A 5-0 victory over South Amboy on Monday brought the South River High School boys’ tennis team to a 7-4 record, as Coach Bill Csatari has reaped some good results from shuffling his lineup.
"First and second singles were no problem," he said. "But we had to move some people around in doubles."
The first singles entry, junior Dimitry Petrov, is 6-5, using a strong serve and forehand, while senior Arthur Chang has won six of nine matches at No. 2.
"He’s new, and I’m extremely happy," said Csatari. "He plays extremely hard, as if every point is the last point. He’d run through the fence after a ball."
Senior Matt Gerhartz was 3-3 at third singles, but he’s dropped down to doubles with senior Mario Maltez moving up.
"Doubles depends on the combination clicking," Csatari points out. "At first doubles we have junior Tony Wyszynski, who is a very good net player. But Maltez is also a net player while Gerhartz has a strong baseline game. So the best combo was to move Maltez up to third and team Gerhartz and Wyszynski."
The second doubles team has been a great and pleasant surprise for the Rams. Juniors Mustafa Engin and Glenn Scheinberg were new to the team, but have combined to forge a fine 7-3 record.
The Rams played Middlesex yesterday, finishing the second half of a rain date.
"The rain has killed everybody this year," Csatari observed.