Sircar, Kaufman advance to PIAA Championships, set up all-NA WPIAL Final
by: Boys Tennis Contributor
It was a historic day for NA Boys’ Tennis at Wednesday’s WPIAL Championships. For the first time in NA’s illustrious tennis history, there will be an all-NA WPIAL Singles Final. Uber talented junior Advaita Sircar and senior standout Evan Kaufman combined to win all six of their matches to reach the championship round.
Sircar, the tournament’s number one overall seed, had little problem advancing to the finals. The junior captain made quick work of his first opponent, Baldwin’s Nikita Petruk, 10-0. That set up a quarterfinal rematch with Sewickley Academy’s Johan Harmon, who he also dispatched 10-0. In the semifinals, it was more of the same for the Tigers #1 singles player as he took down Upper St. Clair’s Carter Lichtman, 6-0, 6-1. This is the third straight year Sircar has advanced to the WPIAL Final, claiming gold in 2024 and silver in 2025.
On the other half of the bracket, Kaufman, perhaps feeling a bit disrespected by only being seeded sixth, set out to prove the Committee wrong. He had little trouble with the Harshal Palleria of South Fayette, winning 10-3. The quarterfinals proved a bit more challenging as Kaufman raced to a 5-2 lead, only to see Mt. Lebanon’s Luca Ritivoi rattle off five straight games. The Tiger was undeterred and quickly won five straight of his own to win with match 10-7. The highly anticipated semifinal with Gateway’s Logan Memije lived up to the hype. After overcoming a first game break, Kaufman won nine of the next eleven games to not only win the first set, but to establish an insurmountable lead. He would cruise to a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory.
The tournament featured the sixteen best players from the entire WPIAL, but after the dust settled, only the two Tigers were left standing. This proves conclusively that NA Tennis is the “Best of the West”. Regardless of who wins the final, both players have advanced to the PIAA Championships. It will be Sircar’s third straight trip, while Kaufman will make his inaugural appearance in the State tournament.
Fittingly, WPIAL Championship match is set for 1:00 PM at North Allegheny’s home courts.
Tournament Summary
First Round
#1 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Nikita Petruk (BALD) 10-0
#6 Evan Kaufman (NA) def. Harshal Palleria (SF) 10-3
Quarterfinals
#1 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Johan Harmon (SA) 10-0
#6 Evan Kaufman (NA) def. Luca Ritivoi (MTL) 10-7
Semifinals
#1 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Carter Lichtman (USC) 6-0, 6-1
#6 Evan Kaufman (NA) def. Logan Memije (GATE) 6-3, 6-2
