Monroe Review

Monroe High School recently issued the following announcement.

Congratulations to Sophomore Azariah Duran who was named Monroe County Region Boys Tennis Player of the Year!  #WeAreMonroe

Follow the link below to view the article.

Iron sharpens iron

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“Iron Sharpens Iron”

Niles Kruger

The Monroe News USA TODAY NETWORK

Azariah Duran loves to work on his tennis game.

It takes hours of work and lots of repetition to hone his strokes.

That’s where Monroe High’s No. 1 singles player has an advantage over many of his competitors. His other brother Hosea also is a member of the Monroe’s team.

“I always have someone to hit with,” Azariah said.

And he always has someone to push him.

Hosea, a junior, is Monroe’s No. 2 singles player.

“We both go on the court with a goal, with a mind to push each other,” Azariah said. “We hit the ball back and forth. It’s like iron sharpening iron.”

Azariah was very sharp this season. The sophomore was voted as the team captain and entrenched himself at No. 1 singles. He held his own while playing against some of the top players in the state in the Southeastern Conference Red.

He finished with a 9-4 record and has been named Monroe County Region

Player of the Year in voting by The Monroe News sports staff.

“Az is a very motivated young man when it comes to his game,” Monroe coach Stephen Reau said. “ The amount work he puts into the sport shows how much he is driven to improve every day.

“He has become the type of player that wants to help the team and himself get better every practice. He doesn’t let a bad shot ruin the outcome of his matches.”

Much of the work on his game comes with his older brother on the other side of the net.

He says it is competitive but all done in brotherly love.

“It’s all in good fun,” Azariah said. “Sometimes it gets a little more serious when we are trying out new things that we have learned. It all depends on how we are feeling. If we are both really into it and it’s a good, close game it can get very competitive.”

Azariah respect’s Hosea’s game. “He has really good footwork and hits good shots,” he said. “I really think he could play No. 1 if he really put his mind to it.”

Playing No. 1 carries prestige, but it also comes with a challenge. You always have to face the best player on the other team.

And in the SEC Red, that means you battle some of the state’s top players.

“ There are a lot of good players at (Ann Arbor) Skyline, (Ann Arbor) Huron, Saline and (Ann Arbor) Pioneer,” Azariah said. “You get beat up by older players who are very experienced, but it makes me want to improve my game. I have to step it up to compete with those guys.”

Azariah made a rapid ascension through Monroe’s tennis ranks.

“I started at No. 3 singles,” he said of his first taste of varsity tennis as a freshman last year. “ Then, I challenged for No. 2.”

By the end of the season he had moved up to No. 1.

“I didn’t know how hard it would be or if they would let me play No. 1,” he said. “I was surprised to be up there so fast, but I do think can I can play No. 1 to the best of my ability.”

He gained confidence with each match.

“Last year, I made a lot of errors,” he said. “I missed shots that I know I can hit. I overthought it. This year, I just played the game I know I can play. I was more in control of the points.”

The confidence was vital on the court.

“I would say tennis is 20 percent physical and 80 percent mental,” he said. “Every point and every shot has to have a purpose. You need to keep cool and play the whole thing out.”

Azariah is just a sophomore, but he has been on the court for many years.

“I think I started about 6 years old,” he said. “My parents would go out hitting and they got me in lessons at the YMCA. Coach Laura (Hayward) at the Y taught me the basics. At 13, I moved up to a real ball. Coach Jerry (Escheck) kind of taught me the game. He taught me the technical things like footwork and worked with me on the mental game.”

He continues to hone his mental and physical game.

“It’s definitely something I want to do,” he said. “I want to see if I am able to play in college. … I think next year my goal will be to try to get more games off the big schools and win more of the bigger matches.”

Azariah Duran of Monroe hits a backhand at No. 1 singles for Monroe against Bedford. Duran has been named Monroe County Region Boys Tennis Player of the Year.

Original source can be found here.