Redwood One Win From Another Tennis Title

shoots for its fourth consecutive Marin County Athletic League Playoffs championship Thursday, but Tam coach Bill Washauer promises it won’t be easy.

“Our goals are high. Coming in second is not the goal that we set,” the fifth-year Red-tailed Hawks coach assured. “We're out to win it.”

Ah, but so is Redwood, and the Giants have to be considered the favorites in the 4 p.m. match on the Redwood courts. Not only did they sweep through the MCAL regular season, but they went to Mill Valley and defeated Tam 6-3 in their head-to-head on March 17.

Ironically, that’s the same score by which Redwood beat Tam the first time they met last season. Then, in what has to be considered one of the biggest shockers in recent MCAL tennis history, the Hawks responded with a 9-0 whitewashing of the perennial power in the rematch.

That was a regular-season match. This time, the stakes are higher — the winner will earn the MCAL’s automatic berth in the upcoming North Coast Section Championships, while the loser will have to petition to get in.

Both teams earned a spot in the finals with impressive semifinals wins Tuesday. Tam faced the tougher foe — third-seeded Branson — but it was Redwood that looked the most powerful, disposing of a hot Drake team, 8-1.

Redwood coach knows all about the Redwood-Tam rivalry. He has both played and coached in it.

“If we are to win the MCAL league,” he predicted two weeks ago, “we’ll probably have to go through them one more time.”

Turns out he’s right. And he’s hoping the conditions Thursday at Redwood can match those at Tam back in March.

“Very energetic fans. A Davis Cup-type atmosphere. Very rare. Very exciting,” he recalled of the first meeting.

“My guys really responded well to it. They showed up to play that day. They played about as well as they could that day.”

Redwood ace set the tone that day, sweeping past Tam’s best, Zak Bohegian, in straight sets. The Giants went on to win five of the six singles matches, clinching the key win even before the doubles were contested.

“For us to have that kind of depth in the singles lineup, that was really fun for me to see,” Markowitz admitted. “Tam has one of the deepest teams around. Taking five of the six singles matches from them doesn’t happen a whole lot.”

Not that it was easy. In fact, three of Redwood’s six wins — in the end, the difference in the final outcome — came via third-set super-tiebreakers.

“Anyone who looks at 6-3 and thinks that wasn’t close, that’s just silly,” Tam’s Washauer assured. “It was a tough match. Very, very close. It came down to one or two points at the end of the day.

“I think it’s going to be the same type of match (Thursday).”

REDWOOD TENNIS UPDATE

Tuesday’s result: Beat Drake, 8-1, in MCAL Playoffs semifinals.

Redwood’s record: 21-4 overall.

Highlights: As it did in the win over Tam in March, Redwood won a couple of key matches in super-tiebreakers Tuesday against Drake: Collin Brady at sixth singles and Kenta Kamei-Cole Van Brunt at second doubles … Jonathan Pike, Arrian Derakhshani, and recorded straight-sets singles wins to help overpower the Pirates.

Upcoming schedule: Thursday at home vs. Tam in MCAL Playoffs finals, 4 p.m.