Howard County 2024 boys tennis All-County: Marriotts Ridge senior Mukundh Boopathi named Player of the Year

Marriotts Ridge senior Mukundh Boopathi always planned on returning to the Mustangs for his final high school tennis season. As a sophomore, Boopathi starred for Marriotts Ridge and was named the 2022 Howard County Times boys tennis player of the year.

However, after that season, Boopathi and Mustangs coach Scott Dingman had an open and honest discussion. After weighing the pros and cons, Boopathi ultimately decided to not play for the Mustangs as a junior. Instead, he played tournaments throughout the season, as he prepared to try and play tennis in college.

“I was cautiously optimistic he would return,” Dingman said. “I knew how good of a player he was and what his work ethic was like. If he was going to take the year off with high school tennis to really focus on that, I was pretty confident that he would be able to go wherever he wanted for school. I figured that he would have probably had that all taken care of before March of senior year. I was happy for him that he was able to get his future plans set up and obviously happy that he was going to be back with the team.”

This January, Boopathi committed to play at Johns Hopkins University. Determined to return to the Mustangs, Boopathi anxiously awaited the camaraderie with teammates new and old.

Back in the fold, Boopathi orchestrated his best season. The senior finished an unblemished 16-0, winning the County Cup No. 1 singles title, 3A South Region I crown and the 3A state title. Boopathi’s 3A state title was particularly special, avenging a loss in the state final two years ago.

For his dominance and consistency, Boopathi is the 2024 Howard County Times boys tennis Player of the Year.

“I’m proud of the consistency that I showed,” Boopathi said. “Also, mainly I’m happy because we had a lot of team success as well. So, I’m really happy with our team did and how I was able to try and help our team as much as possible. Everyone on our team contributed a major extent. A lot of my success wouldn’t be possible without the other guys and the coaches.”

Boopathi understood the importance of fighting off complacency. Dominating as a sophomore two years ago, Boopathi felt that complacency creep up in certain moments. Based on that experience, Boopathi took away a valuable lesson: He never underestimated an opponent and remained locked in for every point.

Beyond that intense focus, Boopathi prides himself on his versatility and adaptability, which often frustrated opponents. Therefore, he’s able to adjust his game throughout and win the most important points in a variety of ways.

“When he got into big matches this season, two things really stood out,” Dingman said. “One was, that he won the big points. There was a match against River Hill’s Roger He where it was early on in the set and Roger was serving to even the score. They went to 10 deuces, back-and-forth. Every time Roger had a chance to take the game, Mukundh shut him down. He played well the whole time, but when the big points came, he was hyper-aware and hyper-focused. He played those points even smarter in terms of not making unforced errors and putting pressure on his opponent.”

Dingman also recognized Boopathi’s increased power. Not typically the biggest or strongest guy on the court, Boopathi’s diligently worked to increase his strength. When he was young, Boopathi was often overpowered and the one reacting on the court.

However, Boopathi now makes his opponents react to scorching winners and passing shots.

“My whole last four years I’ve been working more consistently on trying to add more power to my game,” Boopathi said. “Trying to be the aggressor. Even sophomore year, I would say compared to when I was younger it’s been a lot better. I’ve been working it on a lot. To add to the versatility, I want to be able to win points multiple different ways. It’s a lot less energy consuming, winning the points when you’re controlling compared to reacting.”

After winning the County Cup, Boopathi cruised through regionals without conceding a game. That gave him great momentum entering states. The veteran dropped just two total games in the state quarterfinal and semifinal matches to get back to a familiar position.

He concluded a decorated two varsity seasons in the best way possible with another straight set win, 6-3, 6-1, over Severna Park’s Charlie Herman. The win was doubly special for Boopathi, who saw his second cousin, Hammond’s Shivaani Selvan win her first 2A girls singles title on the same day.

“I was obviously really happy,” Boopathi said. “After two years, unfortunately I couldn’t play last year, but finally I was able to get over that final hump and win the title.”

All-County first team

Dylan Clarke, Reservoir, sophomore

First team All-County for a second straight season, Clarke was a County Cup quarterfinalist at No. 1 singles. He then won his first career regional title as the No. 2 seed, defeating River Hill’s Wesley Weinberg, 6-2, 6-1, in the regional final. Clarke also reached his first ever state semifinals after winning his quarterfinal match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.

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Vijay Jagarapu, Centennial, senior

Also, a first team All-County selection for a second straight season, Jagarapu finished third in No. 1 singles at the County Cup. He transitioned to mixed doubles in the postseason alongside Ariela Dumesh and dominated. The doubles pairing didn’t lose a game in 2A West Region I and ended the season with three more straight set wins, including a 6-0, 6-1, to win the 2A mixed doubles title.

Josh Ma, Glenelg, sophomore

Ma was a semifinalist in No. 1 singles at the County Cup. The sophomore excelled as the Gladiators’ top singles player, winning the 2A West Region I title without dropping a set as the No. 4 seed. Ma also reached the 2A state semifinals, winning his quarterfinal match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.

Daniel Au, sophomore and Joel Lee, senior, Howard

Au maintained momentum from a strong freshman year, while Lee added ample experience. They won the 3A South Region I doubles title as the No. 2 seed with straight set wins in both matches. The Lions’ top doubles pairing finished the season as 3A runners-up, winning their quarterfinal and semifinal matches, 6-0, 6-0, and 6-1, 6-1, respectively.

Adiyta Bhandar, sophomore and Arnav Rajadhyaksha, sophomore, Glenelg

Bhandar and Rajadhyaksha won the 2A West Region I doubles title as the top seed. They won both matches in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-4 in the regional final.

Carson Campbell, junior and Roger He, junior, River Hill

Campbell and He dominated as the Hawks’ top boys doubles pairing. They won the 3A South Region II doubles title as the No. 2 seed with a 6-2, 6-3 win in the regional final. As the top seed at states, they maintained that dominance. Campbell and He won the 3A boys doubles title, defeating Au and Lee 6-4, 6-4.

All-County second team

Rafa Feldman, Marriotts Ridge, senior

Nathan Gong, Howard, junior

Sam Li, Atholton, junior

Simar Sawhney, River Hill, sophomore

Wesley Weinberg, River Hill, senior

Tyler Wang, sophomore and Jerry He, senior, Marriotts Ridge