Academy Park christens new courts with a win

To hear Academy Park tennis coach Reggie Day summarize it Tuesday night, it was not only a memorable day for his program, but also one for the school.

On the same day school and district officials were on hand to dedicate the new tennis courts at Academy Park High, Day’s girls team played on their pride and promptly surprised Upper Darby, 3-2, in a nonleague victory Day said his players would never forget.

“It was an unbelievably close match,” Day said. “It literally came down to third sets in two matches. The girls just kept trying.”

The efforts paid off in what Day called the Knights’ first tennis victory over Upper Darby.

“It just means so much,” he added.

It was the Royals who got the early jump, as Braya Page defeated Academy Park’s Lattana Sithara, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 singles.

But back came the Knights, as Vicky Outland came back to defeat Upper Darby’s Meihin Zhao, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 singles. Then Breanna Reid withstood an early game loss to post a comeback of her own at third singles, winning over Upper Darby’s Emily Gian, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Those comebacks put the Knights over the top, as they also earned a point in doubles when Carly Johnson and Christina Gian were forced to retire in the second set due to illness after Academy Park’s Amy Pham and Jenny Vu had won the first set, 6-3.

In the other doubles match, the Royals’ Aimee Loc and Le Trinh defeated the Knights’ Vicky Cannon and Shani Lee, 6-4, 6-2.

In the Ches-Mont League:

Rustin 7, Sun Valley 0 >> The Golden Knights lost one game including three 6-0, 6-0 victories in the doubles competition.