By Gabriel Pizzolatto
State champs! The girls’ tennis team just won their first-ever state championship, led by national tennis phenom and back-to-back singles state champion Willow sophomore My-Anh Holmes. Holmes is a five-star recruit and a top 50 player in the country. Her consistent strokes and powerful topspin make her almost impossible to beat. She won the state championship as a freshman with a swift victory in the finals (6-0, 6-1) and won in the finals by the same score this year.
“It’s really great to win back to back,” said Holmes. “Hopefully, I’ll have a four-peat by the end of high school.”
Following in her older sister’s footsteps, Holmes’ younger sister, Willow eighth grader My-Linh, is the girls’ team’s line 2 singles player–a very impressive feat for someone barely in high school. She went far in the state tournament this year, making it to the singles semifinals, and is expected to be very successful in years to come. The Holmes sisters hope to create a Willow tennis dynasty for the next four to six years.
But as illustrious as they are, the Holmes sisters aren’t the only stars in the Willow tennis sky. The boys’ team is captained by senior Nico Lupin, and freshman George Gibson has shown to be a force to be reckoned with, having taken the line 1 singles and doubles positions in just his first year on the team.
Last year the boys’ team put up a good effort in the state tournament but came short of their expected goals this season, as both the line 1 and 2 doubles teams lost in quarterfinal thrillers. In last year’s regional championships, a tournament of all the best teams in the region, Willow’s line 2 doubles team was victorious against Willow’s line 1 doubles team in the finals. This year, the Willow’s line 1 doubles suffered a tough loss in the regional finals against Ben Franklin.
This year both the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams won the Regional tournament. Boys’ and girls’ doubles both placed second, and boys’ and girls’ singles George Gibson and My-anh Holmes both won singles. Winning two matches in the regional tournament automatically gets a player a spot in the state tournament, and the further a player gets in regionals, the higher the seeding in state.
All eight of the Willow boys’ team players in the regional tournament qualified for the state tournament, and six of eight girls playing qualified for state.
One of the great things about our tennis team is their camaraderie and close-knit friendships. Although tennis is a very individualistic sport, the Willow players love supporting each other and cheering everyone on.
