All-Area Boys’ Tennis Doubles Team of the Year: Lee brothers prove to be ideal fit on court for La Cañada

In their first two seasons playing for the La Cañada High boys’ tennis team, brothers Ian Lee and Nicholas Lee met expectations.

Outside of La Cañada, the twin brothers normally play singles in tournaments. At La Cañada, they have proven to be formidable doubles tandem for a squad filled with young talent.

It’s in doubles where the sophomores have thrived, providing punch to the lineup on a team that’s regularly appeared in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Having entered the midway point of their high school careers, things have turned out well for the Lees.

“We’re very close and the key for us is being able to figure out different things on the court,” Ian Lee said. “I think we enjoy playing together, even though we are used to playing singles.

“When we came to La Cañada, Nicholas and I figured it would be good to compete in doubles. We figured it would be a good idea, especially because we’d both like to play tennis in college. College coaches seem to be looking more and more for doubles.”

Nicholas Lee said the siblings continue to learn each match while having that instant connection.

“We’re always learning more and more about the game,” Nicholas Lee said. “We know what our strengths are and what areas we need to keep working at. It can be from positioning to ground stokes.

“It’s also a big thing that we’ve been able to develop chemistry, on and off the court.”

The Lees went 19-12, 10-8 in the Rio Hondo League and advanced to the semifinals of the league’s individual tournament. They also helped the Spartans go 10-5, 6-2 for second place behind powerhouse San Marino.

And, at season’s end, the Lees were selected as the All-Area Boys’ Doubles Players of the Year for the first time by the sportswriters at the La Cañada Valley Sun, Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader.

La Cañada Coach Will Moravec said the Lees displayed confidence while paired together.

“I think a lot of that had to do with the gradual improvement both of them made from their freshmen seasons to now,” said Moravec, a former All-Area Boys’ Tennis Coach of the Year. “I’ve always believed you need to have strong doubles players in order to have success.

“The more they play, the more good things will happen. They don’t panic because they understand the strategies involved in playing doubles.”

The Lees entered the Rio Hondo League two-day league tournament, which began May 4 and concluded May 5 at Live Oak Park in Temple City, as the No. 2 seed. They started with a first-round bye before posting an 8-6 win against teammates William Lan and Alec Robertson.

However, they suffered a 6-4, 6-4 semifinal defeat to third-seeded John Carter and Tyler Tseng of San Marino. In the third-place match, the Lees fell, 7-5, 6-3, to fourth-seeded Jacob Lui and Alan Liu of San Marino.

“We had a good showing getting that far,” Nicholas Lee said. “San Marino has so many good players and it’s difficult playing them. I think there was some pressure for us, but we’ll learn from it.”

A week later, visiting La Cañada met Santa Monica in a first-round playoff match. La Cañada dropped a 13-5 decision, though the brothers teamed up for a 6-1 victory.

“It would have been nice to keep on playing, but Santa Monica had a good team,” Ian Lee said. “I think it’s a good learning experience for the team and something we can draw from going into the next two years.”

The Lees have already begun making preparations, including bringing in a personal trainer to help them with their conditioning.

It’s an indication that the Lees are geared up to advance further in the league tournament and possibly into the CIF Individual Tournament, along with helping the Spartans return to the playoffs.

“We both want to get stronger,” Ian Lee said. “Just to be able to put some more power in serving and returning shots and then being able to attack the net a little bit quicker.

“It’s things like that that can make a difference.”

Moravec said the Lees should be a force for the Spartans the next two seasons.

“I think their knowledge in doubles is very good and it will continue to get better,” Morevec said. “They have good cross-court returns and are good with volleys and serving.

“It will lead to more good things happening.”