Rayan Elkhalifi was a new arrival on the boys high-school tennis circuit during the spring season, and the Yorktown Patriots’ senior enjoyed big success in what was his lone prep campaign.
Elkhalifi moved to Arlington for the 2022-23 school year from Morocco, where he did not play high-school tennis as a freshman, sophomore or junior.
For Yorktown, Elkhalifi won Liberty District and 6D North Region tournament singles championships, then finished second in the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tourney.
“It was a great season and I was pleased with how it went and I enjoyed it very much,” Elkhalifi said. “I played very good overall. My goal was to go undefeated and win states.”
The left-handed-playing Elkhalifi was 1-1 in the state competition. He defeated Vincent Yi of Ocean Lakes High, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals, then lost to defending champion Matthew Staton of Colgan, 6-1, 6-1, in the final.
“He was very good,” Elkhalifi said about Staton. “I tried everything against him, but it didn’t matter.”
Elkhalifi was the first player in Yorktown history to play in a state singles tourney final at the VHSL’s highest enrollment classification. He will play in college at George Mason University, studing business.
For the season, Elkhalifi finished with a 16-2 overall singles record and was chosen as the team’s Most Valuable Player. He also received a Sportsmanship of the Year Tennis Award from the Better Sports Club of Arlington.
“When we first saw Rayan on the court, we knew right away that he could really play,” Yorktown coach Stephanie Meadows said. “He is very versatile and powerful and makes adjustments on the court to what he has to do. He was a joy to coach and fun to watch play.”
Elkhalifi was 2-0 in the region tournament. He won in three sets in his semifinals match, then defeated Madison’s Josh Vargas, 6-1, 6-3, in the final.
In the state final, Meadows said Elkhalifi tried a lot of different approaches and strategies against Staton, but nothing worked.
“He was a very strong player,” Meadows said of Staton.
Elkhalifi’s only other loss came during the regular season in a tie-breaker, when he wasn’t feeling well.
A tennis player since age 3, Elkhalifi said playing on a high-school team was a new and “different” experience because he was representing a school and not just playing for himself.
