Rams lose final tennis match of losing season to Woodlands 3-2

May 22, 2024 at 10:37 p.m.

Lucas Cepeda played second singles for the Port Chester Rams tennis team this season, losing 4-6, 4-6 in his final match against Woodlands on Thursday, May 16. (Courtesy photo of Craig Holcomb)

The ball can take some strange bounces in tennis—and so can metal water bottles accidentally dropped from the stands. Like the one that hit the world's number one ranked pro tennis player Novak (The Joker) Djokovic in the head at the Italian Open last week in Rome. It left him so dazed he listlessly lost his next match a few days later in the tournament ultimately won by Iga Swiatek and Alexander Zvorev in the men's and women's division.

But The Joker is looking for a better outcome this week when the French Open gets underway in Paris where the ageless Rafael Nadal is looking to make his comeback from a knee injury on the clay courts of Roland Garos.

No local comebacks

But there will be no more chances for any kind of comeback for the Port Chester tennis Rams, alas, because they lost their last match of the season last Thursday (5/16) by yet another close score with the ball once again taking some strange bounces, not many or not nearly enough going the Rams’ way.

And that has been the story of the Rams’ losing season.

This time the loss came against Woodlands, not the usual suspects like Mount Vernon and East Ramapo.

This time the score was an all too familiar 3-2.

And this time, like almost every other time, every match could have gone either way except for one pivotal doubles set.

The court action

In the opening singles match, Chris Yupanqui, arguably the Rams’ best player, lost by identical 4-6, 4-6 scores.

Not to be outdone, Lucas Cepeda lost by similarly identical 4-6, 4-6 scores while playing at second singles.

But then the Rams caught a few breaks, and the next two equally close matches went Port Chester's way.

Sean Heffernan won the third singles match by scores of 7-5, 6-4.

And Manny Coyt and Leo Jimenez took the first doubles match by scores of 6-4, 7-5.

Mixed doubles results

So once again it all came down to the final doubles match. Woodlands got the breaks and break points. Port Chester didn't. And Manolo Rabanales and Andres Sanchez wound up losing 3-6, 3-4.

But just as Djokovic and Nadal will always have Paris, the Port Chester tennis Rams will always know they made great strides in their tennis game under dedicated coach Craig Holcomb. They continue to be a blue-collar team making progress in a country club sport. And they keep getting closer to becoming a winning team.

And, better yet, Yupanqui and Cepeda will always know they both had winning seasons with both finishing 4-2 at first and second singles on the season. And they helped their team come ever so close to winning all their matches.

Maybe the Rams tennis story and the season will have a happier ending next year.