Like Father, Like Son: Lake, Huarte Families Cherish Moments On The Tennis Courts
Thomas Lake and Jake Huarte always find time to play tennis with their respective fathers whenever they are home visiting. Regardless of how long they are home. Not only to stay sharp and fit but to spend quality time with the men that introduced them to the game they love.
Thomas and his father Andrew, and Jake and his father Mark, participated in the annual United States Tennis Association (USTA) Father and Son Hard Court Championships in La Jolla, California from December 3-5, 2021. The USTA Father and Son Hard Court Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the nation drawing nationally ranked participants throughout the country.
The 2021 event was played at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in La Jolla, California which has hosted annual national tennis tournaments for over 80 years. Tennis legends like Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graff have graced its courts.
The Lakes from Davie, Fla., and the Huartes from Tustin, Calif. made up two of the 128-teams in the field at La Jolla.
“We decided to play in it because my dad and I saw the weekend open for both of us and thought it would be a great chance to try to make a deep run,” said Jake. “We played in the tournament before but my dad was injured so the results were not as good.”
Thomas and his father also had experience playing in these types of tournaments.
“Each year there are four events held on different surfaces: clay, grass, indoor, and hard,” said Thomas. “When I was in high school, my dad and I would play each event because each one was such a special experience. It was just a plus that we were able to win some along the way and be ranked No. 1 in the nation for three years.”
Both sets of father/son duos had success in La Jolla. The Lake duo battled to a third-place finish while the Huarte duo won the consolation bracket.
He’s my coach and my dad all in one, which may sound like a scary thought to some, but it was the perfect situation considering he’s the best coach I could have and the best dad.Thomas Lake
Thomas and Andrew Lake were seeded third and received a bye. The march to the semifinals began on December 3 at 9 a.m. with an 8-4 win over Adam and Jeff Kessler in the Round of 64. Later in the day, the duo eased to an 8-2 victory over Ryan and Jeff Ray.
The rest of the matches would be decided by best-of-three. On December 4, Thomas and Andrew won in straight sets over Grayson and Kevin Frazier, 6-1, 6-4, to advance to the quarterfinals where they faced another seeded team, Paul and Christian Settles. They outlasted the pair, 6-3, 5-7, 10-2, to set up a semifinals matchup on Sunday, December 5.
The Lakes were denied a spot in the final with a close three-set defeat to the second-seeded and eventual champion team of Bruce Man Son Hing/Bruce Man-Son-Hing, 1-6, 6-4, 10-6. However, they bounced back by beating the fourth-seeded team of Wally and David Thayne, 3-6, 6-2, 10-6 to finish in third place.
“It was some high-quality doubles and playing with my father is something I will always remember,” said Thomas.
“Playing tennis with my son is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Andrew. “Not many people can compete with their child at the national level. The friendship, partnership, and camaraderie are invaluable.”
My dad would take me out to the courts and he would feed me balls. One of my earliest memories of playing with him is him teaching me to hit a backhand and when I struggle today, I go back to his words.Jake Huarte
Jake and Mark Huarte had a deep run themselves, albeit in the consolation bracket. The duo narrowly dropped its Round of 64 match, 9-8(9) to Michael and Elijah Noel. However, the pair reeled off six straight wins en route to winning the consolation bracket.
On December 3, The Huartes beat the team of Jack and KJ Weiss, 8-1, in the Round of 32. The next day, the duo topped Max and Tom Pyle, 8-3, before battling past Jerry and Brett Morse-Karzen, 6-1, 5-7, 11-9 in the quarterfinals.
Jake and Mark defeated Hardy and Brandon Owen, 6-4, 2-6, 10-8 in the semifinals on December 5 to advance to the consolation final. The Huartes faced John and William Leach from Hillsboro, Oregon. After dropping the first set, 6-4, they took the second set in a tiebreaker 7-6(3), setting up a winner-take-all super breaker. Jake and Mark won the super break 10-2 to capture the consolation crown.
“It was great fun and we beat some very good teams along the way,” said Jake.
“It was completely different tennis than I normally play,” added Mark. “I play in my old man leagues where the ball moves a lot slower, but it was a ton of fun to be on a court with legit tennis being played. It was also fun to be nervous to go out on the court again. I gave Jake 70 percent of the court to cover and all the overheads. It was nice to be able to spend time with Jake doing what we both love which is being on the tennis court.”
The success of both sets of father and sons in La Jolla was set in motion decades ago when Thomas and Jake were first introduced to the game.
“I started playing tennis around six years old,” said Jake. “I played almost every sport growing up and tennis was one of them. My dad would take me out to the courts and he would feed me balls. One of my earliest memories of playing with him is him teaching me to hit a backhand and when I struggle today, I go back to his words.”
“Since I could walk (when I started playing tennis), my dad is a tennis coach so as long as I can remember I had a racket in my hand,” said Thomas. “Going out to work with him and sitting in the basket of balls while he taught lessons while I sometimes tried to hit some balls over the net. He’s my coach and my dad all in one, which may sound like a scary thought to some, but it was the perfect situation considering he’s the best coach I could have and the best dad.”
Thomas, a 5-foot-10 junior majoring in systems and decision sciences, and Jake, a 6-foot-2 sophomore majoring in Economics, have been contributors to the Black Knights men’s tennis team since arriving to attend the United States Military Academy.
Thomas and Jake helped the 2020-21 Black Knights to a 9-3 record and as a finalist in the 2021 Patriot League Championship. Army West Point was ranked third in the final ITA Northeast Region rankings, the highest placement in program history.
Thomas was named to the 2021 All-Patriot League Second Team in doubles with partner AJ Woodman after posting an 8-1 record in the No. 1 spot. The duo finished ranked first in the ITA Northeast Regional Doubles Rankings.
Jake, whose grandfather John Huarte won the 1964 Heisman Trophy playing quarterback for Notre Dame, had a winning record in singles and doubles, including going 2-0 in doubles in conference matches. He also earned a win over Loyola in the Patriot League Tournament.
“I’ve learned to just stay calm and roll with the punches,” said Jake on the lessons he has learned from playing tennis. Even in La Jolla, we should not have lost that first-round match, but we stayed calm and beat way better teams later in the tournament. Tennis has taught me to not overreact to things.”
Thomas echoed a similar sentiment.
“Problem-solving, playing under pressure, friendship. Every lesson you could think of. This sport has made me the person I am because of the opportunities it has presented and the relationships it has enabled me to be a part of. Tennis has taught me to take one step at a time and to focus on the now.”
