The Saugus Centurions boys’ tennis team got back in the win column on Friday and secured a season sweep over the visiting Canyon Cowboys.
Saugus nearly had a sweep in doubles, winning seven of nine sets, as the Centurions won overall, 11-7. Luke Regalado and Tate Franti combined to go 3-0 in doubles on Friday at Saugus High School, as did the duo of Sean Harper and Jaden Vo.
“I think that sometimes people underestimate a good doubles lineup,” Saugus head coach Bailey Sindle wrote in an email. “Our No. 1 team of Luke Regalado and Tate Franti have been in a positive groove all season and they are a fierce team. They both are talented players on their own, but teamed up they make quite the pair. They bring both power and finesse and are really smart on court.”
Vo started the season as a singles player but was moved to doubles to team up with Harper, a combination that has proven to be effective, according to Sindle.
“We saw qualities in both guys that we thought would feed well off each other and we’ve been happy with their performance so far,” Sindle wrote. “Both have an aggressive play style and aren’t afraid to hit the ball and go for their shots. They are still working out the kinks, but their ability to stay competitive in matches and work together as a team are respectable.”
Saugus improved to 2-2 in Foothill League play while Canyon, which graduated eight seniors last year, fell to 1-5.
“Coming off a disappointing last season, our goal was to find a way to be more competitive and win against schools who have similar if not slightly better skills than us,” Sindle wrote. “We had some stellar preseason matches where the boys played well, but we fell short. Going into league, they were even more motivated to beat the schools we typically have close results with. We lost to Canyon twice last year, so beating them twice this year is already an improvement. The boys want to continue to show they are back to compete against Castaic, who also beat us last season by narrow margins.”
Canyon’s Adam Graham went 3-0 in singles, though he needed an extra game to win his second set and a tiebreaker to win his third. He beat Munguia, 6-2, in a battle between the opposing teams’ top singles players.
Also a member of Canyon’s boys’ basketball team, Graham has impressed his coach, Dennis Yong, with his ability to not just play well, but be coachable.
“It’s been great to see him playing good tennis out on the court,” Yong wrote in an email. “He is consistent and hits with heavy top spin. He can attack from both wings. He is very coachable and would make adjustments as recommended. I’ve been impressed with his performance this season thus far and am confident he will continue to improve and win more sets for the team.”
Noah Khoury went 2-1 in singles for Canyon. Yong said he and Max Garcia, typically the No. 3 singles player for Canyon but absent on Friday due to a field trip, have been “great additions to the singles lineup.”
“Both Max and Noah have been working hard offseason, and it shows,” Yong wrote. “Their strokes have improved tremendously, and they are focused and ready to compete in each game.”
Canyon and Saugus are both set to return to action on Tuesday. The Cowboys are slated to travel to Hart while Saugus is set to travel to Castaic.
