Alves made a big leap last year in advancing to the Valley Oak League singles tournament championship where he lost to fellow sophomore Yok Chai Ma of Manteca in straight sets for the third time.

While proud to have gotten there after getting ousted in the opening round as a freshman, Alves was far from satisfied. He trained with local coach Beto Lopez-Ellis in the off-season and opted to not to play basketball to continue focusing on tennis.

“That (loss) was on my mind constantly,” Alves said. “I wanted to put myself in a situation where I can play him in the championship again.”

So far, so good.

As it stands, he holds the No. 1 seed after defeating Ma in a dual match last Tuesday, March 19 at Manteca Regional Tennis Courts, 7-5, 6-4. Sierra also won as a team 7-2 to keep pace with Oakdale for the top spot in league.

“I think I just wanted it more,” Alves said. “I had the grit and the determination to outlast him. My confidence could not be higher after a win like that. In the back of my mind, I’m thinking that if I can beat him, I can beat anyone.”

The loss for Ma was his first in the VOL. Two days later, Alves blanked Kimball’s Abem Girmai, 6-0, 6-0.

The Timberwolves traveled to Oakdale on Tuesday for their first-place showdown and dropped a close one 5-4, but Alves continued his unbeaten streak with a 6-1, 6-1 sweep of Parker Whitemyer. Alves is now 8-0 on the season.