Tigers win sixth WPIAL title with sweep of Upper St. Clair
by: Boys Tennis Contributor
On a warm but windy Tuesday afternoon, the NA Boys’ Tennis team traveled to Washington and Jefferson College to take on Upper St. Clair for the WPIAL Championship. The Tigers, winners of their previous 16 matches, faced a Panthers team that had not lost since early March. In a battle of the two top seeded teams in the WPIAL, it was the Tigers who proved they are the Best of the West.
Uber talented junior Advaita Sircar lost the first game at first singles, but then quickly rattled off twelve in a row to put the Tigers on the board first with a 6-1, 6-0 trouncing of his Panther foe. Another junior added to the lead as Ashwin Sudhakar silenced his second singles adversary, 6-2, 6-3.
With victory all but assured, the question on everyone’s mind was who would clinch the victory for the Tigers. As Evan Kaufman delayed the inevitable for a shot at glory, it was two more juniors who snuck in to steal the accolades. Despite a momentary loss of concentration, Shivum Telang and Ronit Ginde finished their second doubles match moments ahead of the senior, 6-1, 7-5.
As Kaufman quickly finished up the 6-3, 6-3 shellacking of his third singles adversary, attention turned to first doubles to see if the sweep was in order. Senior captain Adhav Ramadas and senior Matthew Kampi completed the blanking of USC with a 6-0, 7-5 victory.
Men of the Match honors go to the three captains who have led the team this season, Ramadas, Kaufman, and Sircar. A special recognition goes to today’s Fan of the Match, Kenny, who has also supported the team all season. The team appreciates your spirit and dedication!
The victory is the 17th in a row for the Tigers and their second WPIAL title in the past three years. It is the sixth WPIAL AAA Championship for North Allegheny which puts them in fourth place all-time among active AAA schools.
Next up, the team will play a PIAA first round match next Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
Boys Tennis Summary vs. Upper St. Clair, 5-5-26
| MATCH SUMMARY | NORTH ALLEGHENY 5 - UPPER ST. CLAIR 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| SINGLES | ||
| #1 | Advaita Sircar (NA) def. Carter Lichtman (USC) | 6-1, 6-0 |
| #2 | Ashwin Sudhakar (NA) def. Sidney Weissert (USC) | 6-2, 6-3 |
| #3 | Evan Kaufman (NA) def. Eathan Yealy (USC) | 6-3, 6-3 |
| DOUBLES | ||
| #1 | Adhav Ramadas/Matthew Kampi (NA) def. Myles Owens/William Whitman (USC) | 6-0, 7-5 |
| #2 | Ronit Ginde/Shivum Telang (NA) def. Daniel Smith/Rex Wanjte (USC) | 6-1, 7-5 |
