All-Area Boys’ Singles Tennis Player of the Year: Flintridge Prep’s Cartier Juan caps career with postseason run

A right ankle injury suffered late last summer left Cartier Juan frustrated and unable to spend much time on the tennis court.

The Flintridge Prep senior singles player sprained his ankle while practicing and sprained it again in October. Juan had to rehabilitate the tender ankle.

The setback also left Juan wondering how he’d be able to perform for Flintridge Prep, which featured a group of underclassmen hoping to end a four-year playoff drought.

“It got to the point where I had to keep my ankle elevated and I had to do a bunch of exercises just to try to be in the best possible shape,” Juan said. “I had sprained it pretty bad. I had no idea how long [the injury] would set me back. I just wanted to get back out there and try to get back up to speed with everything surrounding tennis.

“When the season started [in late February], I felt like I was a little behind. I worked on conditioning and the first few matches were tough to get going. Then I felt better physically and I started to become a lot more comfortable and confident.”

Juan finished 41-6, 15-3 in the Prep League. The Rebels went 7-10, 4-2 in league for second place and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Juan qualified for the CIF Individual Tournament for the third consecutive season, leading to his selection as the All-Area Boys’ Singles Player of the Year for the first time by the sportswriters at the Glendale News-Press, La Cañada Valley Sun and Burbank Leader.

“I thought I had a good season,” said Juan, who will attend Loyola Marymount University in the fall. “I had a couple of tough losses in league, but I thought I played pretty well.

“I tried to be a good role model because we were mostly a young team. I tried to help teammates anyway I could and we did a good job. It was great making the playoffs and it will set the stage for the returners, because they have a taste of what it’s like to compete in the playoffs.”

Flintridge Prep dropped a 15-3 decision in a first-round playoff match against host Oak Park on May 11. Juan picked up two wins.

Unfortunately for Juan, whose sister, Crystal, is the reigning All-Area Girls’ Singles Player of the Year, his stay in the CIF Individual Tournament turned out to be brief. After advancing to the second round of the event in 2014 and 2015, Juan suffered a 6-1, 6-0 first-round defeat to Nathan Benyowitz of Shalhevet at the the Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates on May 26.

“We went up against a very good team in Oak Park,” said Juan, who picked up All-Area recognition last season. “We were happy to finally make the playoffs.

“In the individual tournament, it’s all about the draws. I wanted to go in there and do well because there are so many great players there. I had a tough first-round draw and I think I put a little bit more of pressure on myself than I needed to.”

When Morisa Yang took over the coaching reins at Flintridge Prep, she looked for Juan to set the tone early in matches.

“I could see that he wanted to find a way to inspire the team by getting off to a good start,” said Yang, who was a standout at West Torrance High before moving on to the University of California Berkeley. “He often inspired the team to give it its best out there and that played a part in the team getting to the playoffs.

“Cartier knew how to go out and dig down deep despite the injury. He really wanted it. He bounced back from the injury after the first month, worked on his conditioning and created team unity. By the time he got toward the end of the season, he was close to being his best.”

Juan proved to be efficient with serving, while also possessing a superb forehand and backhand to bedevil opponents.

That caught the attention of opposing coaches, including Will Moravec of La Cañada.

“I’ve seen him play a couple of times and I came away impressed,” said Moravec, a former All-Area Boys’ Coach of the Year who led the Spartans to a second-place finish in the Rio Hondo League and an appearance in the playoffs. “He’s a good-sized player with a long wing span and he can play anywhere out there and put himself in position to dictate the point.

“He’s got a very powerful serve. When you get the serve in like that, you can strike fear into your opponent.”

Juan, a four-year varsity athlete, said the Rebels improved by leaps and bounds after a couple of seasons struggling.

“I really enjoyed my time at Flintridge Prep, at school and on the court,” Juan said. “I hope I helped the guys out anyway possible and I think things look bright in the years ahead.”