After several challenging games, the West High Girls’ Tennis team pushed their way to victory at the First Serve Tournament on Saturday, September 4th.

   This year marked the 20th First Serve event hosted by West High. Several schools from around Southern California came to the West High tennis courts to compete in a bracket-system tournament. The event consisted of three rounds leading into the finals and followed a “round-robin” play style. Split into two groups of four schools, the teams gave their all in order to compete for the best match record.

   For the first time in five years, West Girls’ Tennis made it to the final round: the pressure to win was on.

   In the finals round, the competing teams needed four sets to win. However, if the teams were tied at three sets, the winning team would be determined by the number of games won throughout the tournament. Nearing the end of the game, the tennis team further realized the importance of that last match; they had won three games, but lost two, which meant that losing this game would put the score at 3-3. With the opposing team at a higher overall game record, they needed this round to win the tournament.

   The team watched as singles player Richa Thakre (10) competed in the final match. Even under the watchful eyes of her nervous teammates, Thakre kept calm: “I wasn’t really worried about losing because I knew that if I did, my team would still support me,” she expressed.

   With Thakre’s match at a deuce, it was a vigorous fight for the final point. But finally, she was able to secure the win for the team. Thakre recalled, “I was proud of myself and everyone on the team for getting there… Considering all the hard work we put in, [this win] felt very rewarding.”

   Mr. Jin, the head coach of the Girls’ Tennis team, also credits the amount of hard work the players put in this year. “Everybody came through from top to bottom. Whether the girls were playing or not, whatever position they were playing, they really gave it their all,” he noted with a smile.

   Now, the West Girls’ Tennis team looks back at First Serve with pride, remembering their perseverance and hard work as they prepare to bring home many more successes throughout the upcoming season.