Tosa West nips East netters in thriller, 4-3

Wauwatosa West’s No. 1 singles player Nick Price returns a serve from Charlie Fahr of Wauwatosa East during the Trojans 4-3 win on May 7.

Wauwatosa West’s No. 1 singles player Nick Price returns a serve from Charlie Fahr of Wauwatosa East during the Trojans 4-3 win on May 7. Photo By Dave Haberkorn

May 14, 2014

The Wauwatosa West boys tennis team had a busy – and more importantly – successful week of action.

The Trojans went 2-1 in Woodland Conference play, defeated crosstown rival Tosa East in a thriller and won the Kohler Invitational on May 10.

West dropped a 5-2 decision on May 5 to Pius XI at home, getting victories at No. 2 doubles from Abhishek Janardan/John Schmuter (6-1, 6-2) and at No. 3 doubles from Jared Morzinski/Eric Chapman (6-2, 6-2).

"Pius was a tough match," West coach Kosta Zervas said. "I thought we played very well, but we lost three matches all in the third set.

"We didn't make good adjustments heading into those third sets, and, ultimately, that was the difference. I was hoping for a better result."

The Trojans then swept New Berlin West, 7-0, in their second conference match of the week.

Winners were No. 1 singles Nick Price (6-4, 6-1), No. 2 singles Adam Carlson (7-5, 6-2), No. 3 singles Alex Wimmer (6-0, 6-2) and No. 4 singles Andy Rowley (6-2, 6-1).

Doubles winners were Oliver Niles/Jack Coleman at No. 1 (6-1,6-3), Janardan/ Schmutzer at No. 2 (6-0, 6-0) and Chapman/Morzinski at No. 3 (6-0, 6-0).

"Anytime you defeat a team 7-0, it's a good result," Zervas said. "Many times you can play down to the quality of your opponent, but we started strong and finished the match strong."

Although it was a non-conference match, it was an important match when it came to bragging rights, as West defeated crosstown rival Tosa East in a thriller, 4-3, on May 7.

Winning at singles were Price (6-3, 6-3) and Carlson (7-5, 6-1), and Coleman/Niles (6-4, 6-3) and Schmutzer/Janardan (7-6(4), 6-2) won at doubles.

"I think we played our best match of the season against Tosa East," Zervas said. "Every single match was competitive and played with high intensity. I thought both teams played with a lot of heart and effort.

"I was proud with the way our team competed. What I was most impressed with was for us to come out and win at spots against players we lost to just the past weekend.

"I was especially proud of the play by our No. 2 doubles team of John Schmutzer/Abhishek Janardan. They are quietly putting together a great season. They are focusing on the fundamentals and implementing that into their doubles play. They are playing with lots of confidence and controlling their matches.

Zervas was happy to finally get a win over the Red Raiders.

"For several years, East has controlled this rivalry," he said. "However, this year I think we played just a little bit better to earn the victory. East is always well-coached, so to defeat a strong opponent and your crosstown rival, it is very rewarding. It's always a fun match to be a part of. There's a lot of respect for both sides."

West defeated Pewaukee, 6-1, on May 8 at home to round out the conference action.

Winners were Price (6-3, 6-1), Carlson (7-5, 7-5) and Andy Rowley (2-6, 6-0, 6-2) at singles and Niles/ Coleman (6-1, 7-5), Schmutzer/Janardan (6-3, 6-3) and Morzinski/Chapman (6-1, 4-6, 6-1) at doubles.

West took first place at the Kohler Invite over the weekend, beating Sussex Hamilton, 6-1, Kewaskum, 7-0, and Kohler, 6-1, but individual results were not available.

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