BACK AT YOU: Princeton High boys’ tennis player Garrett Mathewson smacks a backhand in recent action. Last week, junior star Mathewson posted a straight-set win at first singles to help top-seeded PHS defeat eighth-seeded Matawan 5-0 in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2 Group 3 tournament. Last Thursday, Mathewson fell 10-4 in a 10-point match tiebreak after splitting the first two sets with Vihaan Iyer as PHS lost 3-2 to fourth-seeded Ridge in the semifinal round. A day later, the Tigers wrapped up the spring by defeating Robbinsville 5-0 in a regular season match to finish with a 9-3 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Garrett Mathewson got off to a good start for the Princeton High boys’ tennis team as it hosted Matawan last week in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2 Group 3 tournament.

Junior first singles star Mathewson looked sharp as he won the first set 6-1 against Raymond Jiang in the May 27 match.

“I had some good slice serves today, that was good,” said Mathewson. “I have been working on my second serve, getting it high, getting it bouncier. I had a few good returns.”

In the second set, Mathewson got pushed but held on to prevail by a final score of 6-1, 6-3 to cap a 5-0 win for top-seeded PHS over eighth-seeded Matawan.

“I hit some double faults to get broken once for the first time in the match,” said Mathewson. “He was a good player, he hit some big serves and big forehands. It is very hard to break a player like that. I am glad that I was able to make sure that it didn’t go to 5-4.”

In his second season at first singles for PHS, Mathewson has enjoyed the challenge of taking on opponents like Jiang.

“It is a great experience playing first singles, playing a lot of good players,” said Mathewson. “It is a lot of good practice and a lot of good matches.”

Last Friday, Mathewson and the Tigers experienced some heartbreak as they lost 3-2 to fourth-seeded Ridge in the semifinal round with three matches being decided by 10-point match tiebreaks.

Mathewson, for his part, was hoping to build on the progress he has made this season as he looked ahead to the semifinal clash.

“I have been going more for my shots,” said Mathewson, who lost 10-4 in a 10-point match tiebreak after splitting the first two sets with Vihaan Iyer in the match with Ridge. “I have had more of a game plan. I have been working on that. It is a lot more focus on strategy, things like that.”

PHS head coach Sarah Hibbert credited Mathewson with working through some ups and downs this spring.

“He gets challenged, there are always good players,” said Hibbert. “He had some injuries as well so he has been trying to get back to his top form again. He played well today.”

Hibbert was encouraged by how the Tigers performed against Matawan as they played their first match in 15 days.

“We haven’t been out on court in a while so we didn’t know what to expect and it was nice getting out on court,” said Hibbert. “It was a decent day and having an opponent that was a good challenge but yet it was an achievable win. It was a nice way for us to get our feet on to the ground for the first round. We were just a little rusty. It was good to have a match that we had to work for a little bit but it was a comfortable win.”

The PHS first doubles pair of Shaan Zaveri and Tacto Yamada rolled to a comfortable 6-4, 6-0 win against Matawan.

“Sadly they haven’t gotten to play together all that much because we have had to pull one or both into singles,” said Hibbert of the duo, who won their flight at the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) tournament earlier this spring. “They played together today, counties was obviously a real highlight for them. The have the potential when they are on. They play really well together.”

The Tigers have displayed their depth this season as injuries and illness have necessitated frequent reshuffling of the lineup.

“Everyone has really stepped up this year, they have played wherever they have been asked to,” said Hibbert. “Some have gone from second doubles to third singles.”

Hibbert knew her players would have to step up in the match against Ridge.

“We have a very, very tough bracket, we have six of the top 20 teams in the same section,” said Hibbert, whose first doubles pair of Zaveri and Yamada pulled out a win against Ridge in a 10-point match tiebreak as did the second doubles pair of Aashil Patel and Matt Chen. “We really have to play our best tennis, everyone has to be healthy and mentally prepared, bringing their best game that day.”
Mathewson, for his part, was confident that PHS would be a tough out in the state tournament.
“We have a lot of potential, we don’t have Melvin [Huang] like last year,” said Mathewson, who posted a straight-set win last Friday as the Tigers wrapped up the spring by defeating Robbinsville 5-0 in a regular season match to finish with a 9-3 record. “Our doubles teams have done really good. I think if everyone is playing well, we are a dangerous team for anyone.”