FHSAA 1A & 3A State Championships recap
High School tennis athletes from across the state gathered to compete in the Florida High School Athletic Association Tennis State Championships for 2A and 4A. Taking place in Seminole County at Sanlando, Red Bug Lake, and Sylvan Lake Park, the atmosphere was intense across all parks as teams vied for the top place.
Teams and players have been playing matches over the past few months to determine the best in the state. At the FHSAA Tennis State Championships there are Team and Individual brackets. As part of the Team Draw, the No. 1 line for each school will compete in the Team’s Individual bracket, where the winner will match up against the player that won the Individual bracket. The individual bracket features some of the best tennis players in the state whose team did not qualify for the State Championships. The winner of that match will become the Overall Champion for that specific class (Team’s Individual Draw winner against Individual Draw winner).
Class 2A
All year long Class 2A has been super competitive, with teams battling it out and leaving everything on the courts.
For the Boy’s draw, it was a thrilling few days of tennis matches with the defending champions, American Heritage Delray looking to repeat, while foes like Lake Highland Prep, MAST Academy, and others looked to dethrone them.
MAST Academy came into the State Championship red hot.
American Heritage started off their campaign very strong, with a clean 5-0 sweep over South Walton. Bolles and MAST Academy also got off to hot starts as they won their matches 5-0 and 6-0 respectively. Lake Highland Prep found themselves in a good match with Aubrey Rogers. The two teams split the opening Doubles lines, and Aubrey Rogers took the top line in Singles. However, Lake Highland Prep battled back to win the next four lines and take a 5-2 win.
This set up a Semifinals clash of American Heritage against Bolles and Lake Highland Prep versus MAST Academy. American Heritage continued their dominating trail, winning both Doubles lines. They would only need Singles Lines 2 and 4 as Yanni Anagnostopoulos and Karl Ekstrand handled business to advance back to the State Finals.
On the other side of the bracket Lake Highland Prep and MAST Academy were going back and forth. MAST jumped out early, taking the two doubles matches. However, Lake Highland Prep bounced back with quick wins in Lines 3 and 4 by Jackson Bates and Zachary Chang. But, in the end, Alessandro Sanchez Zaccaria, the top line for MAST, and Pedro Ribas, clutched up for the team to set up a date with the defending State Champs.
The 2A Boy’s State Finals got off to an electric start with doubles. Alessandro Sanchez Zaccaria and Sebastian Felice (MAST) took down Yanni Anagnostopoulos and Ajinkya Karnataki in a third-set tiebreaker. In Line 2, Geoff Kosseifi and Karl Ekstrand (American Heritage) faced off against Pablo Lopez de Ayala and Christian Zaki. Like the top line, they split the opening two sets, and it came down to a 10-point tiebreaker. Geoff and Karl started strong and took it 10-3 to even the score at 1-1. The Line two pair from American Heritage, Geoff and Karl, took their momentum from that match and won Lines 3 and 4 in Singles to put them on match point. The winning line, No. 5 featured Rodion Grinchak (American Heritage) as he went against Christian Zaki. It was a clean opening set from Christian as he won it 6-1. However, Rodion battled back to win the second set in a tiebreaker, taking it by two points. The third set tiebreaker was fierce and the two were going point for point. In the end, Rodion found his groove and won 10-8, clinching back-to-back State Championships for American Heritage Delray!
American Heritage Delray won the Boy’s 2A Team Championship.
For the Boy’s individual bracket, Max Freedman, from North Broward Prep was dominating competition, taking down the likes of Jack Lindstrom (Satellite) and Steven Ethier (Lemon Bay). Max faced off against Alessandro Sanchez Zaccaria from MAST Academy in the finals and it was a great match. It was Max who came out on top winning 6-4, 6-3 and becoming the Boy’s Overall Singles Championship.
Max Freedman is the Class 2A Singles Overall Champion!
In Doubles, Ashwin Chawla and Koray Abramson from Pine Crest rolled through competition of the induvial side, not dropping a set as they met up with the duo of Paul Barrus and Akhil Nimmagadda from Aubrey Rogers in the Overall Finals. They stayed true to that and took the match 6-3, 7-5 becoming Overall Doubles Champions.
The Girl’s competition was exciting to watch unfold as top teams such as MAST Academy, Bolles, Academy of the Holy Names, and others were expected to put on a show of tennis excellence.
All three of those schools started off strong, winning in convincing fashion. However, the underdog story of American Heritage Delray would begin as they took down South Walton. According to MaxPreps, the ladies from American Hertiage entered the State Quarterfinals with a record of 5-9 on the year, but they were destined to try and sweep 2A, following the Boy’s win.
