Menlo heartbreaker at state tennis finals

Sargeant’s first year running the little private school that has long thrived as a tennis powerhouse came to an end Saturday, as the Knights (29-2) fell 4-3 in the CIF USTA State Championships to University-Irvine at Sierra Sports and Racquet Club in Fresno.

“Yeah, (they’re) disappointed obviously to end the season on a loss, but in the whole state of California we finished second, so it’s something we should be proud of,” Sargeant said. “I’m very proud of the boys.”

Taking over the program from longtime coach Bill Shine — who built Menlo into the most consistent power in Northern California in his 29 years at the helm — Sargeant has carried the mantle of focusing more passionately on teaching the game of tennis than winning at it. He said he’s more interested in the journey, in building culture.

“I think those are the things that are more important than the wins and losses,” Sargeant said.

Saturday’s season finale was bound to be emotional, win or lose, for just that reason. It was the end of the journey for the Knights, including senior No. 3 doubles Kavan Kumar and Ben Levin.

“Obviously they were super upset and devastated to lose,” Sargeant said. “The boys have been working so hard to get to that point, but they were classy and respectful even in defeat. There were some teary eyes, which is good. I don’t want to see anybody upset, but it just shows how much they care about the team and about each other as teammates.”

Kumar and Levin won their No. 3 doubles match, closing out an undefeated varsity career for Levin. The senior missed his junior year due to an injury that extended into this season, but he returned to the lineup to post a 10-0 record in doubles play. He also went undefeated as a sophomore.

Late in the second set of the No. 3 doubles match, the team score was still hanging in the balance. University broke a 2-2 tie, defeating Menlo’s No. 2 doubles Arki Temsamani and Riley Huang fell 6-4, 7-5 — the first loss of the season for the duo.

The match was decided when Menlo No. 1 single Cooper Han fell 7-5, 6-4 toRivhvanth Krishna.

“In all honesty, with the way it panned out ... every other match we had opportunities,” Sargeant said.

After Menlo dropped two singles matches to start the day — No. 3 David Lipeles fell 6-2, 6-3; and No. 4 James Park fell 6-1, 6-0 — No. 2 single Yuanye Ma turned the tide by earning a 7-5, 6-3 win over JiHyuk Im. It was a reprieve for Ma, after he’d lost earlier in the season to University at the 24th Annual High School All-American Team Tennis tournament in Los Angeles County.

“So, I think he was kind of excited for that matchup,” Sargeant said. “And, yeah, he played a little bit smarter this time, he played better tactically ... and I think he’s just improved over the course of the season.”

Menlo No. 1 doubles Lucas Huang and Surya De Datta then won 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 to even the team score.

After coaching at Cal for three seasons, Sargeant didn’t rock the boat when he got to Menlo. Shine’s longtime assistant coach Mike Tamas remained on staff. Sargeant even tried to keep Shine involved with the team as much as he could.

Shine attended most every postseason match for Menlo. Sargeant said he even addressed the team regularly in their postgame meetings.

“He’s been amazing,” Sargeant said. “So supportive. I’ve actually tried to get him more involved and he’s trying to be a little more hands off, I think, just to respect my space. But I really want to keep him involved.”

Sargeant said he will return as Menlo’s coach next season.

“Yes, I’ll be back,” Sargeant said. “I’ll be back for sure. I really enjoyed my first year at Menlo. They’ve really just been supportive of me and supportive of the program. ... And also, just a lot of the other coaches ... all came out to watch us at the state finals. So, it’s really a great community of coaches. So, I’ve really enjoyed my first year as coach. ... So, I don’t anticipate myself leaving anytime soon, that’s for sure.”