The Federal Way High School Eagles came out on top in their season opener Sept. 5, winning 3-2 in nail-biting fashion against Todd Beamer High School.

“It was something,” said senior Tyrone Chan. “I was definitely nervous on a bunch of shots, but at the end of the day, we won and it’s exciting going into the rest of the season on a win.”

Todd Beamer won both singles matches relatively quickly. Both singles players were juniors for the Titans — Kaleb Pak and Khoi Ton. Pak took down Federal Way’s Nhan Nguyen 6-1, 6-0. Ton beat Eagles senior Jackson Frame 6-1, 6-3.

Federal Way evened the match with two doubles victories. Sophomore Andrew Hyun and junior Thoma Holden took down the duo from Beamer of Thomas Sinn and Justin Sinn 6-1, 6-0. The second doubles from Federal Way consisting of Jaelen Ostrea and Owen Wren beat Carter Wiley and Tilton Tong in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.

Ben Ray / The Mirror Todd Beamer High School junior Khoi Ton awaits a serve.

The winner of the match came down to third doubles. Whoever would win this individual match would decide the fate of their first game of the season.

Federal Way’s Tyrone Chan and Michael Ouk were matched up against the Titans’ Brian Jung and Nguyen Ton. Chan and Ouk were victorious in the first set 6-4, but the Titans responded, winning the second set 7-5, forcing a 10-point tiebreaker.

“We were down because we lost that second set. But it was close, in that set. We were up 40-love in some games and we dropped those games. But we kept our energy high and wanted to win,” Chan said.

At the tail end of the second set, the parents, players and coaches started to migrate to the lower courts because they knew what was on the line.

“There was a lot of pressure on us. I felt like if we didn’t win this, it would have been disappointing, of course. So I thought this is for the team, not just for me, but for everyone,“ said Michael Ouk.

It was a drama-packed tiebreaker. The Eagles got out to a quick lead, but couldn’t take more than a two-point lead. The two sides were locked at 9-9, guaranteeing the game going to over the 10-point tie break. The Eagles won the next two points, sealing the win for the first match of the season.

Ben Ray / The Mirror Federal Way High School’s Owen Wren hits a nice forehand shot.

Chan plays with a lot of fire and passion, something that his doubles partner really enjoys.

“He’s my favorite person to play with. It’s super fun. The energy he brings to this court is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,“ Ouk said.

Ouk wanted to play with Chan, and that partnership has made Ouk enjoy playing tennis that much more.

“He makes me so happy playing the sport competitively. Usually I’m serious and down, but with him around me, he keeps my energy up and I’m hyped for the next point,” Ouk said.

“It was a team effort,” said Ouk.