On April 6 and 7, select players from Boys Varsity Tennis, along with Head Coaches Edgar Giffenig and Josh Smith, participated in the Kingswood Invitational Tennis Tournament (KITT), where the team placed second. Kingswood Oxford, Choate, Lawrenceville, Westminster, Groton, Choate, and Deerfield were among the other teams competing.

The tournament was played in a single elimination format but also included a consolation bracket. Yury Tsibikov ’26 played as first singles, Sahil Annamaneni ’24 as second singles, Matias Acevedo ’24 as third singles, and Arvid Vucetic ’25 as fourth singles.

The two doubles matches were played by Tsibikov & Annamaneni as well as Xander Farrington ’24 and Ken Matanachai ’24.

Farrington said, “It was a great warm-up for the season. We have a strong team and this was a great test for our lineup. The tournament gave us practice in game-like settings which will be invaluable going forwards.”

Tsibikov, Annamaneni, and Vucetic won their consolation matches while Acevedo won his bracket. In doubles, Tsibikov & Annamaneni placed second after a close final. Farrington & Matanachai lost in the semifinals, but managed to win the playoff and earn a 3rd-place spot.

By winning a total of 19 points, Hotchkiss came in second after Groton and beat Choate by a close three points.

Tsibikov said, “I think the team met the expectation with which we entered the tournament. We had some good games that were very close and learned a lot from this experience.”

The team’s next large tournament will be the Southern New England Tennis League tournament on May 11.

“I am extremely excited for the upcoming season,” Coach Smith said. “I think that we have an opportunity to have a really strong season. We are coming together as a strong team.”