Thomas Lowes got beat last year. In fact, opponents beat him nearly every time out on the court. So much so that Liberty tennis coach Mike Salokas worried about the freshman’s psyche.

“I got down most of the time,” Lowes said. “I got angry with myself when there were times that I probably could have won. I got intimidated out there.”

Salokas threw Lowes into the fire, putting the 5-foot-2 freshman into the No. 1 varsity spot in one of the toughest leagues in the state. In most matches Lowes would be shorter in stature and experience.

“I was 5-2 going up against guys that were 6-6,” Lowes said. “The taller people think they can just walk all over you.”

But Salokas had a plan. Now Lowes is back as a 15-year-old sophomore, six inches taller, more experienced and having more fun. He’s already won three singles matches (after winning just once last season) this season, while still playing in the No. 1 varsity singles spot.

“This year is a lot more fun,” Lowes said. “Even when I lose matches, it’s still close.”

His goal for the season is to have a win/loss record above .500 and make the district tournament. By the time he’s done with high school tennis, he wants to make the state tournament.

Even with the extra confidence that comes with being older, taller and more experienced, Lowes said he still has to improve his ability to make good shots and put opponents away. He needs to be more aggressive on the court.

After playing the underdog role so much last year, he must get used to the fact that now he’s on even ground with opponents coming into the match.

He said his strengths are serving and playing close to the net. “I want to make them scared when I come to the net,” Lowes said. He also likes to play the underdog role to his advantage. He said he lets opponents build a false confidence and then unleashes his highest-level play.

With every loss or rough match last year, Lowes’ successes this year feel that much better. Like when he beat Andrew Nguyen of Sammamish, 7-6 (6-4), 6-3, on Sept. 23. The two had met about four times before, with Nguyen coming out as the winner in all of them. With a win, Lowes can see his improvement.

Another great moment this year came when he and doubles teammate Sho Kato won their first doubles match ever, 7-6 (6-4), 6-4, against Skyline.

“The first thing I said was,’Oh my gosh! We actually just won.’ We had been close so many times but we finally pulled one out, so it was great,” Lowes said.

Kato is also a sophomore; he plays in the varsity No. 2 spot for singles.

Lowes has played tennis for as long as he can remember. Outside of high school he plays for the Boeing Tennis Club and club tennis doesn’t have quite the easy-going feel high school tennis does.

“Everyone’s friendly before the matches but when you start playing, it gets serious quick,” Lowes said. “You’re just trying to win out there, you want to get down to playing and not socialize as much.”

Lowes is part of a young nucleus leading Liberty’s tennis team this year, with four sophomores and two seniors playing varsity singles.

Adam McFadden can be reached at amcfadden@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5054.