Bayard Faithfull understands how young tennis players feel. They want to be like who they see on TV, like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic.
In other words, they want to play singles. Doubles? That’s not even part of the conversation.
But Faithfull has built his Beacon boys tennis program around strong doubles play – it’s crucial at the high school and collegiate level. This year’s Blue Demons first and second doubles might have been his most valued yet.
“Everyone wants to be a singles player,” Faithfull said. “These kids have really worked to be good doubles players. It’s a different game. It’s a different set of skills. I’m proud of them for focusing on really good becoming doubles teams and becoming good doubles players.”
On Tuesday, top-seed Beacon’s doubles teams lost one combined set and the rest of the squad made it stand up for a 5-0 win over No. 3 Brooklyn Tech in the PSAL Class A championships at Flushing Meadows Park. The victory gave the Blue Demons a fourth straight city title and championships five of the last six years.
“I was confident we were going to get two wins from them,” Faithfull said. “Having strong doubles puts so much pressure on the other team.”
The all-freshman first doubles team of Lucas Pickering and Maxwell Smith defeated Ilan Korchmar and Justin Selig, 6-0, 6-0, and sophomore Daniel Segan and freshman Richard Sec beat Bert Bunyan and Justin Buyan, 6-1, 6-0.
The four underclassmen can look toward Christian Waldron and Jeremyah Schur as role models. The two Beacon singles players competed in doubles on previous championship teams. Waldron defeated Sami Chahi, 6-3, 6-2, at second singles and Schur knocked off Mikolaj Borak, 6-3, 6-3, at third singles.
“That’s pretty much the ladder,” Faithfull said. “You hope the freshman grow up and do that.”
Then, of course, there was senior first singles Quinton Vega, who was recently named an All-American, an honor bestowed upon just the 35 best high-school players in the country. The unsigned Vega beat Brooklyn Tech’s Jake Sosonkin, 6-4, 6-1, at first singles in his final PSAL match.
“For me the single biggest thing Quinton has meant to our team is he has really led by example,” Faithfull said. “He’s willing to coach. He’s as much of a coach on our team as I am. He’ll pull a kid aside. He’ll teach a kid a stroke. The kids just have ultimate respect for him as a person, as a teammate and as a captain. That’s going to be a huge void next year. Quinton Vega is Quinton Vega. He’s a different beast.”
The coach will have him for the Mayor’s Cup, which starts June 3, unlike last year. For all of Beacon’s success, it has just one crown at the event, which pits New York City’s best teams from the PSAL, CHSAA and private school leagues. Vega was torn last spring with an outside tournament – the prestigious USTA sectionals – going on at the same time. His absence led to a semifinal loss to Cardozo.
“It’s a little unfair to top players,” Faithfull said. “Everybody wants him, but no one is willing to budge.”
It shouldn’t be a problem this year, though.
“I think we’re all aboard for the Mayor’s Cup,” Faithfull said.
And with that doubles strength, Beacon might be just fine without him.