The Semifinals featured MAST Academy against Bolles and Academy of The Holy Names versus American Heritage Delray. In the first matchup, MAST and Bolles traded some blows as Katrina Kirov and Rafael Neel (Bolles) took the No. 1 Doubles Line, but the second line went to MAST’s Nila Nahuz and Valentina Palanda. Eyes turned over to the No. 1 Singles Line as Isabella Porto (MAST) took on Katrina Kirov. Seeking revenge from Doubles, Isabella was focused throughout the match, winning 6-3, 6-2. And taking a 2-1 lead for MAST. Much like the top line, the singles portion was dominated by MAST, and the team took Lines 3, 4, & 5 to advance to the finals.
MAST Academy made a deep run in the Girl’s 2A Team Bracket.
To determine who would meet MAST in the finals, American Heritage Delray took on Academy of The Holy Names. No. 1 Doubles players, Kristina Despotuli and Jackie Daynovsky (American Heritage), took down Sophia Johnson and Ashleigh Carpenter (Holy Names) in a very competitive showdown. The American Heritage pair took the opening set 4-2 and rode that momentum to take the next one 5-3 and jump out to a 1-0 lead. Inspired by their performance, Chloe Barreto-Massad and Norah Smucker (American Heritage) handled their match with ease, winning both sets 4-0. American Heritage, up 2-0 heading into singles, stayed hot. No. 5 Singles player, Eden Hanko won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. Jackie and Kristina also won their matches to set up a replica final on the Boy’s side of the court.
American Heritage Delray kicked things off in Doubles as their second line of Chloe and Norah took down Nila and Valentina (MAST) 4-1, 5-3. In the No. 1 Doubles match, Kristina and Jackie (American Heritage) faced off against Isabella Porto and Micaela Tarazona (MAST) in one of the best matches at the 2024 FHSAA Tennis State Championships. The two pairs were as evenly matched as they could be. Trading games back and forth in both the first and second set, each went to a score of 4-4 before a tiebreaker was needed to determine who would take them. Kristina and Jackie would prevail in both tiebreakers, winning each 7-3 to take the match and give their team a 2-0 lead heading into Singles. In a super competitive match, Micaela from MAST Academy battled Kristina (American Heritage) all the way to a third-set tiebreaker. Micaela won the set 10-7, but unfortunately for her team, that was the final line they would take. Jackie, Valentina, Norah, and Eden all won their matches to help American Heritage Delray sweep the 2A team titles and lift the trophy.
American Heritage Delray won the Girl’s 2A Team Championship.
On the individual side of the game, Juhnyee See from Coral Springs Charter started off her journey for back-to-back Overall Singles Champion. She dominated her first three matches, only dropping four games, which set up a match against Jackie Daynovsky in the Overall Finals. It was a one-side match as Juhnyee dominated every aspect of the match winning 6-0, 6-0 to win back-to-back Overall Singles.
Juhnyee, alongside her partner Madisen Clark also looked really strong in the Doubles bracket, dropping just four games in their first three matches. The duo from Coral Springs Charter faced off against Jackie and her partner Kristina Despotuli (American Heritage). Fresh off their team title, Jackie and Kristina put up a fight. The first set went all the way to a tiebreaker, where Juhnyee and Madisen came out on top 12-10. The American Heritage duo stormed back, taking the next set 6-3, forcing the final tiebreaker. It was a ton of back and forth all match long, but in the end, Juhnyee and Madisen couldn’t be stopped and won 10-6, claiming the Overall Doubles title.
FULL RESULTS:
- Boys Team Champions: American Heritage Delray
- Boys Team Finalist: MAST Academy
- Girls Team Champions: American Heritage Delray
- Girls Team Finalist: MAST Academy
- Boys Overall Singles Champion: Max Freedman, North Broward Prep
- Boys Overall Singles Finalist: Dhruv Pandya, Bolles
- Boys Overall Doubles Champions: Koray Abramson & Ashwin Chawla,
- Boys Overall Doubles Finalist: Paul Barrus & Akhil Nimmagadda, Aubrey Rogers
- Girls Overall Singles Champion: Juhnyee See, Coral Springs Charter
- Girls Overall Singles Finalist: Jackie Daynovsky, American Heritage Delray
- Girls Overall Doubles Champions: Juhnyee See & Madisen Clark, Coral Springs Charter
- Girls Overall Doubles Finalist: Jackie Daynovsky & Kristina Despotuli, American Heritage Delray
Class 4A Recap
The thrill of tennis continued throughout Class 4A as some of Florida’s best junior players showcased their skills and school pride.
