Burbank High freshman Emil Lazaryev stands just 4-foot-10 and wears a size four shoe.
But what he lacks in size, he makes up for with grit.
Lazaryev won two sets Thursday as Burbank concluded the regular season with a 12-6 win over host Burroughs.
“Some people underestimate me because I am short but I don’t let it get to me,” said Lazaryev, who said he has been playing tennis since he was four years old.
He came closest amongst Burbank’s players against Burroughs No. 1 player Jaden Chapman. Chapman pulled off a sweep, winning 6-2 over Burbank No. 1 Apollo Harbaugh. He won 6-4 over Lazaryev and 6-0 over Hayk Tsaturyan.
Harbaugh won 6-0 over Burroughs No. 2 player Dominic Carlebach. Lazaryev also won 6-0 over Carlebach and Tsaturyan won 6-2.
Harbaugh lost 6-2 Adi Kiran, who was playing as the Burroughs No. 3 player. Lazaryev won 6-0 over Cody Baer and Tsaturyan won 6-1 over Baer.
In doubles, the Burbank No. 1 team of Harutyun Kelikyan and Rithun Gopalakrishnan won two of three sets. They sent 6-2 over the Burroughs No. 1 team of Nolan Jennings and Isaac Ayala. They lost 6-4 to the Burroughs team of Nick Deville and Iulian Lundburg and won 6-1 over the No. 3 team of Jack Wardlaw and Ian Robertson.
Burbank’s No. 2 team of Quilan Cramer and Michael Fan earned a sweep, going 6-0 over Ayala and substitute Andre Barraza-Franco. They defeated Deville and Lundburg 6-4 and won 6-1 over Wardlaw and Robertson.
Burbank’s No. 3 team of Alec Safarian and Monte Gharibian won 6-0 over Jennings and Ayala. They lost 7-5 to Deville and Lundburg and won 6-0 over Wardlaw and Robertson.
Burbank completes in the regular season in third place in the Pacific League. Burroughs finishes fourth in league.
