In order to win the BC Tennis Championships you must win at least six of the eleven matches. For the coaches, it is often a chess match where they need to plan and strategize how best to reach the magic number of six wins. Over the past nine years, Collingwood's opponents tried a number of tactics but always failed to outsmart Coach Al Rose or simply outplay his very deep teams.
This year, Coach Andy Wong has taken over from the retired Coach Rose. Coach Wong's tactical planning turned out to be perfect as he stacked his A doubles teams and counted on them winning four games. He knew if this went to plan then the title would likely belong to Collingwood again as his star singles' players were likely to win at least one of their matches. If they won both, Collingwood would reign again.
If SMUS somehow managed to win one of the singles matches, he was confident that Conor Robertson and Neeki Alavi could combine to win the mixed doubles if it came down to a 5-5 tie with one match to go. This is exactly what happened: Here is Coach Wong's report:
Collingwood grinded out a 6-5 win in a battle against St. Michael's University that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. The team knew they were going to be in tight match against the Island Champions.
Team captain Isaac Davies partnered up with Aleem Karmali to play doubles. In their first match, they came back from a 5-3 deficit to force a tie-break, where they carried their momentum to a 6-5 (7-5) victory. The early win proved to be crucial for the outcome. The Isaac and Aleem won their crossover match as well. With the wins, Isaac was a perfect 12-0 at provincials.
Nima Danaei and Imraan Karmali were in tough at the SMU boys, losing 6-1. Nima then paired up with Jack Mathisen in the crossover match. The boys forced several long deuce matches, but lost to the top SMU doubles team 6-2.
Grade 9 star, Conor Robertson, moved into the singles spot, where he took on SMU's singles player. In a match that many thought was going to be close, Conor showed why he is one of the best young players in the province. He had nerves of steel, and quickly took over the match winning 6-0.
On the girls side, Maya Negris and Amy Young continued their fine form, winning each of their doubles matches 6-2 and 6-2. In their crossover match, they used the energy of the crowd to seal the victory.
Dina Rahimian played in spite suffering from the stomach flu. She partnered with Maisie Hastings. The pair were unable to catch up to the SMU girls quick start, losing 6-2. Amanda Finnie and Lauren Alderson played in the crossover match and were in tough against the top SMU pairing, losing 6-0.
Neeki Alavi played singles, and was in a tight match from the get-go. Both players were tentative in what seemed like a must-win for both team. Neeki's chants of "come on" became infectious, and she battled off several match points to force a tie-break. SMU's girl prevailed in a close 6-5 (7-5) win.
Neeki rebounded from the emotional loss, partnering up with Conor in the mixed doubles. With the teams squared at 5-5, Conor and Neeki were able to seal the victory with a 6-3 win. Neeki was an impressive 11-1 in the tournament, and she outscored her opponent in total games 71-9.
Conor was also 11-1 on the weekend, and his versatility in singles and doubles play was instrumental in helping the Cavs clinch the provincial championship. Conor, and partner Jack Mathisen were awarded for their top play in the tournament, being named the AA Doubles MVPs. The win marks the 10th straight provincial championship for Collingwood.