For the Boy’s, there was tons of talent going into the quarterfinals with Lake Nona, Newsome, and George Jenkins all looking to cap off perfect years, as well as Doral Academy who took down the reigning champs, Miami Palmetto, in the regional round.
Lake Nona and Newsome met up in the first round of states, with a lot on the line. However, it was a very one-sided contest as Lake Nona swept it with a 5-0 score. Doral Academy defeated Buchholz, while West Boca stunned George Jenkins. Both of those matchups were 4-0 sweeps. Finally, Cypress Bay took down Winter Park in a more competitive match, winning 4-2.
Winter Park fell to Cypress Bay in the State Quarterfinals.
This set up a Semifinals of Doral Academy against West Boca and Lake Nona facing off with Cypress Bay. In the first semis, it was all Doral Academy as the team rolled through the Doubles Lines. Ezequiel De La Plaza and Carlos Grimaldi (Doral Academy) took down Brayden Amey and Eduardo Cardenas (West Boca) 4-2, 4-1. Ezequiel also won his No. 1 Singles match. All in all, Doral swept West Boca and moved on to the championship.
Lake Nona, coming off a sweep, and Cypress Bay, who needed to play six lines in their previous match, started off with some fireworks. In the top Doubles match, Juan Orta and Aiden Phoebus (Lake Nona) went against Sebastian Mendoza and Jayden Bodden (Cypress Bay). The Cypress Bay duo jumped out early, winning the first set 4-2. But, Juan and Aiden fired right back to force a third-set tiebreaker. The final set was thrilling, with the pairs taking points back-and-forth from one another. In the end, Sebastian and Jayden found a few points in a row and won 11-9. Cypress Bay’s players rode that momentum and came out firing the rest of the day. They won the other doubles line and took the No. 4 and 5 Singles to win the match 4-0 and set up a date with Doral Academy.
As expected, the Championship match was super exciting and had everyone on the edge of their seats. Doubles action got things started with Ezequiel and Carlos (Doral Academy) taking on the top line for Cypress Bay of Sebastian and Jayden. The Doral Academy duo came out strong, winning the first set in a quick 4-0 fashion. However, Sebastian and Jayden answered right back, taking set two 4-2. In the No. 2 Doubles matchup, Gabriel Cottone and Romain Azais (Doral Academy) went against Pablo Alunni-Cobo and Sebastian Elias (Cypress Bay) in a nailbiter. The Cypress Bay pair struck in the first set, taking it 5-4, winning the tiebreaker 7-5. In Set 2, Gabriel and Romain leveled the score, winning 4-1 and forcing the final tiebreaker set. It was a close set, but ultimately, Pablo and Sebastian won 10-7 to even the overall match score at one. Unfortunately, Pablo got injured and had to retire from his Singles match, giving Doral Academy a 2-1 advantage. Sebastian Mendoza (Cypress Bay) was able to even the score back up, taking the No. 1 Singles match 6-3, 7-6. Doral Academy bounced back, thanks to wins from No. 4 and 5 Carlos Grimaldi and Andres Elias Matos Bisarini to become Class 4A State Champions.
Doral Academy won the Boy’s 4A Team Championship.
On the individual side of the Boy’s draw, Jack Satterfield from Plant was looking to go back-to-back as Overall Singles Champion. Through his first two matches, Jack played near-perfect tennis, winning 24 of 25 games in his four sets. To advance to the finals, Jack took down Benjamin Saltman (Winter Haven) in a 6-1, 6-3 match. In the Overall finals, he defeated Jerald Carroll (Winter Park) 6-3, 6-2 to claim his second consecutive Overall Singles Championship.
For Doubles, Jack teamed up with Valentino Laurato (Plant) and they rolled through their first three matches, winning 36 of 44 games across six sets. In the Overall Finals, Jack and Valentino met up with Jerald and his teammate at Winter Park, Tristan Bradu. In the end, it was Jack and Valentino who played some phenomenal tennis to win 6-3, 6-2 and claim the Overall Doubles Championship.
On the Girl’s side of the 4A draw, Miami Palmetto looked to defend their team title, while schools like Lake Nona, Venice, and Steinbrenner all looked to become the rulers of 4A.
