Percarpio sees big season ahead for PHS boys tennis
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
The boys tennis regular season has not yet begun, but Eddie Percarpio already has had to show the resilience that has made him a tough singles player for Princeton High School.
Challenge matches put Percarpio up against fellow seniors Robert Zhao and Julian Edgren as the Little Tigers return all three singles players from last year’s team that went 15-3. Percarpio survived to win the tiebreaking challenge match over Zhao, last year’s first singles player, to earn the No. 1 spot for PHS.
”It felt great,” Percarpio said. “The top 3, we’ve always been very close. Every year, we’ve gone into really close matches. This year, I came out on top. It felt really great”
Making his week even better was being named a team captain Wednesday. With the leadership position and the top flight in the lineup, Percarpio knows things will be different this season.
”All my matches are definitely going to be tough,” he said. “Tougher than last year. There are some superstar players. Even the bad teams, they can have a good singles player. Every match is going to be a fight. I’m ready for the challenge.”
The big key for Percarpio was his attitude. In years past, he’s been so nervous for the challenge matches that it has cost him the chance to play well.
”The main thing was I was a lot more relaxed coming into it,” he said. “This year, I just said, it’s not going to be the end of the world if I don’t get first singles. I was going to be happy anyway because I just love to play tennis, whether I got first singles or not. It made me more relaxed.”
The Little Tigers have come to expect a never-say-die attitude from Percarpio. His three-set win at second singles after falling 6-2 in the second set was a key to PHS’ 3-2 win over a talented West Windsor-Plainsboro North team last year, and the Little Tigers hope he carries that same attitude to the top flight this year.
”I think he will fight,” said PHS head coach Sarah Hibbert. “He’s a true competitor. He will give it all he has in any match. He had a few good wins for us last year, including a third-set victory to claim a victory over West Windsor North. Eddie came back with his back against the wall and was able to pull out a big victory for us there, as was Julian in his match. If they can keep their motivation high, they have the potential for a great season.”
Zhao will play second singles and Edgren returns to play third singles to give PHS a strong starting point. The key to a good season, however, may be how quickly the Little Tigers figure out their doubles teams. Jesse Chai graduated from last year’s first doubles team with Akash Khanolkar, but both Kevin Qiu and Eddy Zheng return from last year’s second doubles pairing. They are juniors.
Newcomers also in the mix for a doubles spot are senior Kartheek Tummala, junior Joon Choi and three freshmen — Adib Zaidi, Tyler Hack and Rishab Tanga.
”We’re a lot better than last year,” Percarpio said. “We only lost one player. Our three singles, we’ve all improved a lot. We’re a lot stronger than we were last year. Doubles wise, I don’t know. There are a lot of new faces. They’re all good. We’re still trying to figure out who’s on doubles. There’s a lot of new faces and old faces. We’ll all help each other. I think it’ll be a great year. We should be a lot better than we were last year.”
It will benefit Percarpio and the singles players if the doubles teams develop into reliable winners.
”That would be a huge help,” Percarpio said. “If you have really good doubles teams, it’ll help you be a lot more relaxed going into singles matches. You’ll know, it won’t depend totally on you. Our doubles team will be good. It’s going to be good. Our doubles teams are going to be a lot better than they were last year.”
Figuring out the doubles teams appears to be the toughest challenge for the Little Tigers. They have four pairings playing for two spots in challenge matches, and even those combinations could change.
”I think doubles is always a huge key to our success,” Hibbert said. “Many schools have a very strong singles player, or two or three. It’s being able to keep the depth through the lineup, through the doubles, that is a key to a good season. It also takes some pressure off the singles. If we can count on the doubles, then we only have to count on one singles player each day. It’s nice for them to know they have the support of the doubles. Hopefully everyone will play well in their respective positions.
”The singles is pretty well set,” she added. “The doubles are still a little up in the air. We’re starting to at least get settled. We have the good problem of a lot of people being close in ability.”
Percarpio is feeling better prepared this year to handle another move up. He’s slid up in the lineup each year for the Little Tigers, and the first singles spot will be his third different flight on the varsity in three seasons.
”I’m still like a baseline player, but I’m a lot more consistent,” Percarpio said. “I’m more of a head case than the second singles (player). He’s very calm and collected. I think these days, if I have a bad point, I’ll collect myself and work on the next point. That’s usually my major problem, but I’m getting better at that. And my strokes have improved overall. I’m a lot more consistent.”
With some tough challenge matches behind him, Eddie Percarpio is looking forward to the start of the season next week, and his first chance at the top of a lineup that has high expectations for this season.