After an incredible victory over Venice High in the Quarterfinal, and an important win over Eagle Rock in the Semi finals Taft’s Boys Tennis team is gearing up for the upcoming Finals matchup in the Division 1 CIF playoffs in 2023.

Taft, the #2 seed in their bracket, played their Quarterfinal last Friday, April 28, at the courts at home at Taft High School against Venice High School at 12:30pm winning 15-14.5. Taft most recently played Eagle Rock this Tuesday at 12:30pm on May 2. This match was extremely crucial for Taft, and with the win in the semis they inched their way closer to a D1 championship.

This year, Taft’s biggest competitors in the D-1 playoff will be Marshall High School, who is the #1 seed, followed by Eagle Rock at #3, and North Hollywood at #4. It will be a competitive playoff; every match will count towards the final result.

Taft’s boys’ tennis team has a strong record of 10-5 overall, and they owe their success to the incredible top singles players such as Thomas Baxter, Greg Oghoorian, Nelson Walser, Eli Ruderman and Daniel Sasoyev. The team also succeeded due to their doubles teams such as team Senior Team Captain Ethan Kerendian & Abhi Dutta, and Saketh Vennela & Aakash Senthilnathan, as well as doubles partners Koorosh Farahani & Daniel Sasoyev.

On last Friday Taft Tennis took on the tennis team from Venice High School, a #7 seed in the playoffs but a good matchup nonetheless. Taft tennis never backed down and played their hearts out until the very end where doubles 3 team Saketh Vennela & Aakash Senthilnathan dominated and got the narrow win over Venice. Taft in the end won the match up with .5 points over Venice in a (Taft)15–(Venice)14.5. With incredible clutch matches coming from singles players Nelson Walser, Thomas Baxter, and Greg Oghoorian, as well as doubles teams 1 and 2 Taft secured the win over Venice in an exhilarating Quarterfinal.

This Tuesday May 2, in a thrilling Semi-Final matchup in the CIF Boys D1 Playoff, the team managed to secure a hard-fought victory over Eagle Rock High School. The final scoreline of 16.5 to 13 points showed just how closely contested the match was. The win was largely owed to the incredible performance of Greg Oghoorian, who secured a narrow victory in the last set, dominating his opponent and giving Taft just enough points to reach the crucial 15-point mark and secure the win. Nelson Walser also played a crucial role, winning all four of his matches and maintaining his unbeaten record in both playoff matchups. Thomas Baxter contributed some valuable points, while doubles teams Koorosh Farahani & Eli Ruderman, Ethan Kerendian & Abhi Dutta, and Aakash & Saketh all chipped in to help secure the win. Taft’s Finals match against Marshall High is yet to be scheduled, but they will undoubtedly be hoping to build on this impressive victory and fight for the championship.

As we look over the years in Toreador’s athletic achievements tennis is not often highlighted or given the spotlight despite its challenging matchups and is generally seen as boring. In fact Taft has been one of the most accomplished schools in tennis in boys and girls dating all the way back to the 80s where Taft has had several fantastic records and championships. Those who have played tennis know it is exhilarating and one of the most challenging sports to compete in. When interviewing one of our #1 doubles team players Koorosh Farahani, he explained “it’s very difficult when it comes to focusing, and staying positive despite making mistakes throughout a match as compared to other sports it’s hard to pick yourself up after making one small error… it can also be quite challenging to stay conditioned during an entire match.” Tennis due to its lack of team play generally demands concentration, and agility to succeed, and the players need to be in top physical shape to endure long matches.

Although tennis may not be the most recognized or highlighted sport at Taft, it is undoubtedly one of the best. The Taft Boys Tennis team has been working hard to improve their skills and teamwork to be successful in the playoffs. Their dedication and determination will make a mark in the upcoming matches and hopefully receive more following and recognition in the coming years.

For further information on dates and matchups view the playoff bracket here.