One is fire. The other is ice. One is talkative. The other is introspective.<\/p>\n
Together, Zack AhYat and Luyang Gai are the quintessential doubles duo. They\u2019re tough, talented, and certainly successful.<\/p>\n
Oh, and one more thing:<\/p>\n
They\u2019re tired of being No. 2.<\/p>\n
This weekend, the two Kentridge High seniors want to do something about that last item. After a pair of runner-up finishes in boys doubles, they\u2019re poised to claim the crown in the Class 4A state tournament at the Vancouver Tennis Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s going to be more pressure, but that\u2019s what\u2019s expected if you want to win a state championship,\u201d said Gai, the soft-spoken, steady one while AhYat provides the tandem\u2019s spark and isn\u2019t hesitant about going for winners. \u201cYou have to handle that pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first two rounds were played Friday (results unavailable). If AhYat and Gai are on target, they\u2019ll play in the semifinals this morning at 8, with the title match to follow at 10:15.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot more confidence,\u201d AhYat said of the tandem\u2019s growth over the past four years. \u201cWe\u2019ve learned how to play doubles the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n
While AhYat and Gai have garnered multiple titles at the South Puget Sound League level, they earned their first one outside of league play last weekend in the West Central District tournament. The Chargers downed Bellarmine Prep\u2019s Zach Hamilton and Joey Hoolihan, 6-1, 6-4. They raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set before the Lions came back and made a match out of it in the second.<\/p>\n
AhYat and Gai finished second at district as sophomores, then settled for third last year after losing in the semifinals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been waiting for a long time (for this),\u201c Gai said. \u201cThe first set, we came out firing. We didn\u2019t want to let them feel like they had a chance against us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added AhYat, \u201cWe just wanted to keep their confidence to a minimum. But in the second set, we let up a bit\u201d<\/p>\n
A Kentridge-Bellarmine final is possible today, which would make it the third straight year for such a match-up. But this time, it\u2019ll be two different Lions on the other side of the net. The past two years, Bellarmine\u2019s team of Brian McPhee and Simon Meske beat AhYat and Gai in the finals, 6-3, 6-4 in 2006, then 6-1, 6-4 last spring.<\/p>\n
Although both would have been seniors this year, Meske isn\u2019t playing, and McPhee switched to singles.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people look at us as the favorites. We\u2019re not the underdog like we were the last two years,\u201d Gai said.<\/p>\n
Sticking together<\/b><\/p>\n
Not all doubles teams last that long. Human nature being what it is, people sometimes just need a change. In fact, Kentridge coach Bob Armstrong said AhYat and Gai did ponder playing singles this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of left it up to them,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen kids are freshmen and sophomores, I make the decisions. But when they\u2019re juniors and seniors, I let them choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armstrong definitely wasn\u2019t disappointed when they chose doubles again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re able to push each other\u2019s buttons and get the very best out of each other,\u201d he said. \u201cThey enjoy playing together, and they really want to go all the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have the will to do it,\u201d Armstrong added. \u201cThey have a kind of second gear, and they can suck it up (and go).\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the secret to success for AhYat and Gai is no secret at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter you play together for so long, you know the other person\u2019s comfort zone,\u201d AhYat said.<\/p>\n
No secret to getting it done this weekend, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just have to go out and play,\u201d AhYat said. \u201cThere\u2019s motivation, because you want to get that state championship. But you have to go out and play.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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