TBoys Varsity Tennis Wins First Championship Title Since 2011

The Boys Varsity Tennis Team started their season by traveling to Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, Connecticut, for the annual Kingswood Invitational Tennis Tournament. They competed against seven other schools: Groton School, Choate Rosemary Hall, The Lawrenceville School, The Hotchkiss School, Westminster School, Hall High School, and Kingswood Oxford School. Led by Coach Mollie Domian and senior Captain Ethan Li ’25, the six players won the first Champions title for the team event since 2011, specifically, the “A” singles bracket, the “B” singles bracket, and both the “A” and “B” doubles brackets. Players also finaled in the “C” and “D” singles brackets.

Reflecting on the tournament, Captain Ethan Li emphasizes how everyone contributed a part to the successes the team achieved, saying, “I think everyone’s valuable. It’s a small team, you know.” He had represented the “B” bracket and returned victorious against his opponents from Groton, Choate, and Lawrenceville. However, Li particularly attributed that Gunter Weldon ’27 is one of the team’s top players.

Competing in the “A” bracket, Weldon received successes in both his singles and doubles matches. He defeated his opponent from Groton in his semi-final matchup, who had recently beaten Weldon a week prior, 6-2, 5-7, 10-5. Weldon went on to win the finals, clinching the first “A” bracket title for Deerfield in 30 years.

Representing the “C” and “D” singles brackets, respectively, Anthony Sparacio ’25 and Tai Feng ’25 both advanced to the finals, matching up with two Choate players. Sparacio started the match by winning the first set 2-6 and falling short on the second set 6-2. Though losing the third set tiebreaker 10-8, Sparacio was able to save the opponent’s match point by a forehand winner before ending the match.

In the “A” bracket doubles match, Weldon paired up with Li as partners, where they placed first. Li and Weldon were the first premium doubles to win since Ogden Phipps ’96 and Nick Acquavella ’96’s victory in 1996, almost 30 years ago. Upon hearing about the victory, Acquavella and Phipps responded to their win with enthusiasm, saying, “It is so great to see this team starting the season so well. Hopefully, they can keep it going. All of us from Mr. Morsman’s mid-1990s teams are watching!” This is the first time both singles and doubles titles in the “A” brackets were scored by Deerfield players.

Though matched with a tough finals game against Choate, Feng and Walker Naughton ’25 won the “B” bracket doubles title. The two players won the first set 6-4, yet faced challenges in their second set, losing five match points. Despite the temporary blow, Feng and Naughton won the third set superbreaker 10-7.

The boys have remained victorious in multiple games since the Kingswood Oxford Tournament, beating both Loomis Chaffee, five to two, and Taft, seven to zero. Regarding the Phillips Academy Andover tournament, the whole team expressed their excitement. “They will be our biggest competition so far in the season,” Li explained. In the 2024 season, the team had seven wins and two losses, finishing the season in the number two spot. Currently ranked number two this year, Li holds onto hope that the team has time to make their way up to first. “You have to accept failure to get better,” Li said.

After bonding over dinner with Coach Domian in celebration of their successes at the tournament, the team is excited to spend the rest of the season together.