Nikky’s time to shine
Kondamuri prevails in three sets to win semistate title at No. 2 singles as a sophomore
Kondamuri prevails in three sets to win semistate title at No. 2 singles.
Going into his sophomore season, Munster’s Nikky Kondamuri knew what he had to improve.
“The main thing was my fitness,” he said. “It feels like my game has gotten better, but I’d lose matches consistently because I didn’t have the fitness to stay in those long matches.”
Kondamuri committed to running more in the offseason, typically starting his day with a one or two-mile jog while also doing countless sprints across tennis courts, all in the name of better endurance.
Saturday’s result showed how Kondamuri is reaping those benefits.
He rallied from an early deficit at No. 2 singles to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 over South Bend St. Joseph’s Kyle Fernandez in the LaPorte Semistate.
That victory was part of Munster’s 4-1 win over the Indians, the Mustangs’ second straight semistate title. They advanced to Friday’s state quarterfinals against Center Grove.
Kondamuri’s match was the only one to last three sets, challenging the reserve energy he had built with all that offseason conditioning.
But that was just one of the physical changes for the 5-foot-10 Kondamuri from last season. He also grew seven inches in the last year.
It has all added up to a more confident, aggressive style of play from Kondamuri that has worn down opponents all season.
“Last year, I was very passive,” he said. “I had a pretty good game, but I was just too passive for high school tennis. This year, I’ve gotten a lot stronger and I’m able to hit the ball harder.”
Along with Kondamuri’s win, sophomore Daniel Sroka rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles and the junior duo of Charlie Morton and Ryan Muntean eased to 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 1 doubles.
That clinched Munster getting another shot at going to state after losing in the quarterfinals in 2019 — a loss that’s still on the mind of Mustangs coach Patrick Spohr.
“We had a little bit of a setback last year, losing to Terre Haute South at state when we were a little bit favored to beat them,” Spohr said. “Hopefully, the comeback is greater than the setback.”
Munster’s fourth win came at No. 2 doubles, where senior Max Ladd and junior Nick Stephan combined for a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
That pairing was put together just a few weeks before the regular season ended, and Ladd admitted there were some concerns about how quickly they would mesh on the court.
“Chemistry is a huge part of doubles,” Ladd said. “I wasn’t sure how well we’d be able to play together. But we just clicked, the chemistry is there now, and we’re a solid team.”
Stephan added their relationship outside of tennis helped accelerate the transition.
“It was hard at first,” Stephan said. “But we’re friends off the court, so that helped us build our chemistry.”
With those early hurdles cleared, both Stephan and Ladd were oozing confidence following another victory.
That’s the common theme among Munster’s team heading into this weekend’s state meet, a feeling that has spread to the coach, too.
“I really like the way we’re playing at this point of the season,” Spohr said. “I’d put our team against anybody in the state.”