Team, Individual Results from the 2018 Florida State H.S. Tennis Championships

The Miami Palmetto girls’ and boys’ state title teams

Three teams successfully defended titles from last year, and some amazing individual records continued at the Florida High School Tennis State Championships team and individual competitions, held last week at Sanlando Park, Red Bug Lake Park and Sylvan Lake Park in the Orlando area.

In Class 2A the American Heritage girls (Delray Beach) and the Montverde Academy boys (Montverde) both successfully defended titles from last year. The St. Andrew’s girls (Boca Raton) also repeated their championship in Class 1A.

VIDEO: Watch the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Girls’ Team Play for ‘The 17’

“It is an amazing feeling,” St. Andrew’s senior Olivia Martinez, a three-time state champion for the school who is headed to College of the Charleston in the fall, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Martinez also won the overall doubles championship with freshman partner Sara Snyder. “Winning the overall doubles championship with Sara was a great way to end my career at St. Andrew’s.”

Miami Palmetto was a force in Class 4A, sweeping both the girls’ and boys’ titles.

Among individual accomplishments, Alana Wolfberg (Timber Creek H.S., Orlando) won the Class 4A girls’ singles title for the third year in a row. Wolfberg to further challenge herself also competed in the state track and field championships during the weekend, shuttling between Orlando and Jacksonville. The No. 1-ranked player in the Florida 18s said she took an ice bath after playing four matches on Thursday.

“I took an ice bath once before and I literally couldn’t stand it and got out,” she told the Orlando Sentinel. “But it was good tonight. My legs are a lot less sore. I’m excited. I’m ready.”

After winning her third consecutive state individual tennis title on Friday she drove approximately two hours to Jacksonville and competed in the 4×400-meter relay at the University of North Florida.

All multiple individual title winners:

Class 4A
Alana Wolfberg (Timber Creek H.S., Orlando) winning the girls’ individual and overall singles
Juliana Martinez/Camila Ordonez (Dr. Krop, Miami) winning the girls’ individual and overall doubles
Daniel Krulig (Coral Gables H.S.) winning the boys’ individual and overall singles

Class 3A
Kendall Nash (Atlantic Coast H.S., Jacksonville) winning the girls’ individual and overall singles
Brandon Pham (Bartram Trail, St. Johns) winning the boys’ singles overall and doubles overall with brother Brian

Class 2A
Melissa Sakar (American Heritage, Delray Beach) winning the girls’ individual and overall singles, and girls’ doubles individual with partner Hayden Bethea
Steven Sun (American Heritage, Delray Beach) winning the boys’ singles overall and doubles overall with partner Hunter Robbins

Class 1A
Daniela Bellini (St. Pete Catholic) claiming the girls’ individual and overall singles
Antonio Mora (Ransom Everglades School, Miami)  sweeping the boys’ singles individual and overall, and double individual and overall with partner Grant Dill

An FHSAA rule change implemented this year had the individual singles and doubles winners facing off against the team singles and doubles winners for the overall champions division crown.

Here are the Class 4A-1A team, individual and overall winners:

Class 4A

Girls’ Team — Miami Palmetto d. Riverview (Sarasota) 4-0
Girls’ Singles Individual — (1) Alana Wolfberg (Timber Creek H.S., Orlando) d. (2) Slade Coetzee (Ferguson H.S., Miami) 6-1, 6-3
Girls’ Singles Overall — Alana Wolfberg (Timber Creek H.S., Orlando)  d. Samantha Alicia (Miami Palmetto) 6-1, 6-2
Girls’ Doubles Individual — (1) Juliana Martinez/Camila Ordonez (Dr. Krop, Miami) d. (2) Candace Carmouche/Alana Wolfberg (Timber Creek, Orlando) 6-0, 6-2
Girls’ Doubles Overall — Juliana Martinez/Camila Ordonez (Dr. Krop, Miami) d. Samantha Alicia/Alyssa Hayduk (Miami Palmetto) 6-3, 6-2

Boys’ Team — Miami Palmetto d. Steinbrenner (Lutz) 4-0
Boys’ Singles Individual — (1) Daniel Krulig (Coral Gables H.S.) d. David Gorshein (Lake Mary H.S.) 6-0, 6-1
Boys’ Singles Overall — Daniel Krulig (Coral Gables H.S.)  d. Logan Zapp (Fleming Island H.S.) 6-4, 6-4
Boys’ Doubles Individual — (1) Daniel Krulig/Jack Lee (Coral Gables H.S.) d. (2) Finn Anderson/Charles Putrino (Riverview H.S., Sarasota) 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-6
Boys’ Doubles Overall — Nicholas Cary/Chase Martin (Steinbrenner H.S., Lutz) d. Daniel Krulig/Jack Lee (Coral Gables H.S.) walkover

Notes: It was the fifth state title for both the Miami Palmetto boys (first since 1996) and girls (first since 1986), according to the Miami Herald, and the first time they have won it together. It was the first time a Miami-Dade school swept the boys’ and girls’ titles since Dr. Krop in 2009.

