Newton North’s Johnny Wastcoat had the match—and a berth in the Division I tennis state finals—on his racquet. But to win that last point, he had to compete against his opponent from Lexington, as well as the doubts in his own head.

“I was so nervous,” said Wastcoat, who plays first singles. “But I realized quickly that if I am just guiding the ball and not hitting through the shot that I’m going to lose. That will be the worst outcome. So I decided on that last point to hit through every ball, and knowing my game and knowing how hard I’ve practiced, that it will go in. And that’s what happened.”

Up 7-6 in the fifth set tiebreaker, Wastcoat served. When a return from Lexington’s Justin Chen went long, the Tiger celebrated an epic come-from-behind victory by throwing his racquet to the ground before running off the court to be mobbed by fans and teammates from Newton North.

The win put Newton North in the state finals, where they will face cross-town rivals Newton South on Saturday.

The match had not started in North’s favor, with Lexington recording two quick wins in the doubles competitions. To win the match—and to stay in the tournament—North would have to sweep the three singles matches.

In storybook fashion, that’s exactly what happened. Playing third singles, Alex Fine scored North’s first victory of the day, pumping his fist repeatedly as the result was becoming clear. Then Collin Hwang gutted out leg cramps to win his second singles match.

The score was now 2-2. All eyes turned to first singles—the only match still going, and the most consequential too, as the result would determine who would advance, and whose season would be over.

With the match entering its third hour, Wastcoat took a 5-3 lead in the fifth set and had an opportunity to serve out the match. Chen broke him—successfully fending off one match point—and then came back from 0-40 to hold serve in the following game, pulling even at 5-5.

Wastcoat credited his mental coaches with giving him the skills to keep fighting even when those early opportunities to win the match slipped away.

“Just a goldfish memory at that point,” he said. “You just have to forget. You know, he saved match points but I knew there was going to be another one, so it was like ok, he got that one, and I’ll have another one, another one, another one.”

Chen scored the first point in the tiebreaker, getting huge cheers from the Lexington players and coaches. But when Wastcoat responded with four straight points of his own, Newton North’s cheering section went wild, beginning to taste victory. The tiebreaker was knotted at 6 before Wastcoat scored the final two points to send Tiger players and fans into delirium.

After the festivities had concluded, Wastcoat reflected on the one match that remained.

“Newton North versus Newton South is going to be huge for the state championship,” he said. “We’ll go to practice, everyone will work on the game, and we’ll hope for the best result.”

MORE IMAGES

Collin Hwang hits a backhand in his second singles match. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Alex Fine hits a serve. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Alex Fine hydrates during a break in play. The match was originally scheduled for 4 p.m., but was moved up to 2 p.m. due to expected inclement weather. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Johnny Wastcoat pumps up the fans in the fifth set. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Collin Hwang hits a return. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Johnny Wastcoat celebrates after winning the fourth set to draw even, 2-2, in his first singles match. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Johnny Wastcoat celebrates with his teammates after Newton North defeated Lexington to advance to the finals of the MIAA Division 1 tennis tournament. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Alex Fine celebrates his victory in third singles. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Johnny Wastcoat serves in the fifth set. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Fans ringed the first singles tennis court to see who would advance to the Division 1 tennis championship. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Newton North students cheer for Johnny Wastcoat during his first singles match. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon