Peters Township’s Bruce nets second
There were few surprises in the WPIAL Class AAA boys’ singles tennis championship match played May 4 at the Alpha Tennis Center in Harmar.
Practice pals and friendly foes, Robby Shymansky of Fox Chapel and Connor Bruce from Peters Township met in the finals with Shymansky pulling off the upset of the defending champion, besting Bruce in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
“There are no secrets between us,” Bruce said. The sophomore anticipated the match would come down to who played better. And, it did.
“Robby played well. He played unbelievable,” Bruce said. “Give him credit.”
Shymansky not only took advantage of the fact the finals were played on his home courts but he used his knowledge of Bruce’s aggressive style of play to earn his first WPIAL individual title.
“When you are defending a championship, you have to take it one point at a time, stay focused and in the moment and be patient,” Bruce said.
While last year, Bruce outlasted Shymansky in a thrilling, three-setter, fighting off three match points and scoring five consecutive times to win, he had little time to recover from losing the first set as he attempted to alter subtle shifts in his strokes. Bruce had to rely on his backhand.
“My forehand, I felt, was off. It wasn’t there when I needed it and it’s one of my best shots,” Bruce said.
In leading up the finals, Bruce played especially well. In the opening rounds played on the outdoor courts at North Allegheny High School, the elements posed the biggest challenge for Bruce. While it was unusually warm, mid-80s for early May, and humid, the wind severely impacted play for all competitors.
“It’s different. It’s slower,” he said. “The courts are really slow so you have to be patient on them.”
And for the most part, patience was Bruce’s biggest virtue as he easily dispatched Joey English from Albert Gallatin, 10-0, and David Missry of Allderdice, 10-2, to reach the semifinals. In his Final Four match, Bruce defeated Logan D’Angelo from Moon, 6-1, 6-3.
But it wasn’t that simple. After sailing through the first set against D’Angelo, Bruce fell behind, 0-2, in the second set. Bruce continued to give himself pep talks until he tied the match.
“I talk to myself a lot,” he said with a laugh. “I kept reminding myself to take it ‘one point at a time’ and ‘don’t look ahead or think about what could happen’ because whatever happens will happen. You’ve just got to keep playing. You’ve got to go for your shots and make them because everyone here is good.”
While D’Angelo was good enough to stall Bruce, he could not prevent him from steamrolling into the finals after he took the lead, 3-2. By pounding the pavement and hitting the weights, Bruce has strengthened his game after a sensational freshman year, where he won the WPIAL title and helped Peters Township finish runner-up to Fox Chapel in last year’s team tournament.
“By putting more work into conditioning, running, doing sprints and lifting, I’ve gotten stronger and now that I am driving I can go to practice on my own and I am putting more hours into my game that I have been able to get where I am today,” Bruce said.
Bruce would not have gone as far as he has in tennis without the best instruction and a tight-knit family. His brother, Hunter, a WPIAL golf champion and PIAA runner-up, and his sister, Maura, are two of his biggest fans as is his father, Alan.
His mother, Marcy, on the other hand is his biggest critic as she is his only coach. She was a PIAA doubles champion at Mt. Lebanon and a standout player for Charleston, S.C.. She coached champion after champion at Upper St. Clair High School, and she currently is a teaching pro in that township.
“I love having my mom as my coach. She keeps me focused,” Bruce said. “I can always look to her to see the reaction if it’s a good shot or if I hit a bad shot I can just look at her to calm down.”
Now that the WPIAL season has calmed down, Bruce has refocused. As a WPIAL runner-up, he qualified for the PIAA tournament to be held May 25-26 at the Hershey Racquet Club. While he may face Shymansky again next spring, he hopes to have a rematch with the Yale recruit in the state finals.
While he concedes the courts in Hershey afford him an advantage over Shymansky because they are faster than those at Harmar, Bruce promises to practice patience as he attempts to win a state championship.
“I’ll be able to put away the ball quicker,” he explained, “but I have to be more patient and work for better setups. Oh yes, I’d love to win a state championship. That would be so much better than a WPIAL title.”
NOTE: Kyle Carskadden of Mt. Lebanon and Ethan Muza from Peters Township also competed in the WPIAL singles tournament. Both lost to Shymansky; Carskadden in the opening round, 10-1, and Muza in the quarterfinals, 10-3.