2011 Deer Valley Open -- Michael Feldman wins Boys 18 Final

In this videoclip, Coach Brian Richardson interviews this year's Boys 18 champ, Michael Feldman. He defeated Joe Rivera in the final.

Boys 10 Singles Final – Pallegar v. Ea

In this videoclip, Coach Brian Richardson interviews the two finalists of this year's Deer Valley Open Boys 10 Singles Final.

No. 1 seed, Nayan Pallegar defeated No. 2 seed, Jacob Ea, to win the championship. Congratulations to both of these terrific young players on the rise.

2011 Deer Valley Open — Interview with Bradley Wong

In this videoclip, Coach Brian Richardson interviews Boys 16 No. 1 seed, Bradley Wong of Granite Bay, at the 2011 Deer Valley Open. Bradley went on to defeat No. 4 seed, Andrew Dumit, in the semi-final and then unseeded Scott Taggart in the final to take this year's Boys 16 Championship. Great job, Bradley!

The tournament was scheduled to run through the weekend August 20-21.

Interview with Joe Rivera

In this videoclip, Coach Brian Richardson interviews Boys 18 No. 1 Seed of this year's Deer Valley Open, Joe Rivera. The tournament was scheduled to run through the weekend August 20-21.

Joe Rivera in action at 2011 Deer Valley Open

In this videoclip, Boys 18 No. 1 seed, Joe Rivera, is in action at this year's 2011 Deer Valley Open. Joe took out David Brown and Brody Lee along the way before losing in the final to eventual champion, Michael Feldman.

Congratulations to both Michael and Joe for an awesome final!

Yee wins Berkeley Junior Novice Boys 18 & Under

DVHS's Cameron Yee won the USTA Berkeley Junior Novice Boys 18 & Under Tennis Tournament on Saturday, August 6th. Cameron played well with a strong forehand that often dictated the rallies and a serve that earned quite a few free points.

Cameron will be returning to Deer Valley High School next year as a Junior playing singles.

Post Match Interview — Deer Valley Boys 18 Tennis

Coach Brian Richardson of the Deer Valley Tennis Club interviews Boys 18 Champion, http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifAbid Ahmad, and finalist Shyam Kumar. CLICK to watch highlights of the final.

Deer Valley Boys 18 Final - Ahmad vs. Kumar

Antioch, CA – In the Deer Valley Boys 18 Tennis Final, No. 1 seed Abid Ahmad took on Shyam Kumar. Ahmad took the first set 6-4, but Kumar responded by taking the second set 6-3. That took it to a sudden death tiebreaker. Ahmad held strong by racing to a 9-3 advantage. At around 9:09, watch Ahmad hit an amazing shot between the legs on match point. Final score: 6-4, 3-6, 10-3.

Interviews with Coach Brian Richardson & Zach Ea

The Deer Valley Challenger/Novice Junior Tournament runs through this weekend. In the spotlight this week, interviews with Coach Brian Richardson of the Deer Valley Tennis Club and Boys 16 No. 1 Seed, Zach Ea.

Deer Valley Challenger/Novice, July 16–17

BVAL Champions Boys Tennis 2011 Banner

Congratulations again to the 2011 BVAL Champions Boys Tennis Team from Deer Valley High School. With plenty of returning players, 2012 looks to be another awesome year.

DVHS Tennis Team lends a hand at 2011 Brentwood Cornfest

The Deer Valley High School Tennis Team volunteered at this year's 2011 Brentwood Cornfest on Friday, July 8th. With large crowds, fireworks, carnival games, and exciting rides, this year's festivities really needed as many volunteers as possible. The DVHS Tennis Team was more than willing to accommodate, demonstrating their champion's spirit on and off the court and their commitment to the community. Great job, guys!

CAMP CANCELLED TODAY — Tuesday, 6/28/11

Newsflash! Summer Tennis Camp is cancelled today due to thunder, lightning, and rain! Please pass the word along. Thanks.

Contra Costa Co-ed Junior Team Tennis Summer League

Deer Valley Tennis Club is proud to announce the new Contra Costa Co-ed Junior Team Tennis Summer League set to begin June 20th.

Each team will consist of two girls and two boys who will compete against others in a team tennis match format (1 boys singles, 1 boys doubles, 1 girls singles, 1 girls doubles and 1 mixed doubles). Each of these matches will be scored as an 8-game pro-set and the team with the most "games" won will win the team match.

