Gathered for a victory photo, from left, Topper Tennis Coach Hari Viswanathan, 2025 State Champion Aditya Viswanathan, Topper Tennis Coach Travis Gibson, 2025 State Champion Michael Witkowski and Topper Tennis Coach Tim Khazratkulov. Photo by Gowri Srinivasan
Michael Witkowski returns serve against Academy as partner Aditya Viswanathan stays alert at the net. Photo by Hari Viswanathan
SPORTS News:
Aditya Viswanathan and Michael Witkowski beat the Friedland brothers of Santa Fe Prep in a nailbiter to bring home the title of 2025 State Champions in the New Mexico 4-A category! The championships were held May 7-8 at the Jerry Cline complex in Albuquerque.
The twosome battled a debilitating respiratory illness in addition to tough competition from teams from Lovington, Albuquerque Academy and Española in previous rounds. Their victory coincidentally marks the 100-year anniversary of the first doubles title won by a Los Alamos school, the Ranch School, by Ashley Pond III and his partner Henry Newman (information Courtesy of Katy Jones-Gulsby of the Los Alamos Historical Society).
Viswanathan and Witkowski are ranked top two on the Varsity team in a rebuilding year, after the Toppers graduated three of their top five players at the end of last season. The pair, who only started playing together this year, steadily improved their doubles chemistry and went on to dominate their competition throughout the season. However, the ride was not without twists and turns, as the top seeds who were heavily favored to win the District title were forced to forfeit the District championship finals due to illness.
To add insult to injury, this resulted in the Toppers being seeded No. 3 at the State finals behind Academy and Española. All of this only added to the duo’s determination to win the ultimate prize.
The state championships were not without drama either. The Toppers went the distance, winning in 3 sets in the quarters, semi and the finals, dropping the first set each time. Rusty from being unable to practice for nearly a week, they came back storming from being down 3-6, 0-3 in the semis to take the last two sets 6-4 and 6-0 against the Española pair of Silva-Vigil and Gallegos. The championship match went similarly, with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Jackson and Noah Friedland of Santa Fe Prep.
In their post-match interview, Viswanathan and Witkowski credited their coaches and families for providing a nurturing and supportive environment. Coaches Travis Gibson, Tim Khazratkulov and Hari Viswanathan provided crucial coaching and moral support from the sidelines. Both players have strong tennis genes, with Viswanathan’s father Hari Viswanathan winning the same title as a Topper in 1989 and Witkowski’s maternal grandfather and father, athletes themselves, encouraging him and his older brother Nick to pursue tennis.
This victory is significant in that Los Alamos has only won the state championship title in doubles a mere eight times in 105 years, with the last victory being in 2011. Academy has been a dominant force in recent years, only losing twice in the last 11 years.
The season is not over yet. Both boys and girls varsity teams are back in action for the Team championships now underway in Albuquerque.