Wissahickon junior Ben Wolfe captured the SOL American Conference singles title for the second straight year.
Ben Wolfe and Bryan Szayna have a special rivalry on the tennis court.
Both are highly ranked players on the Middle States circuit, and the two players have more than a passing acquaintance on the court.
On Saturday, Wolfe, a junior at Wissahickon, and Szayna, a sophomore at Upper Dublin, faced each other in the title match of the SOL American Conference tennis singles championships. It is the second straight year the duo has met in the title match.
Wolfe has won both meetings, earning a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win this time around.
“It was hard fought match,” Wissahickon coach Mark Daniels said. “Last year, Ben lost the first match 6-0 and then came back and won the next two sets.
“They played a week and a half ago, and Bryan won in straight sets. Ben took some positive things from that loss, and immediately, we sat down and figured he would probably play him in the league tournament, and we had to figure out some strategy. He was very receptive
“At the level of play that they’re at – the mental aspect and the strategy is very important, and Ben used that to his advantage. He played with a lot of heart. It was a tough three-set match. He just grinded it out.”
The rivalry between the two standouts began last year when Wolfe and Szayna met in a regular season match. The match was never completed due to rain, but Wolfe won the first set 7-5. He went on to defeat Szayna in the league championship final.
“We’ve both been really competitive with each other, trying to push each other,” Wolfe said. “We’re raising the bar for each other, trading off wins. It’s a really good rivalry.”
Last summer, the high school rivals trained together for several weeks.
“What really had an effect on me was just seeing his work ethic,” Wolfe said. “I think some of it rubbed off on me where I thought, ‘All right, I have to get moving and working hard.’ We just pushed each other to get better.”
When spring rolled around, it was Szayna who won the regular season match between the two.
“Ben really didn’t play that bad,” Daniels said. “It was just that Brian played incredibly well and incredibly aggressive.
“It wasn’t like – oh Ben, you had a terrible day, and that’s why you lost.’ Sometimes you play poorly, and that’s why you lost. That’s sports, and it’s going to happen, but they both played well. It was just that Bryan played better.”
Wolfe tipped his hat to Szayna for his performance in that match as well.
“In the regular season, he played really well,” Wolfe said. “I noticed a huge difference from last year into this year.
“He’s playing a lot smarter. I felt like in the final I had a more concentrated game plan. I kind of had the confidence that I knew I could beat him. I just figured I’d stay focused and let it all hang out at the end.”
That strategy proved successful, and Wolfe added another conference championship to his resume.
“You do learn from every match, especially losses,” he said. “They do get you more motivated.
“I don’t think it would have changed any dynamic if I had lost or won in the regular season. For me, it’s just about playing each match differently because each match is different. There are different tactics you use each time. It did feel good after the loss to get the win.”
It’s safe to say Wolfe and Szayna haven’t seen the last of each other. Stay tuned for the next chapter.
SOL AMERICAN CONFERENCE SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
Final
Ben Wolfe (Wiss) def. Bryan Szayna (UD) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
Semifinals
Bryan Szayna (UD) def. Nimay Godbole (Wiss) 6-0, 6-1
Ben Wolfe (Wiss) def. Josh Victor (Chelt) 61-6-3
Consolation (3&4)
Josh Victor (Chelt) def. Nimay Godbole (Wiss) 67 (6-8), 7-5, 6-3
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