Register TODAY by emailing Coach Brian Richardson, who will setup the teams. Don't delay!

DVHS No. 1 Abid Ahmad graduates

IMG_0800, a photo by Ryan Yee on Flickr.

Deer Valley High School's No. 1-ranked tennis player, Abid Ahmad, graduated on Friday, June 10th. Abid led the Wolverines to an unbeaten season and capped a strong competitive season by winning the 2011 Bay Valley Athletic League's Boys Singles Championship. Abid now moves onto American Canyon College to continue his studies and play for the tennis team. Congrats, Abid!

PRE-REGISTRATION: 2011 DV Wolverines Summer Tennis Camp

The 2011 Wolverine Boys & Girls Summer Tennis Camp begins June 20th with pre-registration due June 8th for $125. CLICK brochure to download the PDF to your computer. Enrollment form and Liability/Medical Waiver is required at the time of payment. Please don't delay—our first camp session begins in a few weeks.

If you have any questions, contact Coach Brian Richardson at brian.richardson@DeerValleyTennisClub.com.

UPDATE: Deer Valley Open – Sunday, June 5th

Game on...

The sun is out and the courts are drying. Rain delay has been extended one hour, then matches will resume. Refer to USTA website for the most up-to-date information.

UPDATE: Deer Valley Open – June 4–5

Saturday play has been cancelled due to rain.

All matches will be played tomorrow (Sunday) starting at 9AM.

Deer Valley Tennis Club

Deer Valley Tennis Club, a set on Flickr.

2011 Deer Valley High School Boys Tennis Team Championship Year in Review.

Coach Richardson & 2011 DVHS Boys Tennis Team

Photos courtesy of Peanut & Michael Samuda





Coach Brian Richardson has been carefully planning Deer Valley High School's ascent to the top of the Bay Valley Athletics League for several years now. It all came together in 2011 as the team took apart the other schools in the BVAL and achieved an undefeated season 10-0-0.

Led by senior and No. 1-ranked Abid Ahmad, the DVHS Wolverines took both matchups against arch rival, Heritage High School. Ahmad took the BVAL Boys Singles and DVHS was also represented in the year-end tournament by No. 2 Zahid Ahmad, No. 3 Cameron Yee, and the school's No. 1-ranked doubles team of Jeremy Gonzales and Rashod Perkins.

The good news?

With the exception of Abid, who begins his studies at American Canyon College in the Fall, all the other top players are returning next year and will likely pick up where they left off—awesome!

Federer downs formally undefeated Djokovic at French Open

As night fell over Roland Garros on Friday, fans were treated to one of the all-time great French Open semi-finals. It ended with Roger Federer triumphing over Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) in three hours 39 minutes. The Swiss third seed goes on to meet world no.1 and five-time champion Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final.

Roger Federer won one of the greatest matches of his long, illustrious career on Friday night as he brought Novak Djokovic's 41-match unbeaten run this season to an end in the most dramatic of circumstances. Revelling in his role as the underdog, the Swiss legend was at his vintage best, seizing the initiative at all the right times, winning most of the big points, and hanging tough when he needed to.

Deer Valley Open — June 3–5, 2011 (USTA)

The Deer Valley Tennis Club is proud to host the USTA Deer Valley Open this coming weekend in Antioch, CA. This year, the Open features Boys 12 thru 18 and Girls 14 thru 16.

Please review below for more details.






The Boys 18 & under features No. 1 seed Joe Rivera from Brentwood and No. 2 seed Stuart Miller of Napa. Also in this year's competition is BVAL Boys Singles Champ, Abid Ahmad.

The Boys 16 & under features No. 1 seed Sean Ko of Danville and No. 2 seed Sam Berg of Alamo.

Daphne De Chatellus of Tiburon is the No. 1 seed in the Girls 16 & under.

CLICK HERE for a complete list of all the tournament draws.

For more information, contact brian.richardson@deervalleytennisclub.com.

Tennis Summer Camp Pre-Registration DUE June 8th

The 2011 Wolverine Boys & Girls Summer Tennis Camp begins June 20th with pre-registration due June 8th for $125. CLICK brochure to download the PDF to your computer. Enrollment form and Liability/Medical Waiver is required at the time of payment. Please don't delay—our first camp session begins in a few weeks.

If you have any questions, contact Coach Brian Richardson at brian.richardson@DeerValleyTennisClub.com.

