STUDIO CITY — Harvard Westlake senior doubles partners Elliott Meth and Andrew Esrailian simplified an equation for success during high-paced rallies in 2026.
“Tennis can be a very up-and-down sport,” Esrailian said. “You want to make it as linear as you can. Take the emotions out of it. You want to play how you’ve been practicing, that level you’ve been practicing. Having a partner helps you in the tough moments and it also makes the game a lot more fun.”
Esrailian and Meth carried each other through the highs and lows and built a chemistry that made Harvard-Westlake’s tennis program formidable in 2026.
Meth and Esrailian collectively helped the Wolverines make an appearance in the CIF State Championships using their game acumen and leadership.
The doubles team was selected by the Daily News as the co-players of the year.
Meth will play college tennis at Occidental while Esrailian will attend college at Yale to study finance.
“We worked so hard during the entire year and really we found a way to create strong team tennis at our school rather than an amalgamation of individuals,” Esrailian said. “It’s a testament to how we felt and played as a group.”
Esrailian and Meth together posted a record of 30-5 and became the school’s first Mission League doubles champions since 2022 and reached the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals as a doubles team.
Esrailian and Meth met in the seventh grade and were paired as doubles partners as sophomores.
Meth and Esrailian developed a chemistry that allowed them to intertwine their styles of play, and that became problematic for opponents.
“Trust is the most important aspect,” Meth said. “If you’re able to trust in your teammate and know what he’s going to do, then in turn, he’ll make solid volleys and you focus on yourself. We learned to not just play but flow as a team and that’s what makes every high-level doubles team successful.”
Tennis origins and family planted seeds
The starts of Esrailian and Meth’s tennis careers have different backstories.
For Meth, it started with walking around Lindberg Park in Culver City as a 5-year-old with his grandmother Susan Meth. He watched the green ball with white seams get sliced and rallied back and forth. The pong-sound of racket connecting to ball and hitting concrete.
It was a sound that enchanted the ears and mesmerized Meth.
“I did soccer first and then my grandmother got me a tennis lesson,” Meth said. I’ve been competitive in tennis since then. I’ve been through all the ups and downs.”
Esrailian began hitting balls on a court in Encino near where his family used to live when he was 4 years old. His passion for tennis grew during COVID when there was more free time to spend when classes were online.
After school, he’d rally and work on his game with older brother Derek Esrailian.
“It got more competitive and during the sixth grade I began practicing every day,” Esrailian said. “That’s when I fell in love with tennis.”
Season of redemption
Esrailian and Meth pursued ending their season on a high note. And they had a list of opponents they wanted to eliminate from the CIF playoffs.
There was Peninsula, which had knocked Harvard-Westlake from the playoffs during their freshman year. Corona Del Mar ended their sophomore season, and they lost to University (Irvine) as juniors.
This year, they took down opponents from all three schools.
Meth and Esrailian beat Peninsula and took down University in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 finals. That set them both up for the CIF SoCal Regional final against Corona del Mar after sweeping Bakersfield Christian 7-0 in the first round and Woodbridge 5-2 in the semifinals.
While Harvard-Westlake ultimately lost in the state final to Menlo, Meth and Esrailian won the final match of their doubles career.
“We cleaned up and finished business,” Meth said.