Juniors Ma, Osanna continue MHS boys tennis dominance

Manteca High School junior Yok Chai Ma returns a forehand. Ma was the Valley Oak League’s singles champion. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Thallander)

By DARIO RODRIGUEZ 
The Tower 

Does experience make the player, or does the player make the experience? 

Throughout all of sports history, athletes have come from all sorts of backgrounds and their differences are what make them special. Whether you’ve been practicing and putting in the work for years or have the talent beyond imagination, if your goal is to succeed, you will. 

Manteca High School has produced elite level athletes in multiple disciplines. This spring, from its varsity boys tennis team, Manteca High School has been lucky enough to have Yok Chai Ma and Michael Osanna. Ma has been playing for six years and Osanna has just begun his journey this year.   

“My brothers play tennis, as well as my dad. But my brothers and I definitely take it more seriously than my dad,” said Ma. 

Both Ma and Osanna are juniors and each of them have big goals to acquire a section title in their senior year. Although natural skill has taken him to the postseason, Osanna still hopes to learn new skills and strategies from Ma as their careers continue.  

Although the experience level of these players is drastically different, they both have been quite successful throughout their careers. Both Ma and Osanna participated in the Sac-Joaquin Division III Singles Tournament. Ma captured the Valley Oak League singles title, while Osanna finished third at the year-end VOL Tournament and earned all-league honors.

“I feel great about going to postseason in my first year. I just need to focus on accomplishing my goals in tennis from here on out,” Osanna said. 

Manteca High School junior Michael Osanna finished third at the Valley Oak League Singles Tournament, earning an all-league selection and berth in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Thallander)

The Tower spoke with both Yok Chai Ma and Michael Osanna to discuss their current and future career goals. 

The Tower: What are your biggest accomplishments in tennis? 

Yok Chai Ma: My biggest accomplishment in high school would definitely be during my freshman year, winning the individual section title for doubles with our foreign exchange student Jonas 

TT: How do you guys into your “zone” before competing? 

YCM: Yes, kind of, but for the most part I’m in a full focus mode but I also try to stay very relaxed. 

Micheal Osanna: Usually, I’ll meditate or listen to music before a match. Sometimes I’ll pray before, but I mainly just try to stay focused as well. 

TT: How did you get into the sport? 

MO: One day I was bored, and I was hanging out with my family. So, my cousins and I went to Target and bought some cheap tennis rackets and decided to mess around and play tennis. While we were playing, I was really having fun and so I decided to try to play for real and now I’m here. 

TT: What do you hope to accomplish in the future of your career? 

YCM: I’m definitely hoping that we can win a team section title. I know we have a few really good players coming in next year, so hopefully we all can succeed. 

MO: Personally, I’m hoping to get some type of Division II or Division III scholarship and continue to play beyond high school.  

TT: What have you learned from watching the more experienced players, like Yok? 

MO: I’ve learned that you can’t let certain things get in your head and that you just have to stay in the zone, and you can’t let things distract you from what you’re supposed to be doing.