In doubles, team synergy is key.

In the boys’ tennis (3-2) home match against undefeated Carlmont High School on Tuesday, March 10, the cohesion among each doubles team was evident. While the Panthers lost 4-3, the doubles teams — No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Tyler Diddy and freshman Aaron Lo, along with seasoned No. 1 doubles seniors Jake Druskin and Kieran Kilgo — impressed by picking up two early wins for Burlingame.

The No. 2 doubles were the first match off the court, and head coach Doug Stone highlighted the pair’s quick chemistry despite limited experience playing together.

“Those guys [Tyler Diddy and Aaron Lo] are relatively new playing together. We got a freshman and sophomore playing together, but those guys seem like they’ve been playing together for a long time,” Stone said. “Their games are complementary of each other. They work well together. They communicate well.”

No. 1 doubles team, Druskin and Kilgo, brought the team to a 2-0 lead soon after, but from then on, the Panthers fell behind with a series of losses.

Stone described the match as tough yet winnable and noted the constant juggling of lineups had affected the team’s readiness. However, going into the second half of the season, Stone is hoping to solidify lineups.

“We’ve had a lot of different changes in the lineup, and I don’t necessarily think it was the change in the lineup that caused us not to win the match,” Stone said. “But when you’re always kind of moving things around, it could be a little bit difficult, and you don’t get kind of set, so I’m not sure we were necessarily set for the match.”

While the Panthers narrowly lost, Druskin said players’ confidence played a role in keeping matches close and nearly earning wins.

“There’s a few guys that haven’t won at all this year, but especially today, they were getting really close,” Druskin said. “So as much as it’s like, ‘Oh, you can’t cross that barrier,’ it’s more of like, ‘You’re right there.’ And I think that’s where we are as a team now.”

No. 4 singles senior Udhanta Mishra-Agoram was the only singles player to win his match, bringing the overall score to 3-3. According to Mishra-Agoram, maintaining patience during matches is an aspect the team can improve on.

“We would always try and get a winner, I think, especially in this game, as we just saw. I think we were always just trying to finish the match quickly, but we never think about hitting a shot right after,” Mishra-Agoram said.

With the score tied at 3-3, it was up to No. 3 doubles team senior Zach Wong and sophomore Collin Phonosombat to secure the victory. However, the team lost 6-3, 6-1. Despite the loss, Druskin said the team will continue to support one another, and their overall bond strengthened throughout the match.

“So it’s really a team bond that kind of strengthens as the match goes on. You get guys fired up. The guys next to them are cheering them on, and then it kind of brings your own sense of empowerment,” Druskin said.

While tennis is considered an individual sport, Stone said he enjoys watching the team find a sense of unity and togetherness as the season progresses.

“Tennis is a really individual sport. But the beauty about it is that it has the power to bring people together,” Stone said. “… I know that they all have that within them. I know that that is all what they want to be. They want to be a team, they want to be together, they want to be one.”

Following Tuesday’s loss, the Panthers won their match on Thursday, March 12, against Menlo-Atherton High School 4-3, and will take on Woodside High School at Woodside on Tuesday, March 17.