Varsity Tennis at the Fessenden Tournament

The annual Fessenden Invitational is a highlight of the year for the top 4 players on the Varsity squad. This year Co-captains Jeffrey So and Connor Buettner, along with Alexis Pontones and John Pope made the trip to Newton, Mass to challenge the top boys from New England Junior Prep Schools: Roxbury Latin, Fenn, Fay, Fessenden, Rectory, Hillside, and Belmont Hill. Each round consists of one 6 game set resulting in intense, face paced play. Fessenden, again, was a gracious host managing complex court and player logistics seamlessly.

Connor Buettner drew a tough match in the first round, an athletic Fenn player who progressed to the championship semi-finals, but the loss placed Connor in the consolation draw. Once he regrouped from the initial disappointment, Connor recognized the opportunity ahead of him. He marched through his bracket winning 6-2 vs. Belmont's top player, 6-2 vs. Rectory's #4, 6-2 vs. Fay's #3, and outlasted Hillside's top player 7-5 to win the consolation championship, and securing one of the tournaments trophies.

John Pope relished the tournament challenge as his own birthday celebration, which almost ended too early. As Eaglebrook's #4 seed, John was matched against Hillside's top seed who took a 5-0 lead over John. Not keen on blowing out his candles quite yet, John rallied back to win 7 consecutive games, and advanced, 7-5, to play Belmont's #3, who he felled 6-2. This set John up to play Fessenden's #2, who just one week earlier had beaten Eaglebrook's own #2 at our courts. John seized the challenge. Amidst a flurry of driving backhands, slicing angles, and lethal accuracy, John impressively overwhelmed his opponent 6-3 to advance to the championship semi-finals, where he faced teammate and Captain Jeffrey So.

Jeffrey had progressed through the first rounds smoothly winning 6-0 vs. Fay's #4, and 6-2 against Roxbury Latin's #3. Jeffrey squared off against Fenn's top player in the quarterfinals and was put on his heels by Fenn's strong serve and heavy forehand. From an initial 4-1 lead, to being tied 4-4, So had to buckle down. He did so, and covered the court with his trademark agility winning 6-4 to meet John Pope in the Semis. Matching off against a teammate was not an easy task for anyone involved, including the coach, as emotions and aspirations were muddled by camaraderie and a season's worth of cheering for each other. However, the team's sportsmanship met the new challenge and each player performed admirably. John continued he skillful placement, but Jeffrey covered the court and played defense better than anyone expected. Jeffrey prevailed, and advanced to the tournament championship.

Alexis Pontones entered the tournament focused on proving to himself and his team that he had the skill and the nerve to win the championship. In the first round he overcame Hillside's #2, 6-2, and battled past a fiery Rectory #1, 6-4, in the second round. Alexis landed across from Fessenden's top seed in the quarterfinal, the matchup Alexis had anticipated, and deeply wanted. The two players demonstrated their tenacity, skill, and cunning in a back-and-forth battle. Ultimately, Alexis earned an impressive 6-4 victory. It was at this point that the tale of the tournament began to take shape as simultaneously Alexis, John, and Jeffrey played side-by-side earning victories in the quarterfinals, while Connor played in the consolation semifinals. Alexis faced the same Fenn #3 who had stunned teammate Connor Buettner in the first round, and Alexis avenged his teammate. Fenn's athleticism and perseverance pushed Alexis, but did not stop him from a 6-2 victory, and a place in the championship finals against Jeffrey So.

In the matchup that both had hoped for, and with the stands cleared out as Eaglebrook was the last team in the hunt, Alexis and Jeffrey enjoyed the unique privilege of an all Eaglebrook Final. While the points were hard fought, Pontones was dialed in. His consistency, unflappability, and commitment to executing his game plan catapulted Alexis, 8-2, to the title of Tournament Champion. Congratulations, Alexis.

The day will be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of the Eaglebrook Tennis Program. Eaglebrook is proud, and fortunate, to have had four outstanding young men come together to deliver their greatest efforts against talented opponents as part of a wonderful tournament. On the day, Eaglebrook produced three-of-four championship semifinalist, the Consolation Champion, and Championship Runner-Up, the Tournament Champion, and most importantly the Tournament Team Championship.

Eaglebrook will be completing the season this coming Saturday as they host the Cardigan Mountain Cougars in the exciting season finale.