HARRISON — Jack Reis collapsed as his shot grazed off the top of the net and hit the court.
It took nearly four hours, multiple medical delays and three sets, but the Scarsdale High School senior is finally a Section 1 champion.
“It was just pure relief,” Reis said.
The top-seeded Reis beat second-seeded Charles Martin of Briarcliff, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, on May 22 at Harrison High School.
After taking the first set handily, Reis lost his momentum in the second. Amid constant cramping in his legs, he lost 3-6 to set up a decisive third set. To make matters worse, his opponent, Briarcliff’s Charlie Martin, took a quick 3-0 lead.
“I changed my mindset,” Reis said. “I was focused on the pain I was feeling too much and all the pain in my legs and I started really enjoying the moment.”
With the change in mindset came changes on the court. Reis won six of the final seven games in the third set, pushing through his various lower-body ailments to become a section champ in a marathon.
“I love it, it’s all part of the game,” Reis said. “I just love to grind and all that great stuff. It’s part of the game. That’s what I love so much.”
Reis did not get a chance to vie for a section crown last year, as he chose to sit out the season. The Amherst College commit was flawless until the semifinals, but still advanced to the finals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Horace Greeley’s Henry Xue. Xue defeated Arjun Murali of Ketcham, 6-2, 6-4. Reis, Martin and Xue advance to the New York State championships June 5-7 at USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing.
“It means a lot to me,” Reis said. “Not playing last year, I was definitely really sad about that. I love high school tennis. It’s something I look forward to every year and to play this year and win a section title, it feels pretty good.”
State champions Nayak and Cho grab a Section 1 title
To Clarkstown South coach Ted Mascoli, last year was a learning experience for his top doubles pairing.
Still, the duo of Stevens Institute of Technology commits, Pratik Nayak and Christopher Cho managed to claim a state title in doubles.
“We wanted to think of it as two independent tournaments,” Nayak said. “It meant a lot for us to not only get to states, but to win it as well.”
However, Nayak and Cho were still without a Section 1 title as they finished third a season ago. Thus, they went back to the drawing board.
“Even though we got third in sections [last year], we practiced really hard every day to improve on our flaws,” Cho said.
The hard work finally paid off on Friday, as the pairing got their Section 1 crown. Even after falling behind 2-0 in the first set against New Rochelle’s Alex Suhanitski and Fynn Bowman, Nayak and Cho never wavered, winning six-straight games in the first set to win 6-2, before taking the deciding second set 6-3.
“I feel like when we went down 2-0, we had to stick to our game plan a bit better,” Nayak said.
That ability to correct is something that Mascoli has seen the two make great strides in.
“They’re much better at recovering from their mistakes,” Mascoli said. “When you make a mistake, it’s not about the mistake. It’s about what you do after it and they’re doing really nicely with that.”
But ultimately, Nayak and Cho’s knowledge of each other might have been the biggest advantage.
“We’ve known each other since sixth grade and we’ve gone through so many ups and downs together,” Nayak said. “As a team, even as individuals, I think it’s really important for us to feel that same chemistry.”
Having played as partners for two years, vibes could not be higher for the two Vikings.
“I know a lot of doubles partners get mad at their teammates if they don’t hit a good shot,” Cho said. “But we’re really positive and our feedback is great.”
Nayak and Cho, as well as Suhanitski and Bowman advance to the state tournament. Scarsdale’s Lucas Yao and Dylan Pai won the consolation final over Rye’s Louis Kim-Reuter and Filip Glitterstam, 7-6 (6), 6-2, to also advance.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Scarsdale’s Reis wins Section 1 singles tennis title in marathon match
Reporting by George Caratzas, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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