2011 DVHS Tennis Team – Undefeated BVAL Champs

The Deer Valley High School Wolverines emerged undefeated in the Bay Valley Athletics League in Tennis (10-0-0). Taking down their rival, Heritage High School, twice during the season, the DVHS Wolverines were the undisputed champs of 2011. In addition, No. 1 Abid Ahmad took the BVAL Singles Title and brother Zahid Ahmad partnered with sophomore Cameron Yee to take the BVAL bronze in Doubles.

Season over for BVAL tennis teams

Courtesy of ThePress.net
by Michael Dixon

Last weekend’s North Coast Section matches at Oakley’s Diamond Hills Sports Club brought an end to the high school tennis season for most Bay Valley Athletic League athletes. The lone exception were Deer Valley’s tennis players, who qualified for Tuesday’s NCS team tournament.

The 12th-seeded Wolverines fell on Tuesday in the first round of the NCS team tournament, 6-1, to No. 5 seed Redwood of the Marin County Athletic League, ending the team’s season.

Deer Valley senior Abid Ahmad was the only local representative to win a set in last week’s overall NCS tournament, as he defeated Clayton Valley’s Jonathan Kim 6-3 in the first set of their match before dropping the final two sets by the same score. His first-set win marked the first time that a BVAL player had won a set in the NCS tournament.

The team of junior Zahid Ahmad and sophomore Cameron Yee were defeated by the Piedmont team of brothers Jon and USC-bound Matt Wang, who repeated their 2010 title. Ahmad and Yee qualified because a team from Mission San Jose couldn’t make the tournament.

“It’s a pretty advanced field,” said Wolverines head coach Brian Richardson. “Overall, the boys really performed well. They played as hard as they could. We have been building a few years to get to this point. Now we need to keep on working so we can make the next step.”

Heritage sent two senior-laden doubles teams to the NCS meet. Michael De La Madrid and Andrew Mucha were the BVAL’s top doubles team last year. They both played singles this year but reunited in the league tournament and beat previously undefeated teammates Matt De La Madrid and Collin Fridel in the league final.

De La Madrid and Mucha were defeated 6-0, 6-2 by the Miramonte team of Brian Tan and Luke Bohuslav. The Miramonte duo lost to the Wang brothers in the final. De La Madrid and Fridel were defeated 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round by Monte Vista’s Mark Meyer and Anthony Lim.

“They kept positive and didn’t get down. In doubles, you can’t have one guy getting down on the other guy, and that never happened,” said Heritage head coach Mike Carman. “Mike and Andrew were down 6-0, 5-0, but they came back to win two games, and that meant a lot to them.”

Joining the players from Deer Valley and Heritage was Freedom senior Jeff Matteri, who was runner-up to Ahmad in the BVAL tournament. In the NCS tournament, he was defeated by Campolindo’s Nolan Richard 6-1, 6-0. That ended a rollercoaster season for Matteri and one of the best individual careers a Freedom tennis player has ever known.

“He had a chance at redemption,” said head coach Steve Amaro. “He played the best that he could. He did play his best; he just played against a kid who’s been playing for 10 years longer.”

DVHS's Abid Ahmad wins 2011 BVAL Singles

Coach Brian Richardson's Deer Valley High School Tennis Team capped an undefeated 2011 Season in the Bay Valley Athletic League with a big BVAL Singles Championship win by No. 1 Player, Abid Ahmad. With Abid graduating and moving on to American Canyon College, the DVHS Team still has returning players Zahid Ahmad (Abid's younger brother) and Cameron Yee, who combined to take bronze place this year in BVAL Doubles.

DV triumph at league tennis championship

Courtesy of ThePress.net
by Justin Lafferty

In an exciting, back-and-forth match between two intense athletes, Deer Valley’s Abid Ahmad came up with a victory over Freedom’s Jeff Matteri to claim the singles title in Tuesday’s Bay Valley Athletic League Championship.

Ahmad, a senior, topped a frustrated Matteri 6-1, 6-4 in the final round. To get to the final, Ahmad defeated Matteri’s teammate, junior Justin Monge, in the semi-finals. He also topped Liberty’s Jordan Tickner, as well as Juan Morales and Servando Reyes, both of Freedom.

In last year’s BVAL tournament, Matteri defeated Ahmad, then playing for Antioch. Matteri’s road to the final match included a tough semi-finals win (7-6, 6-3) over Antioch’s Ikram Najib, who took third place after defeating Monge.

