WELLESLEY – Lachlan McCaghren snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
McCaghren defeated Duxbury senior Tim Vargas 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 in the finals of the Massachusetts High School Individual Tennis Tournament, coming from behind to pull off the remarkable feat.
“That first set, he was killing me,” said McCaghren. “But I believed I could hang with him. Mentally, I knew I could do it.”
A junior from the Middlesex School, McCaghren had struggled to solve the puzzle that the top-seeded Vargas created on the court. Vargas won the first set, 6-1, then was on the cusp of winning it all with a 5-4 lead – and the serve – in the second.
“Coming back and winning the second set was a big confidence boost,” said McCaghren. “After that, everything started to click. It gave me a big boost of energy.”
Once McCaghren won the second set, he then dominated the third. Bouncing around the court, the roles reversed as he became too much for Vargas.
“He never gave up,” said Vargas, who is headed to Colgate in the fall. “That second set was a battle. I almost put him away, but he stayed steady and strong. He hunkered down, kept grinding away at my backhand, and it worked.”
As the defending champion, McCaghren intends to return next year to defend his crown.
“I had an early exit in this tournament last year, but I had a lot more confidence this year,” said McCaghren. “That was the biggest difference for me.”
This was the second consecutive year the tournament was run by the United States Tennis Association. A new addition for 2025 was a doubles tournament, and that was won by Brookline High seniors Kiran and Ravin Bhatia.
Twin brothers bound for Princeton in the fall, the Bhatias powered past a very talented set of opponents in the finals, defeating Concord-Carlisle’s TJ Fahey and Dan Lynch 6-1, 6-2.
“We’d never played a USTA tournament before, so it was a new experience for us,” said Ravin Bhatia. “It’s a nice opportunity to play against the best doubles teams in the state. We really had to dig deep to pull it out.”
The Bhatia twins were undefeated in doubles play this season. As the accolades continue to pile up, the two keep bringing the best out in each other – and themselves – through their unrelenting work ethic.
“Ravin and I know how well we can play and we know our potential,” said Kiran Bhatia. “We don’t want to let each other down, and that shows on the court.”
