Varsity girls’ tennis takes All-City title for twentieth year in a row
By Michelle Kim
The varsity girls’ tennis team once again became the San Francisco Section champions. They defeated the Washington Eagles 6–1 on Nov. 3, claiming their twentieth consecutive Academic Athletic Association championship title.
On Oct. 27, members of the varsity girls’ tennis team played against each other in the All-City Individual Tournament. In the singles division, junior Arina Caliman and senior Laura Berkovsky individually claimed first and second with scores of 6–4, 6–4, respectively. In the doubles division, senior co-captains Erica Zee and Olivia Pan took first place 6–2, 6–0 against juniors Kathleen Mai and Xian Fong. Senior Ashley Chin and junior Chloe Zimovetz claimed third against sophomores Anna Kaplan and Kimberly Wu with scores of 6–2, 6–2.
The Chin and Zimovetz pair placed emphasis on their deep and down-the-line shots to seize their win. “One tactic that I employed was when the player was at the net and the other players were at the baseline to hit down the alley,” Zimovetz said. “It’s usually a hard shot for the opposing team to get.”
Besides claiming multiple titles in the individual tournament, the team won the title of San Francisco Section champions on Nov. 3.
Mai and Fong teamed up once again in the All-City finals game against the Eagles in the battle to become champions. The finals resulted in the Cardinals 6–1 domination over the Eagles. The team tremendously improved their point plays and doubles communication, according to head coach Bryan Lee. As Mai and Fong kept the ball cross court, and as they hit angles, they would consistently encourage each other. “The focus for the doubles was talk to your partner and volley well,” assistant coach John Burke said. “In singles, they play each other so often that there is nothing really for me to say to them.”
After successfully completing their regular season with a 6–0 record, the team is headed to the CIF Nor-Cal Team Tennis Championships on Nov. 17 and 18.