How sweet it is! Groton 6 - Belmont Hill 1
What a day! What a team effort! On a cold and windy day at home, the boys squared off against Belmont Hill. Like Groton, Belmont Hill had only one loss in the ISL: to Roxbury Latin by a score of 3-4. Groton had lost to RL, 2-5. So, a lot was at stake.
Doubles was the first order of business. Groton found itself down, 1-2, on all three courts as the match began. Yet, slowly, but surely, Groton took a slight lead on most courts. Griffin Gura and Jack Lionette at #3 finished their match first, claiming a sharp 8-4 victory. Meanwhile, at #2, Trip Wight and Michael Lu played some gorgeous tennis, also securing an 8-4 win, clinching the doubles point for Groton. Though Larry Li and Will Vrattos lost at #1, they fought valiantly throughout.
Next, it was time for singles. Captain Jack Lionette got Groton on the scoreboard in record time, winning in straight sets. It wasn't much later that Michael Lu followed suit, also the architect of a sparkling two-set triumph. Groton now led, 3-0. One more match needed.
All four of the other sets were battles. Both #3 Griffin Gura and #1 Trip Wight would split sets, with each heading to a ten-point tiebreaker. Meanwhile, #4 Captain Will Vrattos fell in a hard-fought match.
Yet, Captain Larry Li was the first one of this quartet to finish his match. His convincing 6-4, 6-2 win sealed a victory for Groton.
Shortly thereafter, both Griffin Gura and Trip Wight got the job done, winning their decisive ten-point tiebreakers. Lucas Li also won both of his exhibition singles matches with superb play.
Final score: GROTON 6 - BELMONT HILL 1.
Señor Conner was ecstatic with the boys' play, commenting: "I just can't say enough about the strength of this squad. Courage, resilience, hard-work and talent all were the magical ingredients of today's results. I loved the way the boys supported each other -- from the moment they arrived to the courts to the moment the match ended. Defeating Belmont Hill again is a great tribute to these superb athletes."
Now, it's on to the New England Class "A" Championships this weekend. And word just came that Groton is the #1 seed in the A's. Roxbury Latin is the #1 seed in the B's And Rivers the #1 seed in the C's. All ISL schools. It promises to be a very exciting weekend.
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Doubles was the first order of business. Groton found itself down, 1-2, on all three courts as the match began. Yet, slowly, but surely, Groton took a slight lead on most courts. Griffin Gura and Jack Lionette at #3 finished their match first, claiming a sharp 8-4 victory. Meanwhile, at #2, Trip Wight and Michael Lu played some gorgeous tennis, also securing an 8-4 win, clinching the doubles point for Groton. Though Larry Li and Will Vrattos lost at #1, they fought valiantly throughout.
Next, it was time for singles. Captain Jack Lionette got Groton on the scoreboard in record time, winning in straight sets. It wasn't much later that Michael Lu followed suit, also the architect of a sparkling two-set triumph. Groton now led, 3-0. One more match needed.
All four of the other sets were battles. Both #3 Griffin Gura and #1 Trip Wight would split sets, with each heading to a ten-point tiebreaker. Meanwhile, #4 Captain Will Vrattos fell in a hard-fought match.
Yet, Captain Larry Li was the first one of this quartet to finish his match. His convincing 6-4, 6-2 win sealed a victory for Groton.
Shortly thereafter, both Griffin Gura and Trip Wight got the job done, winning their decisive ten-point tiebreakers. Lucas Li also won both of his exhibition singles matches with superb play.
Final score: GROTON 6 - BELMONT HILL 1.
Señor Conner was ecstatic with the boys' play, commenting: "I just can't say enough about the strength of this squad. Courage, resilience, hard-work and talent all were the magical ingredients of today's results. I loved the way the boys supported each other -- from the moment they arrived to the courts to the moment the match ended. Defeating Belmont Hill again is a great tribute to these superb athletes."
Now, it's on to the New England Class "A" Championships this weekend. And word just came that Groton is the #1 seed in the A's. Roxbury Latin is the #1 seed in the B's And Rivers the #1 seed in the C's. All ISL schools. It promises to be a very exciting weekend.
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