Friends Academy Captures First New York State Tennis Championship
Third time’s a charm.
Playing in the NYSPHSAA Division 2 Championship for the third straight season, Friends Academy would not be denied this time around. The Quakers edged Byram Hills in thrilling fashion, winning 3-2 to claim the state title for the first time in program history.
“We knew going in that it was going to be a very close match, and it turned out to be that way,” said Friends Academy head coach Owen Kassimir. “The last two years, we thought we had it and were close, which was frustrating and disappointing, but that’s what makes this one so sweet. Being here three years in a row and coming back to win this time is fantastic.”
In an ironic twist, the match would come down to two players who did not play in either of the previous state championships.Vir Singh, who wasn’t in the lineup a year ago, and Blake Doan, who was on the junior varsity team, had the title resting on their racquets as they battled it out on the third doubles court after Friends Academy and Byram Hills split the first four flights.
Despite falling behind 0-2 in the deciding third set, Singh & Doan were unfazed, and instead of playing passively, they turned up the aggressiveness. In doing so, they were able to rattle off the next four games to move ahead 4-2.
A couple of games later, Singh served out the match and the championship, clinching the title with an overhead winner that set off a team-wide celebration after their 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
“They played together all season and had a really good year,” said Kassimir. “They came back in several matches during the season, and I’m so thrilled for them to be able to clinch it.”
Byram Hills’ victories would come from Casey Goldstein & Arun Das who won 7-6(4), 7-5 at second doubles, and Vasily Ouyang-Christiansen who won 6-1, 6-3 at third singles.
Prior to the clinching win from Singh & Doan, Hudson Lee & Steven Seviroli were 6-3, 6-2 winners at first doubles, and Will Bohner won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles for Friend Academy.
“The seniors this year have been on the team for the two losses in the state championship, and so to have the support of past players, and the experience to finally win one was definitely a full circle moment,” said Bohner. “It’s a big deal for the Friends Academy program and shows how consistent we have been.”
It was a special day for the Friends Academy program and it showed as dozens of teachers and other staff from the school were on hand to watch their tennis team bring home the state title.
“Knowing we did this for our school and that the school is proud of us means a lot. We had about 30 teachers here today which was really nice and it’s hard to describe how much that meant to us,” said Kassimir. “It was a complete team win, they did it as a whole. We’ve been looking forward to this day all season, and this was the cherry on top of a great year.”
