NEEDHAM – Jack Wexler paused for a moment. He walked up to the fence behind him, placed his arm on the chain link structure, and rested his head there.
With a chance to send his team somewhere it hadn’t been in years, he savored every passing second.
“I was just breathing and recouping, telling myself that I can do it,” Wexler said. “Just never give up.”
It was double match point with the ball on his opponent’s racket. Though three-set battles aren’t unfamiliar to the veteran Rocket, these were uncommon stakes.
The moment took time to arrive. He fell into deuce by fumbling both match points.
But two points later, the often-vocal Wexler pumped his fist, signaling what he had accomplished without shouting a word.
Courtesy of his heroics, No. 8 Needham boys’ tennis (16-4) eliminated No. 9 Shrewsbury (17-3) in the MIAA Division I state tournament’s Round of 16 with a 4-1 score Monday at Newman Elementary School.
The Rockets are onto the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2022.
“If there’s somebody I want to be in a (three)-set match, it’s Jack,” Needham coach Drew Lawrence said. “Every time he’s in a close match, he wins.”
Wexler adjusts his shirt in between points.Jack Nelson
A second-singles contest between Wexler and Anay Arvind abruptly changed course. The former broke when needed in the opening frame, getting off to a 6-3 start as a slew of sets went in Needham’s favor early on.
But fellow Colonials encouraged Arvind that a comeback was in the cards. He took their word for it and roared out of the changeover with a revised attack.
The sophomore dictated play in a way he hadn’t at the outset. He pressured Wexler to think, kept making one extra shot, and put the seasoned competitor on his heels.
Arvind wound up with a 6-1 bounce-back as things turned sour for his foe in a flash.
“I came out and sat on the grass in the shade and figured out what went wrong in the second set,” Wexler said. “I realized what I needed to do moving forward, and then I came up with a game plan and stuck to it.”
Fortunately for the senior, results elsewhere built a winning foundation before he even embarked on a deciding set.
Junior Ben Svetlov got the Rockets on the board by improving his performance as play went on. He fended off Harees Kumar in straight sets with a 6-3, 6-0 outcome at third singles.
Ben Svetlov prepares to serve at third singles.Jack Nelson
A successful Needham outing on the doubles front – ending with its second doubles tandem producing the last of its four team points – began with seniors Oliver Pollack and Jake Goldfine, who triumphed by a 6-1, 6-4 score.
Along came Wexler to finish the job.
The approach that yielded early fire wasn’t lost. He just had to rediscover it, and as someone who already boasted a pair of three-set victories this season, he’s dug deep before.
He broke for a 4-2 lead and took control of the final frame while his “come on” cry – echoing intermittently throughout the match – reached its loudest point.
“He always seems to be patient with his own game,” Lawrence said. “Even though he doesn’t look like he’s winning – he never really looks like he’s winning – he always is playing the steady way that he knows how to play.”
The final break gave way to glory. At ad-in, Wexler weathered a series of overheads from Arvind, continuing to send the ball back until the Colonial found the right alley on one of them.
Wexler eyes the ball before a backhand return.Jack Nelson
Needham is bound for a stage it hasn’t seen since Monday’s hero was a freshman. With it comes the tallest of tasks.
The group will go against the undefeated reigning state champions and No. 1 seed, St. John’s Prep, in search of an all-time upset.
“On paper, they should kill us, but my kids will play as if they have absolutely nothing to lose,” Lawrence said. “I’m not saying that I think we’re going to win; I’m not saying that I think we’re going to lose. But it’s going to be fun to watch.”
Wexler will take on the challenge with them.
He’s waited three years to return, and on Monday, showed the will necessary to get there.
