Editor’s note: in an earlier version of this article, Alex Guadarrama was misquoted.

MIDDLETOWN–Staples’ Luke Brodsky and Alex Guadarrama are Connecticut’s state boys doubles tennis champions.

Yesterday, they beat the very talented Darien team of Anders Hansen and Will Donnelly in three sets, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

Asked how they bounced back from losing the second set, 6-0, Brodsky said, “We knew we needed to change not only our tennis, but also our energy. Our coach [Kris Hrisovulos] gave us some important advice and said the team that wants it more will win the match. Because this was my last high school match ever, I needed to win. Our energy at the start of the third set was a lot better and was an important factor for us winning.”

When Guadarrama first joined the boys tennis team, his game was, in his words, “not so good.”

But, “with help from Luke I really learned how to play doubles.” From Coach Hrisovulos, Guadarrama learned that “the match can change at any moment–every point matters.”

Brodsky is graduating from Staples this month and will attend Franklin and Marshall College in the fall.

Guadarrama will return to Staples as a senior and hopes to play varsity tennis next year as a single.

Source: ciacsports.com