Boys tennis preview: Top five players to watch

By Kenny Connolly | kconnolly@scng.com | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: March 10, 2017 at 10:03 p.m. | UPDATED: April 5, 2017 at 4:15 p.m.

The Register’s boys tennis preview for the 2017 season.

TOP 5 PLAYERS TO WATCH

Naevin Anukornchaikul, University, Jr.: The junior leads a deep University squad that has the potential to make another deep postseason run. Anukornchaikul is a four-star recruit and alongside Julian Lafond, the juniors make up one of the top single duos in the county.

Stefan Dostanic, Woodbridge, So.: The Warriors’ No. 1 singles player is one of the highest regarded sophomores in the country. Dostanic is a five-star recruit and ranks as a top-10 player in California, and currently sports the No. 36 national ranking in his class.

Ethan Kolsky, Los Alamitos, Sr.: One of the most improved players from a season ago. The Griffins’ four-star senior takes over as the team’s top singles player after graduating Riley Smith. Kolsky was second-team All-County last year.

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BOYS TENNIS PREVIEW

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Kyle Pham, Corona del Mar, So.: As a freshman, Pham played No. 3 singles behind All-County first-teamers Bjorn Hoffmann and Pedro Fernandez del Valle. With both now playing at the collegiate level, the four-star sophomore makes the jump up to lead the Sea Kings singles lineup.

Koki Takabatake, Irvine, Sr.: Adding a talent like Takabatake into the equations immediately bolsters Irvine’s lineup. After not even being listed on the roster as a junior, the Vaqueros new No. 1 has Irvine off to a 5-0 start, equaling the same number of wins the team had last season.