Kavin Shukla clinches state title for Wheatley boys tennis
Kavin Shukla from Wheatley hits during the state championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday June 10, 2022. Credit: Louis Lanzano
Kavin Shukla found his groove with a little help from his friends. After winning the first set, Shukla was trailing 5-2 in the second set of a first singles match during the Wheatley boys' state team tennis final against Byram Hills.
It wasn’t until his fellow Wildcats began cheering him on from the stands that Shukla regained his edge.
“I was really tight and nervous but once the whole team came out and supported me," Shukla said, "it definitely boosted my confidence.”
Game. Set. Momentum.
Shukla came back and prevailed in a 6-2, 7-5 win over Aidan Berkman to clinch the title for the Wildcats.
Shukla's win helped Wheatley edge Byram Hills, 3-2, on Friday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens to become the inaugural state boys tennis Division II team champions in history.
“We knew that Byram Hills had strong first and second doubles teams,” Wheatley coach Herman Lim said. “Our singles teams had to come through big for us and they did.”
During the singles competition, Wheatley's Saje Menon defeated Arel Rivera, 6-0, 6-3, and Aaron Raja defeated Aaron Lepofsky, 6-1, 6-4. With Byram Hills sweeping the two doubles matches, the deciding match fell on Shukla.
"Shukla didn't play for us the past two years and he certainly picked the best year to come back and play," Lim said. "He has been our leader the entire season."
When Wheatley reeled off seven wins in a row midway through the season, Lim realized his team was going to do something special. They continued their undefeated season with a big semifinal over Cazenovia, 5-0, earlier on Friday in the state semifinal.
The key to the semifinal win was the first doubles team of Ilan Klein and Rahul Dawar. The pair won, 6-0, 6-1 over Cazenovia's powerful servers in Gabe Reagan and Andrew Falso.
For a small school like Wheatley to acheive a big win like this, it's all about the team dynamic.
“Not one player thinks that they are better than the other,” Lim said. “They all have the utmost respect for each other and when they show up for practice, it’s to help each other improve.”
Shukla reflected on the team's run to the state title. “This experience and these past two weeks," he said, "have been the best tennis experience of my life thanks to my team."
