Olentangy Orange breaks through for first Ohio Tennis Coaches Association district title
The fans who flocked to the second doubles match of Thursday’s Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Division I district final might have been surprised to know one of the teams they were watching hadn’t played together in more than five weeks.
Seeking to maximize their matchups, Olentangy Orange coach Matt Rutherford paired together junior Eric Tang and freshman Devan Patel, who did not learn of their pairing until hours before the match at New Albany. But they quickly took advantage of their strengths and ultimately delivered the win that sent the Pioneers to state for the first time.
Patel and Tang outlasted Dhruv Chavan and Jeremy Hanna 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), clinching a 3-0 win and Orange’s first district championship.
“You just have to adjust to your partner’s play style,” Tang said. “(Patel) has amazing returns, so he kept them going across the court and I went across the net. We were down (4-2) in the second set and we felt some pressure, but we kept that positive energy. That was one of the main reasons we came back.”
Patel and Tang’s only other match together came on April 10, a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles in the season opener against Dublin Jerome.
Orange (10-2), which will play Lima Shawnee or Toledo St. John’s in a state semifinal May 28 at New Albany, snapped the Eagles’ streak of six consecutive OTCA district titles.
The Pioneers’ other wins came at first singles, where Kallan Arledge swept Jackson Clements 6-3, 6-3, and third singles, where Zach Haar defeated Jack Goodman 6-0, 6-2.
OTCA contests end as soon as one team wins three matches.
"We do have three freshmen (Nikhil Bhimireddy, Devan Patel and Shailen Patel) who are outstanding additions to this team," Rutherford said, "but it does go back to the preparation. We’ve been relentless. The camaraderie and togetherness prepares us for these moments."
Tang said he did not realize his match could clinch the team’s win until fans started watching en masse.
“I’m kind of glad it came down to us because it helped me work under pressure, under stress,” Tang said. “I had no idea about anybody else’s scores.”
On Wednesday, Arledge and Bhimireddy advanced to next week’s OHSAA state tournament in doubles.
New Albany (14-2) will be represented by Clements in singles and the doubles team of Ben Bilenko and Tyler Thomas.
“It’s one of those things where you try to take all the experiences you’ve had up to this point and try to win every moment,” New Albany coach Marc Thomas said. “We won’t make up any excuses. We played a great team and they beat us.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Orange boys tennis wins first OTCA district title
