Tharun Raju and Anson Bernard want another shot at 2A boys state tennis doubles tournament

Tharun Raju and Anson Bernard could hardly contain themselves after last year's Class 2A boys district tennis meet at the Ames High Tennis Courts.

The duo entered districts as the No. 4 seed, but they ended up placing second after avenging an earlier loss to Des Moines Roosevelt's team of Graeme Kempkes and William Bright. The runner-up finish behind Dowling Catholic qualified the duo for the 2A state singles and doubles tournament.

“We were the underdogs, but we felt we could beat them,” said Raju. “We got out there, took the first set, lost the second, but then we got them in the third set.”

The victory was the highlight of their careers.

“It was all over the place,” said Raju. “We both let out a big scream. It was an exciting match. I can’t put it into words. It’s easily my favorite match. Everyone was invested. It was a good feeling.”

Fast forward to 2024, and the No. 1 Ames doubles team is off to a 3-0 start.

In the opening dual against Marshalltown's Isaac Benscoter and Jacob Thiessen, Raju and Bernard rallied from a 6-2 loss in the opening set with a 6-1 win in Set 2, and they took the tiebreaker 1-0 (10-7).

That win set the tone for the way they want to play this season.

“When we played Marshalltown, they lost the first set," said Ames coach Timmothy Ellis. "But they were able to turn the corner by being aggressive, attacking second serves and saying we’re going to poach, and not be as passive.”

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Raju established himself as an aggressive force at the net. He attacks early to get his opponents on their heels and is strong at finishing balls at the net.

Anson has a strong top-heavy spin ball that constantly puts their opposition under pressure.

“They (opposing players) either have to lob it, which when you get a short lob is an easy overhead, or they just hit it out," Raju said. "We're a good combination.”

Bernard loves teaming up with Raju.

“Tharun is good at finishing the point and hitting winners on easy balls, where I hit well at the baseline and set him up with something at the net that he can finish off really well," Bernard said. "It works consistently to win points in a very linear playbook sort of way.”

Raju is also Ames' No. 1 singles player and Bernard is No. 2. Bernard put in a lot of time over the offseason to try to catch up to his teammate, and it has paid off big so far.

“This summer I’ve been really looking to improve and get closer to Tharun in terms of skill, so that our doubles can be a little more aggressive on the court,” Bernard said. “I think I’ve done pretty well at that. I’ve already put way better numbers in singles (competition), and I’m feeling way more confident about my serve and other ground strokes.”

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Bernard said his strengths are hitting from the baseline and deep balls off both his forehand and backhand. He has also done well at getting to balls and hitting good shots out of rough positions, but added that he still misses a few more volleys than he should.

“Those two have been putting in the work,” Ellis said. “They’ve been developing their game and I feel like they’re finally finding who they are as tennis players.”

Ellis added that Raju and Bernard are setting a great example for the rest of the team.

“They definitely set the example at doubles play and how to move at the net,” Ellis said. “That’s been an area of growth for our team. How we can take initiative at the net when we’re trying to poach and be aggressive. For those two it’s muscle memory at this point.”

They have played a big part in Ames getting off to a great start.

The Little Cyclone boys are 3-0 in dual meets with victories over Marshalltown (8-3), Des Moines Hoover (11-0) and Ballard (10-1). They also placed third at the Boone Invitational singles and doubles tournament.

Ames will find out a lot about itself over the final two weeks of the regular season. The Little Cyclones are scheduled to play in eight meets between Monday and May 6.

Raju and Bernard want to make a return trip to the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center in Iowa City to compete in the 2A state doubles meet on May 21-22. They want to take a big step forward after going 0-2 at last year's state meet.

But their main goal is to bring some company with them to Waukee Northwest High School on May 30-31 for the 2A team competition.

“Team-wise we want to qualify for state,” Raju said. “Everything is state bound this year.”

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Tharun Raju and Anson Bernard form tough doubles tandem in boys tennis