HIGH FIVE -- Groton wins Kingswood Oxford Tournament for 5th straight year!

The Groton boys tennis team returned victorious from the Kingwood-Oxford Tennis Tournament in West Hartford, Connecticut, an annual gathering of some of the stronger programs in New England. The boys competed against teams from Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Choate, Westminster, Kingswood-Oxford, Lawrenceville, and Hall High School.

Representing Groton this weekend were our three captains: 5th Former Trip Wight, Sixth Formers Griffin Gura and Michael Lu, along with 3rd Former Samuel Lu. These four played in four separate tournaments for the #1, 2, 3 and 4 players. They also paired up for doubles competition: Trip and Griffin were the school's #1 team, and Michael and Sam were #2. 

And what a weekend it was!  Groton came into the tournament having won it the past four years that it was held: 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. Could they repeat?  The answer was a resounding: "YES!"

In fact, Groton won both doubles draws as well as the #1, #2, and #4 singles draws. In #3 singles, the Groton player advanced to the semifinals, where he lost, yet then won his consolation round. The team scoring awarded two points for each win a main draw and one point for a consolation victory. Groton, therefore, won 33 points in this tournament (out of a possible 36), an incredible feat. The 2nd place team, Hotchkiss, finished a distance second with 16.

Trip won the top singles tournament, beating a player who had won this same tournament the past two years. His consistent play from the baseline, along with a tenacious fighting spirit, were two keys of his success. Griffin Gura was absolutely sparkling throughout the tournament, ripping forehands and backhands with aplomb with very few errors. He finished his three-year "Kingswood-Oxford" career never having lost a single match either in singles or doubles. Though Michael Lu lost a tight contest in the semifinals, he played solid tennis throughout the weekend. Sam Lu rounded out the singles line-up with inspired play, leading to a championship for this newcomer to the Circle in the #4 draw.

The doubles play was equally electrifying. The combinations were incredibly strong. Good serving, teamwork, communication and concentration were the hallmarks. The finals of each contest were one-sided affairs, with Groton dominating each set.

Coach Conner reflected on the team's accomplishment: "This tournament is always a highlight of the season for me. We get to compete early against some fine teams, to see how we stack up, and find out what may lay ahead for us. I can't ever remember the team playing more consistently well than they did these past two days. The camaraderie was also very special on this weekend road trip."

Monday is the ECLIPSE and a day of rest for the squad. Then Wednesday is the team's ISL opening match versus Governor's.