District 1 dominates first day of state tennis

Four districts were represented in the opening round of the PIAA state Class AAA singles tennis championships Friday at the Hershey Racquet Club.

On Saturday, only District 1 survives after an impressive performance in which Conestoga's Kevin Wang, Neshaminy's Alex Fioravante, Unionville's Michael Furr, and North Penn's Mike Buxbaum played out to the semifinals.

Wang, Fioravante, and Furr won opening-round and quarterfinal matches in straight sets.

Buxbaum took down his opening-round opponent in straight sets and reached the semifinals when District 10 champion Alex Brzozowski defaulted after dropping the opening set, 6-0.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, Wang will play Fioravante and Furr will face Buxbaum in the semifinals.

In doubles, half the semifinal draw consists of District 1 teams as the Wissahickon brothers of Andres and Ricardo Prince and Radnor's team of Gavin Studner and Andrew Zhong both won their first two matches Friday.

Studner and Zhong, the district champions, will face District 3's champions of Andrew and Alec Grossman (Cumberland Valley) in a marquee semifinal match at 11 a.m.

Class AA. The Harriton doubles team of Sam Borowsky and Max Blumenthal, both juniors, reached the semifinals with a pair of wins.

Borowsky and Blumenthal knocked off a pair of seniors from Hughesville, Cody Butler and Randy Davis, 6-4, 6-1, in the first round and also registered a straight-set win in the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over District 11 champions Andrew Ma and Madhav Valla of Moravian Academy.

In singles, District 1 champion Connor Pietrak of Holy Ghost Prep won his first-round matchup against District 4 runner-up Michael Clark of Lewisburg, 6-2, 6-4, but was eliminated by York Suburban's Evan Andrews, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round.

The Results

Class AAA singles first round: Kevin Wang, Conestoga, def. Jody Sambrick, Lampeter-Strasburg, 6-2, 6-2; Alex Fioravante, Neshaminy, def. Jack Barry, Manheim Township, 6-2, 6-0; Michael Furr, Unionville, def. DeSean Fennell, Roman Catholic, 6-2, 6-2; Mike Buxbaum, North Penn, def. Will Nesbitt, Butler, 6-0, 6-1; Cooper Josephs, State College, def. Micah Byrum, Schenley, 6-3, 6-3; Bas VanLent, Pine Richland, def. Eric Perez, Southern Lehigh, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); Weston Fortna, Cedar Crest, def. Palmer Casteel, Dubois, 6-0, 6-0; Alex Brzozowski, Cathedral Prep, def. Josh Palmer, Abington Heights, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7).

Class AAA singles quarterfinals: Wang def. Josephs, 6-0, 6-1; Fioravante def. VanLent, 6-3, 6-1; Furr def. Fortna, 6-0, 6-2; Buxbaum def. Brzozowski, 6-0, retired.

Class AAA doubles first round: Andrew Zhong and Gavin Studner, Radnor, def. Drew Wolgemuth and Colin Wolgemuth, Manheim Central, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; Andrew Grossman and Alec Grossman, Cumberland Valley, def. Derek Sommers and John Lim, West Chester Rustin, 6-2, 6-4; Andres Prince and Ricardo Prince, Wissahickon, def. Harry Bonet and Rich Danze, La Salle, 6-0, 6-3; Vivek Nimgaonkar and Justin Hunt, Shady Side, def. Johnny Wu and Matt Sokoloff, Unionville, 6-1, 6-3; Edward Badding and Bernardo Dellagnelo, State College, def. Nic Vidic and Jesse Mendelson, Allerdice, 6-0, 6-1; Michael DiSanto and Brendan Ferraro, Southern Lehigh, def. Mike SantaLucia and Adam Blasinsky, Pitt, Central Catholic, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2; Dave Musser and Andrew Moshos, Manheim Twp., def. Michael Blose and Tim Pearse, Punxsutawney, 6-0, 6-2; Mario Nicolia and Chad Walbridge, Cathedral Prep, def. Stephen Brand and Tyler Ryman, Wyoming Valley West, 6-4, 6-3.

Class AAA doubles quarterfinals: Zhong and Studner def. Badding and Dellagnelo, 6-1, 6-1; Grossman and Grossman def. DiSanto and Ferraro, 6-4, 6-4; A. Prince and R. Prince def. Musser and Moshos, 6-2, 6-3; Nicolia and Walbridge def. Nimgaonkar and Hunt, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11).

Class AA singles first round: Sam Rudovsky, Masterman, def. Parag Dharbhamulla, Westmont Hilltop, 6-1, 6-2; Connor Pietrak, Holy Ghost Prep, def. Michael Clark, Lewisburg, 6-2, 6-4; D.J. Goldblum, Winchester Thurston, def. Ricardo Saad, Wyomissing, injurt default; Evan Andrews, York Suburban, def. Henry Paiste, Northwestern Lehigh, 6-2, 6-4; Doug Caplan, Harrisburg Academy, def. Tanya Timko, Chartiers Houston, 6-0, 6-2; George Parkhurst, Wyoming Seminary, def. Brandon Romain, St. Marys, 6-2, 6-3; Corey Runyan, Hickory, def. Peter Riley, Tussey Mountain, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5); Dave Cenkner, Mt. Pleasant, def. Peter Csernica, Lewisburg, 6-2, 6-2.

Class AA singles quarterfinals: Goldblum def. Rudovsky, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Andrews def. Pietrak, 6-4, 6-3; Caplan def. Parkhurst, 6-2, 6-2; Runyan def. Cenkner, 6-4, 6-2.

Class AA doubles first round: Matt Sullivan and Sergio Muniz, Masterman, def. Nihar Suthar and Jeremy Koller, Indian Valley, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6, (10-8); Sam Borowski and Max Blumenthal, Harriton, def. Cody Butler and Randall Davis, Hughesville, 6-4, 6-1; Ryan Bair and Ryan Duschi, Lancaster Catholic, def. Will Kleeman and Daniel Martchek, Sewickley, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2; Andrew Ma and Madhav Valla, Moravian, def. Alex Grimm and Alex Altman, Wyomissing, 6-3, 6-4; Patrick Moran and Eric Ebersole, Donegal, def. Andrew Gallatin and Keegan Shudy, Jefferson, 6-3, 6-0; Henry Parkhurst and Henry Cornell, Wyoming Seminary, def. Dylan Wiesner and Nathan Hansen, St. Marys, 7-5, 6-2; Jimmy Fitzgibbon and Ryan Rothman, Fairview, def. Joram Schrama and Thomas Keifman, Tussey Mountain, 6-0, 6-2; Brad Cisek and Michael Pfefferle, Hampton, def. Dylan Christman and Jumpei Osakabe, Wellsboro, 6-2, 6-2.

Class AA doubles quarterfinals: Bair and Duschi def. Sullivan and Muniz, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Borowsky and Blumenthal def. Ma and Valla, 6-1, 6-2; Moran and Ebersole def. Parkhurst and Cornell, 7-5, 6-3; Fitzgibbon and Rothman def. Cisek and Pfefferle, 6-1, 6-0.