Two years ago, during the pandemic, senior varsity tennis player Aram Izmirian practiced tennis with an oversized tennis ball on a makeshift court made with a couch cushion net and ping pong paddles for boundaries in his basement.

Even through the pandemic, Izmirian’s unrelenting commitment to being number one was evident. Izmirian has dominated the boys’ tennis ladder since his sophomore year; now, he has two state championships under his belt as he won first place in 2021 and second place this year. Because of his success in the state championships, Izmirian stresses about the expectations of winning every match, especially during tournaments.

“It’s tough and a lot of pressure,” he said.

Izmirian’s tennis journey started with private lessons at four years old in San Diego, California. In 2017, Izmirian visited his family in Colorado for Christmas, where he met Creek varsity 1 Head Coach Art Quinn through mutual family friends. They stayed in touch as Izmirian moved to Colorado in 2018 and decided to pursue tennis in high school.

He made varsity 1 his freshman year, a rare occurrence. Quinn has only seen this happen 10 times in his 17 years of coaching varsity tennis.

Izmirian has continued to prove his abilities by helping the team win the 5A state championship for three consecutive years, which makes him one of the top players in Colorado.
His teammates and friends have recognized his improvement on and off the court.

“[Izmirian] didn’t really know where he wanted to be,” senior Zach Hayutin said. “I think over the years, he’s found his group, and he’s happy where he is.”

“His confidence is one of the things I’ve seen improve,” senior Brendan Davis said. “Aram’s always been a phenomenal player as far as his skills – very technical. I’ve seen his love for the game increase. He’s become more of a dominant player.”

Izmirian stresses about the expectations of winning every match he plays in a tournament. Despite his skills and experience, a match can consume Izmirian’s day, yet he has overcome bigger hurdles.

Izmirian underwent heart surgery to remove AVNRT (Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia), missing two matches.
Izmirian lost the third match he played after rejoining the team against Kent Denver, yet getting back on the court brought him a sense of normalcy.

“It was the first time I felt like I was back to normal [and] back to playing like myself,” Izmirian said. “It was a good feeling.”