Beyer’s Lewis defeats Modesto’s McCaig for MMC singles title

Ryan Lewis gathered near the draw sheet at Johansen High, posing for pictures that would alert the Twitter-verse of his latest milestone.

On that board, scrawled in Dry-Erase marker, was another feat that can’t be erased, disputed or forgotten.

For the second consecutive year, Lewis is the Modesto Metro Conference singles champion.

The Beyer High star defeated rival Coby McCaig of Modesto in straight sets on a windy court, 6-2 and 6-2.

Lewis overwhelmed McCaig with his serve and powerful groundstrokes, and punctuated each point with a fist pump.

“To me, the hardest players to play are those like Coby, who returns the ball and returns it deep,” Lewis said. “Now that I’ve beaten him convincingly, it helps my confidence a whole lot.”

After a slow start to his junior season, Lewis believes the universe is aligning for another historic run at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I tournament.

The reigning champion is the No. 1 seed in the 18-year-old division at this weekend’s USTA event in Stockton, and he recently received letters of interest from Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Princeton and Pennsylvania.

Lewis said a straight-sets victory in the MMC final was a just reward for the grueling practice schedule he’s kept in the last few weeks.

“This one means I’m on a roll,” said Lewis, who practices for three to four hours a day. “I think I can keep winning and roll this into the section tournament.”

Last spring, Lewis did what few from the southern half of the Sac-Joaquin Section have ever done: He won a Division I championship, defeating Armijo’s Derek Wadsworth in an epic final that required three-plus hours, a medical timeout and puke bucket, and three thrilling sets.

Lewis became the first player from the Stanislaus District since Paul Dilloway in 1999 to win a D-I title. Like Lewis, Dilloway attended Beyer High.

In Thursday’s final, McCaig was no match for Lewis and wore the look of frustration throughout. The talented freshman banged his racquet off the ground in the second set and barked at himself during the final changeover.

“He played better today,” said McCaig, the younger brother of Ceres star Nolan McCaig, a two-time Division II finalist. “I wasn’t on. That’s basically it. I feel like I could have done better. I just didn’t play that good.”

McCaig had his serve broken three times in the first set and again in the final game.

Like a shark, Lewis could smell blood in the water.

“It breaks them down, because usually a lot of coaches say you should hold your serve,” Lewis said. “When someone can return your serve, it’s over for you.”

McCaig was able to extend points early in the second set, which led to entertaining rallies. But he didn’t move Lewis around the court enough to tire the 6-foot-2 slugger.

Instead, Lewis sat on his forehand and ripped shots into the corners. McCaig’s confidence eventually eroded beneath the pressure and the frustration returned.

“I’ve just got to think forward and not about the past,” said McCaig, who pushed Lewis to a winner-take-all tiebreaker in their only regular-season meeting. “I can’t think about my losses; just keep thinking about what’s going to happen next.”

Could the two see each other for a third time at the D-I tournament on May 5-6 at Roseville’s Johnson Ranch Racquet Club?

It’s possible, said Lewis, likely the No. 1 overall seed for the second consecutive years.

The field should include several of the big names from yesteryear. Wadsworth is a senior, while Lewis’ semifinal opponent – Napa’s Daniel Mateescu – was only a freshman last spring.

And then there’s McCaig.

“Coby will do well at sections,” Lewis said. “He should be able to beat most of the people.”

Most, but not all.

While Lewis likes McCaig’s chances to make a deep run, he’s even more confident in his ability to defend his crown.

“I’ve been praticing a lot lately, every single day for at least three to four hours,” Lewis said. “When the season started, I wasn’t playing as much because it was wintertime.

“I think I can take it all again. I know most of the players in the tournament. I’m pretty positive I can win.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Beyer’s Lewis defeats Modesto’s McCaig for MMC singles title."