Boys go 3-0, girls earn first win in big week for CHS tennis teams
By Jay Turner
Reigning MVP Max Kupferman is unbeaten through five matches. (Mike Tureski photo)
After a rough start to the season against two of the league’s toughest opponents, both CHS tennis teams broke into the win column last week behind a good mix of singles and doubles performances.
On the boys’ side, reigning league MVP Max Kupferman and exciting rookie Bharat Ramanathan combined to go 6-0 as Canton reeled off three straight victories in a five-day against Taunton, Stoughton, and Milford.
Kupferman, the Bulldogs’ No. 1 singles player, went undefeated in 15 matches last year and has been in top form again this spring, opening with five consecutive straight-set wins. Not far off that pace is Ramanathan, who has stepped into the second singles position last occupied by his older brother Suraj, a 2022 CHS graduate. After two weeks of varsity action, the younger Ramanathan already has four straight-set wins to his credit, with his only loss to date coming against unbeaten Sharon.
Also enjoying success in the early going for the boys team is the second doubles duo of senior Drew Garrett and freshman Matt Wright, who earned back-to-back wins against Taunton (6-4, 6-4) and Stoughton (6-2, 6-0). Garrett would then make it three in a row as he and Jon Sithivong teamed up to win on Friday at Milford 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
Sophomore Justin Ngan, Canton’s third singles player, also got in on the action with a 6-3, 6-3 win at Stoughton — his first of the 2023 campaign.
For the CHS girls team, last week also marked a step in the right direction following consecutive shutout losses to Sharon and North Attleboro. On Monday, the girls traveled to Taunton and gave the Tigers a real battle, earning wins by Camila Cutter at first singles and Kelli Woodworth and Grace Powers at first doubles before falling in the end 3-2.
Two days later, the Bulldogs would finally get over the hump in a road match with Stoughton, winning 3-2 behind gutsy performances from No. 2 singles player Olivia Durham and the doubles duo of Woodworth and Powers. In both of their matches, the Canton side dropped the first set before clawing back to win in three, with Durham’s clincher going to a tiebreak.
The second doubles duo of Panayiota Michaelidis and Liv McCloskey would also earn their first victory of the season in the match against the Black Knights, prevailing in two sets, 6-4, 7-5.
No. 3 singles player Charlotte Powers, meanwhile, is still in search of her first win but has been in several competitive matches, including a marathon outing against Sharon that ended in a third-set tiebreak.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=108142
Posted by Jay Turner
on Apr 20 2023. Filed under High School, Sports.
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