East Lyme — St. Bernard School senior Alex Zuczek wanted to see how fast he could win Friday’s Eastern Connecticut Conference boys’ tennis tournament singles championship.

The result — 31 minutes.

Thirty-one.

Zuczek, the top-seed, blitzed second-seeded Tyler Huhtanen of Woodstock Academy 6-0, 6-0 to become the second player in ECC history to win four straight titles.

“I played hard,” Zuczek said, who returned to Montville for St. Bernard's graduation ceremony after the match. “I wanted to see how fast I could do it; how badly I could win.

“I sort of made a promise to one of my friends, Shiloh Feldman at Fitch. The poor kid I played in the first round (Fitch's Matthew Krick), he was an alternate. I kind of promised Shiloh that I would keep (that) score the worst against me (this season).”

Krick took two games against Zuczek in a 6-1, 6-1 defeat.

“That was the best score against me so far,” Zuczek said. “That was kind of a cool challenge I played against myself.”

Huhtanen joked, “(It was) short, at least.”

East Lyme's Tom Santoro (2002-05), a former State Open champ, won four ECC titles from 2002-05.

The doubles final didn’t last long either. Top-seeded Davon Chen and Eric Gu of East Lyme downed No. 2 Adam Pinch and David Perez of Waterford 6-1, 6-2, in about 50 minutes.

Zuczek, who lives in Westerly, ends his ECC career having never lost a league match. He has four career losses, all in state tournament play, and believes his experience has given him an edge.

“I’ve been in USTA (United States Tennis Association), playing tournaments, since I was eight,” Zuczek said. “My serve is probably better than almost anyone in Connecticut, almost.

“Experience, I’d say, that’s the main thing.”

Hugh Caldara, in his first season as the Saints' head coach, hasn’t had to tell him much.

“He’s the best kid I’ve ever coached,” Caldara said. “He’s special.

“(He has) too much power and speed. You don’t see kids, much less many players, who can stand at the baseline and pass you. Tyler is a very good athlete, and (Zuczek) just passed him.”

Zuczek will try to win that elusive state championship starting Saturday at the Class S tournament. He lost in the quarterfinals as a freshman, the semis as a junior and the finals last season.

Jonathan Miller, formerly of Housatonic Regional, beat Zuczek in last year’s S final 6-3, 6-3. Miller is a freshman at Pomona Pitzer in Claremont, Calif.

It was the second straight ECC doubles title for Chen, a junior, who won the championship last year with Mukesh Kurumbail. It’s the first league title for Gu, a sophomore.

“The scores were 6-1, 6-2 the first time we played them, but it was a lot closer than the score said,” Chen said. “We knew we’d have to come in a play well.

“We knew we just had to stick to our game. Me, getting to the net, and Eric stayed back and used his forehand. I guess that worked again.”

The two plan on continuing to play doubles together next season, which is different given that tennis is such an individual sport.

“Our games compliment each other well,” Gu said. “That’s why I think doubles works well for us. Maybe when I’m a senior (after Chen graduates), I’ll switch to singles.”

n.griffen@theday.com