Sophomore Dylan Huang standing in position, waiting for the ball to be hit. ANNA BUI
Anna Bui also contributed to this article.
On May 1, Malden’s Boys’ Tennis team took the Everett Crimson Tide head-on in a close match. Prior to the match, Malden had won all their matches 5-0. However, the Tide proved to be more of a challenge with a final score of 3-2 in favor of Malden.
Sophomore Dylan Huang found the match intense. After winning the first set with his doubles partner, sophomore Tanvir Singh, the pair struggled to maintain momentum and lost the second set 7-5. However, they were able to make a strong comeback in their last set.
“The match against Everett proved to be more challenging than I originally expected,” Huang said. “Luckily for us, we managed to make a comeback after we realized how lackluster our play was.”
Throughout the season, the team has had to put a lot of effort into maintaining their success while adjusting to a new team with a new coach. Malden High science teacher, John Frigo, who has experience playing tennis in high school, has taken the job of new tennis coach.. Senior captain Kwan Wo Li believes that “even though there have been a lot of changes,” the team has been able to continue “moving in a very positive direction.” Frigo expressed how he has been impressed by the team’s dedication and enthusiasm.
Frigo noted how impressed he was to see many players take the step up to fill important holes left by the class of ‘25 on the team. He shared that one of the team’s major goals moving forward is to improve on last season after their only loss of the season against Medford, while continuing to compete strongly.
Senior Kenny Wong expressed how he “was initially very nervous because the majority of the team was new,” but felt reassured seeing “a lot of hard work and dedication from the new players.”
Newer players are also gaining confidence as the season progresses. Freshman Kenny Ye, who just began playing tennis with Malden, said he feels proud of how far he has come. “I feel pretty good about my performance this season,” Ye said, “ I learned a lot, and considering I didn’t even know how to hit the ball 1 year ago, I feel pretty solid.”
Ye credited his positive experience to the team environment, expressing how “tennis would feel stale and boring” without his teammates.
As the season enters its final stretch, the team is pushing itself to the best of its abilities in order to secure the Greater Boston League champion title. “Even though we lost one match already, I still think we have a good chance to finish in first place,” shared Li.
The team has begun to look back on the season as the end of the year nears. Although the team consists of many new people, it allowed for new bonds to grow between the players.
Huang ultimately said he wants to “train, play, and laugh with these soon-to-be graduates, who over the past two years” he’s gotten close to. He reflected on how the seniors, ”moving on from the team and the high school is a testament to how quick these four years can fly by, and how much I hope I can grow my skills and friendships in what little time is left for me.”
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