Caledonia's Julian Buchan named Grand Rapids area boys tennis Player of the Year

There’s not much more that could have been expected from Julian Buchan.

The Caledonia senior capped off a four-year varsity tennis career with the Scots and went 21-1 in his matches at No. 1 singles leading into the state finals.

For that achievement, Buchan has been named MLive Grand Rapids area boys tennis player of the year.

Buchan fell in the first round of the Division 1 state tournament to Utica’s Donovan Nguyen 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

“He has only lost two sets all season, which were in his only loss,” coach Scott Bont said of Buchan’s pre-state meet performance. “He did not give up one set in both the conference and Division 1 regional tournaments.”

That could be a testament to the 2-3 hour daily sessions Buchan put in during the summer, he said.

This year, Buchan faced a new and different adversity with a move into the OK Red Conference.

“Julian was seeded No. 2 going into the conference tournament and was able to avenge his three-set loss to Grand Haven by winning the conference tournament, 6-0 6-1. At the regional, he was the No. 1 seed and defeated Grandville in the finals, 6-0 6-3.”