MODESTO — It wasn’t the way Pranad Sai had envisioned doing it, but the sophomore made school history for River Islands after winning the Trans Valley League boys singles championship Thursday at Modesto Junior College.
In the final, he faced off with Riptide teammate Sai Nagavarapu, who retired because of illness after falling behind 0-5 in the opening set.
Also on Thursday was the girls singles final and the start of the doubles tournament. Ripon’s Brookelyn Betschart dropped her rubber match with Kylie Serva 2-6, 6-1, 1-6 in the girls final.
The finalists in every division qualifies for the Sac-Joaquin Section Individual Tournament, which takes place May 18-19 at Oak Park Tennis Center in Stockton.
Instead of basking in his milestone moment, Sai expressed regret for his teammate and appreciation for being part of this inaugural season of River Islands tennis.
“It’s obviously really cool,” the top-seeded Sai said of his individual achievement. “I feel like I made a lot of memories throughout (the season),” he said. “Not everyone had played tennis, except for me and Sai, but just them trying and motivating each other also inspired me as a player. Honestly, that’s what I love about being part of this team.”
Sai, 15-1 in the TVL, has had many battles with Nagavarapu while training together the past few years, and they’re hoping for a rematch at the section tourney.
“He’ s a really good player and I’ve played him many, many times,” Sai said. “I’ve practiced with him since the eighth grade, so it’s a friendship on and off the court. It’s definitely hard to see him trying to play with the sickness. I know for a fact that had he played to his full potential, it would have been a lot closer. Honestly, he’s a great guy and a really great player.”
Nagavarapu, the No. 2 seed and also a sophomore, acknowledged that he was the underdog in this all-River Islands clash but wished he was able to put up more of a fight. The loss is his first this season in TVL play, as he finishes 16-1.
“I put in a lot of work into tennis, so it feels good to get something back from all that work. If feel real happy to make it to this point,” Nagavarapu said. “I wish we could have played more, but I just couldn’t. I haven’t been feeling well since yesterday, and the heat got to me, I guess.”
Betschart (13-4), another sophomore, was hoping to follow up her TVL doubles championship from a year ago with another title. Seeded second for the singles tournament, she and No. 4 Serva (12-4) split their head-to-head matches in team duals, with each ending in straight sets.
Their latest showdown went to a third set, but the Sonora junior was sharper in the end.
“She’s a great player, and I think today, she just really brought it,” Betschart said. She looks forward to returning to Oak Park for the section tournament.
“These next few weeks, I’m going to get in a lot of practice and work on stuff that needs fixing,” she said. “Just hoping for the best.”
In doubles, TVL team champion Ripon Christian as a mixed pair in the semifinals. After a first-round bye, top-seeded Kora Harris and Derek Meester swept No. 8 Christian Ramirez and Brianna Gallo of Orestimba 6-2, 6-1 in their lone match Thursday.
Harris and Meester will face River Islands’ Pravnav Cheganti and Kayzin Zarni when the doubles tournament resumes on Saturday. Cheganti and Zarni, the No. 4-seeded duo, edged No. 5 Mallory Solano and Kevin Rodriguez from Orestimba, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
In the girls doubles bracket, Ripon’s Alyssa Lan is a win away from returning to the title round — she was Betschart’s teammate in this tournament last year. Lan is now with Sophie Douglas, and the third-seeded tandem took care of No. 6 Mia Mateo and Betty Conners of Hughson, 6-4, 6-0. The Indians face Escalon’s second-seeded team of Marina Franzia and Chloe Green in the semifinals.
On the other side of the girls bracket are River Islands’ Tanishka Singh and Anuskha Yadunandan. The No. 4 Riptide combo fended off Hughson’s Emma Dubel and Hannah Ricks, 6-4, 6-4. They’ll next face top-seeded Mirella Fregoso and Sofiah Ramirez from Orestimba.
River Islands’ Hrishi Vijay and Vishnu Sidarth are the last local boys doubles team remaining. The fourth-seeded team avoided an upset from the No. 12 pairing of Ripon’s Santiago Hernandez and Jordan Sandoval, 7-5, 6-2. Escalon’s Luca Cerasi and Ben Ferreira, the top seed, await Vijay and Sidarth in the semifinals.
All semifinals begin at 8:15 on Saturday morning.
