News Editor Ansel Bayly interviews KCL Tennis, who are looking to secure their first Varsity win since 2019.
KCL Tennis Society’s Club Secretary has warned UCL will “get what’s coming to them, which is a swift and decisive defeat” ahead of a much-anticipated Varsity rematch following last year’s nailbiting loss. .
Thomas Walker expressed his confidence in KCL’s chances, saying “they’re the best they’ve been”. The teams, led by captains Ali Hassan and Natalie Wagner, have “got some really strong players, some freshers coming in that will add a lot to the team”, and Walker stated he was “fully behind our players”.
The team will be trying to overturn a losing streak that dates back to 2019, with a series of five razor-thin defeats.
But KCL have confidence going into their matchup following a victory over UCL in their BUCS league. KCL Men’s 1s defeated UCL 4-2, and routed the UCL Women’s 1s 6-0.
Walker said, “we’ve been on a good run, both men and women’s teams this year have been really, really strong… so hopefully in this one-off Varsity match we should be able to carry that momentum through to take the win.”
Last year’s Varsity ended in a narrow loss for KCL Tennis but the team is confident they can turn that result around; Walker said “if there’s ever a time we can win it, I think it’s this year.”
Given UCL’s Varsity record in recent years, Walker recognised that “they have every right to be confident.” Bu he emphasised that KCL Tennis “don’t see ourselves as the underdogs”, arguing that the teams were “evenly matched… both our teams [have] got some really strong players but I think UCL just pips it”.
All that remains is for KCL Tennis to turn this season’s successes into Varsity glory.
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