“I’m really happy, and playing against Jeff was amazing; I wish I could play him every day,” Ahmad said. “He’s a really nice kid; I really respect him.”

A few feet away, the doubles title game was underway, but the feeling was much more lighthearted. Both Heritage doubles teams – Mike De La Madrid/Andrew Mucha and Matt De La Madrid/Collin Friedel – advanced to the final. Though both teams were still hungry for the victory, it was more of a friendly match. Amid the laughing and fun, Mike De La Madrid and Mucha were able to repeat as doubles champions, 6-1, 6-1.

“That was our whole goal this season: we wanted to repeat and move onto NCS,” Mucha said. “Last year, we didn’t make it past the first round of NCS."

Deer Valley brothers excel on the tennis court

Courtesy of ThePress.net
by Justin Lafferty

Brothers Abid and Zahid Ahmad were playing tennis on Xbox one day when it occurred to them: why don’t we give this a shot in real life? It looked easy for the virtual Andy Roddick, they figured, so how hard could it be?

Following a climb up the learning curve, the brothers found that tennis translated nicely from joystick to racket. The game has helped the Pakistan-born brothers, now the No. 1 and 2 singles players for Deer Valley High, stay focused through a transfer and the sickness of their father, acclimate to life in the United States and visualize a brighter future.

“They really have improved a tremendous amount this year,” Wolverines head coach Brian Richardson said. “They both had a lot of raw talent, but they just didn’t know how to put it all together. After maybe the first year and a half, you could see them start to put it all together.”

Abid, a senior, and Zahid, a junior, moved to Antioch from Pakistan in 2007 after their father, Abdullha, settled into his job as a taxi driver in Oakland. The brothers were playing for fun at Antioch’s Chichibu Park in their early days at Antioch High when head tennis coach Larry Johnson saw potential and asked them to come out for the team.

Abid, Zahid and older brother Rashed soon worked their way through the ranks, along with cousin Ikram Najib, now the Panthers’ No. 1 singles player. With senior Rashed, junior Abid and sophomore Zahid on last year’s roster, Antioch claimed the Bay Valley Athletic League title.

But about a year and a half ago, Abdullha started to feel sick. While he was taking medication for arthritis, his condition worsened and his energy took a dive. Abid and Zahid’s older brother, Hamid, said their father started getting bad headaches and needed long periods of rest. Abdullha hasn’t told his 10 children the specifics of what’s going on, not wanting to distract them from their studies, work and athletic pursuits.

He’s a proud dad, but the sickness (and his own nerves) have prevented him from seeing his kids play tennis for a while. Abdullha is happy that tennis has given Abid and Zahid a future: next year, Abid will attend American River College, which boasts a stellar tennis program, and plans to transfer to a four-year school. Zahid is also looking forward to playing tennis in college.

“I’m happy,” Abdullha said. “All of my kids are good. They speak to me, I love them, they love me.”

In order to accompany the large family and to be closer to Abdullha in the hospital, the Ahmads moved from Antioch High’s part of town to a bigger house in Deer Valley’s zone. Understanding the situation with Abdullha, Johnson didn’t have a problem with the move, although the Ahmads were required to prove hardship to North Coast Section officials in order to transfer to Deer Valley without a year of ineligibility.

Abid was looking forward to a strong senior season at Antioch, where he was among family. “I was kind of disappointed because it was my senior year,” he said. “I wanted to finish at the same school.”

The transfer allowed Abid and Zahid to come under the tutelage of Richardson, whose summer camp the brothers had attended for the past three years. The familiarity with Richardson’s style helped the transition. Out of the top spot on the Wolverines’ ladder, Abid finished the season 9-1 in Bay Valley Athletic League play. Zahid ended the year 10-0.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with them,” Richardson said.

The brothers were a prominent part of Tuesday’s league tournament. Richardson moved Zahid to the doubles bracket, pairing him with sophomore Cameron Yee. The team lost to the Heritage pair of Matt De La Madrid and Colin Friedel in the semifinals.

Abid, who stayed in the singles tournament, was matched against another fierce competitor in Freedom’s Jeff Matteri for the finals. Abid emerged victorious in the emotional match, 6-1, 6-4.

His motivation to clinch the title? Abdullha, who smiled later that day as he handled his boy’s gold medal.

“Everybody became happy,” Abdullha said. “It’s good news.”