WESTBOROUGH – Westborough is back in the boys tennis semifinal after thrashing No.7 Burlington during an exciting afternoon of play on Thursday.
The Rangers beat the Red Devils convincingly, winning 5-0.
“They played well,” Head Coach Leonard O’Neil told the Community Advocate in an interview after the match. “The team is playing well right now. Burlington was tough competition, but I’m really happy with the way the match went.”
Players warmed up in cloudy, overcast conditions. While most matches were midway through the first set, the sky opened up, and the sporadic drizzles became significant downpours. Players retreated inside to wait out the rain.
The Rangers, who had dominated to that point, were not phased by the sudden interruption.
“We’ve spent a lot of time this year and last year talking about being flexible – not sweating the small stuff, controlling what you can control. They did fine. They were very loose and relaxed. They were ready to go,” O’Neil said.
Once the courts were dry enough to resume play after the roughly one-hour rain delay, the Rangers went right back to work.
Srinjoy Ghosh, Westborough’s first singles player, beat Burlington’s Aditya Pathak in straight sets (6-1, 6-2). Kaden Chen, the Rangers’ freshman standout, handled Burlington sophomore Soham Shah (6-2. 6-0).
Westborough sophomore Jorge Garcia Gonzalez rounded out the Rangers’ impressive singles performances. Gonzalez defeated Andrew Perl (6-1, 6-4) to put Westborough ahead 3-0.
The Rangers’ doubles teams were equally as strong. Michael Ku and Eehab Khan bested Burington’s Brendan Gray and Althan Nguyen (6-2, 6-1), while Brendan Estaphan and Jordan Hlawek had success against Arnesh Yeola and Krish Soni (6-0, 6-1).
After their dominant victory, Athletic Director Johanna DiCarlo presented the team with a trophy and banner honoring the semifinal appearance. Students and coaches gathered for a picture and to celebrate the accomplishment.
“We’re going for the big one now,” DiCarlo told the group as she presented the trophy.
Westborough will face No. 3 Concord-Carlisle, the defending champions who ousted the Rangers last year, in the semifinals. The match will be held at Marlborough High School on Monday afternoon.
O’Neil discussed the team’s mindset as they head further into the playoffs.
“We’ve always preached [to think] just one match at a time, one point at a time, one game at a time. Just try to control as much of your destiny as you can,” O’Neil said.
