Beyer tennis standout Ryan Lewis nets NorCal Grand Prix singles title at Stanford

It wasn’t a scheduling snafu by Frederick Lewis, the father of Modesto Bee All-District Boys Tennis Player of the Year Ryan Lewis.

More like a shot in the dark. A prayer.

Frederick registered his son in two junior tournaments nearly 200 miles apart on the same weekend, realizing the Northern California Junior Grand Prix at Stanford was a serious reach.

The Fresno Open would be their soft landing.

“I entered Ryan (in the Grand Prix) thinking he wouldn’t even make it in,” said Frederick, who wasn’t sure his son was ranked high enough to qualify for the prestigious regional draw. “I didn’t think he had enough points to qualify, so we were heading to Fresno for the Fresno Open.”

Then came an email from the tournament director. A player in the 18-year-old division pulled out because of the flu, creating a slot for Lewis, a fast-rising 16-year-old who plays up in age any chance he gets.

Without hesitation, the Lewises changed their travel plans, and Dad’s shot in the dark was rewarded with the ultimate highlight: Ryan ran the table, capturing the 18-year-old boys singles championship.

Ryan won three of his four matches in straight sets, including a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Hal Tuttle of Woodside in the final.

“It was a pretty big weekend,” Frederick said. “Our idea was to go and play and hope to just do well. As it turned out, he won all four matches.”

The eight players were separated into two flights – red and white –and round-robin play determined each finalist.

Ryan dispatched Nicky Valdecanas of San Jose in his opening match 6-1, 6-2, then ousted Alexander Neumann of San Mateo 6-4, 6-2 to set up a showdown with Garrett Chun of Tracy.

The match was a clash of Sac-Joaquin Section heavyweights. Ryan, a Beyer High School junior, is the reigning Modesto Metro Conference and Division I singles champion. Chun is the two-time defending Valley Oak League champion out of Kimball.

Chun struck the first blow and took the first set 6-3, but Lewis showed his resolve. He clinched the White flight by taking the final two sets 6-2 and 6-0.

“He was on fire. It was pretty unbelievable,” Frederick said. “People were looking at him like, ‘Where did this 16-year-old come from?’ I mean, they know about him, but they know more about him in the 16s.”

Ryan has spent most of his summer season competing against 18-year-olds. He and his father are trying to boost his college prospects. One online service has Ryan listed as a three-star recruit with strong interest from Cal, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, USC, Yale and Stanford.

“The college, that’s when they start caring,” Frederick said. “So if I put him in 18s for a longer period of time – since that’s where it really matters – he can get acclimated quicker and he’ll have enough points so that he’ll be highly ranked when he does turn 17.”

Ryan will compete in the Northern California Junior Excellence at Laguna Creek Racquet Club in Elk Grove this weekend.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Beyer tennis standout Ryan Lewis nets NorCal Grand Prix singles title at Stanford."