Harford Tech’s Brandon Nguyen and Keagan Luu teamed up to win the Class 2A boys doubles tennis state championship last weekend.

For Nguyen, a senior, it was a fitting end to an illustrious Cobras career. He finished third in states in boys singles his freshman and junior years. But his sophomore year, he clinched a championship in doubles.

His partner? Luu’s older brother.

“They wanted to run that back,” Harford Tech coach Patrick Owens said.

The duo’s relationship is connected by tennis but extends beyond the court. Owens spoke with The Aegis about Nguyen and Luu’s victory, the tandem’s development and what’s next in their tennis careers.

Describe Nguyen and Luu’s relationship.

They play tennis outside of school and have known each other for years. They’re very close outside of the sport as well. This was a fun opportunity for them to play together.

How are doubles teams decided?

That’s something coaches do a lot of times. We’ll talk with our seniors and the ones going to states and ask, ‘What are you feeling this year?’ It usually aligns.

What are the differences between singles and doubles, and how effectively do Nguyen and Luu’s skillsets translate?

It’s some of the same skills with the strokes and things. They both have strong serves. Doubles, you have a lot more communication and awareness of how the other person is playing, where they are on the court and coordinate ways to be successful. Those two, because they’ve played together for so long and have a good relationship outside of tennis, they’re able to translate that into performing well as a doubles team. Also, the atmosphere is different. With singles, you’ve gotta keep to yourself mentally. Whereas in doubles, you really have your partner to help support you if you miss a shot. They can help you shake it off and pump you up for the next one.

What worked so well for them in the state championship?

In their first two matches, they went very similarly. They won by a good margin. The scores were closer in the finals. It was really just going off the strength of their serve and understanding of tennis, pressuring the other team into not a great spot so they could put the points away. And then adapting to the different teams they played, understanding what was going to be best to overcome opponents strengths.”

What was it like to coach them this year and watch them grow individually and together?

It’s great. I’ve coached Brandon since his freshman year and just seeing more of the confidence in both of them in their abilities. I know there’s some higher pressure situations, but knowing they can keep their cool and do their best in those situations has been really cool to watch. And then getting to see them play to their top potential. You need to play tougher at the state final than the regular season. It’s really neat to see.”

What’s next for them?

[Nguyen] is going to play tennis at Stevenson. And Keagan will be back for junior year. He has a good relationship with the other players and is a role model on the court and in team building. Even the other sophomores but some of the freshmen on the newer side of tennis, he’s supportive. Even outside, he’s saying, ‘We’re gonna play again. Come on, I’ll help you work on some things.

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