2009 Boys Tennis Co-Players of the Year: Hardie, Siow

The item missing from their resumes is the head-to-head matchup.

Perhaps it would settle the debate. As it stands, each is worthy.

Dana Hills' Warren Hardie demonstrated he's the county's top singles player, posting an overall record of 40-3 this year. He claimed his second South Coast singles title, reached the semifinals of Ojai and the finals of the CIF-SS Individual championships, becoming the first Dolphins to reach the singles final.

University's Matt Siow showed his prowess in singles and doubles, losing once in each. He played on the No. 1 team in the nation, helping the Trojans capture their first All-American tournament - the only national high school tournament - by winning all four singles and doubles matches he played.

It included an 8-0 victory in the final match over the eventual Ojai singles champion - Thousand Oaks' Marcos Giron. The senior reached the quarterfinals at Ojai in singles, and lost in the CIF-SS Individual championships in doubles. Both times he lost to the No. 1 seed.

For their performances, Hardie and Siow are the Orange County Register's boys tennis co-players of the year.

"I'm stoked," Hardie said. "What an honor. I don't know what to say."

"We both have had an amazing year," Siow said. "It's an amazing honor. There are a lot of great players in Orange County."

Other than the same court this year, they share many things in common. They both started playing tennis young, continued to grow their games, put up impressive results at national tournaments and will land at Division I colleges.

Hardie wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but then Penn State came calling. He visited the campus and couldn't believe what he witnessed. He signed in November.

"After I committed to college I wanted to keep working hard," Hardie said. "My game really progressed. Hopefully it keeps improving."

Siow, on the other hand, said he could have played tennis at 200 colleges but his high academic standards narrowed the list to 10. He chose Princeton because he likes the school's location the best, and it's consistently ranked as one of the best academic schools in the nation.

"It was tough," Siow said of the process. "I'm fortunate, glad and thankful it worked out. I'm looking forward to it."

With their colleges selected and national rankings climbing, each could have decided to not play high school tennis this season. It says something about how much they enjoy the high school scene and the team atmosphere.

"He's a huge part of our team," said Dolphins coach Justin Green of Hardie. "He's really stepped up his leadership this year."

Besides his tennis skills, Siow brings a level of fun and excitement to the Trojans tennis team, University coach John Kessler said. Yet Kessler's admiration goes far beyond Siow's contribution on the courts. He's more amazed at the workload he juggles.

"He's a rare breed," Kessler said. "There are only so many hours in the day. He's inspirational.

"And he did a lot of winning this year. There's no doubt his game was at a different level."

Contact the writer: ctobolski@ocregister.com