Alexander Kremliovsky took a few years off from going to school.
Just during seventh and eighth grades.
Then, because of tennis, he started attending classes again as a freshman at Poway High.
Kremliovsky, who is called Sasha since he returned from being home schooled, realized the only way for him to play tennis in college was to return to regular school.
“It was definitely different than staying home all day,’’ said Kremliovsky, who will be a junior in the fall. “Even though it was differently, it wasn’t too dramatic to return to school.’’
And the 5-foot-6 Kremliovsky’s tennis game has improved remarkedly too.
He finished the 2023 season with a 28-2 record as a singles player for the Titans.
Kremliovsky capped off this season by finishing second in the Palomar League individual tournament, losing 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 to the top player, Jack Li from San Marcos.
In the CIF individual tournament, Kremliovsky reached the Round of 16 before falling to Robert Freedman from Torrey Pines 7-5, 6-3.
Freedman lost the championship match to Rohan Murali of Santana.
The moment Kremliovsky set foot on the Poway campus, he became the Titans’ top singles performer.
“He was the best player we had last year by far,’’ Poway coach Glenn Stephan said. “He has hit more tennis balls in practice than anyone I know.
“No one is more dedicated to tennis than Alexander.’’
Kremliovsky has noticed how rapidly his game skills have continued to get better.
“I’m more aware of my opponents’ game now,’’ he said. “I get angry at myself when I’m not playing well. “That’s something I’m still working on.’’
Kremliovsky began playing tennis at age 3.
His mom Lelene took him to a friend’s house for a few introductory lessons.
He fell in love with the sport instantly and has stayed with it while older brother Ljosha moved over to swimming.
“I’ve hit balls for hours and hours, thousands of hours,’’ Kremliovsky said. “I have gotten pretty good with it.
“Sometimes, though, the pace is too slow, so I’ll go to the net.
“If the opponent is too aggressive, I’ll just stay on the baseline for a while.’’
One of his goals this summer is to find out if his game is good for a college to offer him a scholarship.
Under NCAA rules, colleges have not been allowed to talk with him until the summer before his junior year at Poway.
But that won’t take away from spending as much time as possible on the court.
“When a key point arrives, I try to focus on my game more,’’ he said. “If I’m down in a match, I try to calm down and get it done.
Matches can be mentally exhausting because you’re up and down in a match.
“And with no coaches on the court, it’s rough to know when to change tactics.’’
Stephan depends on the game decisions Kremliovsky makes in the flow of a match.
Kremliovsky, who reached the CIF quarterfinals last spring, understands the time commitment for both school and tennis.
That will bode well for him in the next few years.
“Sasha found his ion in both areas early in life,’’ Stephan said. “It’s not like he thinks he can excel in both those areas without doing the work.
“Work doesn’t scare him at all.’’ Kremliovsky may not know which college he’ll be attending, but he knows what line of study he wants to pursue.
He’s a big fan of math.
“I may go with applied mathematics,’’ he said. “I like math, but not science.
“I was drilled along the way toward finding a problem and finding the answer to solve it.
“If I get the wrong answer, then I did something wrong.’’
Just like tennis.
If he fails to overcome an opponent, he’s learned he must have done something wrong.
“Math can be a bit frustrating,’’ said the Poway native who was born in Pomerado Hospital.
Just like tennis, even for someone as talented as Sasha.
