On Track to a Successful Season
Senior Russell Chen returns the ball to the Huskies, winning all three sets.
April 22, 2015
The Diamond Bar boys varsity tennis team has maintained its outstanding play as the Brahmas remain undefeated in the Palomares League, with a record of 6-0. With a team full of strong singles and doubles players, DB hopes to go deeper into the CIF playoffs this year.
“We’ve already made a statement in our league, so we’re preparing and working even harder now to get as far as we can in CIF,” senior Roger Yang said. “Last year we were able to make it to the semi-finals for the first time in a few years, but we’re confident that we can achieve greater if we continue to improve as we have these past few months.”
Junior captain Garrett Masuda and sophomore Neil Tengbumroong are ranked among the league’s top players. Masuda, who just came back from playing in the main draw of the ITF Junior Tournament where top junior players in the world compete against each other, is not only the best in league, but is also ranked nationally. Some other notable players are senior Russell Chen and junior David Chee, who are undefeated and are the number one doubles team in the league. Seniors Daniel Chai and Roger Yang were also undefeated up until last Tuesday.
After starting the league out with a win against the South Hills Huskies, 15-3, the Brahmas continued to perform at their best, beating Claremont High School 11-7 on April 2. Spring break wasn’t a time to slack off as DB went against Bonita and Glendora High School, winning both games 13-5 and 12-6, respectively.
Last Tuesday, DB finished off with a win against Ayala High School, 15-3. Two days later, the Brahmas gained another win beating the Huskies again, 15-3. The doubles team stepped up and swept South Hills 9-0.
“We expect to perform very well in the playoffs and a lot of it depends on the draw. If we begin to peak at the right time and continue to improve, there’s no reason that we can’t do as well as last year,” coach David Hamel said.
Recently, Tengbumroong was accepted to the singles draw in the Ojai Invitational Tournament, which will be held today through Friday, April 24. Chen and Chee were also invited to play in the doubles round.
“I’m excited to see many top players all around California and being able to compete with them. I’m looking forward to going as far as we can go in the tournament,” junior David Chee said.
Last year in the postseason, the Brahmas traveled up to Beverly Hills as the sixth seed, and faced the third seeded Beverly Hills High School. DB managed to pull off the upset, but the team’s playoff run ended the following round against Palm Dessert High School. For the first time in DB history, the Brahmas were invited to the State Regional tournament, where only 16 high schools in Southern California are chosen to participate in.
