Rishvanth Krishna lifts University High of Irvine boys tennis team to back-to-back state titles following 4-3 victory against Menlo School

FRESNO – During a season in which Rishvanth Krishna captured the prestigious CIF boys singles title April 26 at the historic Ojai Tennis Tournament, there might not have been a more meaningful victory for the sophomore at University High of Irvine than his come-from-behind win Saturday against Cooper Han of Menlo School.

Krishna rallied from deficits in both sets against the Northwestern-bound senior, not only securing a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Han, but clinching back-to-back state championships for the Trojans with a 4-3 triumph at Sierra Sport and Racquet Club.

Post-match interviews

Han prevailed by a 6-1 margin March 15 against Krishna in the semifinals of the All-American Invitational, with University (29-1) still managing to secure a 4-2 victory at Redondo Union High, before falling to Punahou High from Hawaii by a 4-3 margin in the final.

Rishvanth Krishna from University High of Irvine and Cooper Han from Menlo School shake hands following singles showdown in the state boys tennis final at Sierra Sport and Racquet Club in Fresno | Erik Boal photo

Menlo School (29-2), making its first appearance in a state final after not competing in the Northern California Regional last year, had Yuanye Ma cut the deficit to 3-2 only minutes earlier following a 7-5, 6-3 triumph against JiHyuk Im of University.

With the No. 3 doubles contest extending to a third set, the spotlight shifted to the conclusion of the showdown involving Krishna and Han as the potential title-clinching victory for the Trojans.

Krishna had already fought back after trailing 5-3 to win the opening set, and rallied again from a 4-3 deficit in the second to regain the advantage.

When Han’s final shot sailed out, several Trojans rushed center court at the venue to celebrate with Krishna before he could even make it to the net to shake Han’s hand following another exceptional matchup.

University High of Irvine boys tennis players celebrate Rishvanth Krishna clinching another state title with a 7-5, 6-4 win against Cooper Han of Menlo School | Erik Boal photo

Menlo School, which matched the program record for most victories in a season by tying the 2018 team that finished 29-0, earned the final point when Kavan Kumar and Ben Levin outlasted University seniors Joseph Chan and Cedric Lichtsteiner by a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 margin in the No. 3 doubles clash.

University received a crucial doubles victory in the No. 2 matchup from sophomores Tyler Chandler and Reid Hashimoto, who triumphed 6-4, 7-5 against Arki Temsamani and Riley Huang to give the Trojans a 3-1 advantage.

Chandler and Hashimoto also clinched a fourth consecutive CIF-Southern Section Open Division title May 16 for University by winning the final doubles set 7-5 against Harvard-Westlake in a 10-8 victory at University of Redlands.

Lucas Huang and Surya De Datta produced the first point for Menlo School with a 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 victory at the No. 1 doubles pairing against Human Alajeely and Langston Walter-Wu, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Menlo School’s boys tennis team matched the program record for victories in a season with 29 to reach the state final for the first time | Erik Boal photo

University benefited from early wins in the Nos. 3 and 4 singles showdowns, forcing Menlo to have to rally during the majority of the two-hour contest.

Daniel Zhu, a sophomore, secured a 6-1, 6-0 triumph in the No. 4 matchup against James Park, followed by senior Arystarkh Len prevailing with a 6-3, 6-2 win over David Lipeles in the No. 3 contest.

The Trojans had not lost a singles match in any of their three Southern California Regional contests against Buchanan, Peninsula and Harvard-Westlake, before Ma finally achieved a breakthrough for Menlo with the victory against Im in the No. 2 showdown.

Im had produced a 6-4 win against Ma in their March 15 matchup at the All-American Invitational, as University prevailed in two of three singles matchups, as well as two of three doubles contests at Redondo Union, including Chandler and Hashimoto earning a 6-1 triumph against Lipeles and Temsamani.

University High of Irvine boys tennis players and their families celebrate back-to-back state titles | Erik Boal photo

The Trojans, who achieved a 5-2 victory May 24 against Harvard-Westlake at Claremont Club to win their third consecutive Southern California Regional crown and fifth in program history under coaches John Kessler and John Mano, captured the inaugural state championship last year in Fresno with a 6-1 triumph against California High of San Ramon.