North singles, doubles players net state runner-up finishes

Pictured from left, Columbus North’s Amrit Kar, Hank Lin and Anvay Atram pose for a photo following the Boys Tennis Singles and Doubles State Finals Saturday at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis. Lin finished state runner-up in singles, and Kar and Atram were runner-up in doubles.

James Pence | The Republic

INDIANAPOLIS — Hank Lin, Anvay Atram and Amrit Kar came so close to grabbing the state titles.

However, their respective opponents made the big pushes necessary to give the Columbus North players the runner-up positions in Saturday’s Boys Tennis Singles and Doubles State Finals at Park Tudor.

Kar and Atram fell to Homestead’s Alex Graber and Eric Ji 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in the doubles state finals. The duo led 5-4 in the third set and had the opportunity to serve for the match, but Graber and Ji made the charge to win the next three games to clinch the match.

“If you look back at what (Kar and Atram) have done, they’ve had phenomenal careers. They’ve been working hard at this for years and years,” North coach Kendal Hammel said. “They’ve been varsity players for four years. Last year, they were state runners-up, and their goal was to come back and get the championship. It was within their grasp. They still have a lot to be proud of.”

For Kar and Atram, both seniors, they hoped to seek redemption after falling short last year in this exact spot. Unfortunately for them, the stars didn’t align Saturday.

“It hurts a lot, a lot worse than last year. This was our last match, but we accomplished a bunch of things in our career,” Kar said. “I’m really happy about how the season went. We got to where we wanted, but we couldn’t get the job done.”

Saturday marked the end for Atram and Kar playing for the Bull Dogs. They finished the season 28-2 at No. 1 doubles.

“Definitely miss all the friends I made and all of the matches I played,” Atram said.

Lin fell North Central’s Alex Antonopolous 6-2, 6-1 in the singles state final. Lin finishes the season 21-1 at No. 1 singles.

“I was definitely disappointed this afternoon, but props to him. He was playing insane. His first serves and shot selection was on point. I couldn’t get to those,” Lin said. “I’m actually really proud of this season and my team. I’m also proud of Amrit and Anvay for almost getting (the title).”

“(Lin) ran into a guy today that absolutely did not miss. The North Central coaches told me that might have been one of his best matches all year. He hit his serves. He hit his ground strokes,” Hammel said.

In Saturday morning’s semifinal contests, Lin defeated Guerin Catholic’s Max Fuller 6-2, 6-3, while Atram and Kar defeated Munster’s Joseph Foster and Ethan Walker 7-6 (7), 6-1.