Sircar Advances to WPIAL Finals, Secures Spot In PIAA Tournament
At Tuesday’s WPIAL Championships, both freshman Advaita Sircar and sophomore Evan Kaufman won their first-round matches with ease. Seeded No. 2 overall, Sircar advanced with a 10-0 victory over Franklin Regional’s Prem Nadasen. Fifth-seeded Kaufman also had little trouble facing off against 12th-seeded Colin Stalnaker of Franklin Regional, 10-1.
The quarterfinals proved to be more of the same for Sircar as he dismantled Upper St. Clair’s Ronan Gibbons, 10-1. The opposition proved to be too much for Kaufman as he bowed out 10-7 to Upper St. Clair’s Ari Plutko, seeded fourth at the tournament.
The semifinal round was a great back and forth duel between Sircar and Gateway’s No. 2 singles player, Zidaan Hassan. The two traded shots with Sircar getting a late break in each set to seal the victory, 7-5, 6-4. The win guarantees him a spot in the WPIAL Final and in the PIAA Championships at Hershey. For a look at the WPIAL Class AAA bracket, click here.
On Wednesday, Sircar will square off against Gateway’s No. 1 singles player, Adam Memije with the WPIAL title at stake. Match time is set for 1:00 PM at North Allegheny.
Tournament Summary
First Round
#2 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Prem Nadasen (FR) 10-0
#5 Evan Kaufman (NA) def. Colin Stalnaker (FR) 10-1
Quarterfinals
#2 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Ronan Gibbons (USC) 10-1
Ari Plutko (USC) def. #5 Evan Kaufman (NA) 10-7
Semifinals
#2 Advaita Sircar def. Zidaan Hassan (G) 7-5, 6-4