By Marvin Lowe/Red Sports

RI ACSI Tennis

Dong Jie of ACS(I) goes with a forehand. (Photo 1 © Marvin Lowe/Red Sports)

Kallang Tennis Centre, Thursday, April 7, 2011 — Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) won their second tennis title of the year after defeating arch-rivals Raffles Institution 4-1 in the final of the C Division Tennis Championship. ACS(I) had secured the 2011 B Division title earlier in the year.

ACS(I) were hot favorites to win and they did not disappoint their supporters, easily clinching the first two points of the final. Imran Mooraj of ACS(I) breezed past James Tan of RI in straight sets with a 6-0, 6-1 scoreline. Issac Ong of ACS(I) also made light of work of his opponent in the second singles, winning with a 6-2, 6-3 scoreline.

Raffles pulled a point back when they won the first doubles match-up. Robert Liang and Sherwin Foo managed to win their encounter with a close 6-4, 7-5 scoreline.

In the second doubles match up, the ACS(I) pair of Raahil Doshi and Will Angkawidjaja won the first set 7-6 but their RI opponents, Timothy Wee and Seth Teo, fought back to win the second set 7-5, forcing the match into a decisive rubber set.

On the adjacent court, the third singles match between Dong Jie of ACS(I) and Giri of RI was also being played out. It was a close fight between them but Dong Jie managed to squeak out a 6-4 win in the first set. The second set was an even closer affair. Both players traded points, breaking each other’s serve to even thing out.

With the game tied at 3-3, Giri from RI was unfortunately crippled by a bad bout of leg cramps. After taking a medical time out, Giri managed to muster enough strength to continue the game. A second bout of cramps struck him shortly after the re-start, this time it affected his hands.

Despite the cramps, Giri fought on and managed to break Dong Jie’s serve with a series of defensive strokes to tie the game 6-6.

However, the injuries took a toll on Giri’s body and he was visibly weakened. Dong Jie then proceeded to dominate the tie break, winning seven straight points to seal an emphatic victory for ACS(I).

Meanwhile, in the second doubles match, Raahil and Will also managed to fight their way to a 7-6 victory in their third set. This gave ACS(I) the C Division title with a 4-1 score line.

“It’s awesome! I feel great that I was able to bring home the winning point for my school. After Giri came down with cramps, coach just told me to make Giri run more and try not to commit any errors while doing it. I am glad that I was able to do it and win the game in the end,” said Dong Jie, who is only in secondary one this year.

“I am really proud of my boys. They have put in a lot of hard work in training and they really showed their desire to win today. Kudos to RI as well for playing their heart outs and giving us a good fight. We will definitely be hoping to achieve the treble this year,” said ACS(I) teacher-in-charge, Bill Chia.

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