DENVER | The Grandview boys tennis team finished the season with a number of notable achievements, which were on display Saturday on the final day of the Class 5A individual state tournament.
On the court at the Denver Tennis Park, coach Jeff Ryan’s Wolves saw an outstanding conclusion to the season by freshmen twins Kaahan and Krish Wani, who finished third in their respective singles brackets.
Additionally, Grandview — which had three singles players and two doubles teams in action over three days of the tournament — received the Vicky Matarazzo Sportsmanship Award. The award is voted on by league coaches throughout the tournament.
It was a memorable season for the Wolves, who finished as the runner-up in the Centennial League standings for the first time, which earned them the chance to play host to a 5A regional tournament. Grandview also qualified for the 5A team state tournament for the first time and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to top-seeded Regis Jesuit.
The Wolves’ individual state-qualifying contingent included all three singles players in junior Justin Son (last season’s 5A state runner-up), plus Kaahan Wani at No. 2 and Krish Wani at No. 3 as well as the No. 1 doubles team of senior Blake Hardin and junior Carter Benton and the No. 2 doubles team of senior Atharv Peroor and freshman Nathan McIsaac.
All five were victorious in the opening round of the state tournament, while Kaahan and Krish Wani advanced to Friday’s semifinals. They lost to both players who went on to win state championships (Cherry Creek’s Jack Loehr at No. 2 singles and Aidan Washer at No. 3 singles), but both were able to finish their debut seasons with victories in third-place matches.
Kaahan Wani — whose semifinal loss was only his second of the season — downed Pine Creek’s Gurman Goraya 6-2, 6-4, while Krish Wani defeated Arapahoe’s Carson David 6-3, 6-4 in his third-place match.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
