Columbus North’s Parth Shah, left, and Parth Gupta celebrates scoring a point in a sectional final tennis match against the Columbus East No. 2 doubles team at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
The Republic file photo
Columbus North boys tennis coach Kendal Hammel needed a strong third position to make a deep run in the postseason.
Hammel turned to sophomore Parth Shah.
Shah made the switch from doubles last year as a freshman to No. 2 singles to start this season. After switching back to No. 2 doubles in late August, he’s won almost every match he’s played at the position.
The No. 2 doubles position will one of the key spots to earn a point when the fourth-ranked Bull Dogs take on top-ranked West Lafayette Harrison in the state quarterfinals at noon Friday at Carmel.
When Hammel made the call to put Shah at No. 2 doubles, Shah initially disagreed with the decision, but trusted in his coach.
“First, it was a little bit rough because I was enjoying playing singles,” Shah said. “He explained how the No. 2 doubles spot was crucial since we have a strong 1 singles and 1 doubles team, and we have to win three of the spots.”
Shah was paired with senior Parth Gupta at No. 2 doubles in a match against No. 2 Carmel. They fell in that match, but they’ve been perfect ever since.
“Whenever (Shah) got moved down to No. 2 doubles, his first match was against Carmel. Before that, we never played doubles together,” Gupta said. “It wasn’t the ideal situation to be in, and so ever since then, we played together and won every single match except for the Carmel match. That’s pretty impressive.”
The team was squeaking out lots of 3-2 wins during the month of September, but it was still uncertain if the No. 2 doubles switch would pay off.
It finally came to fruition this postseason. In the regional final against ninth-ranked Bloomington South, Shah and Gupta were the deciding factor in the 3-2 victory.
“I know (Shah) struggled with (the decision). He really had a hard time. I think he had his heart set on playing singles, and I asked him to trust me and to buy what my plan is as to what would work best for the team,” Hammel said. “The first match or two, they got beat up. As it progressed, I think he saw it. Little by little, he bought into my vision of what I thought we needed to do down the road how we were going to get to this point. We figured this spot was going to be the spot that would take us over the hump in that situation.”
Columbus North’s Parth Shah hits a shot in a sectional final tennis match against the Columbus East No. 2 doubles team at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
The Republic file photo
Shah said he’s noticed difference in playing singles versus playing doubles.
“In singles, it’s only you on the court, so you have to build your own hype. Whenever you’re down, you have to motivate yourself,” Shah said. “In doubles, you have a partner to keep you going when you make a mistake. There’s a lot more cross-court play and a lot more net play in singles. In doubles, you have a partner to help you.”
Shah, along with Gupta, eye for a possible semifinal berth for the Bull Dogs if the balls bounce in their favor on Friday. The semifinals and final are at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday at Carmel.
“Initially, it was a little rough because we had no chemistry. As we practiced, and as we played, we built that chemistry, and we’ve been doing good ever since,” Shah said. “We’re going to try to have a few good practices here before the match.”
