Junior third singles helps WW-PS sweep North in CJ III tourney
By: Justin Feil
Head coach Jim Giovacchini has thought of using Brian Lee as an example of the benefits of hard work to his West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys’ tennis players.
But Giovacchini doesn’t have to say anything because Lee’s results continue to speak volumes.
Lee beat Brian Wong, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, to help South top West Windsor-Plainsboro North, 5-0, in the quarterfinals of the Central Jersey Group III tournament Tuesday.
"In the past, I did play him once in a tournament," Lee said. "At that point, he was a lot better than me. I knew he was a really good player. I was looking forward to it. It was a tough first set. I was down right from the beginning.
"Then, maybe because the wind died down a little, I started hitting more first serves in. I started being a little more aggressive and attacking his second serve. In the second set, I was definitely more aggressive and he felt the pressure more since he was down."
With the win, Lee improved his record to 13-1 as the Pirates improved to 13-0 this season going into Thursday’s scheduled CJ III semifinal at second-seeded Ocean. With an upset, the Pirates would likely play at top-seeded Princeton High on Tuesday.
"Our record is pretty outstanding," Giovacchini said. "A lot of guys only have one loss, and it’s to Princeton. Eugene (Vaynberg) has lost a few other matches but he’s playing the top players. I don’t think anybody else has lost at any other position. We’re having a great year. They are focused and determined. I don’t know if it’s because of how good Princeton is that’s caused us to raise our games. Everyone’s working well together."
Giovacchini commended Vaynberg for his leadership, and has been pleased with how Benny Gordon-Goldstein has played at the second singles slot this season. His doubles squads are also formidable. And then there’s Lee, who was 4-3 in singles action last year, but spent the majority of the season as first doubles partner to Chris Tuan as they went 13-4. This year, Lee has stepped in for the graduated Arif Poonawala at third singles.
"Brian is a bit of a surprise," Giovacchini said. "I am impressed with how much he improved. He is one of the guys who takes his tennis really serious. He’s a real hard worker on his game, and it pays off."
Lee has seen steady improvement since he began playing seriously at age 12. After a few years of group lessons, his improvement rocketed when he began taking private lessons two years ago.
"My serve has improved a lot," the 17-year-old junior said. "Last year, it was probably as good, but it wasn’t as consistent. And my shot selection has improved a lot, knowing when to hit the right shots and knowing my limits."
Lee’s improvements have helped him handle moving to third singles. Instead of a partner to lean on, it’s only Lee that can win or lose a point.
"It’s more pressure," he confirmed. "I felt the pressure during the MCTs. Now it feels normal and I just take it one match at a time."
At the Mercer County Tournament, Lee was runner-up to Chris Hoeland, who he stretched to 7-5 in the first set. Lee was hoping for a win Thursday, which would give him another shot at the county’s top third singles player. Regardless, he’ll have another shot when the teams square off in their regular-season make-up match.
"This year, basically I wanted to have a pretty good personal record," Lee said. "And I wanted to beat Princeton, which is hard to do. I’ve been really pleased that we’ve been undefeated so far. I just hope we can make a good run in states."
With a big win to sweep the Knights, Lee and Pirates have already done so.
"The match against North was a good test," said Giovacchini. "He won the first set in a tiebreaker and Brian Wong played fantastic. I had no idea what to tell Brian. You just want to tell him to hang in there. To his credit, he did and he went on to win."
But Lee isn’t looking to just hang on to his solid record and his position. He’s hoping to continue his development for next year, when he could slide up to second or first singles after Vaynberg graduates.
"I’ll play a lot more this summer and work on my game and see what happens for next year," Lee said. "I just moved up to the boys 18s, and I plan to get a sectional ranking in the 18s."
With the way he’s improved in recent years, Giovacchini has no doubts that Lee is still ascending the tennis ladder.
"Brian is really into tennis," he said. "I think he knows he has to work on his game. I’ve gone out on a Sunday and found the kid running sprints. And that was after he played two matches already. He’s really into it.
"His serve is his biggest strength. I think his volleys and his footspeed have improved a lot. He’s gotten quicker with his feet and that helps your hands. You can’t be a good volleyer if you don’t have good feet. He can come in against a lot of players where he wouldn’t have been successful last year."
An improved overall game and a sparkling record are undeniable examples of just what hard work has done for Brian Lee, and why he’ll continue to be a mainstay in the WW-P South boys’ tennis lineup.

