MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Rudr Malayya set his sights on this match as soon as the schedule dropped. He possesses a particular familiarity with these Minutemen.
The junior spent his previous two campaigns with their very program, winning a state title as a freshman at first singles.
“I was looking forward to this match since the beginning of the season,” Malayya said. “I know they’re going to be good.”
Smiles were exchanged between him, his former teammates and his former coach before Tuesday’s contest.
But his tennis did the talking when the time came to compete.
Culminating in Malayya’s straight-sets showing, St. John’s Prep boys’ tennis (11-0) sentenced Lexington (10-1) to the loss column for the first time in 2025, earning a 3-2 result Tuesday night at the Manchester Athletic Club.
The No. 2-ranked Eagles started strong across the courts and fended off resurgent second-set efforts from the No. 9-ranked Minutemen in a rematch of last year’s MIAA Division I state semifinals.
“That’s how you become champions, by winning the tight ones – being able to step up to the plate and produce,” said coach Mark Metropolis. “And they did. They didn’t falter. They rose to the occasion.”
Metropolis and Co. are well-versed in championship culture. St. John’s Prep is the reigning Div. I state champions, and last lost a match on June 12, 2023, against this very program.
The Eagles saw Malayya as a foe back then. Now, he leads them on a regular basis at the top court.
Ranked No. 1 in New England for boys 16 & under by the USTA, the Lexington transfer opposed freshman Joshua Chen – No. 17 in his own right – on Tuesday. Malayya rolled to a 6-2 first set with a winning combination of blistering first serves and net aggression.
“I just tried to stay consistent. Play high and heavy, and then look for the short ball,” Malayya said. “Tried to come to net as much as I could and close in. And (I) just used my serves.”
Malayya goes into his backswing before a backhand return.Jack Nelson
But after translating early success to a 3-0 lead in the following frame, unforced errors began to work against him, and Chen ended up with a 5-4 advantage.
The junior, though, wasn’t unaccustomed to the moment. With the set on the Minuteman’s racket and the possibility of a three-setter looming, Malayya rattled off three consecutive games.
In stealing the second set 7-5, he clinched the match for St. John’s Prep. That marked a finishing touch on a 3-0 start by the group which featured no lost sets.
“He’s saying all the right things and he’s doing the right things,” Metropolis said. “(It’s) one thing to say them, and (it’s) another thing to do them.”
Luke Free granted Malayya the opportunity by solving the other of Lexington’s two standout freshmen.
Operating at third singles, the senior dispatched Daniel Lee in 6-2, 6-3 fashion, never allowing tiebreakers to enter the conversation. He tightened up with a 5-0 lead in the latter frame, but ultimately got back to his game, advancing to 7-0 at his primary position and 10-0 overall this season.
Luke Free pumps his fist after winning a point at third singlesJack Nelson
That’s tied with Luke Prokopis for the best individual record on the team, and it was that fellow senior who helped start the Eagles’ roll.
Prokopis again paired with junior Boris Kouzminov at first doubles – beloved stomping grounds for the two who have yet to lose together in 2025.
“Last year definitely was a big turning point for us, because we played the entire year last year as well,” Kouzminov said. “We know each other, we know our strengths and weaknesses, and we can build upon that.”
Their chemistry went on display once again. This time, it earned substantial breathing room in a 6-4, 6-4 upending of senior Sritan Deveneni and junior Evan Saptari.
Lexington had given up one point all season entering Tuesday. They outscored opponents by a combined 49-1 to carve a path of dominance featuring nine sweeps.
Prokopis and Kouzminov tossed that history aside by doing what they’ve done all season.
“We just try to go about things the right way,” Prokopis said. “If we’re going to miss, we need to miss the right way by playing disciplined.”
Boris Kouzminov (left) and Luke Prokopis (right) crash the net at first doubles.Jack Nelson
The Minutemen would eventually claim second singles and second doubles, but both wrapped well after their fate was sealed.
Such results only cushioned the blow that Malayya and the Eagles had already dealt.
