed him to grab an easy 6 – 2 win against his opponent.

Edward Lai | Coach

Year 7A and B Report

Once again, the players battled Saturday traffic and unpredictable weather conditions to wind their way to the north of Sydney to encounter the rumoured impressive Knox outfit. The fixture did indeed prove to be challenging but the Trinity players dug deep, and consistently gave of their best while exhibiting good sportsmanship and determination.

Marcus Kuit (7Ho) paired with Ryan Qin (7Yo) to take on the giant-sized, big-hitting first Knox pair. The Trinity pair fought valiantly, tried to be competitive and certainly did win some brilliant points but they found the strength, accuracy and consistency of the opposition impossible to outplay. Thomas Joannou (7Du) playing with Lucas Davies (7TA) also had a tough Doubles encounter. They struggled to maintain serve and cope with the consistent Knox attack. In Singles play, especial mention to Ryan Qin, who managed to hang in and secure 2 games. The A team went down 0(4) – 6(36) and congratulations must be extended to the Knox boys, who truly were a force to be reckoned with.

In the B’s Lucas Preston (7WH) and Orlando Ang (7WJ) played some strategic, intelligent tennis and worked hard to secure some great points. There was a share of entertaining rallies but once again, the opposition was simply too strong. Both boys persevered in the singles and managed to stem the onslaught, winning a few games along the way, in what was a come-back of sorts. Nicholas Servos (7Sc) and Sebastian Musumeci (7Ke) also faced some tough competition and were taken out of their comfort zone by their more experienced opponents. However, they did enjoy some extended rallies, improved serving and better court coverage and positioning. The B team lost 2(15) to 4(24) and those 2 sets were forfeited by Knox, who was unable to field a full team.

If we should ever get back onto court, the boys should aim to work on their service, footwork and backhand – three crucial components of an effective tennis game. I commend all the players on their immaculate presentation and representation of the School – they were gracious in defeat, often applauding the strength and accuracy of the opposition’s game and they remained positive (and reasonably enthusiastic!) in adversity. Let’s hope that it will be a more level playing field tomorrow!

Jessica Spratt | Coach 7A / 7B

7 C and D Report

The 7Cs and Ds both displayed an enthusiastic performance against a dominant Knox side on Saturday. The double paring of Andrew Lin (7WJ) and Sam Telfer (7He) showed their skill and ability whilst playing in a narrow lost. Unfortunately for the Cs they were only able to win 8 games against a stronger Knox side. This however doesn’t reflect how the C’s played and should be proud of their efforts on Saturday. The D’s however weren’t so lucky, whilst having a man down meaning we had to forfeit a singles and doubles game, the young men of Trinity showed their love for the game. Jared Chen (7Mu), Benjamin Loughnan (7Ke) and Thomas Keomanivong (7Hi) all showed their passion and love for the sport even after being dominated on the court.

Owen Duke | Coach