Manhasset’s Golubenko Claims Nassau County Singles Title
Garden City’s Bravo, Wiese Roll to Doubles Championship
It was a long day for Max Golubenko at Eisenhower Park on Sunday. The Manhasset senior was competing in the final Nassau County Individual Championships tournament of his high school career, and was motivated to leave with the title.
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That motivation was necessary, as Golubenko had to overcome Syosset’s Devan Melandro 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in a semifinal match that lasted just shy of five hours. It left him exhausted prior to the championship match against Roslyn’s Ethan Solop, who defeated Will Bohner of Friends Academy 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in his semifinal.
Having already qualified for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Individual Championships by reaching the county final, Golubenko could have decided not to play the final.
“People were telling me that I didn’t have to play if I didn’t feel up to it,” he said. “But I wanted to try.”
Golubenko was steadfast in leaving his senior year with a county title, and came out firing in the championship. He entered with a simple but effective strategy; try to shorten the points, play aggressive and not put too much pressure on himself.
It worked.
Golubenko played sharp tennis, mixing in some serve and volleys and going for winners while serving well to defeat Solop 6-4, 6-3 to win the county title.
“It means everything,” said Golubenko. “I played my first county tournament in ninth grade in doubles and lost. Then my sophomore year I reached the quarters, and last season in my junior year I finished in third place. So it has all built up to this, and that’s why it means so much. If I was still a freshman, I don’t know if it would mean as much, so to do this in one of my last high school matches means a lot.”
He now prepares for the NYSPHSAA Championships which begin on Friday, June 6. He will be joined by Solop, Bohner and Melandro as the Nassau County representatives in singles.
Garden City’s Christian Bravo & Ben Wiese continued their school’s success in the Nassau County Individual Championships by winning the doubles title on Sunday as the pairing defeated Jericho’s Nick Chin & Hiroto Honda 6-1, 6-0.
Bravo’s sister, Angelina, won the girls’ singles title a year ago and the doubles title the year prior alongside Kayla Castellano, while Wiese’s sister, Nina, won the 2023 county singles title before going on to win the NYSPHSAA singles title as well.
This day belonged to the younger brothers, as Bravo & Wiese outlasted Syosset’s Nikhil Shah & Aayan Mehta 7-5, 7-5 in their semifinal match, before carrying that momentum into a convincing victory in the finals.
“It means a lot,” said Bravo. “Ben and I have been playing together for a long time, and we put in a lot of work to get here.”
Both Bravo and Wiese are left-handed which can provide a problem that is difficult to solve for their opponents, which they use to their benefit.
“I think it does work to our advantage, they have to get used to our serves and the different angles on our shots we are able to hit,” said Wiese.
Bravo & Wiese now head to the NYSPHSAA Championships as the Nassau County doubles champions, and are excited to compete at the State tournament for the first time.
“It feels great to win this and go to States,” Wiese added. “We’re just going to keep working hard, stay strong, practice as much as we can, and see what happens.”
In the third-place match, Shah & Mehta defeated Anish Pylla & Wyzer Concepcion of Jericho 6-0, 6-2 to secure their spot at the State tournament.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE NASSAU COUNTY INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
2025 Nassau County Boys’ Individual Championships Final Results
Singles
- Max Golubenko (Manhasset)
- Ethan Solop (Roslyn)
- Will Bohner (Friends Academy)
- Devan Melandro (Syosset)
Doubles
- Christian Bravo & Ben Wiese (Garden City)
- Nick Chin & Hiroto Honda (Jericho)
- Nikhil Shah & Aayan Mehta (Syosset)
- Anish Pylla & Wyzer Concepcion (Jericho)
