DORCHESTER – Equally passionate, equally consistent and equally triumphant
Kiran and Ravin Bhatia have mirrored each other for years on the court. This season has been no different.
Entering their shared senior campaign, the two Warriors had lost only twice across 54 all-time outings together. They kept rolling this spring en route to an undefeated mark.
When the twins dropped a set Wednesday for the first time in 2025, panic didn’t spread. They didn’t act desperate or submit to frustrations.
“We know that, quite frankly, when we play our best, nobody can beat us,” said Kiran Bhatia.
They just found a new way to do what they’ve always done – win.
Capping its regular season with yet another passed litmus test, No. 3 Brookline boys’ tennis (17-1) outlasted No. 7 BC High (12-4) in a 3-2 battle staged at Boston College High School. The Warriors survived and lived to tell a thrilling tale, producing their 16th consecutive victory with the MIAA Division I state tournament on the horizon.
The Bhatia brothers weren’t technically the last ones standing, but it became increasingly apparent their team’s fate would rest on their shoulders.
The Bhatia brothers play a point at first doubles.Jack Nelson
BC High sophomore Darian Nasseh roared back from a 7-5 opening-frame loss to senior Roman Horowitz with a 6-4 second stanza at third singles. As his lead grew in the decisive final set, a 2-2 tie in the team match evolved from possible to probable.
Onlookers wandered and attention shifted. Energy soon engulfed first doubles.
By that point, Kiran and Ravin Bhatia had already risen to the challenge of claiming a must-win second set. But they couldn’t afford to take their feet off the gas pedal.
“It’s so easy to get down on yourself – specially after you lose a set – when you feel like things aren’t really going your way,” said Ravin Bhatia. “But we carried ourselves with the attitude that, if we got our stuff together, this match could have a different outcome.”
Senior Ryan Berns had complicated their often-unsolvable calculus. The towering first doubles stalwart was out with a concussion last time BC High clashed with Brookline, and two weeks ago, saw his first real action of 2025.
His dangerous combination of serving power and net presence, paired with freshman Alexander Fine’s shot-making, dealt No. 2 St. John’s Prep’s top tandem – formerly unbeaten as reigning state champions – its first defeat this spring on Monday.
But even when Berns and Fine appeared on the brink of toppling another dominant duo, the Bhatia twins sensed they were well within striking distance.
“I personally thought they didn’t win that set. We lost that set. We lost two games basically just on double faults,” said Kiran Bhatia. “And so we realized if we clean this up, we can easily win this match.”
Alexander Fine (left) and Ryan Berns (right) high-five between points at first doubles.Jack Nelson
Coach Mike Mowatt didn’t need to guide them through the moment. He rarely has to with these two, usually electing to be hands-off unless they seek out his tutelage.
The twins turned a 3-6 first set into a 7-5 second. And as the third transpired, emotions came in ebbs and flows.
With each missed shot came a visible groan. With every winner came an audible shout.
“When they get intense, that means it’s an intense match,” Mowatt said. “When they scream and they go for it, you know something’s happening.”
The two Warriors held their own and broke Fine’s serve in the final frame to take the driver’s seat. That proved enough for a 6-4 victory, closing the book on their last regular season.
The Warriors put their hands together to break a prematch huddle.Jack Nelson
Now their swan song begins.
With the postseason on tap for next week, Brookline is entering the time of year it thrives in. The squad reached the state semifinals in 2024 following runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2022.
The Bhatia twins will again hunt what they’ve been searching for ever since freshman year.
“We want to win a championship. We’ve come so close three different times, and every time we’re at the finish line, it just kind of slips away from us,” said Kiran Bhatia. “We know how to get there.”
Wednesday tested them in a way they had never been tested as seniors. Rarely have the two ever played from behind in their illustrious high school careers.
They were the difference in the regular-season finale. For years, they’ve been the Warriors’ great differentiator.
