Local wins elite title

Some singles tennis players cringe at the idea of having to play doubles.

Because singles athletes don’t have to share the limelight, playing doubles is often an unwanted chore for some.

However, Burroughs High junior singles standout Garrett Auproux welcomes playing doubles and he recently enjoyed success at a prestigious tournament.

“Actually, I like playing doubles more than I like playing singles,” Auproux said. “It’s a different experience and it’s a lot different than playing singles. It’s really fun playing with someone and being able to work together as a team.”

Auproux and partner Tyler Lu of Irvine worked to perfection at the 109th annual Southern California Junior Sectional Doubles Championships at the Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports Club in Fountain Valley. In the event that concluded Nov. 20, Auproux and Lu captured the championship.

In the final match, Auproux and Lu defeated No. 3-seeded Stefan Doehler and Jayson Amos, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Auproux said the competition at the tournament was fierce.

“We were the top seed in the tournament, but we played some really good teams and we had to work to win it,” Auproux said. “We were able to come up with some good victories.”

The duo battled to win, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4, in the semifinal round and posted a 6-4, 6-4 result in the quarterfinals.

Said Lu: “We were battling at triple-match point in one of the sets and we were able to battle back and win it.”

Auproux said he enjoys playing alongside Lu.

“He’s a good player and we got along together,” Auproux said. “He’s got a lot of talent.”

Lu, who is a junior at University High, said he feels the same about competing with Auproux.

“He has some of the fastest hands that I’ve seen and he is really quick up at the net,” he said. “He is just a monster at the net and he gets to a lot of shots.”

Auproux, who was the 2011 All-Area Singles Player of the Year, has spent the summer and fall traveling around the nation participating in elite tournaments.

In just a few months, Auproux will take to the court for his junior season with the Indians.

In the spring, he was a driving force for Burroughs, accumulating a 44-3 record on a squad that also enjoyed the finest postseason run in the history of the program. The Indians, who placed second in the Pacific League, pulled off some upsets and advanced to the semifinals of the Division II playoffs, losing to eventual-champion Palm Desert, 14-4.

Auproux also won the Pacific League singles title and advanced to the round of 16 in the CIF Southern Section Individual Tournament.