Sircar, Thirumala advance to WPIAL Singles Tournament
by: Boys Tennis Contributor
At Wednesday’s section singles tournament, both the sophomore sensation, Advaita Sircar and senior standout, Sri Thirumala qualified for the WPIAL Singles Championship. By virtue of their stellar early season play, both players were given a top three seed. Seeded #1 overall, Sircar moved on to the second round with a 10-0 victory over the North Hills’ Riley Farrar, while third-seeded Thirumala defeated Ian Hurt of Pine-Richland, 10-0.
In the quarterfinal round, Sircar again advanced with ease by eliminating the Mars’ Cal Johnson, 10-0. Thirumala also faced little resistance in downing the Andrew Bocci of Butler, 10-2. The wins earned the pair passage into the section semifinals and automatic WPIAL Championship berths.
The semifinals saw more of the same from Sircar who thrashed Ryan Moore from Pine Richland, 6-0, 6-0. That marks the second straight year Sircar has advanced to the section final without losing a single game. Unfortunately, Thirumala fell to the second-seeded Severin Harmon from Sewickley Academy, 6-1, 6-1.
Tomorrow features a section final between the two defending WPIAL singles champions. Sircar, who won the AAA title last year, will face Sewickley Academy’s Severin Harmon, who was the AA champion. Thirumala will square off against Pine-Richland’s Ryan Moore in the bronze medal match. All four players will compete in next week’s WPIAL Singles Tournament.
The championship and consolation matches are set to begin at 12:00 PM at the Pennsylvania Tennis Academy.
Tournament Summary
First Round
#1 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Riley Farrar (NH) 10-0
#3 Sri Thirumala (NA) def. Ian Hurt (PR) 10-0
Quarterfinals
#1 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Cal Johnson (M) 10-0
#3 Sri Thirumala (NA) def. Andrew Bocci (B) 10-2
Semifinals
#1 Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Ryan Moore (PR) 6-0, 6-0
#2 Severin Harmon (SA) def. #3 Sri Thirumala (NA) 6-1, 6-1
