University High School’s boys tennis team has made history by winning the first-ever California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) USTA State Championship. The Trojans defeated California High School of San Ramon 6-1 at the Sierra Sport & Racquet Club.
This is the first year CIF has hosted a statewide championship for boys tennis. In past years, the highest championship for boy's tennis was the Southern California Championship.
By capturing the state title, the team added to their impressive collection of titles that includes 15 CIF Southern Section championships, nine Ojai team championships and four titles at the All-American tournament.
“We knew this would be the first time this accomplishment would be possible and were determined to have University on that trophy,” stated University's Head Coach John Kessler. “We have been fortunate to have a strong program with many great teams over the years but never had a chance to be a true state champion.”
The championship match saw the Trojans sweep all four singles matches against the Northern California champions. Freshmen Rishvanth Krishna, JiHyuk Im, and Daniel Zhu, along with sophomore Arystarkh Len, each won their matches in straight sets. Krishna's performance was particularly notable, as he dominated his match with a 6-0, 6-0 score.
University secured two more points in doubles, with senior duo SangHyuk Im and Bradley Yung — the recent runners-up at the CIF-SS individual finals — clinching the title-clinching fourth point. They were joined by sophomore Langston Walter-Wu and junior Humam Alajeely, both of whom also won in straight sets. The Trojans’ doubles lineup was completed by juniors Cedric Lichtsteiner and Joseph Chan.
The full championship-winning team included:
- Rishvanth Krishna
- JiHyuk Im
- Arystarkh Len
- SangHyuk Im
- Bradley Yung
- Joseph Chan
- Reid Hashimoto
- Cedric Lichtsteiner
- Daniel Zhu
- Langston Walter-Wu
- Mimo Alajeely
- Tyler Chandler
- Justin Zhang
- Arjun Appa
- Evan Zhong
The significance of this championship goes beyond just the victory itself. It represents the culmination of years of dedication and excellence from University High’s tennis program.
Congratulations to the team on an amazing victory and tennis season!