JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – William Chaves isn’t going anywhere. There’s still too much to do on the tennis court.
Chaves, the Varsity 4 All-News4JAX boys tennis player of the year, has two more seasons to go at Nease. That’s good for Chaves and the youth-driven Panthers lineup, and bad for local opponents. Add in the fact that this may have been the most fun that Chaves had on the court this season, and things feel like they’re just getting started for Nease.
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Chaves moved to the area from New Jersey in 2020 and was still pulled in another sporting direction back then. Once he arrived in Florida, things changed. Now, there’s no doubt that Chaves made the right decision.
“I grew up playing soccer for most of my life and I played tennis a little bit,” he said. “But when I moved down to Florida, I really committed all my time to it, and I just fell in love with it.”
Chaves still had a heart for soccer but found his passion in tennis. He was excellent as a freshman, going 10-2 and reaching the state tournament. But Chaves cranked up his game to another level this year.
Chaves went 14-4 at the No. 1 singles spot and didn’t lose to a local opponent. He won matches in the Class 3A state tournament in both singles and doubles. Chaves said that there’s a balance of the ultra-competitive world of junior tennis and the more relaxed high school season.
Chaves beat every local opponent in straight sets, with only Matanzas (Stanislav Valenteychik) and Creekside (Siddharth Mantha) No. 1 players managing to win four games against the Nease ace. Tennis is one high school sport where elite players tend to cut back later in their careers and focus on the more challenging junior circuit. Chaves said he views every point in high school as meaningful.
“I look at it like as it’s practice. Every match you get better. And like, I’m not going to discredit someone just because they’re [ranked] a little bit lower,” Chaves said. “You know, you can always work on your game. So, I think high school [tennis] is very important and I think a lot of players should play it. … There is a lot more like friends and connections in high school than junior [tennis]. I think that’s probably why I like to come back in high school, just the relationships you make.”
The Panthers are so young that it’s not unrealistic to think that they could bring home a team state title in the near future. The girls team did just that this season, with star Kylie Kochis winning both singles and doubles overall championships. Chaves and the Nease boys team were there to support the girls, an experience he called “awesome” for everyone. The Nease boys could be next in line for a title.
Chaves and fellow All-News4JAX first-team selection, Charles Neal will headline Nease’s lineup next year. Also back are Austin and Tyler Miskelly and Aleksandar Gavrancic. Chaves said this year’s team was special and had strong chemistry off the court that made it the most memorable year of team tennis he’s played.
“The car rides and the dinners, definitely,” Chaves said of what made this season special. “Just like that was our happy place, like win or lose, we just we kind of, I don’t know, it was just something special about it.”
Varsity 4 All-News4JAX boys tennis team
Player, school, class, notable
William Chaves, Nease, So.
Are’s top player is two-time All-News4JAX selection. Unbeaten locally in 14-4 season at the No. 1 spot and posted a 14-2 mark at the top doubles position. Won a match in singles and doubles in 3A state meet.
Reef Davis, Fletcher, Sr.
Three-time All-News4JAX selection. District champ went 7-1 at the No. 1 singles spot and 6-1 at the top doubles position. Qualified for state in both singles and doubles but had to withdraw.
Zach Hyatt, Fleming Island, So.
Went 9-2 at the No. 1 doubles spot with only two losses locally coming to FPC’s Andrew Shkotkin and Nease’s William Shaves. Was All-News4JAX player of the year as a freshman. Reached doubles final with Kesl Cumpstone.
Dillon Landau, Ponte Vedra, Fr.
Excellent freshman season for the Sharks, with a 16-5 mark at the top singles spot. Of his five losses, three were to Nease star William Chaves.
Davis Miller, Ponte Vedra, Fr.
Went 16-3 at the No. 2 singles position for Sharks, and 13-5 at the top doubles spot for Sharks.
Charles Neal, Nease, So.
Excellent season at the No. 2 singles spot, going 13-4 and losing to just one local opponent (Ponte Vedra’s Miller). Went 13-2 with top player Chaves in doubles. All-News4JAX selection last year at Episcopal. Went a combined 72-3 in two seasons with Eagles.
Second team
Player, school, class
Ethan Kent, St. Johns Country Day, 8th
Barreled through the regular season 19-0 (10-0 in singles, 9-0 in doubles) and reached the Class 1A state tournament.
Maximus Pisani, Yulee, Jr.
Went a combined 19-2 across singles and doubles and then reached the Class 2A state quarterfinals before first singles loss of the year.
Andrew Shkotkin, Flagler Palm Coast, So.
Limited action but a solid season for the Bulldogs at the No. 1 spot. Didn’t lose a match to a local player at singles. Went 6-2 at the No. 1 singles spot and 5-4 in doubles. First team All-News4JAX last year.
Marko Stevanovic, Atlantic Coast, Jr.
Posted a combined 15-3 record in singles and doubles play, with only losses combing to Fletcher.
Stanislav Valenteychik, Matanzas, Jr.
Top player for the Pirates whose only local losses came to Nease, Ponte Vedra and rival Flagler Palm Coast. Went combined 14-10 at top singles and doubles spots. Second team All-News4JAX last year.
Michael Zhang, Bolles, Jr.
Went 9-8 in singles and doubles this year, with only local losses coming to Nease and Ponte Vedra. Helped Bulldogs reach the Class 2A team state tournament. Second team All-News4JAX last year.
Honorable mention
Player, school, class
Aadhav Balraj, Creekside, Fr.
Max Berzsenyl, Wolfson, So.
Owen Brady, Matanzas, Jr.
Benjamin Chau, Paxon, So.
Owen Chiu, Tocoi Creek, Sr.
Kesl Cumpstone, Fleming Island, Jr.
Keanu El-Hajjar, Providence, Sr.
Alexsandar Gavrancic, Nease, So.
Ben Gredenhag, Bishop Kenny, Fr.
Jacob Kovalicik, Fernandina Beach, Jr.
Shane Looney, Oakleaf, Fr.
Siddharth Mantha, Creekside, Fr.
Jack Miller, Wolfson, Sr.
Christian Miller, Ponte Vedra, Sr.
Austin Miskelly, Nease, So.
Tyler Miskelly, Nease, So.
Will Misner, Episcopal, So.
Owen Neal, Episcopal, 8th
Dhruv Pandya, Bolles, Sr.
Mason Vogt, St. Johns Country Day, 7th
Tristan Straw, Tocoi Creek, So.
Caleb Shepler, Christ’s Church, Sr.
Jaan Thakkar, Stanton, Sr.
Ronan Thomas, Fernandina Beach, So.
Gavin Wang, Wolfson, So.
Brayden Woods, Fletcher, So.
