Lopez-Cardenas Fights Back To Win Suffolk County Singles Title
Madisetty & Gonzales of Hills East complete comeback as well to capture doubles crown
Last year, Sam Lopez-Cardenas decided to take a year off from high school tennis, opting instead to do his schooling online to allow himself more time to train and focus on tennis.
It’s a decision that helped him develop into a better tennis player, training every day and competing in higher-level tournaments, but also left him missing the camaraderie and type of environment that comes with competing for your high school tennis team.
“It was hard not to play with my school team. I love this environment, and it was something I dearly missed,” he said. “It was difficult for me to be outside of school, away from friends and teachers, it was a big change. But it did help my tennis a lot.”
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Lopez-Cardenas knew he wanted to return for his senior season with his sights set on winning the Suffolk County singles title. In his freshman and sophomore seasons, he was an alternate for the State tournament, but wanted to wrap up his high school career with a county title and a trip to States.
And he did just that, coming back from a set down to defeat Ward Melville’s Shashank Pennabadi 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 in the finals at Smithtown East High School.
“It’s great to win this,” said Lopez-Cardenas. “I think I stayed calm and positive, and tried not to let what happened in the first set get in my head. I adjusted a lot mentally which helped me push forward in the second and third sets.”
There was a rain delay after the first set, and Lopez-Cardenas made sure to use that break to get himself ready for the comeback. He mixed in more serve and volleys into his repertoire, and came out a different player in the second set.
“There was a huge momentum shift after the first set. He was playing really well in that set but the delay really helped me calm down,” he said. “I was able to keep my cool and take control, and I kept rolling from there. I am really happy with how I played. To come back [after taking a year off from high school tennis] and win this makes it that much sweeter.”
Joining Lopez-Cardenas and Pennabadi at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Individual Championships will be Sachem’s
Leonardo Villacreses who defeated Ross School’s Ignacio Pena Lopez 6-4, 7-5 in the third-place match.
In the doubles final, Hills East’s Lohit Madisetty & Marcus Gonzales came back from a set down to defeat Commack’s Jeffrey Behar & Eric Benderly 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to capture the Suffolk County Doubles Title.
Much like Lopez-Cardenas, Madisetty & Gonzales used the rain delay to their advantage to turn the tables in their match.
“The rain delay helped us change things. We both knew we had to do something different, so we made sure to get our energy up and battle back,” said Madisetty. “Marcus is an animal. I wasn’t playing well in the first set but he stayed steady throughout the entire match. I was able to pick my game up later on and we were able to pull through.”
While Madisetty credited Gonzales for his play from start to finish, the eighth-grade Gonzalez spoke highly of the impact his senior partner has on him, not only in this match, but throughout the season.
“Lohit’s an amazing player. He brings experience and I wouldn’t be as confident on court if it wasn’t for him,” Gonzales said. “This is my first year playing high school tennis and his experience means a lot to me. It’s really exciting to go to States, and shows how much work we have put in.”
In the third-place match, Tommy Walsh & Sam Stein of Hills East beat Ray Hidaka & Kai Hidaka of Shoreham-Wading River 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, and both pairings will join the finalists at the NYSPHSAA Individual Championships.
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2025 Suffolk County Boys’ Individual Championships Final Results
Singles
- Sam Lopez-Cardenas (Walt Whitman)
- Shashank Pennabadi (Ward Melville)
- Leonardo Villacreses (Sachem)
- Ignacio Pena Lopez (Ross School)
Doubles
- Lohit Madisetty & Marcus Gonzales (Hills East)
- Jeffrey Behar & Eric Benderly (Commack)
- Tommy Walsh & Sam Stein (Hills East)
- Ray Hidaka & Kai Hidaka (Shoreham-Wading River)
