ON THE MOVE: Princeton High boys’ tennis player Emil Kapur chases down the ball in a recent match. Last week, junior Kapur posted a win at first singles to help third-seeded PHS defeat sixth-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood 5-0 in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 sectional. The Tigers went on to fall 5-0 to second-seeded Chatham in the semifinal round last Thursday to end the spring with a 12-2 record. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Emil Kapur has made a big jump this spring for the Princeton High boys’ tennis team.
After playing at third singles and doubles last spring, junior Kapur has moved into the first singles spot.
For Kapur, jumping to the top of the lineup has been a challenge.
“It has definitely been a bit of pressure, you get a lot of good practice against good players,” said Kapur. “Something that has really helped me is winning a few of those close third set tiebreak matches. It has really given me confidence.”
Taking on a higher level of competition has forced Kapur to hone his game.
“I think it is just consistency,” said Kapur. “There are so many long rallies with so many good players that you have just got to get the ball back in. There is no way you can win without being consistent and then just taking the opportunity when it comes to you.”
Last week, Kapur took advantage of opportunity as he topped Ethan Li 6-0, 7-5 to help third-seeded PHS defeat sixth-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood 5-0 in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 sectional.
“I just wanted to trust my game which is to just be consistent from the baseline mostly,” said Kapur, reflecting on the May 26 match. “But then I noticed he was giving me a little bit of an opening at the net so I decided to come up a bit more. The first set, I feel like I was playing really well and he picked it up in the second.”
In the second set, Kapur kept his head to hold off Li. “I had to keep my focus,” said Kapur. “Going into the second set and losing a few of those early games, it is easy to lose focus. I just had to stay into it and trust that I could come out at the end.”
The Tigers were fired up to get started in the state tournament after a bit of a layoff.
“We had a bit of a break between the last regular season game (a 3-2 win over Princeton Day School on May 15), it was over a week ago,” said Kapur. “The last week with the heat and all, it was a bit hard to get out and hit so we are getting back into it for sure. It was good to pick up the energy a bit.”
PHS head coach Sarah Hibbert liked the way her players performed against Scotch Plains-Fanwood as the Tigers won each match in straight sets.
“We haven’t had a match and last week it was too hot to be on court three days and then it rained and then it was Memorial Day,” said Hibbert. “We haven’t been on the court for a week so it was good to get it going and get this under our belt.”
Hibbert credited Kapur with coming through when he got pushed in his match.
“He toughed it out and kept his composure, that was it,” said Hibbert. “Ethan started playing a lot better in the second set and Emil really had to buckle down and keep his unforced errors low which he was able to do. He was able to change his strategy and he was able to close out with a good service game when it really counted at the end.”
Kapur has thrived in his move to first singles. “He has done very well, he had a big jump up to first singles,” said Hibbert, noting that Kapur also plays for the PHS boys’ soccer team.
“We have said it before, first singles is a tough gig. Almost every day, you are playing a solid opponent. You really have to raise your game because every single day because there is somebody coming for you.”
Displaying their game, junior Tacto Yamada and senior Aashil Patel cruised to straight-set wins at second singles and third singles, respectively.
“Tacto played really well, his opponent had really solid groundstrokes and he was able to stay patient,” said Hibbert. “Aashil played well, his player looked very solid. He was moving the ball well there and staying patient.”
The Tiger first doubles pair of juniors Nolan Maurer and Ryan Litvinsky posted a solid 6-1, 6-1 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
“They have really clicked nicely; I tried during preseason to see and it looked like it would be a good pairing,” said Hibbert. “They played really well in the challenge match and they took over at first. They started off the first game with Hopewell very well. They have been a solid position for us. They complement each other well. They have been both volleying well and serving well. It is nice doubles to watch.”
At second doubles, junior Shaam Beri and senior Santiago Montoreano roped to a 6-0, 6-0 win in their match.
“They played together last year on JV for a while then came in with a great season opening win over Hopewell which is a team that won counties,” said Hibbert. “They have been able to play well when it counts.”
Last Thursday, PHS ran into a tough team as it fell 5-0 to second-seeded Chatham in the sectional semis to end the season with a 12-2 record. Heading into that match, Hibbert knew her squad faced a big challenge.
“Chatham is going to be tough, they have all eights (in the Universal Tennis Rating) in their singles lineup but we are right there as well we have eights and high sevens,” said Hibbert. “It is going to come down to really being on our games that day and focusing to play and being consistent and playing our best tennis when
it counts.”
While the Tigers may not have been on their game against Chatham, the team played a lot of good tennis this spring with new faces in new places in a revamped lineup.
“We knew that losing our one and two singles from last year and losing two more to graduation, it was going to be a bit of a rebuilding year,” said Hibbert. “But they jumped right in and have rebuilt amazingly well. They have had an incredible season. We try our best every match and see what happens.”
Kapur, for his part, cited the talent throughout the lineup as a key to the team’s success.
“I think our doubles has really stepped up with Santi and Shaan specifically at second doubles and Ryan and Nolan as well,” said Kapur.
“I see a lot of similarity between our top three singles and our two doubles in skill level. We are a really deep roster. There is not much difference between our first and second doubles and between our first and third singles. We are all at a similar level.”