Venice and Steinbrenner met up in the quarterfinals and it was a one-sided matchup. Steinbrenner dominated all the lines, winning with a comfortable 4-0. Lake Nona and Stoneman Douglas followed suit as they took down Nease and Boone with ease, respectively, to advance. The reigning champs matched up with Wellington and found themselves in a battle. After splitting the two doubles matches, they took three of the four singles lines and won 4-2.
The Stoneman Douglas Girl’s team at the FHSAA Tennis State Championship.
Miami Palmetto would advance to take on Steinbrenner and it was a clash of titans. Mollie Garcia and Sienna Frizelle for Steinbrenner were able to take the No. 1 Doubles match, while Sophia Jarauta and Camille Chellas took the second one for Miami Palmetto. Mollie swept the No. 1 Singles match 6-0, 6-0 and Sienna took the No. 2 match 6-0, 6-2 to give Steinbrenner a 3-1 edge. Arianne Rodriguez fired back in Line No. 3 for Miami Palmetto, winning 6-2, 6-1. In one of the closets matches, McKenzie Kremer (Steinbrenner) and Sophia Jaruta (Miami Palmetto) faced off. Sophia took the opening set in a 6-2 win. However, McKenzie came storming back to win 6-4 and force a third-set tiebreaker. It was super competitive, with the girls trading off points. In a long tiebreaker, McKenzie edged out a 12-10 win to give Steinbrenner a 4-2 win.
Lake Nona handled business against Douglas relatively easily as they took both doubles lines. The team rode the momentum into the singles portion and wins from Aspen Wooten and Beatriz Hubner propelled them to a 4-0 win and date with Steinbrenner.
The Girl’s Finals, much like the Boy’s, was extremely intense as two evenly matched teams left everything on the courts. In No. 1 Doubles, Gabriela Almanza and Elietta Said (Lake Nona) took on the pair of Mollie and Sienna (Steinbrenner). The girls were battling all match long with the first two sets being split. In the tiebreaker set, it stayed competitive with points going to each team, but, the Lake Nona pair was able to take it 10-8. In No. 2 Doubles, Aspen Wooten and Shrika Moturi (Lake Nona) took down McKenzie Kremer and Jessica Yang (Steinbrenner), using a third-set tiebreaker and to give Lake Nona a 2-0 lead heading into singles. Unfortunately, Gabriela Almanza had to retire from her No. 1 Singles match due to injury. Sienna and Jessica battled back from their doubles losses and both of them won their singles match in a close third-set tiebreaker. To close it out, No. 5 Singles player, Sydney Farkas (Steinbrenner) won her match 6-2, 7-6 and helped captured the State Championship for Steinbrenner.
Steinbrenner won the Girl’s 4A Team Championship.
Over on the individual side, Jessica Popescu (Spanish River) took down some great players including the top-seeded Julia Piotrowska (Riverview). In her third match, Jessica faced the second seed, Payton Seidle-Lubowitz (Doral Academy) in an intense match. They traded the first two sets, and the tiebreaker set was nail-biting. In the end, Jessica won 10-5 and advanced to play Savita Bagirathan (Douglas) in the Overall Singles Finals. Savita took down Kylie Kochis (Nease) on her way to the championship. In the finals, Savita was on fire and took the match over Jessica 6-2, 6-1, becoming the Girl’s 4A Overall Singles Champion.
In Doubles, Payton Seidle-Lubowitz alongside teammate Stefany Zamora (Doral Academy) made their way through the Indvidual bracket, taking down Kayla Wheeler and Giselle Adekunle (Spruce Creek) in a tight, three-set match. They met up against Lake Nona’s Gabriela Almanza and Elietta Said, who had been playing great Doubles all week long. The Lake Nona duo was able to take the match 6-4, 6-3 to claim the Overall Doubles title.
FULL RESULTS:
- Boys Team Champions: Doral Academy
- Boys Team Finalist: Cypress Bay
- Girls Team Champions: Steinbrenner
- Girls Team Finalist: Lake Nona
- Boys Overall Singles Champion: Jack Satterfield, Plant
- Boys Overall Singles Finalist: Jerald Carroll, Winter Park
- Boys Overall Doubles Champions: Jack Satterfield & Valentino Laurato, Plant
- Boys Overall Doubles Finalist: Jerald Carroll & Tristan Bradu, Winter Park
- Girls Overall Singles Champion: Savita Bagirathan, Douglas
- Girls Overall Singles Finalist: Jessica Popescu, Spanish River
- Girls Overall Doubles Champions: Gabriella Almanza & Elietta Said, Lake Nona
- Girls Overall Doubles Finalist: Payton Seidle-Lubowitz & Stefany Zamora, Doral Academy
