Courtney asserts himself
By Jason Devaney
Around this time last year, Drew Courtney was in rare form.
He was feeling the sting of defeat.
Then a junior at Robinson, Courtney – the top tennis player in the Northern Region and the state – fell to Concorde District rival Sidarth Balaji of Fairfax, 10-7. It was the second meeting between the two last season, and it evened the series at 1-1.
"Honestly, he really stepped it up that day," Courtney said. "He played really well and was hitting the ball to the baseline. He stepped it up, took control of the match and I couldn't come back at the end. All the credit to him; he played well that day."
Courtney, however, did not let the loss affect him too much. He dispatched Balaji in straight sets to claim the district and region titles, then went on to win his second straight state singles championship. He also teamed up with Stephen Hardy to capture his third consecutive state doubles trophy (with two different partners).
Tuesday afternoon, Robinson traveled to Fairfax for the teams' first meeting of the 2008 season. The much-anticipated rematch between Courtney and Balaji was at the center of the action, but it was Courtney who dominated yet again in the 10-0 decision. Teams play a 10-game pro set during the regular season, then switch to a best-of-three format in the playoffs.
"He's a great tennis player," Balaji said of Courtney. "His serve is probably his best weapon; it's really hard to get his return back. And then if you have a big serve, everything else just comes. You play well when you serve well and he was just playing well today."
Despite the final score, the match was certainly not one-sided. Both players showcased their skills on the court – big, powerful first serves, effective cross-court winners and nifty placement shots. And, like most players, they both muttered to themselves when they made an unforced error.
The match ended when a Balaji forehand smacked the center of the net and fell backwards, which invoked the junior to toss his racket aside in frustration.
"I think in his mind, he knows that on a given day he can beat anybody," said Fairfax coach Dave Bauer of his star. "I think the key for Sid is consistency. That sometimes when things are not going right, what's his plan B? He has learned that and he has performed better with the plan B. But when you're playing Courtney, you gotta play your A game and you gotta be going in all the time."
Although both players are very similar, they are quite different as well. As a junior, Courtney liked to hammer the ball over the net with as much power as he could. Playing defense, according to Robinson coach Paul Fisher, was not one of his strengths. This season though, Courtney is playing more and more defense. And he runs down balls he might not have charged at last season.
Balaji admitted that he likes to stay with the power game and remain on the offensive. Whereas he could be considered as someone who likes to score quick points, Courtney remains patient and waits for the point to develop.
Two very good players, two different styles. Neither one is right, neither is wrong.
"I am seeing subtle improvements in [Courtney's] game. I think today was really kind of an eye opener," Robinson coach Paul Fisher noted. "He really has added the defensive part to his game. When he got in a spot where he was stretched wide or something like that, he came in with a spin [shot]. He got to a lot of balls, it made him play more balls. A year ago, he might have just stood there and tried to out-bang him. This year, he's going for everything."
Robinson won Tuesday's match via a 9-2 decision, but the day was not without excitement. In the No. 2 singles match between Robinson sophomore Kevin Castellow and Fairfax freshman phenom Jason Luu, both players played exceptionally well. With his strong forehand and one-handed, low-spinning backhand, Luu took an 8-5 lead. But Castellow stormed back and brought the match back to even at 9-9. Castellow then went up, 10-9, but Luu evened the score and sent the match to a tiebreaker – which he won, 7-3, to claim victory.
"[Luu] had triple match point in singles, lost it, lost two more games, and still had the mental toughness to win in a tiebreaker," Bauer surmised. "I am sitting there thinking, 'I wish most adults had that mental toughness.'"
At No. 1 doubles, Courtney teamed up with junior Stephen Hardy – his partner last year as well – to face Balaji and Luu. The Rams took a commanding 7-4 advantage, but Balaji and Luu relied on some heavy offensive play to win, 9-8 (7-5).
Courtney spoke of his strategy when playing Balaji: "If he's hitting big winners, [he's] too good. But I feel if I out-steady him, that's the way I can get the job done."