On Saturday, senior Alex Antonopoulos defeated Columbus North’s Hank Lin in the IHSAA Individual State finals for tennis. Antonopoulos won in two sets, 6-2 and 6-1, and only trailed once throughout the match. With the victory, Antonopoulos ends his final season for NC boys tennis with a 23-0 record.
After the match, Antonopoulos was surrounded by teammates, family and friends who all congratulated him on his accomplishment. But even still, the moment hardly felt real.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Antonopoulos said, “I was trying to have fun but at the same time I needed to stay focused. Overall, though, it was really fun.”
The balance between fun and seriousness in terms of athletics is tough to find. For Antonopoulos, it came down to preparation.
“Before the match I was getting locked in, trying to focus up,” Antonopoulos said, “I wanted to have fun but I also really, really needed to stay focused.”
It turned out that having that focus paid off. Throughout the match, it seemed to spectators that Antonopoulos was more dominant.
“As soon as he started hitting, it was clear that Alex was the best player,” boys tennis coach Matthew Riley said, “I knew that if he kept his focus, he was going to win.”
As the match was near ending, Antonopoulos settled in and began to add in some fun. He closed out the fifth game of the second set with an under leg return, wowing the crowd.
“It’s actually a funny story,” Antonopoulos said, “I used to count how many times I did that last season but it was the first time I did it this season. Honestly it just kind of happened. I overran the ball and just ended up playing it through my legs.”
Antonopoulos is not just leaving his impact on the school with this championship, He is also leaving an impact on those who were involved in his season.
“Coaching Alex has been incredibly rewarding and easy,” Riley said, “Alex is a set it and forget it player. He knows what he’s doing out there. He’s very mature, very responsible. Alex always took care of business. The only thing I ever said to him was helping him occasionally refocus and that’s it. It all led up to today and I thought Alex looked great.”
Antonopoulos reciprocates the sentiment, appreciating all that Riley has done for him throughout the season.
“He’s given me whatever I wanted,” Antonopoulos said. “He’s been a great, great coach and a great guy on and off the court. I would get texts from him just making sure I’m doing good. He was a great supporter.”
With his NC tennis career ending, Antonopoulos looks forward to playing division one tennis at Western Michigan. Nonetheless, his time at NC is something he cherishes.
“It means a lot to me, playing for the school” Anonopoulos said, “The 21 state titles for North Central… I mean it’s a big legacy to have to play for. I just feel proud and I feel as though I’ve made North Central proud.”
