CALM DEMEANOR RESULTS IN NET GAIN CANYON TENNIS PLAYER WINS WITH A COOL ATTITUDE.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer Andre Byik is a tennis standout who takes pride in keeping his emotions to himself. The trait that could make him a winner on the World Poker Tour For the PBS network with the same abbreviation, see . The World Poker Tour (Abbreviated WPT) is a series of international poker tournaments featuring most of the world's professional players. has served him well in tennis. A Canyon High senior, Byik placed third in the Foothill League's Southern Section singles individual qualifying tournament last season and is considered a strong candidate to become the school's first Southern Section singles qualifier since 1986. Byik and the Cowboys, who opened league play with an impressive 10-8 victory over perennial power Burbank, are seeking their first league title since 1986, when they were in the Golden League. Byik has also made a name for himself in local United States Tennis Association “USTA” redirects here. For other uses, see USTA (disambiguation). The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. Juniors circles, winning last summer's High Desert Classic at Victor Valley College Victor Valley College (VVC for short) is a community college located on Bear Valley Road in Victorville, California. The college was created by a vote of the public in 1960 and the first classes were held in 1961 at the near-by campus of Victor Valley High School. , and upsetting Harvard-Westlake of Studio City standout Hiro Koboyashi at a USTA-sanctioned Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. juniors tournament. Byik is ranked No. 286 in the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, 18-and-under division. His success, however, hasn't changed his demeanor. ``I'm just not the most outgoing guy,'' Byik said ``I don't show as much emotion as other players. ``I try to contain my emotions, especially when I'm on the court.'' Byik began developing his businesslike busi·ness·like adj. 1. Showing or having characteristics advantageous to or of use in business; methodical and systematic. 2. Purposeful; earnest. 3. approach to tennis when he made the varsity as a freshman, and he was admittedly intimidated in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. by playing much bigger and more experienced opponents. Canyon coach Bob Gravett believes Byik's on-court manner has contributed to his development. Byik believes it gives him an edge, not allowing opponents ``something to work with.'' His steely steel·y adj. steel·i·er, steel·i·est 1. Made of steel. 2. Resembling steel, as in color or hardness: steely eyes. demeanor makes him that much more difficult for opponents to break him. ``You can't really figure out what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. with him sometimes,'' teammate Cameron Davidson said. ``He's kind of intimidating that way.'' Just as intimidating is a shot that's deceptively de·cep·tive·ly adv. In a deceptive or deceiving manner; so as to deceive. Usage Note: When deceptively is used to modify an adjective, the meaning is often unclear. powerful considering Byik's slight 5-foot-8 frame, which his tight topspin allows him to place with precision. ``He's always able to get his shots in,'' teammate Lucas Guidroz said. ``I think that's the key to Andre's success.'' Although his low-key demeanor makes him an unlikely team leader, Byik's teammates are following. ``I know he's a quiet kid, but you can see him giving it all during matches and that motivates the rest of the team,'' Guidroz said. Said Davidson: ``He's a really good leader. People just enjoy watching him play because he's so smooth with his shots. ``When it seems like he's down he just comes up with these amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. shots. He's just always so calm and cool. That's what separates him from the rest of the team.'' An aspiring computer science major, Byik wants to play college tennis at some level. These days, however, he's focused on leading Canyon to what would be its first-ever Foothill League title, and challenging singles favorite Matthew Taoatao of Hart, last season's singles runner-up. Taoatao acknowledged that Byik's strong ground stroke and ability to stay in prolonged rallies could present matchup problems for him. ``We kind of have the same kind of game,'' Taoatao said. ``I think he could kind of give me the most trouble.'' Byik has never beat Taoatao, who is ranked No. 161 among 18-and-unders and No. 181 among 16-and-unders. ``That's a goal this season,'' Byik said. ``(Taoatao's) a great player. We have similar styles, he's just better than I am.'' Gideon Rubin (818)713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Canyon High senior tennis player Andre Byik has become one of the top singles players in the Foothill League. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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