Syosset Wins NYSPHSAA Division I Championship

All season long, the Syosset Braves had one goal in mind. That was to win the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Division I Championship. 

With every accomplishment along the way, reaching the playoffs, winning the Nassau County Championship, capturing the Long Island title, the message was still the same:

The job isn’t finished. 

So on Friday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, it was time to finish that job, as the Braves were one of four teams competing for state supremacy. In the semifinals, Syosset knocked off Williamsville East, before setting its sights on Westchester powerhouse Scarsdale. 

“Before the season, our goal was simple and it was to be here in this moment,” said senior co-captain Ansh Chadha. “Everyone was focused, and we were locked in all week getting ready for this.”

That focus was on full display as Syosset defeated Scarsdale 5-2 to become the second winners of the New York State Boys’ Division I Championship.

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Chadha backed up his own messaging as he won 6-3, 6-1 at first singles.

Ansh Chadha celebrates a point during his first singles victory

“I came out a bit shaky. I was making some unforced errors in that first set, going for some big shots and trying to play hero ball,” admitted Chadha. “At 3-3 in the first set is when I really settled in though. I told myself to just get every ball in the court and that helped me build a lead, and from there I really started serving well which helped me maintain that lead. I think the key for me today was moving forward which is something I don’t normally do, but I saw it was working and it helped me win some big points at the net.”

Nikhil Shah posted a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the third singles spot, but Scarsdale kept things close thanks to a 6-4, 6-0 win from Jack Reis at second singles, and a 6-2, 6-3 victory by Will Mishra & Michael Marks at first doubles.

With tensions rising, the eyes of spectators and players who finished their matches focused in on the second doubles court, as Syosset’s Dylan Apfel & Spencer Keschner were in a third-set tiebreaker with Ben Hyman & Hiroshi Hebner of Scarsdale to decide the match.

“We knew we had to get one break in the tiebreaker and we would be able to hold our serves,” said Keschner. “And that’s what it came down to.”

The Syosset pairing were able to secure the mini-break and remained efficient with their serves, pulling away in the deciding tiebreak to deliver a third win for Syosset, moving their team within one win from the state title.

Dylan Apfel & Spencer Keschner won a thrilling three-set match at second doubles to secure a key point for Syosset

“Spencer and I have been playing together for awhile now, and our doubles chemistry is built on trust,” Apfel, a senior co-captain, said. “We know what the other one is good at and we rely on that trust. We talk to each other a lot during matches which helps us stay focused on what we need to do.”

Needing to win one more court, Syosset turned to Devan Melandro, a sophomore who had played doubles much of the season, including winning the Nassau County doubles title alongside Shah, but was tasked with playing fourth singles in the state championships.

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“When I told him he would be playing singles here, he told me he was ready,” said Syosset head coach Shai Fisher. “I was confident in him because he has a history of playing singles, and playing pressure matches for us in the past. He wanted to prove that to everyone.”

Melandro did just that. Leading 5-3 in the second set, Melandro dug in on his return game, setting up multiple match points on his opponent’s serve. After a long deuce game, Melandro finally got the break to clinch the match, and dropped his racket to the ground in disbelief.

“That game lasted forever,” Melandro said. “I felt the pressure when I went up 40-15 and had match points. I missed a couple of returns, but I kept telling myself that I needed to win this game and it was over. I didn’t want to serve again, just wanted to close the match out right there in that game. I felt confident coming into today and getting back into my old groove, and to clinch it for my team is just amazing.”

Rounding out the scoring was the third doubles pairing of Ryan Jiang & Veyd Trived who won 6-4, 3-6, 10-6.

“I’m extremely proud of them,” said Fisher. “All the hard work, the dedication, the commitment, staying away from injuries, all the factors that go into play, you don’t realize how hard it is until you go through it. I don’t know if it’s really sunk in yet, the first ever state title in Syosset tennis history, but I couldn’t be more proud of them for what they did this season.”