Smithtown East’s Konopka Captures Suffolk County Singles Title

Smithtown East junior Anya Konopka captured the Suffolk County Girls’ Singles title on defeating Middle Country’s Maria Perez 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a thrilling championship match inside Eastern Athletic Club in Blue Point on Sunday morning.

Konopka, who finished in third place a year ago, was determined to bring home the county title this year, and got a strong test from Perez in Sunday’s final. After taking the opening set, Konopka saw Perez find success in the return game, and was able to break Konopka’s serve several times to force the match into a deciding third set.

There, it seemed as if Konopka had taken back momentum as she raced out to a 5-1 lead, only to see Perez rally back to even things at 5-5.

“It was tight, and I definitely had to focus more,” said Konopka. “I was kind of giving it away because I was up and thought I could just close it out, but that did not work. I had to find that mental game.”

She did just that, stopping Perez’s comeback by winning the final two games of the match to capture the county title.

“She is such a tough player,” Konopka said of Perez. “She keeps everything in and has great spin on her shots. She ran down every single ball I hit, I don’t know how she did but she a good job of that. The match was tight, I think we both had our ups and downs, and I was glad to be able to close it out.”

That fighting spirit that Konopka showed proved to be the difference, according to Smithtown East head coach Nicole Daniggelis:

“Anya’s a fighter that never quits. She works hard all-year round, and I’m so proud of the way she played today. It’s a product of all the hard work she puts in and she deserves in. Sometimes things go your way in a match, sometimes they don’t, and it’s about staying confident and sticking to the game plan, and that’s what she was able to do today.”

In the third-place match, Lola Dangin of The Ross School defeated Isabella Spilotros of Smithtown West 6-3, 6-2. All four singles semifinalists will be heading up to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Individual Championships which run from Thursday, October 26 through Saturday, October 28 at Sportime Schenectady.