Upper Dublin’s Spiker, Szayna team up to win American Doubles crown
Upper Dublin has had an outstanding year on the tennis court, winning the Suburban One American Conference with an undefeated 7-0 record. With the team competitions over, though, the singles and doubles champions are the next to be crowned. The Cardinals duo of senior Adam Spiker and freshman Bryan Szayna continued the team’s success, winning the American Doubles Championship.
Coming in as the No. 2 seed behind Wissahickon’s Ben Wolfe and Evan Cuff, the duo knew they had their work cut out for them. Still, with confidence in each other and all the belief in the world from their coach, they knew the title was within reach if they played their best tennis.
They certainly did that, winning in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) over the tourney favorites.
“They really dominated against the No.1 seed,’ Upper Dublin coach Lora Ball said. “They have great chemistry between the two of them. They talk between every point and they always have a plan they try to execute. They have a great attitude and I could not be happier for two great kids.’
As if Szayna did not have enough motivation, he was facing Wolfe, who beat him a couple of weeks back in the American Singles Championship. Although he wanted to win for his senior partner and his team, he would be lying if he said beating Wolfe was not important to him.
“I think playing against Wolfe gave me some extra motivation for sure,’ Szayna said. “Because I lost to him in singles, I really wanted to beat him. I’m glad we won for a lot of reasons, but that definitely makes it a little bit better.’
For Striker, his yearning to win comes from the fact that this is his last opportunity to make a deep run in districts and, perhaps, states. He wants to make the most of the final season in his tennis career.
“This is my last shot because I’m not playing in college,’ Striker said. “These last few matches have a lot of meaning to me. No matter what happens, it’s something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. When I think back on my tennis career years from now, this part is what I’ll think about.’
It is quite intriguing that a freshman and a senior could mesh the way these two have. Normally, the talented veteran and the superstar rookie have trouble seeing eye-to-eye, but that was never the case with this tandem.
“We were friends at the beginning of the year, but we got really close once we started playing doubles together,’ Szayna said. “He has a great attitude and he never gets angry if something goes wrong. We always figure out how to get better and make adjustments as a team. We just play well together.’
“I had no idea how this year was going to go, and then I ended up playing doubles with Bryan, who is an amazing player,’ Striker said. “We only lost six games in four matches in the Suburban One Championship and I’m confident we can get to the final at districts.’
While they are happy with their achievement, Striker and Szayna know there are still goals to accomplish. The District One Doubles Championships take place Friday at Healthplex Sports Club, in which the boys are seeded sixth. Ball knows that they will face some tough competition, but is confident that they can finish in the top four, which is good enough for a spot in the state tournament.
“I feel like they are going to do very well in districts,’ Ball said. “They should be fine in the first two matches, but will really be tested in the third round. I think they will be successful because they have a will to win and they will find a way.’
With Striker looking to leave with a bang and Szayna’s opportunity to prolong an incredible first season at Upper Dublin, neither player wants to stop now. If they keep playing this well, with a little luck and a lot of skill, they could find themselves playing for the top prize on Friday.
“I think we can pull off another upset,’ Szayna said. “When it comes down to it, you don’t need two really good individual players to win at doubles. You have to have chemistry and an understanding with your partner. We definitely have that.’
