In an amazing sequence of events unto itself, Sachiv Kumar has won three 1S state championships by defeating the same opponent, Rochester’s Clayton Anderson, in the final match each time.

The first two years, his victories in the final match of the season were three-set contests. This past year, he won 6-2, 6-4. In all three years his record against Clayton is 4-1. As a junior, he suffered a 10-8 in the third set (it went to a match tie-break) loss to Rochester’s gifted athlete at a dual meet. (Clayton will compete for Cal Poly next year).

 

“My observation of Sachiv in those matches was that he was “all business’”, says Rochester coach Jerry Murphy.  “I believe it was one of the reasons he was as successful as he was against Clayton.”

 

“I am very familiar with Sachiv, having had to face him three times a year, sometimes four depending on state seeds,” adds Dan Lowes of nearby Novi. Sachiv was always a very good and gracious competitor. My 1 singles players from Takuya King, Keisuke Ariga, and Devyn Gans all pushed Sachiv and were very competitive with him, unfortunately always coming out on the wrong end, but never did he express disrespect or arrogance to my players.”

 

Perhaps more importantly, “As a team player, his impact was tremendous,” says his coach, Bob Young. “The example that he set was one that everyone looked up to. How he carried himself, how he pursued his craft and how he competed set the biggest example. He is a pretty quiet guy and this past season he was able to help the team with his knowledge during practices and matches. His suggestions helped a great deal. Whether he realized it or not he was a bit of a celebrity and I am not sure if he realized how much the team looked up to him.”

 

Case in point: Sachiv won the state title in his sophomore year but it was far from easy. He was losing his semifinal match to his Bloomfield Hills opponent but came back to 7-5 in the third set in a match that lasted three hours. The final was the same, another three-hour and three-set match in which he came back to capture his first state championship in a third set match tie-break. That match was finished on Court 1 indoors at Kalamazoo College “in an atmosphere that might as well been a basketball game.” What made it even more special was that Sachiv came into the tournament as a 5th or 6th seed. [EDitor’s Note; Peter Militzer, who proofread this article,  was the chair umpire for that match. He calls Sachiv “a great kid.”]

 

How about the one loss to Clayton their junior years?  After that 10-8 match tie-break,  the two would meet once again for the state championship. It was a see-saw battle that featured a broken string which temporarily threw Sachiv off stride but revealed that he could recover his composure. He came back to win the third set decisively.

 

One more year, one more state title, one more state championship match against Clayton Anderson. It wasn’t easy but at least this time it was in straight sets although Sachiv was behind 3-0 in the second set before reeling off six of the last seven games.

 

Three years: three state championships but maybe more importantly, three years of improvement.

 

His record at Northville is 105-11. He lost three matches his freshman year at 2S, seven his sophomore year (but won the state championship), only one his junior year (to Clayton), and was undefeated his senior year. He will take his talents to Madison next fall where he will play for the Wisconsin Badgers.

 

“He didn’t rest on an accomplishment three years ago,” says Bob. “Working with Sachiv, I fulfilled my greatest achievement as a coach. And I am now not his coach but his biggest fan.”