Columbus North’s Vince Sasse serves against Columbus East in the No. 1 doubles match Tuesday at Columbus North High School.
Nicholas Shaw | For the Republic
Tuesday night was the first time in several years that Columbus East won an individual match against Columbus North in boys tennis.
The co-No. 17 Bull Dogs won four of the matches in less than an hour, but the No. 3 singles match lasted more than two hours, with the Olympians eventually winning the point to avoid the sweep in a 4-1 loss.
“The boys have worked really hard to learn how to play against players that are typically better than them,” East coach Adam Ulrich said. “They really worked a lot of their mental toughness the last couple of weeks. We changed some things at practice, and we’re pushing the mental toughness aspect. A lot of guys have the skills they need; it’s just making sure when we’re in matches how to use them.
It was a marathon at No. 3 singles. Landon Redelman outlasted Niranjan Pillia 6-3, 7-6 (5) for the lone point for the Olympians (1-8). North (2-0) was missing regular No. 3 singles player Chase Branham from the lineup Tuesday.
“Overall, they did really well. I’m proud of all of them,” Ulrich said. “I’m pleased that a freshman was able to pull out a win for us. Both of our freshmen this year (Redelman and Kai Bergmann) are leading our team as far as wins are concerned. It’s a really tight-knit group, and they work hard together. They do everything together. They win together. They lose together. I couldn’t be more happy of them.”
North claimed the other four matches. At No. 1 singles, freshman Alek Devidze topped Trevor Ernst 6-0, 6-1.
“I’ve played with the guys for a long time. It’s good to play on the team,” Devidze said. “It’s so much harder than in middle school, and it’s definitely a big step up.”
At No. 2 singles, Max Wei blanked Bergmann 6-0, 6-0. At No. 1 doubles, Teddy Littrell and Vince Sasse defeated Micah Wettshurack and Michael Reed 6-2, 6-0. At No. 2 doubles, Harsil Gandhi and Jaishal Padmanabhan won against Cooper Harry and Carson Hartsook 6-1, 6-0.
“It’s eye-opening. We’ve got a ways to go,” North coach Kendal Hammel said. “Good for East. They got a match off of us. It’s learning. We’re not a power team this year, and we’re just going to have to work hard at every position, but we got the win. It wasn’t the way I wanted it to go. It just gives us time to go to work.”
