Thursday, May 19, 2016

Harvard Men's Tennis Newsletter

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Dear Harvard Tennis Family,

The 2015-16 season is in the books and it is time to look back on the year. While the team lost its last dual match to Dartmouth in a battle for second place in the league, there were many lasting memories and performances that deserve a special mention.

Graduating Senior Class from Left to Right: Nicky Hu, Kelvin Lam and Conor Haughey -We will miss you!


The Senior Edition of the HMT Newsletter:

The team voted captain Nicholas Hu and Kelvin Lam as the MVPs. Nicky has steadily worked his way from #6 & #7 in the line-up to be a stud at #2 last season and a force at #1 this year. There is no question that his drive, dedication and professionalism propelled him to his accomplishments. His move to the top slot was predicted by Brad Gilbert who had worked with Nicky a few times in Palo Alto at the beginning of his college career. Brad literally said Nicky will play #1 to both our former volunteer Eric Butorac and myself. When Nicky was struggling to make the line-up, Gilbert seemed over-confident and perhaps a bit in love with his coaching but now I will credit him as the Oracle at Delphi. Nicky also earned First Team All-Ivy in Singles and First Team in doubles with Brian Yeung (voted Second Team). Nicky will be heading out on tour this summer starting with the Futures in Hong Kong. He already has an ATP Point and is looking to increase his haul.

Kelvin Lam's senior story is probably even more impressive considering he was #10 on our depth chart last year. Kelvin finished an amazing 13-7 in dual matches this spring, mostly at #5 and #4 in the line-up. As Kelvin saw his senior year approaching, he knew it was his last shot to leave his mark and shifted into high gear by doing the hard off-season work he would rely on throughout the season. Kelvin has a wonderful feel for the game and is a gifted athlete but it was his new-found grit that precipitated his rise into the starting line-up. Off the court, Kelvin was a team favorite as he continually found ways to give to others. He was especially nurturing to the freshmen. We are so proud of his accomplishments this year. Kelvin will also be giving the tour a shot before settling into the work.

Captain Conor Haughey (pronounced like "Hoy" though our Irish alums like the Doran and Green families would happily correct our pronunciation to "Haw-hee" in the original Irish). Conor's tennis game has probably traveled the furthest distance in his four years in Cambridge. He was a multi-sport athlete growing up, focusing on hockey and football before specializing in tennis towards the end of his high school career. Undaunted by the challenge, he came to HMT and continued to win the Most Improved Player Award nearly every year. This season Conor moved up the ladder to start in a lot of doubles matches, pulling off a huge deciding win against Brown at #3 late in the season when the team most needed it. Conor is now famous for the the amazing doubles point with Kelvin that went viral earlier this year. With all of his experience playing team sports, he brought high standards, and showed the importance of competing as one unit. He and Nicky Hu were great captains, who both helped raise the professional habits of the team to new heights. Next year's captains have a tough act to follow!


Here is a link to the video wrap-up of the 2016 season featuring interviews with Coach Fish and Coach Rueb.

The Votes are in! I'm not talking about the Donald or Hillary. The team has voted on the 2017 captains and senior Sebastian Beltrame and junior Jean Thirouin have been elected for next year. Sebastian will be spending the summer playing futures and money tournaments in Italy where his father grew up. Jean is a rising junior who hails from France and is already working hard to get in great shape for next season. Congratulations to both of you and we are looking forward to working with you next year.

Reunions: If you are coming to Cambridge this May for your 5th or 50th Reunion (or any in-between!) Dave and I would love to see you! I've reached out to many of you personally, but in case we haven't caught up - do send us an email. We are hosting a tennis hit-around event for all classes on Saturday, May 28th from 3-5pm

Best From Boston,

Andrew and Dave




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Please don't include me in future emails.

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