EAST PROVIDENCE — It took over three hours and almost every point possible for the East Providence High School boys’ tennis team to outlast next-door neighbor Providence Country Day, 4-3, in their Division III playoff semifinal match held Wednesday, June 1, at the shared home of the sides the KendBrin Swim & Tennis Club in Riverside.

Jordan O’Hara’s come-from-behind, three-set victory over Tyler McKenzie at fourth singles decided the contest. O’Hara dropped the first set, 3-6, and was down love-3 in the second before he began to rally, winning the middle stanza in a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-3). He eventually won his contest and secured the overall match for the Townies 7-5 in the third, again responding after falling down a service break earlier in the set.

“It was very competitive out there. My opponent and I both played very good today. I’m glad I was able to make the comeback. I was down two sets. I came in and said I know how to play tennis, so go out and play tennis,” O’Hara said of his meeting with McKenzie.

The win was the second of the season for the second-seeded Townies over the third-seeded Knights. EPHS defeated PCD 5-2 three weeks ago also at KendBrin. For the Knights, their 2022 season ended with a 12-3 record in D-III outings.

“This could’ve went either way. The pendulum was swinging in our direction early on and then it swung back. East Providence is a tough team, well coached. We’ll get them next year. They’re a year ahead of us. They have mostly sophomores and we have mostly freshmen. We’ll be battling with them the next few years for sure,” said PCD head coach Mike Silva.

East Providence improved to 14-1 in D-III matches this spring and advances to the league championship match Saturday, June 4, against fourth-seeded Chariho, which upset previously unbeaten and top-seeded St. Raphael in Wednesday’s other semi.

“It’s great,” O’Hara said of reaching the championship outing. “Our goal was to make the finals and now we’ve made it. So the last thing left for us to do is win.”

As O’Hara was in the midst of recording a superb win at the bottom of the singles ladder, the tandem of Angel Lucas and Will Laroche was doing the same for EPHS at third doubles, which tied the overall score at the time at three.

Their win was the most improbable of the day for any number of reasons. Laroche, a sophomore, was playing his first-ever competitive varsity match. Lucas was the “veteran” of the pairing, playing and winning his fifth-ever varsity outing.

“That was an incredible match. The other team was great. I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful partner Angel,” said Laroche, also in his first season of playing high school tennis in general.

“I’m just really excited to be part of the team,” he added. “It was my first time out there on the ladder. I did good, so hopefully I can do good more.”

The duo was only put together by head coach Paul Amaral and assistant Slade Sharma out of necessity. East Providence’s usual No. 2 team was absent due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols and other reasons.

Jeff Diaz and Jaydon Massa moved up in the order from three pairs to second, falling in earlier in the day (6-3, 6-2) to PCD’s Jon Oliveira and Simon Rivet.

Laroche and Lucas dropped their first set to the Knights’ Nelson Wilson and Jack Caletri, 5-7, but turned that score around exactly to win the second then won the third and the match, 6-4.

“It was pretty tough. I’m not going to lie. They were tough opponents,” said Lucas, also a sophomore. “It was really good playing with a new partner. I trusted him. He was the aggressor. He was our net aggressor. He played really well.”

PCD took the first overall point when Hudson Dunn bagled the Townies’ Braydon Rouette, 0-and-0, at first singles.

EPHS quickly leveled the score at one apiece when its top doubles duo of Nathan Thurber-Jaydon Amaral beat their PCD counterparts Aaron Sutton-Cesar Godinez
6-1, 6-2.

The Knights went back out on top with the Oliveira-Rivet win, but the Townies again tied it when James McShane beat Isaiah Murad in another fine three-setter, 7-6, 0-6 and 6-4.

The usually pivotal third singles match proved not to be as consequential as it seemed it would, though Zach Wu’s 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 win over East Providence’s Miguel Flores was riveting nonetheless. Flores trailed 2-5 in the third, then held serve twice and broke in between to tie. Wu settled himself to hold to go back out in front then broke to win and put the Knights up for the last time overall, 3-2.

Shortly thereafter all eyes focused on the last match on the court, fourth singles. McKenzie had a chance to serve out the match and the overall win up 5-4, but couldn’t close the door. O’Hara held next to go up 6-5. In the 12th game and on deuce point, McKenzie’s forehand from his baseline sailed long at the other end of the court to give O’Hara and East Providence the notable win.

Of being the deciding match with everything on the line, O’Hara said, “It was more like my teammates are here. We all tried our best, so I had to go out there and win for them. I didn’t want to let them down.”