Rancho junior seeks to end school’s tennis title drought

It’s easy to forgive Rohan Gupte for not immediately knowing who was the last player to win a state tennis title at his school.

The Rancho junior wasn’t yet born when John Rhodes captured the boys state singles crown in 1982.

Gupte, though, is hoping to change the answer to that trivia question this year. After consecutive trips to the state tournament, Gupte has his sights set on the top spot this year.

“It would mean a lot to me,” said Gupte, who placed fourth in the Class 4A state tournament last year, falling to eventual champion Kris Yee of Clark in the semifinals.

Three of the four semifinalists in last year’s tourney graduated, leaving Gupte as the only returnee.

“I really feel like he’s got a good shot of at least getting to the finals and maybe taking first this year,” Rancho coach Kevin Lord said. “It’s been a really long time since someone from Rancho won state. It feels like it’s been about 100 years.”

Gupte drew Yee in the quarterfinal round of the 2010 tourney. Yee also was the state champion that year.

“I have more experience now,” Gupte said. “I improved sophomore year, so hopefully I can get to the finals this season.”

Gupte started playing tennis at age 6, stopped for a while to experiment with other sports, then returned to the game at age 10.

He has tremendous court coverage and is extremely fit, allowing him to wear down opponents.

“He’s really good at getting to the ball,” Lord said. “He’s a good strategist, more than anything. He knows how to craft his points so he can get maximum advantage. With any tennis game, it’s 90 percent mental. He does a lot of prep work with his different coaches.”

But Gupte is different from many of the other elite high school players.

While some of the state’s best are attending tennis academies and working toward their diploma either online or through home schooling, Gupte attends school at Rancho.

“I feel like I’m actually representing Rancho High School,” he said. “I feel really proud of the school, and I would love to bring back a state championship.”

His game also is a bit different. He uses more of a serve-and-volley approach, tending to come to the net far more than his opponents.

“I think that’s the strongest part of my game,” Gupte said. “A lot of people don’t know how to react. It mixes your game up.”

Gupte and Lord aren’t focused on a state title just yet, though. There’s plenty of tennis to be played between now and mid-October.

"He takes every game seriously, and that’s a big part of it,” Lord said. “When he goes to a match, he doesn’t waste time. He stays focused, and that’s what it takes to get to that championship level.”