Class 3A

Girls’ Team — Doral Academy d. Gainesville 4-0
Girls’ Singles Individual — (1) Kendall Nash (Atlantic Coast H.S., Jacksonville) d. (2) Jessica Stefan (Boca Ciega H.S., Gulfport) 5-7, 6-1, 10-8
Girls’ Singles Overall — Kendall Nash (Atlantic Coast H.S., Jacksonville) d. Emma Heiderscheit (Gulf Coast H.S., Naples) 7-6(3), 6-3
Girls’ Doubles Individual — Jillian Hobbs/Marcella Schmidt (Niceville H.S.) d. Alexa Albinson/Jasmine Blair (Largo H.S.) 7-6(4), 6-0
Girls’ Doubles Overall — Lauren McCain/Selin Yaylali (Gainesville) d. Jillian Hobbs/Marcella Schmidt (Niceville H.S.) walkover

Boys’ Team — Bartram Trail (St. Johns) d. Doral Academy 4-0
Boys’ Singles Individual — (1) Carlos Grande (Belen Jesuit, Miami) d. Luke Zirakian (Vanguard, Ocala) 6-1, 6-0
Boys’ Singles Overall — Brandon Pham (Bartram Trail, St. Johns) d. Carlos Grande (Belen Jesuit, Miami) 7-5, 7-6(2)
Boys’ Doubles Individual — (1) Ryan Rajakar/Benjamin Zipay (Venice H.S.) d. (2) Carlos Grande/Sebastian Velez (Belen Jesuit, Miami) 6-2, 6-3
Boys’ Doubles Overall —  Brian Pham/Brandon Pham (Bartram Trail, St. Johns) d. Ryan Rajakar/Benjamin Zipay (Venice H.S.) 6-3, 6-4

Notes: Kendall Nash (Atlantic Coast H.S., Jacksonville) is the first girls’ singles champion from a public school since 1956, according to the Florida Times-Union. The Bartram Trail Bears also ended a boys’ team championship drought for Jacksonville-area public schools that dated to 1923.

Class 2A

Girls’ Team — American Heritage (Plantation) d. Montverde Academy 4-2
Girls’ Singles Individual — (1) Melissa Sakar (American Heritage, Delray Beach) d. (2) Sophia Fornaris (Gulliver Prep, Pinecrest) 6-2, 6-0
Girls’ Singles Overall — Melissa Sakar (American Heritage, Delray Beach) d. Natalie Block (American Heritage, Delray Beach) 6-4, 4-6, 10-5
Girls’ Doubles Individual — (2) Hayden Bethea/Melissa Sakar (American Heritage, Delray Beach) d. (1) Sofia Restrepo/Chiara Von Gerlach (Gulliver Prep, Pinecrest) 6-1, 6-2     
Girls’ Doubles Overall — Ellen Ashley/Natalie Block (American Heritage, Delray Beach) d. Hayden Bethea/Melissa Sakar (American Heritage, Delray Beach) 6-1, 6-1

Boys’ Team — Montverde Academy d. Pine Crest 4-1
Boys’ Singles Individual — (1) John Sakellarides (Tarpon Springs H.S.) d. (2) James Bratt (Ridgeview H.S., Orange Park) walkover
Boys’ Singles Overall — Steven Sun (American Heritage, Delray Beach) d. John Sakellarides (Tarpon Springs H.S.) 7-5, 6-3
Boys’ Doubles Individual — (1) Diego Amilibia/Stefano Viel (Immaculata LaSalle H.S., Miami) d. (2) John Sakellarides/Alexander Theophilopoulos (Tarpon Springs H.S.) 6-0, 6-4  
Boys’ Doubles Overall — Hunter Robbins/Steven Sun (American Heritage, Delray Beach) d. Diego Amilibia/Stefano Viel (Immaculata LaSalle H.S., Miami) 6-2, 6-0

Notes: American Heritage successfully defends its girls’ title and denies Montverde Academy a sweep of the Class 2A titles.

Class 1A

Girls’ Team — St. Andrew’s School (Boca Raton) d. Berkeley Prep. (Tampa) 4-1
Girls’ Singles Individual — (1) Daniela Bellini (St. Pete Catholic) d. Olivia Jablonski (Citrus Park Christian, Tampa) 6-0, 6-1
Girls’ Singles Overall — Daniela Bellini (St. Pete Catholic) d. Jaela Bandes (Berkeley Prep, Tampa) 6-2, 4-6, 11-9
Girls’ Doubles Individual — (1) Ava Krug/Sydney Sforzo (Out-of-Door Academy, Sarasota) d. (2) Samantha DiMaio/Sammy Miller (Trinity Prep, Winter Park) 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-7       
Girls’ Doubles Overall — Sara Snyder/Olivia Martinez (St. Andrew’s School, Boca Raton) d. Ava Krug/Sydney Sforzo (Out-of-Door Academy, Sarasota) 1-6, 7-5, 10-7

Boys’ Team — Out-of-Door Academy (Sarasota) d. Tampa Prep. 5-0
Boys’ Singles Individual — (1) Antonio Mora (Ransom Everglades School, Miami) d. (2) Michael Mendez (Calvary Christian, Ft. Lauderdale) 6-3, 6-0
Boys’ Singles Overall — Antonio Mora (Ransom Everglades School, Miami) d. Quinn Fender (St. Andrew’s School, Boca Raton) 6-1, 6-1
Boys’ Doubles Individual — (1) Grant Dill/Antonio Mora (Ransom Everglades School, Miami) d. Max Damm/Kevin Jiang (St. Stephen’s, Bradenton) 6-3, 6-3
Boys’ Doubles Overall — Grant Dill/Antonio Mora (Ransom Everglades School, Miami) d. Connor Krug/Jake Krug (Out of Door Academy, Sarasota) 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-3   
 
Notes: “The biggest difference was my serve,” said Mora, who has qualified for the state finals six consecutive years since he was a seventh-grader, speaking to the Miami Herald. “I thought I served really well. I hit five or six aces today, which really helped. I wanted to win it all.”

For complete results go to www.fhsaa.org/sports/tennis.