BOYS TENNIS: He's found his racket

By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer

SAN MARINO - For the last two seasons, he was the No. 2 player, including a year ago when his team won the CIF-Southern Section Division II boys tennis championship.
But make no mistake about it. San Marino High School's Daniel Weingarten isn't exactly playing second fiddle.
Weingarten, a junior, is the Titans' No. 1 player and co-captain this season as they attempt to repeat as champions.
"He is a leader and one of our go-to guys," San Marino coach John Kuramoto said. "He's improved from last season and ready to lead our team on the court."
The leadership role is one Weingarten is taking in stride.
"It's a little different and you're looked upon a little more," Weingarten said. "But whether you're one, two or three, you play the same people. It's just the matter of what order."
Weingarten, who is ranked near the top 100 nationally by the United States Tennis Association in the boys 16s and is No. 35 in the state, began his freshman season as the team's No. 3 player before finishing No. 2 behind Evan Jurgensen.
His experience playing in national tournaments has helped increase his level of play on the court, but it's the experience from high school tennis that's helped him put his game together.
"I've learned how to handle pressure," Weingarten said. "One thing about high school is you definitely get a feeling that you don't get when you're playing in tournaments.
"When you're playing in a tournament, you're playing for yourself, but when you're playing for a team, you're playing for the other 16 guys. It's definitely helped me with my tennis and other aspects of my life as well."
And, according to Kuramoto, he's handled life in a positive way on an everyday basis.
He won the Southern California Tennis Association's Sportsmanship award for the boys 14-year-old division in 2006.
"He's a competitive player who just understands the parameters of junior competitive tennis and conducts himself very well," Kuramoto said.
Weingarten, an accomplished singles player, enjoys playing with a team and forever will remember the memories of walking off the court at Claremont Club as CIF team champions.
"It honestly was one of my most memorable moments," Weingarten said. "There are very few words that describe the feeling after clinching the final point. We worked so hard the entire year and we finally accomplished what we wanted to."
He said he would like to win another title this season with the Titans, but he's focused on the big picture and improving as a team.
"I don't think the focus is really on repeating," Weingarten said. "We lost 10 seniors, but we have a fresh new enthusiastic team. At the end of the day, I think we'll have an opportunity to repeat, but we're just going to take it one step at a time."
He has worked hard at honing his skills and excelling on the court as an individual, but Weingarten has been selfless when it comes to the team.
"His character stands out to me, and his tennis is big," Kuramoto said. "Big serves, big forehand, big backhand, and when is game is on, he is stout.
"He's a very hard worker and his game is improving steadily."
The first area of improvement Weingarten points to is his backhand.
"I remember my freshman year, I was completely petrified to hit with my backhand," Weingarten said. "Now, it's become one of my biggest weapons.
"I think, overall, every part of my game has improved over the last couple of years."
The talented junior hasn't had to look far for a partner in his quest to improve.
Titans' No. 2 Johnny Wang, a freshman, lives across the street from Weingarten and is ranked No. 18 in the 14s. The duo practices together on a regular basis.
"We have a bunch of players who are willing to fight for their spot, which will help us out later on," Weingarten said.
Weingarten said hopes to move on to college, and maybe even play professionally.
"My goal is to use my tennis to pursue my education," he said. "As far as playing professionally, that's something you have to play by ear."
He is looking at schools like USC and Pennsylvania and is interested in studying in finance.