By Bill Alden

Over the course of this spring, the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team is going to be tested early and often.

PDS is facing a gauntlet of tough foes in regular season action, featuring a schedule packed with formidable prep and public school opponents. As for postseason play, the Panthers will be competing in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) tournament for the first time in addition to their annual tradition of  taking part in the state Prep B tourney and the Mercer County Tournament (MCT).

For PDS head coach Michael Augsberger, facing challenges is the key to making progress.

“I tell them it is really important for me to be playing the best because it means that we are trying to become the best tennis players that we can be and not just win matches,” said Augsberger. “That is impotent but it is more important to improve and to test yourself and your mettle. The challenge with that is that you have to try to keep spirits up.”

The chance to test their mettle in the NJSIAA competition is a big motivation for the PDS players.

“The guys are really excited, I think part of it is the success, ending on a high note last year and getting excited about it,” said Augsberger, whose team topped Peddie 5-0 last week to improve to 2-3 and hosts Haddonfield on April 20 before starting play in the MCT on April 25.

“Also I think it is entering the states. They see in the fall what the girls could do (winning a sectional title) and they are really excited about it. We are really happy to be a part of it. They really understand that this is a neat opportunity that no one else in school history has had.”

At first singles, junior Joshua Chu is getting a boost this spring from having the opportunity to spend two weeks training in Spain prior to the season.

“Playing on the clay for two straight weeks, you learn the game a little bit differently from here,” said Augsberger. “He is working his drop shots more up and down, not just side to side. Your initial thought is to move them around side to side but you have to move them depth-wise too. He has come out and is probably the most improved player on the team.”

Senior Andrew Marshall has been playing well at second singles.

“It is impressive, he can hit an offensive shot from anywhere on the court; we try to work on that, relaxing the trigger just a little bit,” said Augsberger. “He wants to do it often and sometimes it is worth it just to hit that ball crosscourt, give it some height so you can get back in the point. He was lost for us last year because of injury and for him to come back as hungry as he has been and to really claim that second spot has been impressive to see. His upper body strength is much more than it was last year. He has bulked up and you can really see that. His groundstrokes have always had a lot of spin. I would say they really dig into the court and get that high bounce more so now because of that extra strength.”

At third singles, junior Jason Wu has displayed impressive growth in his mental game on the court.

“I think the biggest thing he has wanted to work on is his mental strength, his ability to bounce back from disappointment and manage his emotions,” said Augsberger. “We saw that when he was tested in the last home match that we played against Peddie. He was in a bit of dogfight with his opponent, there were times last year where he may have lost his cool. It was a real struggle for him. I went up to him and he wanted to handle it on his own. He was able to play through that instead of, like in the past, allowing his opponent’s consistency to get to him.”

The pair of senior Neel Adusumilli and junior Oliver Silverio is developing into a strong team at first doubles.

Neel last year was supposed to partner with Aaron [Phogat], who won the Prep B title with Oliver,” said Augsberger. “He is very similar in mentality, I think that is why he has partnered so well with Oliver. He is extremely competitive, maybe the most on the team, and has a similar flair that Phogat had. He has focus on power and Oliver pairs up well with that. Oliver is more of the creative groundstroke guy. He will play angles, he will hustle, and he will cover the court.”

At second doubles, Augsberger has has been rotating junior Farhan Mohammad, sophomore Jaylen Peng, and freshman Steven Li.

“Farhan played soccer, we love the soccer guys because they bring that competitive mentality and the team ethos like our Prep B champions (Mark Santamaria and Will Sedgley) did at second doubles last year,” said Augsberger.

“Farhan is the ultimate team guy and we want to get him in there as often as we can. The young guys, Stephen and Jaylen, are very, very strong with their volleys and they are strong on their tennis IQ. Jaylen is a big guy with a huge serve. We just want to beef up that first serve percentage. He moves well for a big guy, his groundstrokes are strong.”

With PDS competing in the MCT for the first time since 2019 as the 2020 tourney was canceled and the event last year was modified to a CVC team competition only, the Panthers will need to bring patience along with their skill.

“We are really excited; it is the U.S. Open day of the tennis season, it is all there in the one location,” said Augsberger of the event which is held at the Mercer County Park tennis complex and starts next Monday with the semis and finals slated for April 27.

“The boys will realize very quickly that the level of competition is very high. The guys know it is not a matter of talent that is going to decide it. It is going to come down to decision-making and making the right calls on court because any of these matches against the top players could go either way. They have a chance in all of them and they have a chance to fall. It can be a 10-hour day, there can just be a lot of waiting around. You have to maintain mental focus the entire day because you don’t know when you are going to go on, you don’t know how long your matches are going to be or whether rain is going delay stuff.”