In an abrupt five-minute span, Tamaques Park’s buzzing tennis courts nearly emptied. The thwock of rackets smacking balls mostly dissipated. Players filtered off the courts.
Three matches had just concluded, basically simultaneously. The first doubles players clasped hands at the net and vacated their court. The first singles players clasped hands at the net and vacated their court. The third singles players clasped hands at the net and vacated their court.
They retreated to the shaded bleachers, the Westfield players to celebrate victory, the J.P. Stevens players to sympathize about defeat. No. 1 seed Westfield seized all three of those matches, its second, third and fourth victories in a 4-1 win Thursday over No. 5 seed J.P. Stevens in the North 2, Group 4 sectional semifinals.
The visiting Hawks mustered little hope of an upset, defeatist all afternoon. A curious scene played out after Westfield’s second doubles claimed the day’s first victory. Hearing the news, a J.P. Stevens first doubles player turned to his partner. “They lost before us, bruh,” he said, laughing.
The Westfield win confirmed a preordained showdown, set for Monday at 2 p.m.
Westfield. Ridge. Sectional final. Big time.
The Blue Devils and the No. 2 seed Red Devils have careened toward each other all season, seemingly fated to collide in the sectional final. Ridge is ranked No. 7 in NJ. Westfield is ranked No. 9. Appetizing.
But Westfield first had to handle business against J.P. Stevens.
The teams met earlier this season, on April 19, Westfield winning 4-1. This match followed a similar blueprint.
Westfield dominated on both doubles courts. Colin Cimei and Deven Patel won quickly, 6-3, 6-1, at second doubles. Eshaan Khera and Cole Hornbeck took slightly longer but won easily, 6-2, 6-3, at first doubles.
“Both doubles just played superbly,” said George Kapner, Westfield’s head coach. “They did exactly what they were supposed to do.”
The singles matches carried more intrigue. Westfield’s Zander Ainge commanded early at third singles before relenting slightly in the second set, diminished by heat and exhaustion and what he called his usual “second-set struggles.” He crumpled to the ground with a yell at one point after lunging for a deep ball. He needed, he said, a break. His legs were burned out.
But Ainge pushed on to win in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, perhaps aided by his flagging opponent’s mistakes.
“I was playing good, aggressive tennis in the first set, coming to the net well,” he said. “The second set I got a little—might have to do with the fatigue—I got very defensive, and I got tight.”
“He was tired, too,” Ainge added. “I just knew he’d break down before I did. Winning ugly is a part of tennis.”
Ainge played second singles during Westfield’s first match against J.P. Stevens, moving up to fill in for the injured Tristan Wroe, who had been briefly sidelined by a thumb tweak.
“But that match,” Ainge said, “was actually what brought me back to my better form, because I was playing well that match. Since then I’ve been on a good streak.”
Wroe also entered Thursday’s match riding a hot streak. Over a three-week, six-match span, he won every set he played, never surrendering more than one game in a single set. But Wroe struggled Thursday.
His opponent, Saket Sayini, captured the match’s first five games. Outbursts marred the first set. Wroe once yanked at his shirt, using two hands, and screamed, “What is going on?” Kapner later forced Wroe to report a code violation for cursing. In the second set, Wroe sometimes seemed clearly agitated, grabbing at his head with two hands, rumpling his hair, emitting a high-pitched noise.
The match lasted the longest of all five. Sayini won, 6-2, 7-5. It ended when a Wroe backhand slice floated a couple inches long. Sayini raised a weary finger.
What was amiss with Wroe?
“I don’t know,” Kapner said. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
There is nothing to figure out, though, about Ben Duan. Duan “played superbly” at first singles, Kapner said. He guided shots with surgical precision, varied his attacks, dominated his opponent. The ball sounds different off Duan’s racket. It’s a deeper, richer thwock.
It helped that Duan’s opponent, Ansh Mehta, endured a difficult day.
“I want to say first that my opponent wasn’t playing well,” Duan said. “I know he can play better, because I played him before.”
It was tighter when they played before. Duan triumphed in a super tiebreak.
Like last time, Duan won the first set and led 5-2 in the second. But last time, “I lost my focus because I got overconfident,” Duan said.
Not this time.
“A lot has passed since when I last played him here,” Duan said. “I’ve gotten a lot better, a lot more experienced. So I just used all of that, and I stayed hot the whole match.”
So here comes the Ridge match. A colossal showdown.
“I’m nervous as heck,” Ainge said, before launching into a match-by-match breakdown. Westfield should win first doubles. Westfield should win second doubles. Ridge should win first singles. Ridge should win second singles.
That leaves third singles. Ainge’s spot.
“I’m really nervous,” he said, “because it’s really going to come down to me again. If we lose, it’s because I lose. If we win, it’s because I and the doubles win. I love doing it, but I also hate it every time.”
Duan said he has a small chance at a victory. Wroe could possibly steal a win. So Ainge may be a tad premature in shouldering the weight of the season.
But only a tad.
